The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass/Stranded

Waking up
Link will be woken up on the beach by a fairy named Ciela. Ciela asks Link how he came to arrive there, and Link tells Ciela the story about Tetra and the ghost ship. Ciela is immediately concerned about helping Link save Tetra. She suggests that Link talks to "Grandpa", the old man who has been taking care of her since she lost her memory. She points out the location of his hut on the map. At this point, you gain control over Link.

Link will run in the direction that you point to using the stylus. Ciela will always position herself under the location that you point to. Before you talk to Grandpa, there are very few places you can explore. A woman stands near a bridge and prevents you from running across, and another man to the west stands near a Cucco. The man will "teach" Link how to lift objects. There are a few stones and barrels that you can practice on around the island.

Head to Grandpa's hut. Walk inside and talk with him. He will introduce himself to you as Oshus. After Link and Ciela fill Oshus in on the uncertain fate of Tetra, Oshus states that they might find a ship in the south-east corner of the island, but with an increasing number of monsters inhabiting the island, it safest to travel across the bridge and stay away from trouble. With little choice, Link and Ciela decide to go.

Obtaining a weapon
When you step outside of the hut, you may begin to explore the island a little bit, but an earthquake will take place. This earthquake will damage the bridge and render it uncrossable. Looking around, the man by the Cucco pen will also have a small problem. The earthquake will have caused several boulders to end up in the pen. If you clear them out for him, he will reward you... with a single rupee. Realizing that it was a small reward, he also points out the location of a tree that you might wish to examine if you can reach it. He also mentions that you can mark the location of it on the map if you like by using your stylus.

To the right of the man is a path that leads to a cave. Unfortunately, you will quickly discover that monsters inhabit the area, and with no weapon to defend yourself with, it's not wise to stay. Exploring the island a little further, you will notice another cave entrance to the right of Oshus' hut. If you head inside, you will see a few pots and barrels, as well as a sign in front of the door. Ceila remarks that Oshus stores items in the cave, and she recalls seeing him opening the door by scribbling a number down on the sign. The number happens to be the number of palm trees that you can find on the beach. You must write that number down on the sign to open the door. Highlight the text between the parenthesis to learn the correct number: ( 7 ).

Once the door is open, you can run inside and open the chest. It will contain a sword. With the sword in hand, you can enter portions of the island that contain monsters. However, as soon as you step outside, Oshus will be waiting for you, having predicted that you would attempt such a move. He will offer to teach you how to use the sword properly. He will teach you the target attack, slash attack, and spin attack methods, which you can review in the controls section. Once he is convinced that you are suitably trained, he sends you off.

The underground passage
Head back to the path next to the Cucco pen that leads to the monsters. Using the target attack method, you can make short work of the little monsters that attack. They require only one hit to destroy. You will reach the entrance to the underground passage. When you step inside, the map display will change from the island to the layout of the cave.

As you progress through the cave, the small red monsters that you encounter outside will leap out from the ground and attack you inside as well. As you run to the right, you will pass by a locked door. Far to the right is a treasure chest that contains a small key which you can use to unlock it.

Further inside, another locked door is surrounded by four switches located around the door. Two alcoves are adjacent to the central room. Each room is blocked by a box. If you tap the box, Link will run up to it and two arrows will appear. Press one arrow to push the box and the other to pull it. Either way, you need to move the box out from the opening in order to step inside.

In both alcoves you will encounter Keese bats which also only require one sword strike to kill, but they move around a little more rapidly. You may find using the slash attack a little easier if you find the target attack a little difficult. Also inside each alcove is a sign. The signs contain important messages. The left sign says, "First: Second from the left," while the right sign says, "Second: 1st on the left. Last: 2nd from the right." These signs are instructions on which levers to pull in the proper order. If the levers are named A, B, C, and D from left to right, the signs suggest that the levers be pulled in the following order: B, A, D, C.

If you pull the levers in the incorrect order, Roper snakes will appear and attack you, and the switches will reset. If you pull them in the correct order, the door will open and grant you access to the floor above. Upstairs, you will encounter another locked door, and a new enemy: Goozu mice. If you check the map, you may notice that a key continues to appear and disappear as if moving on its own. Some investigation will reveal that a mouse actually has the key. And every time you approach the mouse to attack it, it runs away and through a mouse hole.

You'll need to get that key to proceed, so you'll need to find a way to stop the mouse. A block stands unused to the left of the left mouse hole. Setting the box up so that it blocks the mouse hole will prevent the mouse from using that as an escape. Of course, the right mouse hole is still open, and there is no other box. In order to collect the key, you will need to direct Link south a bit so that the key mouse thinks it is safe to run from the right mouse hole to the left. Once it comes all the way out and has made it around the bend, that is your chance to run in after it and trap it. With no mouse hole to enter, it will have no choice but to turn around and try to run right past you. Slash it before it can, and the key will be yours. Once you open the door, all that remains is for you to run down through the rest of the cave, avoiding or attacking the bats as you travel.