The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Hyrule Castle

To the castle! When the cutscenes are over, you need to follow the path to Hyrule Castle Town. Remember that you can only enter Hyrule Castle Town during the day, as the drawbridge shuts at night. As you enter Hyrule Field, you'll be greeted by a large owl, Kaporea Gaebora. He'll often stop by to give you advice, and occasionally give you a ride on his talons.



The Dangers of Hyrule Field
In order to make it into Hyrule Castle, you must travel a long distance. However, there are monsters along the way that can give you serious trouble.

During the day, large plants called Peahats are stationed in the field, and they are quite nasty. They will attack if you get anywhere near them, and the only way to kill them is to strike their root. Some are particularly dangerous and will spawn Peahat Larva. These are practically invincible and will hunt you down. The only way to avoid them is to outrun them or make them hit the ground. Along with the threat of Peahats, nightfall brings more evil.

Skeletal monsters called Stalchildren come out at night. These creatures can be felled quickly, but they just keep coming. If you kill enough, a larger Stalchild will appear. These take more hits to kill. However, standing on a dirt path will keep any Stalchildren from coming out. If you can survive the night, you'll reach Hyrule Market. If you make it to the bridge, but it closes before you can cross it, simply stand on the rock ledge by the moat and the Stalchildren will not be able to reach you. You can also just wait in the moat and none of them will be able to reach you.

If you're going to other areas like Gerudo Valley, Lake Hylia, Zora's Domain and Kakariko Village for the first time before Hyrule Castle, Kaepora Gaebora (the old owl) will stop you in your tracks to give you more hints into the game before he flies off. It's best to stick to your main route to Hyrule Castle as the day goes quite quickly.

Bazaar Shop List
There is not much you can buy at this point. Do not buy the Hylian Shield at this time. You do not need it now. You will soon, and by that time, a soldier will put in word for a discount for you. There is also a way to get it for free…

Potion Shop List
Again, not much available. One, you need a bottle to put the items in. Two, at this time you can only carry 99 rupees at most. However, throughout the course of the game, you will acquire storage bottles and your wallet will expand to carry more money.

The Bombchu Bowling Alley
Once you obtain the bomb bag, the Bombchu Bowling Alley will be open to you. You will use bombchus to bowl through three obstacle courses to obtain a prize. You have ten tries per game. One game costs 30 rupees. Possible prizes include:
 * Bomb Bag Upgrade (only one)
 * Piece of Heart (only one)
 * Bombs
 * 50 rupees
 * Bombchu

Other
In the marketplace you will see two men talking. One of them tells you how he tried to get into the castle and see the princess. He also tells you of a small opening into the castle in which he got stuck. Over by the fountain, a girl named Malon tells you that her dad still hasn't returned from the castle.

Before continuing, stop by the Shooting Gallery to receive a Deku Seed Bullet Bag upgrade. The game costs 20 rupees. To win, you must hit 10 targets (in this game, they are rupees!) in a limited time with 15 bullets. If you hit seven or less, the game is over. If you hit eight or nine targets, you get another free try. Upon successful completion, you will be ale to carry 40 bullets instead of 30.

If you are short on rupees, you can enter the door to the guard house next to the drawbridge. This room contains a lot of vases, which may be broken to get rupees. This may be repeated as often as required to collect as many rupees as necessary. There is also a Gold Skulltula inside of the lone box next to the soldier. Run up to the box and roll into it to reveal the Gold Skulltula.

Entering the Castle
Head north. After you get the introduction scene for Hyrule Castle, head back to the market. Now head back to Hyrule Castle again. Malon is now waiting by some vines on the wall. When you speak to her, she gives you a "Weird Egg". Climb the vines (the central vine is the only one to reach the top), and move toward the castle gate. Then drop down into the hole with the ladder. Now exit the door. Once the path starts to curve left, keep out of sight of the guards by walking up the hillside to your left. Head straight across the grassy area to a brick wall on the left side of the main gate. If you see a guard, move out of his line of sight. Climb the wall and head toward the castle. Drop into the moat. Swim all the way to the bars (you should be able to pick up some rupees by staying near the middle) and climb onto the shore.

A man will be sleeping next to a couple boxes. It's Malon's dad! He's dreaming about kids at the ranch... If a day has passed and the chicken has hatched, then use it on him and he'll wake from his delighted slumber. Of course, he realizes what he's done by making Malon wait so long for him, and runs off in a hurry. Now, you can push the blocks to a position from which you can enter the castle.

An Audience with the Princess
In order to reach the princess, who is in the castle courtyard, you must make your way past a number of guards in five different areas. Keep your distance and keep to the rear of any guard. Timing is important. However, make sure you enter the courtyard before nightfall. The only time you can attempt to sneak into the courtyard is during the day. At night, two guards stand vigilant and prevent anyone from entering.
 * Note that you cannot do this at night!

The princess is found standing at a window across the courtyard. Zelda is shocked at first to see you, but soon recognizes that you are from the Kokiri. Upon showing her the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, she reveals to you a dream she had in which you played a part. She then tells you of the secret of the Sacred Realm. The Sacred Realm holds the Triforce, which is imbued with the power of the goddesses, the power to grant the wish of whoever holds it. She also reveals that the Temple of Time, (located off the Market) is the entrance to this Sacred Realm blocked by the Door of Time.

In order to open the Door of Time, you must gather the three spiritual stones (one of which you already have) and the Ocarina of Time.

The Enemy Revealed
Princess Zelda then asks you if you would see the other man from her dream, the enemy. Upon looking through the window, she tells you his name: Ganondorf.

Departure
Zelda gives you a letter and sends you on your way with Impa, the Sheikah. Impa teaches you Zelda's Lullaby, your first melody.

Zelda's Lullaby 

She then instructs you to go to Death Mountain, home of the Gorons, but not before speaking to the villagers of her hometown, Kakariko, which is located at the foot of the mountain.

Once you obtain the bomb bag, return to the path to Hyrule Castle. Starting at the gate, head straight until the path curves left. You should notice a boulder on your right (a sign in front of it reads "Dead End".) Bomb it and enter the hole. After you play Zelda's Lullaby, the great fairy will give you the "Din's Fire" magical spell. It will burn all things within a certain range upon activation. (6 MP.)

Lon Lon Ranch
But before heading over the Kakariko and Death Mountain, take some time to visit Lon Lon Ranch located in Hyrule Field.

Entering the first door on the left will bring you to Talon, sleeping once again. Speak to him and you can play the "Super Cucco-findin' game". This game is much easier if you throw most of the Cuccos into the gap between the table and the stairs before talking to Talon. If you lose, you lose 10 rupees. Winning will give you a bottle of Lon Lon Milk. A dose of this will restore five hearts of health, and there are two doses in the bottle. After drinking all the milk, you can return and buy more for 30 rupees. Winning again will also garner you a refill. Or you can fill the empty bottle with something else. An additional note: Upon losing, you are given the option of playing the game again for only 5 rupees.



Out in the corral is Malon. When you speak to her, she introduces you to a young horse, Epona. However, the horse is afraid of you and runs away. Speak again until she mentions her mother's song. Equip your ocarina and she teaches you a new melody, Epona's Song.

Epona's Song 

Play this song and Epona is no longer afraid of you. Also, with this song and an empty bottle, any cow you find will give you free Lon Lon Milk.

Now, go to Kakariko Village and enter it during the day.

Treasure Chest Game
The Treasure Chest Game can be played in Hyrule Market, but only at night. In each room, you are presented with two chests--one contains a rupee, the other a key to the next room. If you select the chest with the rupee, the game ends. However, if you get the key, you move on. As you progress through the rooms, the value of the rupees increases, (green room, green Rupee, blue room, blue Rupee, red room, red Rupee) until you reach the final room which contains a Heart Piece (or Purple Rupee afterwards).

The game is entirely dependent on luck. However, a later item in the game will reveal what's inside the chests...