Ancient Castle of Ikana: Difference between revisions

The '''Ancient Castle of Ikana''', also known as the '''Ikana Castle''', is a mini-dungeon and sub-area featured in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask|Majora's Mask]]''. The castle is found within the final region of the game, [[Ikana]], where it is situated in the eastern region of [[Ikana Canyon]]. The ancient castle was once home to the great Kingdom of Ikana, however the Kingdom slowly diminished through time and the castle has been run over with enemies of the dead. Despite the grounds becoming largely abandoned, the castle itself is still in reasonable condition.  

The dungeon itself heavily fortified and contains two main sections; the outside area circling the castle and the inner grounds. The undead as well as other devilish enemies roam the grounds, which was once graced by the people of Ikana Kingdom. The castle has quite a dark theme, which can compare to the likes of the [[Forest Temple (Ocarina of Time)|Forest Temple]] and the [[Shadow Temple]] from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Ocarina of Time]]''. However the dungeon also shows signs of lighter theme with the many sun themed puzzles that bear resemblance to the [[Spirit Temple]].  

Link ventures to these cursed grounds once he has obtained the [[Mirror Shield]] from [[Beneath the Well]]. The young hero can then enter a small cave and utilise his newly found shield to reflect the sun light and uncover the secret entrance. Link must primarily use the Mirror Shield here to solve numerous puzzles and thus ascend to the top of the tower. Later on in the dungeon, Link encounters a [[Mini-Boss|mini-boss]], which is in fact a [[Wizzrobe]], similar to the ones Link had previously fought. The young hero can then proceed to the outer section of castle, where he can traverse to the rooftop. Link must place a [[Powder Keg]] on the broken section of the rooftop to reveal a passage way into the throne room. After delving down to the thrown room, Link encounters the long dead king of the Ikana tribe, [[Igos du Ikana]]. After defeating the once great king and his two subordinates, he teaches Link the [[Elegy of Emptiness]]. This song allows Link to create a lifeless shell of his physical self and aids him in traversing [[Stone Tower]].  

When Link first enters the Throne Room of the castle, he is greeted by Igos du Ikana, the once great king of Ikana Kingdom, and his two servants. He first orders his two servants to attack the young hero. Link must equip his [[Fire Arrow]]s and shoot the curtains, thus letting a ray of light into the room. Here Link can stand in the rays and reflect the light onto the two servants, dealing a heavy amount of damage each time. However Link must tactically wait for a gap in their defence as they block the sunlight with their shields. After Link has defeated the two servants of Igos, the King himself steps down and fights Link, thus initiating the second phase.  

Igos is considerably stronger than his two subordinates, he not only has a wider range of attacks but he is also able to withstand a considerable amount of damage before letting his gurad down. The young hero must repeat the same process as he did previously and reflect the sun light. However Igos separates his head from his body and the skull attempts to latch onto Link and deal a large amount of damage. Other forms of offense include a poison like attack as well as his sword. After Link has dealt a sufficient amount of damage, the King of Ikana falls to the ground, leaving him vulnerable for attack. This is Link's opportunity to utilise his Mirror Shield and reflect the sun light onto Igos. After repeating the process several times, Igos succumbs to defeat. Now that the spell on th soldiers and Igos has been broken, he teaches Link the Elegy of Emptiness.