Spiked Roller

Spiked Roller

The Spiked Roller from A Link to the Past

Games	A Link to the Past Link's Awakening Ocarina of Time Majora's Mask Oracle of Seasons The Minish Cap Twilight Princess Phantom Hourglass Spirit Tracks A Link Between Worlds
Location	A Link to the Past Turtle Rock Palace of the Four Sword Link's Awakening Tail Cave Turtle Rock Ocarina of Time Inside the Deku Tree Majora's Mask Beneath the Well Stone Tower Temple Oracle of Seasons Dancing Dragon Dungeon Ancient Ruins Explorer's Crypt Sword & Shield Maze The Minish Cap Fortress of Winds Temple of Droplets Palace of Winds Twilight Princess Arbiter's Grounds Temple of Time Phantom Hourglass Temple of Courage Mutoh's Temple Spirit Tracks Sand Temple A Link Between Worlds House of Gales Swamp Palace Turtle Rock Swamp Ruins
Effective Weapons	Twilight Princess Dominion Rod with Ancient Statue's hammer
Related	Blade Trap

Spiked Rollers are recurring traps in The Legend of Zelda series. They debuted in A Link to the Past.

The Spiked Rollers appear in many different sizes and move in different directions. Also, it moves along a predetermined path at a predetermined speed, which can help Link dodge or avoid it. These enemies are indestructible in every game that it makes an appearance in except Twilight Princess.

A Link to the Past

Link encounters the Spiked Roller in Turtle Rock, the seventh Dark World dungeon, where it is only seen in the original game. It is orange-colored. In the GBA version of A Link to the Past, the Spiked Rollers appear in the Palace of the Four Sword. These Spiked Rollers are green instead of the typical orange, but there is no other distinctions between the Spiked Rollers in Turtle Rock and the Spiked Rollers in the Palace of the Four Sword. However, only one Spiked Roller appears in the Palace of the Four Sword, which is moving above water while Wall Turrets are shooting out Balls. In order for Link to avoid this Spiked Roller, he should dive underwater, being a new feature placed into the game.

Link's Awakening

In Link's Awakening, only two Spiked Rollers are encountered in the game. Link encounters these two Spiked Rollers while trying to defeat Rolling Bones in Tail Cave and Turtle Rock. When Rolling Bones pushes the Spiked Roller toward Link, he must use the Roc's Feather to jump over it and attack Rolling Bones. Once Rolling Bones is defeated, the Spiked Roller disappears along with the mini-boss. However, in Turtle Rock, Rolling Bones and the Spiked Roller return later when Link comes back to the room.

Ocarina of Time

The Spiked Roller makes its first 3D appearance in Ocarina of Time. However, only one Spiked Roller appears in the original game and the Master Quest version. Unlike its predecessors, the Spiked Roller's appearance resembles a thorny log instead of the typical metal-like spikes. It is only found Inside the Deku Tree, the first dungeon in Ocarina of Time. It is unique in that it does not move along a predetermined path like all of the Spiked Rollers have before, only spinning in place above a pool of water. The puzzle in the room with the trap requires going underneath it aboard a floating platform in order to pass through the room safely.

Majora's Mask

The Spiked Rollers in Majora's Mask are identical to their Ocarina of Time counterpart, like most enemies in Majora's Mask. However, the mechanics of most of the Spiked Rollers are different then the Spiked Rollers seen in the series. These do not always bounce back and forth at the same speed, but do move in patterns that Link might have to judge in order to get past it safely. Seen in Beneath the Well and Stone Tower Temple, these Spiked Rollers roll to either each wall or roll from the ground to the ceiling. One Spiked Roller seen in Stone Tower Temple will roll like its 2D appearances.

Oracle of Seasons

The Spiked Roller makes its third 2D appearance in Oracle of Seasons. These enemies have a similar appearance and behavior to its predecessor from Link's Awakening, but the color of the Spiked Rollers are blue instead of the greyish color seen previously. It is one of the few enemies that are exclusive to Oracle of Seasons and does not appear in Oracle of Ages. The Spiked Rollers are the first in the series to appear over water in which Link has to avoid it by diving underwater and is the first and only Spiked Roller to roll over or on lava.

Link first encounters the Spiked Roller in the Dancing Dragon Dungeon, the third dungeon in Oracle of Seasons. Later, these uncommon enemies appear in the last three dungeons, which are the Ancient Ruins, Explorer's Crypt, and the Sword & Shield Maze. In order for Link to avoid the Spiked Rollers, he can use the Roc's Feather to jump over it like in Link's Awakening. When the Spiked Rollers are above water, Link can dive underwater, so he does not get hurt by it.

The Minish Cap

Spiked Rollers appear more frequent in The Minish Cap, being in the Fortress of Winds, Temple of Droplets, and the Palace of Winds. They are indestructible, but can be avoided by dropping into a hole, using the Cane of Pacci on a hole to jump over them, or by jumping over the Spiked Rollers with the Roc's Cape. In the Temple of Droplets, Link needs to swim under the Spiked Rollers that appear over the water like in previous games.

Twilight Princess

In Twilight Princess, Spiked Rollers appear in the Arbiter's Grounds and the Temple of Time. Unlike the typical Spiked Rollers, the single Spiked Roller, near a chain handle, in Arbiter's Grounds does not move and does not pose as a threat unless Link runs into it. However, the traps in the Temple of Time roll back and forth and try to block Link's way, guarding a Small Key and the way forward. Using the Dominion Rod to control the Ancient Statue, Link can destroy the Spiked Rollers by smashing them with the statue's hammer, being the only game where Link can destroy these traps.

Phantom Hourglass

Spiked Rollers appear in the Temple of Courage and Mutoh's Temple. Unlike in Twilight Princess, they cannot be destroyed, so Link has to avoid them.

A Link Between Worlds

In A Link Between Worlds, the Spiked Roller makes another return to the series. It appears once in the House of Gales and the Swamp Palace and appears twice in Turtle Rock and a Treasure Hunter Cave in the Swamp Ruins. While they attain their characteristics from previous games like being indestructible, the Spiked Roller's appearance is similar to the ones in A Link to the Past. However, they can be briefly frozen by the Ice Rod so Link cannot be hurt by them until the Spiked Roller is unfrozen.

Link first encounters the Spiked Roller in the House of Gales when he comes up on to the second floor. Link can dodge it and explore the rest of the dungeon by using the Tornado Rod to boost himself into the air as the Spiked Roller is coming toward him, and by timing it so that the trap passes Link while he is in the air, sprint away from the trap by heading south to the rest of the House of Gales.

In the Swamp Palace, Link can find a Spiked Roller on the first basement floor that guards the Treasure Chest containing the Blue Mail. Unlike in the House of Gales, it is rolling above water. Link can get on the small platforms on the sides of the room and use the Tornado Rod to get pass the Spiked Roller like before or he can dive underwater and swim under the Spiked Roller. Similarly, after Link has raised the water once in the Swamp Ruins, he has to dive underwater and swim under the two Spiked Rollers. Once Link raises the water level again, the Spiked Rollers are submerged in water and do not hurt him now.

After Link has opened the Boss Door on the first floor in Turtle Rock, he can find two tiny Spiked Rollers that roll horizontally across the grate. Unlike previous moments where Link needed to dive underwater or use the Tornado Rod, he can just run across the grate while avoiding the Spiked Rollers, or he can freeze the traps and then walk across the grate for an easier time getting across.

Gallery

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  The Spiked Roller in the Palace of the Four Sword from A Link to the Past

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  The Spiked Roller from Link's Awakening

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  The Spiked Roller from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask

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  The Spiked Roller from Spirit Tracks

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  A Spiked Roller in the House of Gales in A Link Between Worlds

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  A Spiked Roller in the Swamp Palace in A Link Between Worlds

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  Two Spiked Rollers in Turtle Rock in A Link Between Worlds

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  Two Spiked Rollers in the Swamp Ruins in A Link Between Worlds

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  Link diving underwater to avoid a Spiked Roller in A Link Between Worlds

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  Link using the Ice Rod to freeze a Spiked Roller in A Link Between Worlds

References

1. ↑ "Rolling Bones has a big rolling pin that he'd like to flatten you with." — Link's Awakening Nintendo Player's Guide, pg. 29
2. ↑ "Equip Roc's Feather and jump over the rolling pin, then jab him with your Sword and prepare for the next rolling-pin attack." — Link's Awakening Nintendo Player's Guide, pg. 29
3. ↑ "This unholy roller pushes a spiked log at you. Use the Feather the hurtle the log, then go after Rolling Bones with your Sword." — Link's Awakening Nintendo Player's Guide, pg. 102
4. ↑ "Ignore the nasty-looking spike log and locate the chain handle." — Prima Games Twilight Princess Strategy Guide, pg. 292
5. ↑ "Climb up, fight three lizardlike enemies, then deal with a spiky roller and a pendulum to get a key in the southeast corner" — Nintendo Power Twilight Princess Strategy Guide, pg. 107
6. ↑ "Now follow the statue and maneuver around the ground rolling spike traps. Bring the statue's hammer down and destroy them and your exit is easy!" — Prima Games Twilight Princess Strategy Guide, pg.358
7. ↑ "Use the Tornado Rod to boost Link upward as the pin rolls toward him, timing it so that the pin passes by while Link is in the air." — Prima Games A Link Between Worlds Strategy Guide, pg. 120
8. ↑ "Sprint south after you land to escape the rolling pins as it returns." — Prima Games A Link Between Worlds Strategy Guide, pg. 120
9. ↑ ^{9.1 9.2} "Press to dive under the large spiked pin that rolls back and forth in this small room. Swim north, heading for a big chest. Open the chest to claim this dungeon's special treasure: the awesome blue mail!" — Prima Games A Link Between Worlds Strategy Guide, pg. 243
10. ↑ "With both crystals activated, the room's water level rises. Swim into the east passage, pressing to dive and slip under the passage's rolling spiked pins." — Prima Games A Link Between Worlds Strategy Guide, pg. 217