Would You Rather: Edition XII

Welcome back to Would You Rather! This week we have another great match up for you to get into, but before we talk about that, lets take a minute to discuss the results of our last installment. After reviewing the comments it seems like more people were interested in having a fairy, as long as it wasn’t Navi or annoying in general. That said, I did see a lot of strongly opinionated posts about wanting a spirit companion instead because it is more supernatural and they could presumably have a wider variety of powers to share with you. All the answers I saw were great, and some of you used your posting names to add to the comedy of your choice, so well-played to everyone and remember that there are no wrong answers in this game. Hit the jump to check out the all new contest put together for your entertainment this week!

Generally, here at Would You Rather, we take two elements of two games and compare and contrast them so you can make a decision about which is better. This week I’d like to change it up and use dynamics from one game, because it’s just that great! A Link Between Worlds has been out for a while, and we’ve already talked about some of its aspects, so I’m taking that as a cue from you readers that we have the green light when it comes to the latest addition to the Zelda franchise. There are many parts of the game that provide spatial and battle-style challenges for Link, but two in particular stood out for me, in part because of their similar execution.

On the way to the Ice Ruins Link comes across a hollow mountain filled with moving, floating ice blocks that he must traverse in a timely and skilled manner. There are alternate paths and treasures that lie within the mountain, as well as monsters intent on sending Link plummeting to his death. Although the second path does not lead to a dungeon, the hollow bowels of Death Mountain strike a similar chord with its own moving, floating platforms and monsters. The main difference is that Death Mountains inner cavern is floored with lava and the route to the Ice Ruins gives more of a bottomless pit vibe.

Because of the lack of background and spatial orientation for the player as you move across the voids and either ascend or descend (depending on which way you’re going), it can become easy to get lost or not notice another path that could lead to treasure, a heart piece or a Maiamai. Too many falls means game over, and losing track of where you are does not help. Which leads me to the declaration of our match up today: would you rather have to traverse the frozen Ice Ruins path or the sweltering caves of Death Mountain?

Now for the fun part of breaking down each option so you can make the best choice to stay alive!

Ice Ruins Path

• As stated earlier, there is no bottom to this mountain’s insides. Even at the entry point the bottom is not able to be seen.
• Because the mountain is essentially a void on the inside, there is no light, save for the rare icy torch, which just happen to be where large monsters hang out.
• Successfully making it through this dungeon-esque section requires not only the use of consistent and accurate timing, but dodging, as spiked gears zigzag their way across the thin blocks provided to Link.
• The focus and concentration taken to even make it through this mountain easily distracts you from finding other, more creative pathways that make use of your gliding and powers of transformation.

Death Mountain Caves

• I don’t know which is worse: not knowing when you will land or what you will land on when you fall, or seeing a huge pit of lava as far as the eye can see and knowing that if you fall you will burn to death in an extremely violent fashion.
• There are keese. Everywhere.
• Due to there being more ways out of this cave than the path to the Ice Ruins, there are more ways to get lost and more directional changes that could lead to you dying in the way described above.
• If you are the exploring type, you probably got here before obtaining the ability to warp back home, so once you’re there, you’re stuck. Go back through the fire gauntlet or waste away on a cliff are your choices.

When you finally make up your mind about which of these trials of terror is more appealing, let us know in the comments below! Feel free to include any reasons you might have and what items, etc. would help you feel confident on your journey.