amethyst73 | A proposal for progress in Hyrule

You know what Hyrule, the kingdom reigned by the Zeldas, really needs?

Nope, not a police force to take care of the monsters that roam the land. Though that might be nice.

What it really needs is.. a railroad.

No, it's not that I'm tired of walking or riding Epona everywhere. Or even of riding the silly cannon. I've got warp points, for heaven's sake.

But having a railroad might just mean that someone would have to invent.. rail spikes. And hammers.

You see, there's an irritating puzzle class that I've now found in a couple of dungeons. It consists of a passage-entryway that's kinda sticking into the room that you're in a bit, so it's like a long covered archway. Blocking the passageway is a section of wall that can be pulled out of the way by going along the outside of the passageway, picking up the pull-chain that's attached to the wall section, and pulling it so that the wall moves out of the way. As soon as the chain is released, the wall starts sliding back into place; heaven knows what the mechanism for this apparatus is. The rest of the puzzle essentially consists of a dexterity check: can you run around in the slightly complicated pathway quickly and accurately enough to slip through the gap before the wall finishes sliding back into place?

(To which the answer in the desert dungeon so far is: well, no. And dangit, I can *see* Ooccoo in the next room, marked helpfully on the map!)

If Link had a hammer (and some spikes), he could hammer a spike into the ground at about the maximum length of the pull-chain. Then he'd pull the chain and catch the handle on the spike, and the wall would bloody stay where it was!

*hates dratted dex checks*

I suppose it's a good thing that there are many types of puzzles in the Zelda games. Some people probably find puzzles like this fun and easy while intensely disliking the moving-knight puzzle; I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum. Ah well, something fun for everyone and something challenging for everyone.