ゼルダの伝説：神々のトライフォース
The Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods

Conveniently located a short distance west of Turtle Rock, if beyond a trio of Lynels, the tower, adorned with hideous carvings, glows eerily. As Link approaches, the Crystals rise into the air, and the maidens speak (or possibly just Zelda, the logical spokesperson).

The Crystals circle in formation, making the screen flash several times as nifty noises are heard. When the lights fade to normal, the tower, though it remains an unnatural color, has stopped glowing, and a staircase extends to allow Link entry.

One of the options in the ALttP Randomizer allows changing how many Crystals it takes to open Ganon's Tower. In case the player forgets, or wasn't told in advance, a sign is placed next to the tower that indicates the required amount. Reducing the number may produce faster seeds by allowing players to skip more dungeons, but on the other hand, there's no telling where the necessary items will turn up, so that's far from a guarantee.

It gets more complicated, though, since there's also an independent setting for how many Crystals are needed to damage Ganon. If that's more than it takes to enter the tower, you may need to come here to get the necessary items to finish additional dungeons before you can fight him.

In any case, because the tower can only be reached from eastern Death Mountain, entry requires the Powerful Gloves (Titan's Mitts) and either the Hookshot or the Hammer, in addition to the requisite number of Crystals. The exceptions are when using Entrance Shuffle settings or Inverted World State. If entrances are shuffled, the entrance requirements remain with the overworld entrances, so the tower interior will likely have little to nothing required, but whatever gets connected to the tower's normal entrance will be stuck with all the requirements noted above. In Inverted state, Ganon's Tower and the Hyrule Castle tower are swapped, the Crystals are required to enter the central exterior door at Hyrule Castle (which goes to Ganon's Tower), whereas this entrance (which goes to the Hyrule Castle Tower) is already open, and a staircase is even added right below here so that all you need to enter is Death Mountain access (which works like Light World mountain access would in other world states, so either the Ocarina to fly up or the Power Gloves and Lantern to go through the cave).

The tower combines all the most annoying tricks of the previous labyrinths, and adds some new ones, like walkways that are only visible while a torch is lit, or briefly if Link uses the Ether Magic. And that's just the basement... Eventually, after much confusion and hardship, and having to fight the armored knight boss from the Eastern Temple again (the Silver Arrows work wonders), but on an icy floor, Link finds the big key and the big chest, which, at long last, contains:

After finding the Red Tunic, Link's tunic really does turn red, and his hat turns purple to match, or something. And he takes less damage, usually. The odd jumble of colors on Link's clothing and equipment actually goes together rather well.

Somewhat surprisingly, there's also a recovery room between the boss and the big chest. Bomb the north wall before going upstairs to find four faeries.

Regardless, Link next has to climb to the upper levels to the tower, which is, although more linear, arguably more challenging than the basement.

Though there is another healing room not far in, at the end of a bridge with cannonball shooters on the second floor. Use the recoil from dashing into the convenient blocks apparently placed there for exactly this purpose, or Bomb Jump, to hop over the gap in the floor, then Bomb through the wall to find two faeries and full magic recovery (and a replacement Bomb). You can get back across the gap with the Hookshot, or in the same way that you crossed the first time (hold up after bonking if using dash recoil to cross). Several later rooms can also provide healing, if you use Powder on anti-faeries or Bunny Beams.

Link has to fight through a series of awkward kill rooms with randomly-moving enemies and hostile terrain, popularly termed "The Gauntlet". He has to fight the sand worm boss from the Desert Temple again, but with a fireball shooter in the corner. He has to fight the giant centipede from Hera Tower again, but on a smaller and more awkwardly-shaped platform. He has to fight his way past various other nuisances, too. But he eventually reaches the boss room, on the roof, where Agahnim awaits his arrival. It looks like a more sinister version of the roof of the Hyrule Castle tower where they first fought.

The last sentence is quite a rude way to tell someone to die. It also sharply contrasts with Agahnim's usually calm and polite speech.

Agahnim splits off two decoys. They're easy to tell from the real one, but all teleport around randomly and use real attacks. The fakes use the only the massive energy ball from the first encounter, while the real one sometimes uses that and sometimes uses the homing circle of energy balls. The lightning attack doesn't make an appearance. As before, knocking the magic balls back at the real Agahnim is the only way to hurt him, and this battle can be easier than the first one since Link is much more durable and has more attacks to hit back. Once Agahnim has taken enough of a beating, the decoys disappear, and he collapses. The ghostly form of Ganon rises from the body, turns into a large blue bat, and flies away. Link plays the Ocarina, and the bird comes to pick him up...

...which is odd because this doesn't work indoors or in the Dark World... oversight or artistic license?

Regardless, for Randomizer purposes, Ganon's Tower is absolutely loaded with items, containing a map, a compass, four small keys, and a big key (if these aren't shuffled beyond their usual dungeons), and twenty other items. However, under typical settings, this is the last place you come, so useful items are unlikely to be here, and the main thing you're looking for is the big key, in one of 22 locations in the basement other than the big chest, so you can climb the tower. Competitive races have made a game of this for the viewers, asking for a number from 1 to 22 as the first runner makes their way toward the tower, and awarding Internet points to whoever in chat correctly guesses how many locations that runner will end up searching through before finding it.

Item requirements here get complicated, again, particularly in the basement, which has two main paths.

Down the righthand staircase, in what's been dubbed Hope Room, are two chests that are immediately accessible upon entering the tower. Continuing to the right requires the Staff of Somaria, though that alone only gets you to Tile Room, which has usually the last chest that anyone checks, since it doesn't appear until you wait out a floor tile assault. Anything past that requires a key, and logically the Fire Rod, though I've seen skilled runners use a few tricks to do the torch puzzle with just the Lantern. Beyond that is the Compass Room with four chests (one of them the compass in a regular playthrough), then a teleporter leading to a key under a pot. You have to spend a key to continue from there, and the two paths meet up shortly after that.

Down the lefthand staircase from the entrance is a torch with an item on it, which requires the Pegasus Shoes. Continuing to the left, anything after the key under a pot requires the Hammer, and also logically requires either the Hookshot or the Pegasus Shoes (though Bomb Jumps can work, too). A room with skeletons that specifically requires the Hookshot by logic has four chests; the vanilla map location in a side room can be reached without it by using the recoil from dashing. Shortly after is a key under a pot right next to a locked door, then a chest that needs to be Hookshot to. Bombing through the wall partway through the ensuing teleporter maze leads to another four chests in what's been dubbed Randomizer Room due to having nothing worth bothering with except in a Randomizer run. The paths meet up after that.

After the paths meet up, there's one more chest before the Armos Knights refight, and three more chests after them (including the regular location of the big key). Runners don't generally bother to check the big chest after getting the big key, unless they're nearby and hoping for something like a sword upgrade.

With the big key, the upper floors open up. Red Mimics in kill rooms make the Bow logically required (unless enemies are randomized), though Mimic Clipping can bypass that. There are also two more rooms that require the Lantern or Fire Rod. Three chests come after these, shortly before the Moldorm refight, and the final chest appears after the Moldorm fight and logically requires the Hookshot. So does reaching the top of the tower, but it's possible to get around that, and even skip the Moldorm fight, by using either Hovering or the Moldorm Bounce, a tricky Bomb Jump setup that involves harnessing knockback from Moldorm to launch farther than otherwise possible.

As noted above, three rooms in the basement have small keys under pots (which runners generally make a point of collecting if in the area). One enemy higher in the tower also drops a small key (which runners skip if they have enough). As always, these are not randomized and appear in their usual locations every time.

The scene next shifts to the top of the giant pyramid. The bat flies swoops in from the tower in the distance and crashes through the top, leaving a gaping hole.

The Fast Ganon goal in the ALttP Randomizer starts the game with the hole atop the pyramid already open (unless entrances are randomized), which makes Ganon's Tower completely optional (unless you need something from there). Regardless of the goal, a sign is also added nearby that indicates how many Crystals are required to fight Ganon, or what the actual goal is when it's not simply beating Ganon, useful as a reminder or if the player didn't already know.

The bird drops Link off nearby. It's obvious what he has to do. After an optional side trip to heal and resupply, Link jumps in...

The room lights up as Link falls in. Ganon waits here, menacingly brandishing a large pitchfork. Two torches near the bottom corners provide light, and a depiction of the Triforce decorates the floor. Carvings of Ganon cover the walls, some shown clutching the Triforce. Ganon speaks...

ぶんしん (bunshin), the term Ganon uses to describe Agahnim, doesn't translate well, partly because it's rather vague to start with. It does mean that Agahnim and Ganon are not the same, but questions such as how closely linked the two were, how independent Agahnim's actions were, and whether Ganon somehow created him or merely found a way to use him, all go unanswered.

Refer to the boss guide for details on Ganon's behavior, and why he seems to have such a ridiculously large amount of health.

Ganon starts his assault. He teleports around the room randomly, throwing his pitchfork at Link. Link can get in quite a few hits, but it seems to have little effect. Ganon changes tactics after a little while, now twirling his pitchfork and magically calling forth fiery bats to swoop at Link. Of course, he's rather open to attack while doing this, even though hitting him still seems to have little effect. Eventually, Ganon switches tactics again. He abandons his pitchfork, and will now often teleport several times in a row, evading Link's attacks. Also, when he stops, he'll either launch a spiraling flaming bat that leaves a fiery trail, jump and slam into the ground to collapse the floor along one wall (which also leaves Link immobile for a moment), or both. Once the fourth edge collapses...

Ganon switches tactics again, launching flaming bats, which leave fiery trails, directly at Link. But there's another problem... the lights go out, and while the room remains fairly easy to see, Ganon becomes both invisible and invulnerable! When Link lights one torch, Ganon becomes faintly visible, but it takes both torches to make him vulnerable. When Link hits him with the sword at this point, Ganon briefly stops moving and turns light blue as if frozen. And this is when the Silver Arrows work... Link can usually only hit Ganon once per stun, but it only takes four shots to finish him off. Link may have to relight the torches several times, but eventually, Ganon makes the satisfying sound of a dead boss, and explodes. Link raises his sword in triumph. A wide door opens in the north wall, and he enters.

In the ALttP Randomizer, Ganon is unbeatable if you have fewer than the required number of Crystals or if an alternate goal that doesn't involve beating Ganon is active, and he'll say so if you try fighting him anyway, probably calling you a dingus in the process. When you are able to fight him, he starts the battle with one of several random speeches, which can be anything from bacon facts to song lyrics. Additionally, if you make it to the last phase of the battle without having Silver Arrows, he'll tell you, in general terms, where to find them (if you already have them, he'll usually exclaim something about silver being his "one weakness" instead). That said, it's entirely possible, though more challenging and time-consuming, to finish him off with just your sword, as long as you know what you're doing.