Community:The Legend of Zelda: Time's Menagerie

The Legend of Zelda: Time's Menagerie is a sequel to the fan made zelda game, The Legend of Zelda: The Fallen Sage. It features an all new enhanced engine of its predecessor and replaces the old static frontal battle system with a new fully animated side-battle system.

The game was released on November 17th, 2010.

Prologue
Immediately following the events of Fallen Sage, Link, Mido, and Liyer awaken before the transformed Saria. Mido retreats to leave Link and Liyer to deal with her. However, instead of a fight, Saria's massive crystalline form shatters to reveal that it was a cocoon covering her real transformation. Still unable to control her powers, Saria flees from Link and Liyer. After chasing through the Gohma Hive and finding the other surviving party members of Zaleen, Darunia, and Annara, Link and his group stumble upon Saria fighting off hundreds of Hylian soldiers. Mido eventually steps into the fray and attempts to calm her down, though the sight of Link and his party only adds fuel to enrage her. Link engages Saria until Liyer joins into the fight. Seeing that Saria cannot be beaten easily, Liyer plunges into Saria's face and thrusts her daggers into her skull. Saria violently explodes into thousands of emerald shards and is finally destroyed for good.

Soon after, the ending sequence that played after the credits in The Legend of Zelda: The Fallen Sage commences once again. Evaleen and the mysterious figure in blue robes once again mention a vague plan to destroy the Sages. Where’s the Fallen Sage simply ended after that line, in Time’s Menagerie the mysterious figure turns to address a group of machine-like creatures to find and locate the Hero of Time and bring him back alive.

Link's Path


After the prologue, the game shifts back to Link some time later being summoned by Princess Zelda. She speaks of the Zora planning to invade Hyrule after the unprovoked attack against them that took place in Fallen Sage and requests that Link join her in negotiations with Queen Laruto. Princess Zelda, along with Link and General Kazakk, travel north to Zora territory to commence negotiations. Queen Laruto proves to be amicable thanks to her new adviser, Zaleen, telling her of the events that happened in Fallen Sage and that the unprovoked attack against the Zora was all a ruse of Akazoo's to start a full scale war between the two people. Just as things seem to be going well a group of machine-like creatures suddenly teleports in and attacks the party. Link, along with Zelda, Kazakk, Laruto, and eventually Liyer, fight against the mysterious creatures for survival. Soon Mediator Ooccoo appears and announces that she is to arrest Link and bring him to the Sky Cities before the Oocca for judgement. Against his will, Link is taken by her and her mechanical servants before Liyer jumps in after him.

Liyer rescues Link from Ooccoo and begins to explore the Sky Cities. After information has been gathered, eventually Link is tasked with hunting down the six Wizards of Demoko: essentially powerful Oocca who control the Sky Cities, in order to find their leader and a way home back to Hyrule. Along the way Link meets with Rauru and Impa, who join the party to aid Link in his quest. Near the end it is discovered that some malady has infected the Oocca leader, Demoko, and he has been acting in an unstable manner. The Oocca grow fearful that something is wrong, but are afraid to act as Demoko has dominion over all of them. Eventually Ooccoo joins with Link's party, along with the Oocca Wizard Rebonack and his armies to rebel against Demoko and bring an end to his rule. Demoko kidnaps Liyer during the attempt to siege his forces and prepares to transfer his consciousness into her body and awaken as a new Sage.

Link, along with Rauru, Impa, and Ooccoo, battle through the lair of Demoko and eventually reach him and confront the ill antagonist. The party eventually defeats him and Liyer is awakened as the Sage of Time. Soon after it is discovered that Demoko was infected by a mysterious creature of darkness, which then reforms the remains of Demoko into a massive mechanical mask. The player battles this construct and eventually destroys it, killing Demoko for good and exposing the mysterious parasite. The dark creature transforms into a vortex of darkness and sucks Link and the party into itself.

Mido's Path
Mido meets with Zaleen and tells him of a plot he has hatched that can resurrect Saria from the dead. In exchange for his help, Mido promises to resurrect Zaleen's dead wife, Telara, as well. Sneaking into Hyrule castle, Mido and Zaleen make their way into Princess Zelda's library to find information on the Tarm Ruins and the inhabitants that once lived there as she has the only known copy of a book that features them. The book is missing however, and Princess Zelda confronts Mido and Zaleen. Instead of arresting them Princess Zelda gives them the information they need to enter the Tarm Ruins in exchange that they will serve her upon their return. Mido agrees and leaves to search for the three Goddess Pendants needed to unlock the Tarm Ruins.

Mido seeks out Annara and uses her wagon to venture to the Zora's Domain to obtain the first pendant, and discovers Princess Ruto there along with a secret society of Octorok-Zora hybrids being bred by Zaleen's brother. Zaleen eventually kills his brother and obtains the first pendant for Mido. It is also discovered that his wife Telara was alive and kept imprisoned there, and as a result she joins with Mido's group. With the first Pendant in hand, Mido ventures to the Faron Woods south of the Kokiri Forest in search of the second pendant. Once there they soon discover that Sulkaris, the main antagonist of Fallen Sage, had her memories imprinted in every Gohma; thus making her biologically immortal so long as a single Gohma still lives. The party fights a reconstruction of Sulkaris and eventually destroys her for the second Goddess Pendant. Lastly Mido ventures far south of Ordon Province to the Kingdom of Ikana for the final pendant. On the way there Zaleen's wife Telara is killed by Moblins and the Gerudo Sage of Spirit, Nabooru, joins with the party in hopes that she will find treasure to bring to Lord Ganondorf.

With the three pendants in hand, Mido ventures far east to the Tarm Ruins and unlocks its secrets. After defeating the ominous Tarm itself, Mido uses his knowledge to bring Saria back from the dead, though she is far younger then she was and has no memory of her past life. Upon exiting the ruins with Saria secure, soldiers under Queen Ambi arrest Mido and the party. They are brought to an army camp to discover a huge army from Labrynna is preparing to march west to Hyrule. In addition, they have reconstructed a Mirror of Twilight to enter the Realm of Twili. Mido uses this opportunity to escape with the party through the gate into the Realm of Twili.

Once there, Mido seeks to find another Mirror in the Realm of Twili that will lead them all back home. They discover that a Mirror exists at the top of the Black Tower, though they are told that it is damaged and will need parts to be repaired. After finding the needed parts, Mido ventures to the top of the Black Tower only to discover that the Mirror is already active, thanks to the efforts of Vaati and Veran. Veran backstabs Vaati however, and exits the mirror only to destroy it on the other side. Vaati then becomes possessed by the same mysterious creature that infested Demoko and forces him to fight the player. After defeating Vaati, Mido is revealed to be in league with the mysterious creature. The being then transforms into a black vortex and sucks the party in.

The Master Exposed
Link awakens at the base of the Spire of Sages, along with all the other Sages who were met throughout the game. All of them are puzzled as to where they are, though Mido soon steps before them and reveals himself to truly be Dark Link. It is told that Demoko was promised understanding by his master, and was tricked into thinking that he could kill all the Sages. In truth his master knew the Sages would gather and kill Demoko, giving him the opportune chance to suck them into the vortex and bring them all to the Spire of Sages. Dark Link then threatens to release his master, aptly called the Goddess Mocker by those of Hyrule. It is revealed the true name of this creature is Majora, and Link sets out to stop Dark Link before it is too late. Link and the Sages destroy the Seven Faces of Majora, powerful statues that guard the Spire of Sages and bar their path to stop Dark Link. Upon reaching the top of the spire, Dark Link thanks the party for their efforts. In their attempt to reach Dark Link, destroying the Seven Faces released the seal on the gateway to the Void where Majora resides. Dark Link destroys the barrier and jumps into the void. Majora comes forth, revealing itself to be an ambiguous demonic entity trapped in a black hole. Link and the Sages work together to defeat Majora in a titanic final battle and eventually overcome the dark god, though before its final breath it grabs Saria and pulls her into the void.



Majora reveals the truth of the Goddesses to Saria: it exposes to her how they abandoned Hyrule and left their creations alone and unattended. This information does not seem to bother Saria, as she feels she does not need a deity to guide her life. Saria then transforms into her Viridor form and bashes Majora's face, sending it back into the void forever. Saria is pulled out of the void by Liyer just before it closes up. With Majora defeated the Sages congratulate Link on his heroic effort and celebrate their victory over the antagonist. Liyer says that Hyrule will never be the same again after all the tragedies that have happened, but she also states that life continues.

Gameplay


Time’s Menagerie utilizes RPG Maker XP, the same system the Fallen Sage ran on. Gameplay is typical of most 16-bit RPG’s where the player builds a party, levels up, and uses tactics to survive turn based battles. What differentiates Time’s Menagerie from its predecessor is a new fully animated battle system. Such a change was a response to many complaints about how The Fallen Sage’s battle system was too boring and static. Time's Menagerie also features animated portraits of characters during dialog, another complaint that was addressed from the Fallen Sage.

In addition, character outfits, armor, weapons, and accessories are customizable to some degree. Different armor and outfit parts effect everything from stats to the visual appearance of a character. Items that a player can customize for a character include: Weapons, Armor, Shirts, Dresses, Rings/Necklaces, Underwear, and Extra Accessories (such as magic infused gems).



In terms of progression Time's Menagerie plays out like most traditional Zelda games. The player finds a dungeon, explores the dungeon until they defeat a mini boss, acquire a powerful item, and then confront the dungeon's boss. Overall the game includes thirteen dungeons.

In addition to the main story there are Dungeon Endurance, Boss Battle Endurance, and a General's Challenge mode. Both the Boss Battle and Dungeon Endurance modes allow the player to quest though all the game's dungeons and fight all the game's bosses with any party configuration. Players can unlock additional secret characters, outfits, weapons, and secret features by completing various objectives in these modes with different characters. General's Challenge pits the player as Princess Zelda and General Kazakk as they face off fifty waves of enemies and confront a secret boss if they survive.

Canon Characters

 * Link - As in The Legend of Zelda: The Fallen Sage Link serves as the primary protagonist once again. He servers as a balance fighter in all respects.


 * Mido - A key manipulator in The Legend of Zelda: The Fallen Sage, Mido appears to have been in whole or in part responsible for triggering Saria’s transformation. He is the main character for the later half of the game and mirrors Link's moves in some ways.


 * Darunia - Returning from The Legend of Zelda: The Fallen Sage, Darunia survived the explosion at the game’s conclusion. He displays a growing rage and shows obvious frustration at Saria’s titanic breakdown.


 * Rauru - A new character to Time's Menagerie, Rauru is introduced in Link's first dungeon where he joins the party. He serves almost as a combat healer, able to deal significant damage to enemies while healing the party.


 * Princess Ruto - A new character to Time's Menagerie, Princess Ruto is introduced in Mido's first dungeon where she joins the party. She replaces Zaleen as the game's healer and uses many support abilities to augment the party's abilities.


 * Impa - Impa, the Sage of Shadow, joins the party after Link reaches the game's third dungeon. She serves as a quick strike unit that can dish out a large amount of damage with a single attack, though her hitpoints are low and she's suseptible to being killed off easy.


 * Nabooru - Nabooru, the Sage of Spirits, makes her appearance before Mido reaches his second dungeon. She serves as a tank unit with good constitution and the ability to shrug off damage.


 * Saria - Saria is killed off early in the game, though she is resurrected by Mido after reaching the Tarm Ruins. She serves as a support unit that can add status effects to enemies. In addition, she can transform into her Viridor form and become a pure combat seige unit.


 * Mediator Ooccoo - Spokesperson between the Oocca and Hylians, Ooccoo eventually sides with Link after she realizes Demoko has become infested with some dark parasite. She is able to exploit weakspots of bosses and also is unique in that she can recharge the party's mana.


 * Princess Zelda - The leader of Hyrule and a proficient swordsman, Princess Zelda is playable during several segments of the main story. She is a well balanced fighter who develops overpowered moves as she gains levels.


 * Laruto - The Queen of Lanayru Province, Laruto is very briefly playable in the story mode and can be unlocked in the Endurance modes. Her moves are identical to Zaleen's.

Non-canon characters

 * Liyer - Once again Liyer returns for a staring role. She again displays great hatred for Saria and successfully impales her face after a one on one duel.


 * Zaleen - Zaleen returns once again only to reveal new traits of his character. Once found he gives up the guise of a healing priest and makes known that he is in fact a proficient assassin.


 * Annara - A bounty hunter from Ordona Province, Annara also survived the ending explosion. Despite the devastation she retains a calm and carefree attitude through her appearance. She excels at exploiting an enemy's weakness with her various arrow types.


 * General Kazakk - Hyrule's top military commander and Princess Zelda's right hand man, Kazakk is playable during several segments of the main game. He has various support and status effect attacks, as well as having the ability to summon a dozen Hylian Archers into battle.


 * Telara - Zaleen's wife, Telara has little combat experience and only joins the party briefly before she is killed by Moblins.


 * Yorinu - Yorinu is a young Twili from the Realm of Twilight. An ex member of the Church of Majora, she discovered how to make bombs and use them in battle. She serves as a specialist in attacking more then one enemy at a time, and as such she is useful against enemies that regenerate other enemies.


 * Una - A Great Fairy of the Twili, Una is a mysterious figure that is breifly playable in a sidequest. She can be unlocked for Endurance modes after every other character has been unlocked.



Main Antagonists

 * Demoko - Believed to be the primary antagonist of Link's portion of the game, Demoko is the leader of the Oocca as well as the first Sage to have ever existed. For reasons unknown, the Goddesses left him incomplete when they departed the world and as such his mechanical nature reflects that. His desire for completion leads to him being deceived by the dark god Majora, eventually to the point that the demon is able to infest Demoko to some degree. Now under partial control of Majora, Demoko attempts to enact his parasite's plot of gathering the Sages together while covering it up with a convoluted plot to destroy the Sages instead.


 * Veran - Though she appears very briefly, Veran is revealed to have been responsible to reconstructing the Mirror of Twilight. She backstabs Vaati as she escapes back into the World of Light and leaves him to become infested by Majora.


 * Majora - Also known as the Goddess Mocker by the inhabitants of Hyrule, Majora serves as the primary antagonist of the game. A mysterious demonic being of unknown origin, Majora was sealed away in a black hole by the Goddesses some time after the world of Hyrule was created. Worshipped by several races, most notably the Twili, Majora in some way seems to be an anti-god in comparisson to the Goddesses; almost to the point of being a satanic figure in Hylian mythology. Though visually Majora is portrayed as a dark and evil being, dialog with the creature in game suggests that Majora is not neccessarily evil but rather is deemed so by others for acting on its nature (much like condeming a whale as evil for needing to eat krill to survive). Unlike the other characters, Majora is the only character to have spoken lines during the fight against it.

Characters that have not reappeared

 * Felonius - One of the main characters from Fallen Sage, Felonius is never once mentioned at all in Time's Menagerie. It is unknown if he was killed at the end of Fallen Sage or if he survived the fight with Saria.

Soundtrack
With the exception of a few tracks, the majority of the soundtrack of Time's Menagerie is being composed by Monarchy One.

Development and Ownership
Though it is a fan made game like its predecessor, full credit is given to Nintendo once again. The game is not being sold for profit, and is only being shared as a tribute to Nintendo's Zelda series.

Release

 * On May 3rd, 2009 a half hour long demo of Time’s Menagerie was released. It can be downloaded here: http://www.sendspace.com/file/h0ivfi
 * On July 14th, 2009, a second two hour long demo of the first two dungeons was released. It can be downloaded here: http://www.sendspace.com/file/ysjis5
 * The game was officially released November 17th, 2010, just a day after Shigeru Miyamoto's birthday. It can be downloaded in two parts here:
 * Part 1: https://www.sendspace.com/file/ut2ozl
 * Part 2: https://www.sendspace.com/file/7bdqvu

Glitches
While Time's Menegerie is a dramatic improvement over its predecessor as far as glitches go, several still made it into the game despite extensive beta testing.


 * Occasionally when changing Laruto's outfit, the game will glitch and remove every character from your party, forcing you to load from your last save.


 * In the Monastery of Dawn, occasionally hitting a Light Barrier will allow the player to phase through walls but not gain access to other rooms. Running into a Light Barrier again fixes this glitch though should it happen.


 * When using a cheat code to unlock a character, occasionally it will unlock Yorinu as well. This only happens if you have not unlocked any other character prior to entering cheat codes.

Trivia

 * A collection of art in the game, most notably the selection portraits for Endurance modes, was painted by renowned Portuguese artist VanEvil.
 * The title song, “A Menagerie in Time,” is a remix of the Temple of Time song by Bezo. The lyrics in Latin are: "Sempre aeternam tempus aedes"
 * "Sair Met-rair", the track used for the final battle of the game, has lyrics sung in Ancient Hylian.
 * Based on the language and use of scientific terms in the dialog between Mido and Tarm, it can be presumed that the Fairies in Time's Menagerie are extraterrestrial in origin.
 * Majora is portrayed in a similar manner to Cthulu of H.P. Lovecraft lore. Both appear to be inter-dimensional god like beings from the depths of space to some degree. Both are worshipped by prolific cult organizations as well. In addition, Majora is both referred to as male and female by different characters throughout the game so it's presumed that Majora is genderless. Physically, Majora appears as an ambiguous mass of charred hands and tentacles, the only defining features being its bright red eyes and horns that were iconic of its mask from official games in the series.
 * Majora's laugh and battle taunts were voiced by Andy Serkis.
 * One of the characters sprites in the game resembles that of a General from the Fire Emblem Series. However, it seems to have been slightly edited.