Block

Block
A block from The Legend of Zelda
First appearance	The Legend of Zelda (1987)
Appearances	The Legend of Zelda The Adventure of Link A Link to the Past Link's Awakening Ocarina of Time Majora's Mask Oracle of Ages Oracle of Seasons Four Swords The Wind Waker Four Swords Adventures The Minish Cap Twilight Princess Phantom Hourglass Spirit Tracks Skyward Sword
Found	Dungeons Overworld
Use	For pushing out of the way, onto switches, etc.

Blocks are recurring objects in the Legend of Zelda series. They are small stone blocks that serve mostly as obstacles. Most blocks are immovable, but some can be pushed or pulled.

Appearances

The Legend of Zelda

Blocks are found in all eight dungeons, usually arranged in patterns, with one of the blocks being movable. When moved, some blocks will open closed doors or reveal hidden staircases.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Blocks are found in all of the seven Palaces. They serve as obstacles that Link can only bypass by destroying them with his sword after having obtained the Handy Glove. The Downthrust and Jump Thrust skills can destroy blocks situated directly below or above Link, respectively.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Blocks are similar to those from The Legend of Zelda. They are found mostly in Underworld areas such as dungeons and Hidden Holes. They can be pushed or pulled, but may only be moved once; sometimes only in a certain direction, so after having moved a block, Link must re-enter the area in order to reset the positions of the blocks. Sometimes, moving a block activates a switch, with varied effects. In the Desert Block Maze, a Piece of Heart can be obtained by moving the correct blocks. A similar puzzle is found within the Swamp of Evil in the Dark World. The Cane of Somaria allows Link to create blocks by the power of magic. These can be be used to hold down switches. All blocks, with the exception of ones created by the Cane of Somaria, in this game act as Hookshot targets. There is also a larger version of the block that can be lifted using the Power Glove or Titan's Mitt.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Blocks in this game are similar to those in A Link to the Past. Some blocks in Eagle's Tower will move away from each other when a lever is pulled, allowing Link to pass between them. However, when the lever is released, it will gradually move back to its original position, along with the blocks, which will bar Link's path once again.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Blocks are found frequently within dungeons, often as part of puzzles. These blocks are often much larger than in previous installments, usually being cubes made of stone which are taller than Link. They can also be grabbed and pulled. Despite their size, Link can move them quite easily, though the larger ones require the Silver Gauntlets or Golden Gauntlets in Ocarina of Time or the Goron Mask in Majora's Mask. Additionally, they may be moved indefinitely rather than just once. They are usually too tall for Link to successfully climb, but when placed in small indentations in the floor, Link is able to climb on top of them to use them as platforms.

In both games, blocks have a symbol carved on their sides: in Ocarina of Time, they feature the Gerudo symbol (although the design of the symbol was changed between versions due to controversy) and in Majora's Mask, they sport a simplified illustration of Majora's Mask.

In the Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time, there is a hidden block referred to as a "Stone Umbrella"; it is used to protect Link from spikes that come from the ceiling.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons

Blocks are found in all dungeons mainly serving as obstacles that impede Link's progress. Blocks figure frequently in the games' many puzzles. In Oracle of Ages the Cane of Somaria, found within the Crown Dungeon, allows Link to create blocks from thin air, in a similar fashion to the item of the same name from A Link to the Past. It can be used to divert certain enemies' path, and is needed to defeat Smog, the boss of the Crown Dungeon.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords

Blocks appear again in varying sizes, the most common being small enough for one person to move it. Occasionally, though, there are larger blocks that are too heavy for only one Link to move, requiring the cooperation of one, two, or three other Links.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Blocks are found in both the Underworld and Overworld. They are similar in appearance and function to those from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, only smaller and rarer. Blocks can be used to block Blade Traps. Occasionally, blocks are found in stacks as a form of 3D puzzle in which pulling one block from under another causes the second block to drop, allowing Link to further manipulate the blocks. Several immobile blocks can be found on Angular Isles.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

Blocks appear in various levels and in different sizes. Small blocks usually must be pushed in a specific direction to open a door or clear a path. Medium-sized blocks must be lifted by two Links, and large blocks must be pushed by all four Links at the same time. Small colored blocks may only be pushed by the Link wearing a tunic that is the same color as the block.

Additionally, the Level 2 Fire Rod allows Link to create yellow blocks which can be destroyed by swinging the rod again. When the block is destroyed, fireballs shoot out in the four cardinal directions from the block. If the block is thrown into one of the floating question marks in the Ice Temple, it will expand into a floating platform.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

Blocks resemble gray squares with smooth edges. There are some oversized blocks which can only be moved if Link makes copies of himself using the Four Sword or White Sword. Some blocks can be pushed with just one copy, while others require up to three copies, plus Link's own force, to be moved. There are also some blocks that act as makeshift doors, requiring a Small Key to be removed.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The blocks from Twilight Princess are notably larger than the blocks in any previous installments, and they are gray with metallic braces at the corners. There is also a type of block only found in Arbiter's Grounds made from gold metal bars. They are used to solve certain puzzles and can be climbed on, or they can be used to hold down ground switches. There is a cave on Northern Hyrule Field where there are a series of Ice Block puzzles which can be solved to obtain a Piece of Heart. While Link can normally both push and pull blocks, in wolf form he is unable to pull them towards him, and can only push blocks away from him.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Blocks appear in Underworld locations such as dungeons and Hidden Holes. After Link approaches one, they can be either pushed or pulled by using the Nintendo DS's stylus. Due to the top-down perspective of the game, blocks can be used as platforms only by jumping from a point above them and appear very rarely in comparison to blocks in earlier installments. In Spirit Tracks, as in Twilight Princess, they can be slid across ice to solve puzzles.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Blocks can be found in Skyloft and several dungeons and are often used as platforms or to solve puzzles and make shortcuts. Wooden and metal varieties are seen, as well as wooden blocks framed with metal.