- "Did you see the sad state of Hyrule Castle? It's the urgent desire of this group of ours to restore peace to this kingdom as swiftly as possible. Link... Please continue to lend us your strength!"
- — Auru
Hyrule Castle is the ninth and final dungeon in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Strangely, no matter what the time or weather in the outside world, it is always daytime and raining in the exterior area of the dungeon, as well as on the bridge leading to the castle from Castle Town. However, this phenomenon begins only after Midna destroys the Twilight Pyramid with the Fused Shadow, suggesting that it may be a byproduct of its dark magic.
Story[]
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
Hyrule Castle plays a fairly important role in the Twilight Princess. Hyrule Castle looks similar to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker's version of the castle with small pointy spires jutting out from its roof and a large bridge connecting it with the surrounding area. It is also the source of the Twilight that is infecting Hyrule. Inside the castle is Princess Zelda, who is being held prisoner by Zant. Early in the game, Link is transformed into a wolf by Twilight and is thrown into the castle dungeon by Shadow Beasts. Midna shows up, stating that she is looking for Link, and frees him from his prison. They escape the castle after meeting with Zelda.
Ganondorf's spirit overtakes the castle after he escapes the Twilight Realm through Zant. The castle is surrounded with a force field that blocks any access. After Zant's death, Ganondorf uses Zant's power to resurrect himself, giving himself his body back. Hyrule Castle is the last dungeon of the game, with the boss being Ganondorf himself, in two different forms: Possessed Zelda, and Ganon, his boar form. After Ganon has been defeated, Midna battles Ganondorf in Hyrule Castle and warps Link and Zelda to Hyrule Field, and much of the castle is destroyed in an explosion. Ganondorf rides out into Hyrule Field on horseback; he has defeated Midna. Link fights him on horseback after Zelda has been granted Light Arrows and in a sword duel, in the end, Link stabs the Master Sword into Ganondorf's chest, where the Sword of the Six Sages had originally stricken. Hyrule Castle is last seen during the credits sequence, revealing that it was rebuilt.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.
Dungeon[]
The dungeon is moderately small, like the Palace of Twilight, and has many forced battles, in which Link cannot leave the area until he defeats all the enemies.
Enemies[]
- Aeralfos
- Blade Trap
- Bokoblin
- Bulblin
- Darknut
- Dynalfos
- Ghoul Rat
- Kargaroc
- Keese
- Lizalfos
- Phantom Rider
- Rat
- Stalfos
- Stalkin