Jag skrev en kommentar till en post på Zelda Dungeon som handlade om hur Ganondorf först introduceras i Wind Waker. Jag lyckades hålla mig till ämnet en hel mening innan jag gled iväg till min favoritscen i spelet och mina tankar kring den.
I loved the introduction of Ganondorf in WW, with the mysterious cinematic feel and creepy music.
But I think my favourite scene is how when I finally defeated him at the end of the game I was down to my last heart container and thought ”Ok, that’s it, I’m scre- HOLY S*IT, I SHOVED THE MASTER SWORD INTO HIS G**D*** FACE!”
I sat there with my mouth open, trying to accept that a Zelda game had such a brutal end move.
And then Ganondorf spoke…
Those who have seen Blade Runner know Roy’s final speech: ”I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I’ve watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.”.
The water coming down on Hyrule all around the tower while Ganondorf uttered his final words made me think of that moment, when the rain poured down on Roy and Deckard on the rooftop.
”The wind…. It’s blowing…”
My feelings about his death are mixed. In one way we are finally rid of the one who have caused so much pain. But his words… They are so sad, but at the same time they’re words of gratitude. He is, at last, free from the feelings of longing, envy, greed and hate that have tormented him for so long.
When Link arrives at the top of the tower Ganondorf is standing at its edge, looking out over Hyrule with a mournful look on his face. You understand there is so much more to him than the evil monster you would expect a villain to be. I think this was the first time I played a game and not ony understood the motivation of the villain, but felt compassion. Even more so when he explained his motivation.
”My country lay within a vast desert. When the sun rose into the sky, a burning wind punished my lands, searing the world. And when the moon climbed into the dark of night, a frigid gale pierced our homes, No matter when it came the wind carried the same thing… Death. But the winds that blew across the green fields of Hyrule brought something other than suffering and ruin. I coveted that wind, I suppose.”
I no longer wanted to fight him. And I didn’t. I fought against the way he tried to achieve his goals, against the suffering he had caused and would cause, should he succeed.
And now, with the Master Sword stuck in his forehead, his pain has come to an end. As he slowly turns into stone his reign of terror ends with their master. The water crashes down on the tower and Ganondorf Dragmire vanishes from sight. He and all he did, all those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.