A chance discovery inThe Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Pastled to a long-lasting mystery when unusual ghosts were discovered hidden in the game. Of course, there are plenty of official ghostly monsters in theZeldafranchise, but this particular enemy was something altogether different. Moreover, the mechanics behind this intriguing mystery took many years to uncover, allowing it to cement itself as a small but striking gaming legend in theZeldacommunity.
Link has encountered multiple types of spirit over the years, with the most pervasive arguably beingThe Legend of Zelda’s Poes. These monsters are typically enemies, although far more neutral Poes are a common sight inTears of the Kingdom’s extremely haunted Depths. Another ghostly enemy found throughout the franchise are Ghini, typically distinguished by their single eyes and lolling tongues. However, not everyZeldaghost is so easily understood, asA Link to the Pastproves.
A Link To The Past Has A Mysterious Ghost
The Ghost Of Misery Mire Has Intrigued Players For Years
In the early 90s, a typical playthrough ofA Link to the Pastled to an unusual discovery:the game’s Swamp of Evil area, often known by the same name as the dungeon it hosts, Misery Mire, appears to be hauntedin its bottom-left section. As documented by that player,thoul, onGameFAQs,the Ghost of Misery Mire is utterly invisible, does not attack, and yet can still be defeatedwith some, but not all, forms of attack available to Link in the game. This discovery naturally sparked a search for answers, one which ultimately lasted for years.
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The Ghost of Misery Mire is most easily detected with the use of the Bombos Medallion; using it will cause the Ghost of Misery Mire to burst into visible flames, and it will die soon after. However, Link can still attack the Ghost with his other weapons as well. Furthermore, early experimentation with the Ghost only deepened the mystery; as the story of the discovery spread,two more Ghosts were found in other areas of the Swamp.
When attacked with the Bombos Medallion, the Ghost of Misery Mire always drops a random number of bombs, allowing Link to stock up on the explosive items with little risk.
Various theories quickly arose regarding the true identity of the Ghost of Misery Mire. One suggestion was that the Ghost was a unique enemy for the area whose coding had never been completed. Another theory was that its strange properties were entirely intentional, and that the Ghost of Misery Mire was among thestrangerLegend of ZeldaEaster eggsto have been inserted by developers throughout the franchise.The truth would eventually emerge with the release ofHyrule Magic, a map editor forALTTPoriginally released in 2006.
The Ghost Of Misery Mire Is A Glitched Zora
A Link To The Past Is Haunted By Its Own Code
InvestigatingA Link to the Past’s code withHyrule Magicled people to the discovery thatthe Ghosts of Misery Mire are actually a group of glitched Zora-type enemies. More specifically, they are ‘FireBall Zora’, a coding tag that refers to both the Light World’s enemy Zora and their Dark World equivalents, the Ku. As the Swamp of Evil is located in the Dark World, technically theKu are more accurately the Ghost of Misery Mire’s true identity, although they are effectively the same entities, including behavior, in any case.
The strange properties of thisdecades-oldLegend of Zeldamysteryare easily explained by its true identity and how these enemies are intended to work inALTTP. Zora (and Ku) are coded to spawn in deep water, which they can dive into before surfacing in another suitable tile before attacking. However,the tiles on which the Ghost of Misery Mire are able to spawn are all shallow water; as a result, the enemy cannot appear properly, although properly timed or indiscriminate attacks like using the Bombos Medallion can still hit them.
Modern Patches Might Prevent Some New Zelda Mysteries
Glitches Like The Ghost Of Misery Mire Would Be Removed From New Games
The Ghost of Misery Mire is a curious artifact of game design in decades past. At its core, it is simply a bug, and as suchit is something which would most likely be unceremoniously patched out of any modern gameit appeared in. However, in this classic title without modern update capabilities, it instead survived to become an intriguing mystery that fascinated countless people. In that respect, it can seem a shame that something like the Ghost of Misery Mire may never appear in aZeldagame again, at least not accidentally.
The Ghost of Misery Mire is a small but notable part ofA Link to the Past’s legacy and influenceon the franchise, showing how even coding errors can become fascinating parts of a game. The game is arguably better for its inclusion, even if modern patching practices would likely never allow such a mystery to exist. As such, the Ghost of Misery Mire is a product of its time, a glitch that only enhances the character ofThe Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
