Switch
- This article is about the recurring objects in the series. For the game console, see Nintendo Switch.
Switches are recurring Objects in the The Legend of Zelda series.[name references needed]
Overview
Switches appear in many forms and locations throughout the The Legend of Zelda series. Effects of activating them include:
- Opening doors
- Making Treasure Chests appear
- Moving walls or other obstacles
- Opening gates to fill areas with water, or drain them
- Turning fans on or off
- Deactivating Armos statues
- Opening skylights to allow Light Beams inside
- Making Enemies appear (if trapped)
Once activated, a Switch's effect may or may not be permanent:
- Permanent: The Switch's action remains in effect indefinitely, or at least until Link leaves the room, which triggers many puzzles in the series to reset.
- Timed: The Switch's action only lasts for a short duration, usually with a musical cue or ticking clock sound effect to indicate this.
- Momentary: Only applies to floor Switches. Will stay activated as long as something is on top of it to hold it down, otherwise it will immediately deactivate when something gets off the Switch.
Types of Switches
Mechanical Lever
Mechanical Levers are hand-activated levers that perform some function when pushed into a different position. They were fairly common in A Link to the Past, especially in the Swamp Palace, but almost unheard of in most other games. They appear in the Temple of Droplets in The Minish Cap as a method of releasing Light Beams into the Dungeon to melt the ice around Small Keys and the Big Key. Two large mechanical levers, requiring Link to split himself with the White Sword, also appear in the Dungeon that, when released, allow enough Light Beams into the room to melt the ice surrounding the Water Element.
Floor Switch
Floor Switches normally take the form of a large button or plate,[1] which can be activated by being stepped on by Link, or sometimes by placing a heavy object on top.
Lever
Lever Switches are a variation on the mechanical switch that are recessed into walls. Link must pull on a handle to activate it. These Lever Switches are frequently timed or booby trapped.
Grapple Switch
A Grapple Switch is a ceiling-mounted variation on the pull lever which is activated by Link hanging from it, either by its handle or by using the Clawshot/Grappling Hook. Sometimes they require Link to wear the Iron Boots for extra weight.
Torch Switch
Torches are sometimes used as disguised switches, which are activated by lighting them. Torch switches are frequently timed, their effects lasting only until the flame goes out. When multiple torches are present, Link will usually have to light them all before the first one goes out to trigger the effect. This is much easier with area-effect spells such as Din's Fire, or at least long-range methods like a Fire Arrow.
Shock Switch
Shock Switches are small sphere- or obelisk-shaped Switches that can be activated by being slashed by a sword or hit by another weapon.
Eyeball Switch
An Eyeball Switch is a wall Switch that looks like an open eye. When hit by an Arrow (or sometimes a Slingshot pellet),[2] the eye closes and is activated. Some of these Eyeball Switches are encased in ice, which must be unfrozen using the Fire Arrow or other flame-based attack. There are two variations: Yellow ones, which are one-time activated, and Silver ones, which could be hit multiple times. They appear in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, and Skyward Sword. Fire Eyes are identical in appearance to Eyeball Switches.
In Phantom Hourglass some Eyeball Switches will "flip" to protect themselves from being activated when Link faces north, so Link have to face south and have something that changes the arrow's direction like an Arrow Orb or a Grappling Hook so Link can activate them when they are open. They appear in the Temple of the Ocean King and the Temple of Ice.
Sun Pattern
A Sun Pattern is activated by having Light Beam shone at it,[3] usually by rotating a mirror or by using the Mirror Shield. When activated, they sometimes evaporate. Like Pull Levers, they can sometimes be trapped.
Wind Switch
Wind Switches,[4] also known as Propellers,[5] are objects shaped like miniature windmill propellers appearing in Skyward Sword. They can be activated by blowing them with the Gust Bellows, causing them to rotate.
Nomenclature
 Names in Other Regions  | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Names | Meanings |
 Japanese | レバースイッチ (Rebāsuicchi)[6] | Lever Switch |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | ||
Gallery
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Sun Pattern in Ocarina of Time
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A Goron Pound switch from Majora's Mask
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The symbol that appears on switches in The Wind Waker
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A switch that lowers the water level in Mutoh's Temple
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The activated water switch
See Also
References
- ↑ The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening—Nintendo Player's Guide, Nintendo of America, pg. 16
- ↑ "Canyon, #1: Eyeball Switch" — Sheikah Stone (Majora's Mask 3D)
- ↑ "Canyon, #4: Sun Pattern A" — Sheikah Stone (Majora's Mask 3D)
- ↑ "Timeshift Stone Cart and Wind Switch" — Sheikah Stone (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "Visual inspection indicates this object is very old. I must conclude that this is a Propeller. It is an object designed to spin in a steady wind," — Fi (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Shogakukan, pg. 34