Turtle Rock (A Link to the Past)

Template:Dungeon Turtle Rock, also known as Level 7 in the Gameboy Advance version of A Link to the Past, is the seventh Dungeon in the Dark World in A Link to the Past.

Entrance to the Rock

Turtle Rock is the seventh Dungeon in the Dark World and the eleventh in the whole game. It can only be accessed by using a Warp Point on the eastern peak of Death Mountain. This will warp Link to the roof of the Dungeon, where he must use the Quake Medallion to open the entrance.

Themes and Navigation

This Dungeon is unique in that its interior looks more like an incredibly extended cavern, instead of having a man-made architecture; likewise, the Cane of Somaria (previously won in Misery Mire) shows a new function here: it creates platforms that can travel across floating rails, which help Link to fully explore this Dungeon, as well as to find torches that must be lit; this also means that a lot of magic power is required (in fact, that's an advice given to Link by Sahasrahla at the start of the Dungeon).

Some interesting references to the Mario series occur here as well: Chain Chomps make their debut, and warp pipes carry Link from spot to spot. Similar to the Skull Woods, there are multiple exits, one of them even leads Link to an apparently empty dead end, but guards a Piece of Heart in the Light World. But there's more: this is the only location in the game with lava, and it's harmless since Link cannot fall into it. This Dungeon houses the Mirror Shield, useful to repel more powerful projectiles, and the final crystal (containing Princess Zelda) is guarded by Trinexx.

After Link clears this tough Dungeon, he can access the final Dungeon, which is to the west, across a bridge guarded by Lynels (where the Tower of Hera would be in the Light World).

Enemies and Traps

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Bubble
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Bari
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Chain Chomp
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Flying Tile
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Guruguru Bar
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Hardhat Beetle
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Helmasaur
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Hokkubokku
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Laser Eye
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Medusa
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Rabbit Beam
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Rolling Spike Trap
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Stalfos
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Stalfos
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Trap
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Zol
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Zoro

Non-canon Appearances

Non-Canon Information

A Link to the Past (Ishinomori)

Turtle Rock (comic) — Turtle Rock, as seen in the comic

Turtle Rock is also featured in the A Link to the Past comic by Shotaro Ishinomori. Like in the game, Turtle Rock is the Dungeon where Princess Zelda has been imprisoned in a crystal by Agahnim.

After learning the location of Turtle Rock, Link heads there and strikes the top of it with the Master Sword to allow a lightning bolt to hit it, revealing the entrance. Inside the lava-infested Dungeon,^[1] Link finds Zelda imprisoned in a crystal,^[2] but he is then attacked by a three-headed dragon.^[3] However, Roam, who had been following Link,^[4] arrives just in time to save the young hero from one of the dragon head's attacks. Roam and Link then cut off the dragon's ice head, causing its ice and fire to mix and explode.^[5] The explosion shatters Zelda's crystal, and with the princess now rescued, the group quickly escapes Turtle Rock as it begins to collapse.

Trivia

In the Game Boy Advance remake of A Link to the Past, Link can warp to the Light World equivalent of the Dungeon's entrance. Thanks to this, he can backtrack from Turtle Rock or even Ganon's Tower without having to traverse the body of Death Mountain again.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	亀岩 (Kame Iwa)	Turtle Rock
	French^EU	Rocher de la Tortue	Turtle Rock
	German	Schildkrötenfelsen	Turtle Rock
	Italian	Rocca Tartaruga	Turtle Rock
	Spanish^EU	Roca de la Tortuga	Rock of the Turtle