Unless you’re really into fishing, being in a fishing shop really isn’t all that exciting. My dad owned one for quite some time and I’d have to work there over the summer with my mom, which is actually how I wound up making money to buy myself a Wii — but that’s another story for another time. My point is, I wasn’t really into all this kind of stuff, so why would I ever want to virtually visit one in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess?
For one, the location was beautiful — Hena couldn’t have picked a better spot to set up shop. The little cabin in the middle of this little grove looks beautiful in any season. The lakeside view, the waterfall, and the vivid greenery would be more than enough to convince most people to move in here. Rather than focus on the outside, though, I’ll actually be discussing the interior of her little setup.
It’s rather small and in all honesty not much to look at, but it’s also comfortable and homey. You can see it on Link’s face when he first enters the building that this is a fisherman’s paradise. It may be hard for us to see at first seeing as you could explore the entirety of the shop in just a few footsteps, but when you zoom in, there’s a lot more than meets the eye. Hena is more than happy to guide you through her cabin as you explore!
There’s plenty of fishing gear, certainly. A whole wall is dedicated to lures (as it should). Again, it is a fishing shop, but there’s more. Another wall is dedicated to photos Hena has taken. There’s one of her, her siblings — even the Fishman from Ocarina of Time makes an appearance as a master of his craft.
Then there’s a photo of Link. Not right from the start, of course. You have to earn it. Once you do the impossible and snag yourself a Hylian Loach, Hena will have taken a stealthy photoshoot of Link at the moment to immortalize your victory. However, to get the rare fish, you must have one of two lures. You can be a stinker like me and go for the illegal sinking lure hidden in the lake outside, or you can do things the right way and win yourself a frog lure by playing the Roll Goal game she has in the back of the store.
Now I wanted to do things the right way. I wanted to use the frog lure and catch the Hylian Loach, but the Roll Goal game was so infuriating for me, even with the GameCube controller. It got even worse when I upgraded to the Wii Remote. But like most games that I got fed up with as an impatient 12-year-old, I let it sit on the shelf, collecting dust. In my later years, I did eventually complete the dreaded game in the HD remake, if only to 100 percent complete my favorite Zelda game, but I did it nonetheless.
Then there’s the portion of the store that I call the animal corner. Along the back wall, there’s a tank displaying all your best catches. I remember always naming my fish, but then forgetting which ones were named what, so I’d call them all “
Then there’s Purdy, her little bird. Such a cute little thing! Hena always mentioned that sometimes she would talk to you, but she never did in my case. I would always just sit there, waiting for that dialogue box to pop up, but Purdy never uttered a word. I recently learned that she only does it if you’re inconsiderate and roll into her cage, which I never did. If you do, she might remark “Pur-DEE hate YOU!”
I may not have rammed into Purdy’s cage, but I am no saint. It started as an accident, rolling into one of the walls. Hena told me not to do that, so naturally, I did it again. I tested her patience until she actually kicked me out! As hilarious as it was to me that I actually managed to get the boot, I did still want to go fishing and play around in the cabin some more. Luckily, Hena is a rather kind soul and will accept your apology for being so rude; and will continue to accept your apologies countless times after. I was not a good customer.
Of course, that was the fun of being in this fantasy fishing shop. I’m sure my dad would not have appreciated it if I started rolling around the store, knocking down all the merchandise (which would also be dangerous considering all those hooks). I could do what I wanted and just enjoy all the little details that this game had included in an unexpected area.
It wasn’t much to look at or even filled with the most content, but Hena’s Cabin was a place to call a home away from home. It was a place I could go to relax after doing all of Hyrule’s chores and give Link a moment to kick up his feet and do something he likes. Hena’s hospitality, the collection of my catches, and yes, even the Roll Goal game always had me coming back to the cabin.
