Snowpeak Ruins is my favorite dungeon in Twilight Princess, and its boss, Blizzeta, is my third-favorite boss in the game. It should come as no surprise, then, that her battle theme is one of my favorite tracks as well. Well, to be more precise, I love the theme’s second phase. It gives me a chill to the bone that warms my action-hungry soul.
The second half of Blizzeta’s theme begins after Link finishes administering his first beat down to the frozen beast by way of the Ball and Chain weapon. Before this, the theme’s tone is slower and more foreboding. The longer beats and chants serve to warn the player of the icy danger they are facing. This mood changes, drastically, once Blizzeta gets angry and decides to change her form and take to the air.
She floats above Link and creates a number of smaller ice masses to trail around her. Phase two of the song erupts into its full frenzy, with the more electric and rapid notes following each other like a chain reaction of icicles falling from the ceiling. It’s a signal that the heat, ironically, is on.
The mix of synthesized organ keys with the horns and new chants make relaxing or catching one’s breath during this portion of the fight impossible. As the song progresses, a mix of the melody that plays when Link has the upper hand in a battle is integrated into the track. But those notes never become the full focus. Death is looming over Link, so though he may be able to deal damage to Blizzeta, having true control of the fight, even for a moment, is actually impossible. All he can do is keep moving, and at the moment, I’m sure he wonders if he should have reconsidered trying to take the mirror.
Despite its frigid motif, the second phase of Blizzeta’s theme offers a quick and powerful shot of energy that could help anyone start moving like the hero of Hyrule. Granted, Link has more motivation than an awesome song, but I’m more than willing to let him keep all the shards of ice and possessed yetis to himself.
