I did not anticipate most of what I saw and experienced in Twilight Princess. The monsters, turning into a wolf, and even Midna were all incredibly strange. But once fate led me to the Forest Temple and I picked up that one, moving vase hidden by the breakaway wall, I found a new level of bizarre in the form of Ooccoo. In that moment, Link’s face and mine shared the same expression.
Despite the initial shock of her appearance, I soon understood what type of being Ooccoo was, and how she was incredibly kind and helpful. I had judged a book by its cover, and immediately felt bad for doing so. It’s as if Nintendo decided to squeeze a morality lesson into the game for the fun of it.
Once Link (accidentally) freed Ooccoo from her predicament, she thanked him and explained that she was searching for something in the temple. She assumed that Link was a fellow explorer looking for something and suggested they work together. She offered to help by providing a way to quickly exit the dungeon and return to their last location. This was also when Ooccoo introduced Link to her son, Ooccoo Jr.
Ooccoo left my company after I defeated the dungeon’s boss and claimed my Fused Shadow prize, though I don’t remember seeing her leave. All I knew was that the living creature was no longer in my inventory. I assumed she couldn’t find what she was looking for and moved on.
I didn’t know what to think of Ooccoo after our first encounter. She was odd, but I wanted her to stick around so I could continue to use her useful abilities.
Luckily, I met her again in the second dungeon, the Goron Mines. (Though at the time it felt weird to say I was happy, as her appearance still threw me.) She needed to be freed from another vase, and after showing repeat gratitude and happiness to see Link again, she joined his exploration of the mines. Ooccoo was still hunting for her elusive treasure, whatever it was. She had yet to explain what her goals truly were.
Finding and freeing Ooccoo became a pattern during my journeys through the next few dungeons. Sometimes I wondered how she found her way into all those remote and dangerous places, but my part-time traveling companion’s tenacity was too enjoyable to make me care about the details.
Ooccoo grew on me. I couldn’t help but appreciate the goofy gal. I loved her mannerisms and attitude. She was always happy to see Link and always eager to help, even though she must have been frustrated that she couldn’t find what she was looking for. Ooccoo simply kept her resolve and stayed focused. She was one of those optimistic people you typically don’t expect to meet in life.
Once I found the entrance to the Temple of Time, the details of Ooccoo’s story began to surface. Ooccoo surprised me when she ran past Link and up the stairs leading to the temple. I figured I would see her, but I expected to find her partway through the dungeon, like in our previous encounters. This time she moved ahead and actually waited for Link to catch up. Ooccoo explained that the temple was the place she was trying to find, and that contained within it was a piece of her people’s ancient technology. Her intent was to use this technology to return home. I didn’t know what she was talking about, but I was eager to help. At this point, I was invested in helping her reach her goal, so teaming up was part of my plan as well.
Once I was done in the temple, Ooccoo explained that she was trying to find the Dominion Rod, the new item and super-effective spider killer I had found. Unfortunately, the rod stopped working once we returned to the present, which meant it was useless to her. She was upset, but she pressed on, hoping to find another way home — a home she finally revealed was in the sky. She mentioned something about finding the statues that responded to the rod and scurried away.
My fortuitous usefulness to Ooccoo came to an end after I restored power to the Dominion Rod, found all the statues, and located the Sky Cannon. Fyer restored the cannon to working order and gave the go-ahead to blast away. Link jumped inside, and I was surprised once more by Ooccoo, who hopped inside the cannon with him. The cannon fired, and they went flying into the wild blue yonder.
Seconds later, Ooccoo and Link landed in the City in the Sky. Ooccoo, now elated, thanked him for all his help. At long last, she was home. (Sure, a dragon was terrorizing the place, but she was still back. And of course, she was willing to help Link explore that dungeon as well.)
Ooccoo may not have been the most pleasant to look at, but she was a fine example of the good people that live in — and above — Hyrule. Link’s work made a difference in Ooccoo’s life multiple times, and she was always willing to return the favor.
