Cadence of Hyrule is the latest game in the Legend of Zelda series and it’s out right now on Nintendo Switch, but it’s a Zelda game with a difference. It’s made by Brace Yourself Games, creators of the award-winning and inventive rhythm action game Crypt of the NecroDancer, and it’s a crossover with that series. However, despite being a Zelda game that’s more focused on music and rhythm, there’s still puzzles to solve, and the Lost Woods to get lost in. To get out you’ll need the Cadence of Hyrule Tingle Dowser, but how do you get it?
As the name suggests, the Tingle Dowser needs to be given to you by Tingle, the overly enthusiastic map-maker who wants to be a fairy. The Lost Woods is a confusing and maze-like place, like it is in every Legend of Zelda game it appears in, and the only way to get through is with his Dowser. But where is Tingle? How do you solve the puzzle and get the Dowser from him? How do you use it to get out of the Lost Woods and through to the Lost Swamp dungeon? Here’s what you need to do.
What is the Tingle Dowser?
The Tingle Dowser is an item that, as the name suggests, belongs to Tingle, who is hiding in the Lost Woods. The item looks curiously like a Nintendo Switch, and you can use it to help you get through the Lost Woods, otherwise you’ll never find your way out to the Lost Swamp dungeon area. Fortunately it’s simple to use, but of course you’ll need to find Tingle before you can do that, and you’ll also need to solve his puzzle first.
Where is the Cadence of Hyrule Tingle Dowser?
Fortunately, as the Tingle Dowser is needed to navigate your way through the Lost Woods, that’s exactly where you need to go to find it. Depending on where you are in the Lost Woods, you either need to go up or down. If you’ve just entered the area and saw the words “Lost Woods” on your screen, head south. If you’re at the Sheikah Stone, head north. Otherwise, just keep exploring until you get to the right place. You can kill all the enemies on the screen if you wish, but it’s not required just yet.
If you’ve gone the right place, in the center of the screen is a large tree stump with a door in it. You can see what it looks like in the picture above. Once again, you can ignore the enemies or kill them if you wish, but afterwards you’ll need to enter the tree stump. You’ll find a room filled with colorful musical notes on the right, and a Deku Shrub and Tingle himself on the left, asleep. You can ignore the Deku Shrub for now, and instead speak to Tingle. You won’t be able to wake him up, however. In order to wake up Tingle (the lazy fairy guy) you’ll need to solve the puzzle with the musical notes in the room. But how do you do that?
How to solve the music puzzle and get the Tingle Dowser
The musical puzzle is a little intimidating, but the moment you realize you’re in a rhythm game you probably will get the hint on how to complete it. At the top of the screen, near to the first arrows, is a statue with a closed eye. When you get close to it, the eye will open and the statue will explode, setting off a boulder. This rock will go along the musical notes, playing a version of the classic Lost Woods theme song as it does, and herein lies the musical puzzle.
To complete the puzzle, you’ll need to move Link (or whoever you’re playing as) to the beat of the tune as the boulder goes around the screen. You don’t have to be perfect, but if you mess up you’ll have to reset. Hopefully you have enough rhythm to pull it off (and if you don’t, boy was this not the right game for you). If you do it correctly, the boulder will smash and Tingle will wake up. He’ll say how he’s been using his dowser (which he refers to himself in the third-person over) and will hand it to you. Now that the hard part’s over, we can at last escape the Lost Woods.
How to use the dowser to escape the Lost Woods
Now that you’ve got the dowser you can start getting rid of all the enemies, which isn’t strictly necessary but will make the next part easier. Once all the enemies are gone, head to one of the exits of the screen. Equip the dowser from within your inventory (as mentioned, it’s the item that looks like a Nintendo Switch with funny antennae) to one of the face buttons, and use it next to any of the exits.
If there’s a faint vibration from your controller, or none at all, then you’re at the wrong part of the screen. Head to another exit and use it again, and keep going until there’s a strong reaction, both vibration and noise. Then simply leave the screen at the point. Proceed with clearing the screens of enemies and testing the exits with the dowser, and eventually you’ll get to a new area with a Sheikah Stone and a large tree-trunk hole. You’ll also hear the classic Zelda discovery noise. Congratulations, you can now proceed to the Lost Swamp.
