The Phantom Ganon boss appears at the Forest Temple in Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake. The boss encounter has two stages where it begins as a painting fight and then evolves into a tennis match with magic balls. Although his attacks can prove challenging to counter, he will not give you much trouble after you learn his pattern. Here’s how to defeat Phantom Ganon and complete the boss fight.
How to Defeat Phantom Ganon
Phantom Ganon is definitely one of the most interesting bosses in the game. The battle begins with Phantom Ganon jumping from one painting to another, and then continues as a strange magic game of tennis in which you will have to throw fireballs back to him. Even though it may be a bit complicated at first sight, there are some simple strategies which will help you defeat this enemy.
In the first phase, Phantom Ganon will hide himself in one of the paintings around the arena. Your task is to identify which painting he will come out from. Prepare your bow and move your camera in order to see all the paintings. Soon you will notice him approaching you on the path from that painting. Just when he starts appearing from the painting, shoot an arrow at him.
Once you have dealt the first blow, things get a bit trickier. The reason for this is that Phantom Ganon will start appearing in several paintings; thus, it becomes tricky to distinguish which is the genuine one. Do not be too hasty in shooting at paintings. Rather, you should observe paintings until you notice Phantom Ganon emerging from one of them. The real Phantom Ganon will emerge and phase through the painting, making it easy to strike him down.
In the third attack, he will be appearing in all paintings, and thus you will have to be very observant. Continuously rotate the camera until you spot the painting he is charging through. There is no need to shoot randomly at all the paintings. Wait for the right moment and shoot at the real Phantom Ganon. Once you are done striking him down, you will proceed to the next phase.
Second Phase
During the next part, the Phantom Ganon will begin throwing magical fireballs at you. It is time for you to play some tennis! Arm yourself with a sword and strike these fireballs so that they fly back to him. Each successful return will increase the speed of the fireball. Repeat this process until the fireball flies back at him and knocks Phantom Ganon down on the floor.
Here comes the opportunity to inflict harm on him. Run up quickly and deliver as many sword strikes to him as you can while he is lying down. Yet, it won’t last long since Phantom Ganon will soon rise from the ground and charge at you again.
He’ll charge straight towards you with a lunging attack, so keep an eye on his movements and roll out of the way when he comes close. You can also try shooting him with an arrow as he lunges, but dodging the attack should be your priority.
After he’s done with his lunge move, Phantom Ganon will again resort to shooting fireballs at you. Equip your sword and follow the same steps as earlier. Continue knocking the fireballs back until one hits, then rush up to him and slash with your sword as much as possible.
Keep doing the same steps and be aware of his lunge attack when necessary. With time, Phantom Ganon will sustain enough damage from you that you’ll manage to kill him. After defeating him, stay behind to witness the extra cutscenes that are part of the game’s remake.
