The Phantom of the Mire Glitch

A very peculiar picture, yes? Ok, if you are just not even sure what you are looking at, that is the Bombos after it has been used and is in the stage of burning up whatever bizarre creature was on the screen. Normally, if you may recall, it SHOWS the enemy even while burning. So, of course, Bombos has not prematurly killed the enemy. Truth be told, I killed EVERYTHING on the screen before I used Bombos just to make sure this picture would go right. Nothing was on the screen before I used Bombos.

"Well, something had to be, Maxine, 'cause it's burning something!" I know, I know. However, I have repeatedly tackled this ghost with the same result every time. And what's even more interesting is that I could kill it with my sword! And I was swining at nothing! It does move around the screen, too, 'cause it would be there one second and the next it would be behind me! Ok, time to fill you in on the info now that I have your attention.

I call this glith the "Phantom of the Mire" when I first discovered it, but I was not the only one and the only other person calls it "The Ghost Glitch". Call it whatever you want! I was very unhappy when I found that I was not the first to have discovered the glitch (Starfe knows...he was there) but I suppose I should have expected it since mine is a newer copy and I'm a late comer to the series.

Here's all the glitch is. After you have the Flute and the Titan Mitt, call the bird and warp to 6 and pick up the right stone and enter the warp. You will be in Misery Mire. Jump down off the right side of the ledge into the niche shown above. Use Bombos and you will also get the very same effect! (And Bombs as a reward.)

Have fun with the ghost! The ghost reacts to any of the following that I have tested: Bombos, Sword, hookshot, bomb. Don't ask me if there are more, you go test for yourself.

Now, the last thing to be discussed - what the HECK is going on here?! My conclusion, as well as the other person who discovered this glitch, is that Miyamoto must have put another creature in the Mire to float around that location and in the final design decided to take it out but codes were left in that didn't take away the fact you could hit him and kill him. So, what could the monster be? I have NO idea and no way to speculate. He must be some kind of Helmasaur, or related, as one side of him is a hard metal if you hit it with the hookshot, but it could be that more than one side is. Another interesting perspective came up by someone in the other reference is that perhaps it is one of the swamp worms underground since it can be in front of you and then instantly behind you. Who KNOWS?!

Well, anyway, this awesome glitch simply offers to us players one more absurd new way to have fun with A Link to the Past if you somehow go insane and get BORED with the game. (Bored and A Link to the Past...I didn't think it was possible to use those words in the same sentence). So, go have fun. I've given you all I know about this particular feature. Enjoy!