Ocarina Of Time’s Water Temple Was Powerful, However It Does not Deserve Its Repute

November twenty first, 2023 marked the twenty fifth anniversary of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s Japanese launch. To mark this historic Hyrulean event, we’re operating articles all through the week devoted to the sport, our recollections, and its legacy. At this time, Jim appears to be like again on one of many sequence’ most infamous temples…

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the primary recreation that I ever performed. Sure, Little Jim had to make use of a information for lots of it and I would be mendacity if I mentioned that he was in any manner a completionist about the entire thing (Gold Skulltula? By no means heard of it, mate) however I do distinctly keep in mind enjoying the notorious Water Temple for the primary time. It is a story that I am positive many people can recount however, here is the factor, I keep in mind taking no situation with it.

It wasn’t till I used to be an excellent bit older and was launched to the massive dangerous world of the web and social media that I came upon that I used to be considerably within the minority when it got here to the Water Temple. What, for me, was a well-designed romp with a enjoyable gimmick and a kickass mini-boss (okay, I may be projecting a few of these larger ideas onto my five-year-old thoughts), seems to have been torture for different individuals akin to repeatedly bashing your head in opposition to a wall.

From my understanding, it largely boils right down to the Iron Boots and the laboriousness of placing them on by way of the menu (one thing that the 3D remake would gloriously repair with its touchscreen stock), however that does not appear to have stopped the reception to the Water Temple being a darkish mark on the sport’s in any other case fairly spotless document. Nicely, 25 years have handed and it is about time that we modify that. The Water Temple has its moments of tedium and puzzlement, however, for my part, it is from the hellhole that some make it out to be.

Let’s tackle the iron-weighted elephant within the room proper from the get-go. Sure, having to enter the pause menu one of the best a part of 50 instances to vary into and out of Hyperlink’s heavy booties sucks. It is a design function that even Eiji Aonuma has admitted is not the best and I’m not going to argue that the 3DS model did not drastically enhance it.

However this wardrobe malfunction was by no means sufficient to damage my enjoyment of the Temple. In any case of these adjustments, I had the stock switching right down to a tremendous artwork, opening, altering, and exiting the pause display in what felt like one swift motion. I made one of the best of the stock system I had and the muscle reminiscence I developed was sufficient to let me neglect that the difficulty was ever actually there.

With that inconvenience out of the way in which, what remained was a dungeon that made me really feel like a genius. The Water Temple is intimidating if you first stroll in — the 14 completely different doorways (by my rely) that face you within the first room alone are extreme — however is not there one thing thrilling about that? Solely a only a few are accessible from the get-go (wait, is the Water Temple and each different Zelda dungeon only a Metroidvania?), with the dungeon designed to ship you first to the underside ground after which to Princess Ruto and your first water degree swap.

There are some areas that you may sneak your manner into and alter up the signposted order, however for essentially the most half, the temple has a fairly clear tutorial the place you’re proven the ropes earlier than being left to sort out the central puzzle by yourself.

And are available on, the central puzzle actually is a magnificence. A variety of Zelda dungeons would have you ever triggering the three water panels as the primary goal (as is the case with the 4 Poes within the Spirit Temple), however by the point you’ve got labored out what every of the Water Temple’s panels do, you’re solely simply getting began. If backtracking is not your journey recreation cup of tea then honest play to you, this bit should drag, however for me, unlocking slightly extra of the dungeon with every water increase and drop was precisely what I needed. Good grief, it is a Metroidvania.

I do not care to consider what number of makes an attempt it will need to have taken for me to lastly set off the panels in the appropriate order, however it was a studying course of and one which I really suppose is extra enjoyable to find within the N64 authentic than it’s within the 3DS model. These neon strips that signpost the way in which to every swap within the remake solely take away from the exploration, should you ask me.

I might think about that I spent extra time attending to grips with this central mechanic than I did in every other dungeon that the sport threw my manner, however should you give me a alternative between one overarching puzzle and combating by hoards of powerful enemies, I’ll take the previous daily of the week.

As if to affirm that the water ranges actually are the be-all and end-all of this temple, the threats that you simply face alongside the way in which are far simpler than you discover in your common dungeon. The Shellblades, Spikes, Stingers, and Keese aren’t going to trigger you all that a lot stress at this stage within the recreation, and that is the purpose. Your thoughts must be on larger, panel-themed concepts, not worrying about taking up some powerful Lizalfos or, god forbid, any ReDeads.

At the least, that is what I believed. As a result of, sure, the dungeon is all concerning the central puzzle till, impulsively, it is not. The ultimate boss, Morpha, is a little bit of a pushover when it comes right down to it, however the Darkish Hyperlink miniboss is among the sequence’ finest in my eyes. After hours of puzzle fixing, being all of the sudden thrown into an atmospheric, sword-swinging one-on-one in opposition to your self felt like a slap across the face in one of the best ways attainable. Water Temple, you by no means fail to shock me!

Oh! I am unable to presumably wrap up with out mentioning the music, now can I? Ocarina of Time is stuffed with bops and atmospheric tunes alike. For each top-tapping Gerudo Valley, there’s a Forest Temple and whereas the Water Temple’s musical accompaniment won’t stand as much as the chilling heights of that botanical banger, it’s completely filled with mellow goodness.

The comfortable keys and chimes would not be amiss in a spa, however it’s these minor strings that play the primary phrase of the theme that will get me each time I hear it. To many, this can be the soundtrack of frustration and anguish, however listening to it in isolation above, there is no denying that — shock! — Koji Kondo is aware of the way to write a tune.

I am not going to argue that the underside of Lake Hylia is house to one of the best dungeon that the Zelda sequence has to supply, however I do suppose that the positives drastically outnumber the negatives. The Iron Boots are all the time going to weigh this one down (heheh) sadly, however there’s a lot high quality on show right here that I really feel all of us must collectively give this one a break and see it for what it actually is.

Thoughts you, now that we now have all that anger bottled up, let’s discuss Inside Jabu-Jabu’s Stomach…

What do you make of the Water Temple? Is it unfairly judged or do you suppose that it deserves the entire criticism that it will get? Fill out the next ballot after which take to the feedback to defend or critique this 25-year-old piece of recreation design…