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 working articles all through the week devoted to the sport, our reminiscences, and its legacy. Immediately, Jim seems to be again on one of many collection’ 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 might be mendacity if I mentioned that he was in any approach a completionist about the entire thing (Gold Skulltula? By no means heard of it, mate) however I do distinctly bear 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 bear in mind taking no difficulty with it.
It wasn’t till I used to be bit older and was launched to the large dangerous world of the web and social media that I discovered 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 file. Effectively, 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’s miles from the hellhole that some make it out to be.
Let’s deal with the iron-weighted elephant within the room proper from the get-go. Sure, having to enter the pause menu the perfect a part of 50 instances to vary into and out of Hyperlink’s heavy booties sucks. It is a design characteristic 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 break my enjoyment of the Temple. In spite of everything of these adjustments, I had the stock switching right down to a high quality artwork, opening, altering, and exiting the pause display in what felt like one swift motion. I made the perfect 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 best way, 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 totally different doorways (by my depend) 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 flooring after which to Princess Ruto and your first water stage change.
There are some areas that you may sneak your approach into and alter up the signposted order, however for essentially the most half, the temple has a reasonably clear tutorial the place you might be proven the ropes earlier than being left to deal with the central puzzle by yourself.
And are available on, the central puzzle actually is a magnificence. A number 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 may have labored out what every of the Water Temple’s panels do, you might be 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 just a little extra of the dungeon with every water elevate and drop was precisely what I wished. Good grief, it’s 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, but it surely was a studying course of and one which I really assume is extra enjoyable to find within the N64 authentic than it’s within the 3DS model. These neon strips that signpost the best way to every change within the remake solely take away from the exploration, for those who ask me.
I’d think about that I spent extra time attending to grips with this central mechanic than I did in some other dungeon that the sport threw my approach, however for those who give me a selection between one overarching puzzle and preventing by means of hoards of powerful enemies, I’ll take the previous every single day 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 just face alongside the best way 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.
No less than, that is what I believed. As a result of, sure, the dungeon is all in regards to the central puzzle till, abruptly, 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 likely one of the collection’ finest in my eyes. After hours of puzzle fixing, being instantly thrown into an atmospheric, sword-swinging one-on-one in opposition to your self felt like a slap across the face in the easiest way potential. Water Temple, you by no means fail to shock me!
Oh! I can not probably 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 delicate keys and chimes would not be amiss in a spa, but it surely’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 isn’t any denying that — shock! — Koji Kondo is aware of easy methods to write a tune.
I am not going to argue that the underside of Lake Hylia is house to the perfect dungeon that the Zelda collection has to supply, however I do assume that the positives significantly outnumber the negatives. The Iron Boots are at all times 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 really is.
Thoughts you, now that we’ve all that anger bottled up, let’s speak about Inside Jabu-Jabu’s Stomach…
What do you make of the Water Temple? Is it unfairly judged or do you assume 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…
Be it rambling about video video games or superheroes, Jim wears his passions on his sleeve. Often discovered replaying a Zelda title as a substitute of working by means of his ever-growing backlog, he is a large fan of all-things fantasy and likes nothing greater than to talk about it.
