The Most Difficult Dungeon In Video Game History
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VOICE OVER: Riccardo Tucci
WRITTEN BY: Johnny Reynolds
Dungeons in video games stand as pillars of challenges and obstacles to test a player's mettle. “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” has some of the most renowned dungeons of all time, but even a game as revered as “Ocarina” couldn't escape the dreaded water level curse. In this video we'll be going over why the Water Temple is gaming's most difficult dungeon.
Script written by Johnny Reynolds
Dungeons in video games stand as pillars of challenges and obstacles to test the players’ mettle. “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” has some of the most renowned dungeons of all time from the insides of Jabu-Jabu’s belly to the environment-altering Forest Temple. But even a game as revered as “Ocarina of Time” couldn’t escape the dreaded water level curse. Water levels have been the bane of many gamer’s existence for decades. And in “Ocarina of Time,” Link must conquer a level so infuriating, its legacy has stood the test of time. Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’ll be going over why the Water Temple is gaming’s most difficult dungeon.
The Water Temple can be found at the bottom of Lake Hylia and is the sixth overall dungeon in the game. Its design is much more vertical than any other in the game. And Link must raise and lower water levels to reach different areas. Unfortunately, moving around the Temple’s central room requires the most annoying item in the game: the Iron Boots. These make Link heavy enough to sink to the bottom of any body of water. But as they’re a piece of equipment and not a standard item that Link equips to one of the C-buttons, players must constantly pause, go to the equipment screen, and equip or unequip the boots in order to move around the water. This back-and-forth adds an absurd level of tedium to an already frustrating level design.
Adding to the frustration is how Link controls in water. While he can dive underwater, he must always resurface after a few seconds. This makes sense earlier in the game, but Link acquires the Zora Tunic right before the temple which allows him to breathe underwater. Instead of being able to now freely control Link underwater like we did with Mario in Super Mario 64, he automatically floats to the top. To stop this the player must go through the slow menu to equip the Iron Boots in order to explore the bottom of the water. Once Link reaches the bottom and is able to move around, everything is slowed down. The Iron Boots already make Link move slowly. But being underwater means combat speed is also slowed significantly. Movement speed being slowed underwater may be realistic, but that doesn’t mean it’s fun.
The only weapon Link can use underwater is the Hookshot. Even the Master Sword is inexplicably unable to come out of its sheath. Although none of the Water Temple’s enemies are particularly difficult, the Hookshot’s slower fire speed compared to the Bow’s, especially underwater, makes hitting them a pain. If an enemy rushes towards Link while he’s firing the Hookshot, he might miss and get hit instead, even if he locked onto them beforehand. Everything about the gameplay in the Water Temple grinds a fantastic game to a screeching, maddening halt.
Then, there’s the temple itself. Moving around the vertical room at its center is far from the only difficult task. Raising and lowering the water levels to reach different areas requires finding certain Triforce plaques and playing “Zelda’s Lullaby.” But if you mess something up or miss an essential item, you’ll be forced to backtrack to a specific plaque and find your way back to what you need. And it’s not as if there were signs pointing you towards these locations. You’d have to remember how each plaque affected the water levels, remember where each plaque was, and then navigate through rooms you’d already completed. For kids experiencing a “Zelda” game for the first time, it was a genuine nightmare.
The only area of the temple Link isn’t bombarded by water is the arena he fights Dark Link in. While everything else about the level is difficult out of frustration, this fight is an actual combative challenge. He’s far more difficult than the final boss, Morpha. Where Navi hints at using the Hookshot to defeat Morpha by telling you to “pull out its nucleus and attack it,” all she says for Dark Link is to “conquer yourself.” Thanks Navi, but that’s a lot easier said than done. Dark Link will copy every one of your attacks, even taunting you by jumping on your sword and backflipping off. A full magic meter and Din’s Fire is a fantastic strategy, but it’s likely many players were not prepared for this fight. Players have to keep on their toes, striking at just the right moment.
The Water Temple was the dark spot on “Ocarina of Time’s” record upon release. So much so that Nintendo actually responded to the criticism. In 2009, one of the game’s directors and frequent “Zelda” designer Eiji Aonuma apologized for the tedium that came from the Iron Boots. In a 2011 Iwata Asks interview, he stated it was one of the main reasons he wanted to remake “Ocarina of Time” for the 3DS. He worried that some players had simply given up during the Water Temple due to how frustrating it was. And when the 3DS remake released later that year, it implemented some much appreciated changes.
For one, the system’s dual screens mean players can equip or unequip the Iron Boots instantly without having to pause. There are also different colored lights and markings that lead the player towards each Triforce plaque. By each plaque and each door leading to them are pictures indicating what level the water will be after playing “Zelda’s Lullaby.” All of these changes serve to make one of gaming’s most infamous levels much more enjoyable for the player.
The Water Temple holds a legacy for being incredibly confusing, tedious, and frustrating, which is far worse than it just being a tough level. Even moving from room to room brings a challenge and definitely not the fun kind. “Ocarina of Time” is still one of the best games ever made, but the Water Temple makes it far from perfect. For those who played the original version, it likely still brings up bad memories of getting trapped in a submerged prison. And that’s why it remains gaming’s most difficult dungeon.
The Hardest Dungeon of All Time: The Water Temple
Dungeons in video games stand as pillars of challenges and obstacles to test the players’ mettle. “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” has some of the most renowned dungeons of all time from the insides of Jabu-Jabu’s belly to the environment-altering Forest Temple. But even a game as revered as “Ocarina of Time” couldn’t escape the dreaded water level curse. Water levels have been the bane of many gamer’s existence for decades. And in “Ocarina of Time,” Link must conquer a level so infuriating, its legacy has stood the test of time. Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’ll be going over why the Water Temple is gaming’s most difficult dungeon.
The Water Temple can be found at the bottom of Lake Hylia and is the sixth overall dungeon in the game. Its design is much more vertical than any other in the game. And Link must raise and lower water levels to reach different areas. Unfortunately, moving around the Temple’s central room requires the most annoying item in the game: the Iron Boots. These make Link heavy enough to sink to the bottom of any body of water. But as they’re a piece of equipment and not a standard item that Link equips to one of the C-buttons, players must constantly pause, go to the equipment screen, and equip or unequip the boots in order to move around the water. This back-and-forth adds an absurd level of tedium to an already frustrating level design.
Adding to the frustration is how Link controls in water. While he can dive underwater, he must always resurface after a few seconds. This makes sense earlier in the game, but Link acquires the Zora Tunic right before the temple which allows him to breathe underwater. Instead of being able to now freely control Link underwater like we did with Mario in Super Mario 64, he automatically floats to the top. To stop this the player must go through the slow menu to equip the Iron Boots in order to explore the bottom of the water. Once Link reaches the bottom and is able to move around, everything is slowed down. The Iron Boots already make Link move slowly. But being underwater means combat speed is also slowed significantly. Movement speed being slowed underwater may be realistic, but that doesn’t mean it’s fun.
The only weapon Link can use underwater is the Hookshot. Even the Master Sword is inexplicably unable to come out of its sheath. Although none of the Water Temple’s enemies are particularly difficult, the Hookshot’s slower fire speed compared to the Bow’s, especially underwater, makes hitting them a pain. If an enemy rushes towards Link while he’s firing the Hookshot, he might miss and get hit instead, even if he locked onto them beforehand. Everything about the gameplay in the Water Temple grinds a fantastic game to a screeching, maddening halt.
Then, there’s the temple itself. Moving around the vertical room at its center is far from the only difficult task. Raising and lowering the water levels to reach different areas requires finding certain Triforce plaques and playing “Zelda’s Lullaby.” But if you mess something up or miss an essential item, you’ll be forced to backtrack to a specific plaque and find your way back to what you need. And it’s not as if there were signs pointing you towards these locations. You’d have to remember how each plaque affected the water levels, remember where each plaque was, and then navigate through rooms you’d already completed. For kids experiencing a “Zelda” game for the first time, it was a genuine nightmare.
The only area of the temple Link isn’t bombarded by water is the arena he fights Dark Link in. While everything else about the level is difficult out of frustration, this fight is an actual combative challenge. He’s far more difficult than the final boss, Morpha. Where Navi hints at using the Hookshot to defeat Morpha by telling you to “pull out its nucleus and attack it,” all she says for Dark Link is to “conquer yourself.” Thanks Navi, but that’s a lot easier said than done. Dark Link will copy every one of your attacks, even taunting you by jumping on your sword and backflipping off. A full magic meter and Din’s Fire is a fantastic strategy, but it’s likely many players were not prepared for this fight. Players have to keep on their toes, striking at just the right moment.
The Water Temple was the dark spot on “Ocarina of Time’s” record upon release. So much so that Nintendo actually responded to the criticism. In 2009, one of the game’s directors and frequent “Zelda” designer Eiji Aonuma apologized for the tedium that came from the Iron Boots. In a 2011 Iwata Asks interview, he stated it was one of the main reasons he wanted to remake “Ocarina of Time” for the 3DS. He worried that some players had simply given up during the Water Temple due to how frustrating it was. And when the 3DS remake released later that year, it implemented some much appreciated changes.
For one, the system’s dual screens mean players can equip or unequip the Iron Boots instantly without having to pause. There are also different colored lights and markings that lead the player towards each Triforce plaque. By each plaque and each door leading to them are pictures indicating what level the water will be after playing “Zelda’s Lullaby.” All of these changes serve to make one of gaming’s most infamous levels much more enjoyable for the player.
The Water Temple holds a legacy for being incredibly confusing, tedious, and frustrating, which is far worse than it just being a tough level. Even moving from room to room brings a challenge and definitely not the fun kind. “Ocarina of Time” is still one of the best games ever made, but the Water Temple makes it far from perfect. For those who played the original version, it likely still brings up bad memories of getting trapped in a submerged prison. And that’s why it remains gaming’s most difficult dungeon.
