10 Things You DIDN'T Know About the Water Temple in Ocarina Of Time
10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time
“Ocarina of Time’s” Water Temple is one of the most famous dungeons in “Zelda” history and, as we all know, not for very good reasons. Still, it holds some extra secrets some players may be unaware of. Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking at hidden details and behind-the-scenes facts you might not know about the Water Temple.
Link’s Reflection
We’ll start with the Dark Link mini-boss fight, one of the most iconic moments in the Water Temple. And while this hidden detail may be obvious to some, it’s so small that you can miss it your first time, or even on multiple replays. As Link crosses the shallow pool of water to find a barred door on the other side, he must turn and face his evil doppelganger, who’s waiting for him by the tree in the arena’s center. However, as Link makes the walk, his reflection in the water vanishes as soon as you pass the tree. You aren’t just fighting an evil Link: it’s literally his reflection pulled to the surface to face him. It’s a small, easily missed detail, but another layer in making this a stand-out fight.
It Led to Fishing
“Ocarina of Time” was not the first game in the series to include a fishing mini-game. But it obviously was the first to include it in a 3D setting, with entirely different physics to take into account. This happened when designer Kazuaki Morita was working on the Water Temple’s boss fight, Morpha. As a fun distraction from his work, Morita placed a fish inside Morpha’s pool and tried to catch it. Eventually, other team members found out about Morita’s side project and enjoyed it so much that they requested it be in the final game. There was a small corner of Lake Hylia with nothing in it, and so the fishing hole was built and placed there, with Morita leading the design. An entire mini-game built out of one employee’s boredom is pretty remarkable. Can’t say I blame him though; that fight sucks.
The King’s Reward
Okay, this next one isn’t about the Water Temple per se, but it is about something linked to it: the Zora Tunic, gotten right before the dungeon. Giving Link the ability to breathe underwater, he earns this fresh, new look after completing the Ice Cavern mini-dungeon and freeing the Zora King using Blue Fire. However, if you choose to go to the Zora Shop and buy the tunic first, for whatever reason, the King will have nothing to reward you with. And so, through some extremely silly hidden dialogue, he will instead offer Link a kiss. Boy, everyone in “Ocarina of Time” really wants a piece of Link. You can’t accept the back-up prize, but it’s great Nintendo wrote in such a funny response that most players will never see.
Fixing Mistakes
Longtime producer and sometimes director of the “Zelda” series, Eiji Aonuma, was in charge of designing the dungeons in “Ocarina of Time.” And by the sounds of it, he has certainly had a rocky relationship with the Water Temple. He drew inspiration from a hobby he loved, deep sea diving, which is why the dungeon emphasizes traversal and puzzle solving across a vertical design. However, given the extreme distaste the dungeon was met with by so many players, a desire to fix its flaws grew. Around the time of the 3DS remake’s release, Aonuma listed reactions to the Water Temple as a big reason for wanting to remake the game. With paths that made your direction more clear, and a much easier way to toggle the Iron Boots, he definitely succeeded in fixing it.
The Unknown Spirits
There’s a lot about the lore in “Ocarina of Time” that is purposefully vague, and has acted as fuel for players to theorize over for years. Sure, most of it isn’t vital to enjoy the experience. But it gives the game’s world an additional layer, giving those who want to piece together a bigger picture the opportunity to do so. In the case of the Water Temple, all we’re told is that it’s a place protected by the Zoras, honoring water spirits. Who are these spirits, and how do they fit into the overall pantheon? Couldn’t tell you. But that clearly hasn’t stopped some players from obsessing over it. Some look to the dungeon’s architecture for answers. You can find serpentine, or even water dragon-like structures throughout the temple, signaling to some players that these are physical representations of those spirits.
Key Problems
Amid constantly pausing to equip or remove the Iron Boots, and changing water levels to access different areas, there’s another element that added to the Water Temple’s infamy. A common thing that first-time players can miss is a Small Key, hidden at the bottom of the central room’s tower, down a path only revealed by raising the Water Level further along. Interestingly, in the “Master Quest” Version on GameCube, with its reworked dungeons meant to be more challenging, you can complete the Water Temple holding an extra Small Key. This is due to a glitch that causes a locked door to unlock after a fight, a glitch removed from the 3DS version
An Extra Challenge
There are plenty of fan-made challenges for “The Legend of Zelda,” meant to add new layers of difficulty for games many of us have played countless times. Some can be applied to any game, while others are specific to a single entry. For the Water Temple in “Ocarina of Time,” the challenge is to take away items you would think are necessary to complete it. Yet, some fans have conquered it without using the Zora Tunic, or the Iron Boots. You would think you’d need to breathe underwater, or weigh yourself down to explore. But if you know the puzzles well enough, and implement some clever outside-the-box use of other items, both can be done.
Health = Air
Okay, so it’s another one not necessarily about the Water Temple. But it’s a fun fact that most of us probably don’t ever think about. If Link stays underwater without the Zora Tunic, a countdown timer will soon appear, signifying how much time he has left until he drowns. The time limit is actually connected to how much health you have. The more full heart containers Link has, the longer he can hold his breath, with each heart equaling about eight seconds. And if he has taken damage, the timer will be shorter. Most of us don’t stay underwater too long without the Zora Tunic, but it’s again something Nintendo thought about just in case. Plus, it’s useful knowledge for the aforementioned no-Zora Tunic challenge.
An Impressive Shadow
Going back to the Dark Link fight, this boss’ enemy AI is pretty impressive for the time. And we don’t just mean being able to mimic your movement and attacks. There are all kinds of animations and reactions programmed into Dark Link, that you will never see under normal circumstances. He plays defensively, keeping his shield up, in reaction to Nayru’s Love, an item you shouldn’t have access to at this point. He’s programmed to be stunned by the boomerang, an item Adult Link shouldn’t be able to use. His code even includes animations for swimming, climbing, and crawling, even though there’s no reason for him to.
Item Swap
The development of “Ocarina of Time” has fascinated fans for years. It underwent changes right up to the end of development, much of which was discovered later by fans piecing together interview comments and digging through the game’s code. The Water Temple in particular was redesigned very late into development. There’s also evidence that suggests that one of its central items, the Iron Boots, was not originally found in the Ice Cavern that precedes it. Instead, some believe it swapped places with the Ice Arrows, an arguably useless item found much later in the optional Gerudo Training Grounds. It makes sense; an ice item found in an icy location and used in a water-themed dungeon. Along with the Beta version of the Water Temple, it shows we could’ve gotten something very different.
Did you know all of these details about the Water Temple? How about any other fun facts? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments, and we’ll see you next time!
