I left final week’s Ocarina of Time characteristic feeling like I might need been slightly too damaging about the entire thing. Three weeks into my playthrough, and I had simply poo-pooed back-to-back puzzle containers. Effectively, worry not, as a result of I am swinging in the exact opposite route this time.
That is half 4 of my Dungeon Crawl collection, the place I revisit one OoT dungeon every week within the run-up to the Swap 2 remake. Simply as with the earlier three editions, I‘m going into dungeon specifics right here, so for those who’ve by no means performed OoT earlier than and you’re saving your self for the remake, simply know that there are spoilers forward!
OoT Dungeon Crawl #4 – The Forest Temple
With Hyperlink all grown up, it was time to move again to Kokiri Village and see what had been happening within the residence city through the seven years he was away. Being my umpteenth playthrough, I knew what was ready on the finish of that log maze, after all, however I used to be wanting ahead to it, nonetheless, as a result of the Forest Temple may simply be my favorite Zelda dungeon ever.
A daring declare, I do know, however want I remind you that that is the temple with the twisting corridors? The Wallmasters? Probably the most haunting boss fights in gaming? Yeah, it guidelines.
I at all times neglect that the Forest Temple begins from its exterior entrance. These pesky Wolfos felt far simpler on this playthrough than earlier than, however maybe taking part in this alongside Elden Ring is guilty for that (pfft, may you make your assault telegraphing any extra apparent?). As occurs each time I play by means of the dungeon, I forgot all about the important thing within the tree earlier than you enter the temple correct, and spent a very good half an hour wandering round like a wally, satisfied there was some sort of dungeon ‘onerous lock’ for those who use the keys incorrectly earlier than I remembered. Sigh.
Outdoors of that minor hiccup, I had a usually glorious time with this one. It is a fruits of all the pieces that I appreciated (or needed) from the earlier dungeons. It has the central hub room of Dodongo’s Cavern, the puzzle-solving of The Nice Deku Tree, and a giant central problem (lighting the 4 torches) that holds the entire thing collectively — one thing I craved in Jabu-Jabu.
It seems like essentially the most open dungeon of all of them at an preliminary look, with the central chamber opening up in 5 totally different instructions, although it is truly surprisingly linear — most of those doorways are both locked or in any other case blocked off till you’ve got totally explored the opposite corridors first.
Most rooms are residence to an inaccessible entrance on first go to, actually, although every of them are simply seen from the extra apparent route. I am pondering of the high-up doorway in one of many outdoors rooms that Navi so cockily taunts you with as a possible Scarecrow spot, the heart-covered pillar walkway of the opposite, and even the balcony door within the opening room — the one one of many 5 that you simply’re not entering into from the lift-side.
Very like the looping walkways that I praised in Dodongo’s Cavern, the best way that every one of those secret doorways are simply out of attain makes ultimately strolling by means of them really feel all of the extra satisfying. My misplaced key shenanigans meant it took ages earlier than I may face that darn Deku Baba on a backyard room’s high-up walkway, however man, did it really feel nice once I lastly lower it down.
Attending to all of those areas is not only a easy case of exploration, both. The Forest Temple is a dungeon that actually makes you suppose. Greater than another I’ve revisited up thus far, this can be a puzzle field that forces you to grasp the way it works earlier than you possibly can discover any additional. Be that within the iconic twisting corridors (which I like how it’s a must to twist after which untwist to progress) or within the looping walkways, success within the Forest Temple is all about understanding how its rooms join and discovering a path by means of. The sensation of lastly getting the Bow so you possibly can return and hit all the attention switches stays unmatched.
I will give a fast shoutout to the liminal vibes of the entire place, too. If the Creepypasta phenomenon had been as stuffed with movie-spawning potential within the late ’90s as it’s right this moment, there isn’t any doubt in my thoughts that some indie filmmaker would have reworked the Forest Temple’s lengthy, empty corridors, falling checkered ceilings and Wallmasters right into a full-blown horror. The looping music remains to be sufficient to get beneath my pores and skin; I needn’t see it realised in another manner, thanks.
Having solved the 4 torch puzzles and brought the raise right down to the basement, it was time to as soon as once more face some childhood trauma: Phantom Ganon.
The primary time I tried this boss on the N64, I cried. Seeing the Demon King peel off his face initially of the struggle was sufficient to carry me to the sting, then the following back-to-back battle phases (the 2 hardest that the sport has thrown at you thus far) have been sufficient to tip me over.
Even taking part in it now, it nonetheless sends a shiver down my backbone. If the sense of anticipation in watching the working work, paired with the rudimentary digicam controls, wasn’t tense sufficient, it is adopted by the ever-increasing back-and-forth of the facility bolt ‘tennis match’, which at all times lasts one hit longer than I am anticipating.
Do not even get me began on the transient Ganondorf speech that taunts Hyperlink on the finish earlier than his phantom kind is trapped in one other dimension. Rattling, I used to be far too younger the primary time I performed this.
Remake Reflections
It is an absolute stunner, however I am not fairly keen to slap a “10/10, no notes” on it simply but. Some shortcuts to the later winding pathways can be a welcome change within the remake, as would a barely extra detailed map to make parsing the entrances and exits slightly simpler.
In any other case, slap these candy new digicam controls on the boss struggle, and we’re onto one other winner.
Issues are hotting up subsequent week, as I take one other journey up Demise Mountain. I will see you all then — keep in mind to pack a change of Tunic!
