Poll: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina..... what is your favourite dungeon?

[MrRandomitity]

My first favorite is Shadow Temple Second is Jabajaba's belly and third is probably the Fire Temple

 

[Adeline2]

This is a tough one, originally, i would have never said the water temple, but i love it now... lol it took me so long to beat the first time, but i was like 10. I'd say either the water temple, or the spirit temple. I still love fighting the big armored guys

 

[Jovlo]

My vote goes to the forest temple.
It's creepy, the music is haunting, it's where you get your bow (if I remember it right), and has those strange twisting corridors.
It had also one of the best bosses of the game. Loved the way he would jump out of the paintings, or trick you in believing he would, then attacking your back. He's one of the most intimidating bosses in the game.

A honourable mention goes to the water temple because it always feels like I've never played it before.
I also loved it's boss, although rather easy. If you get grabbed by it, it really hurts while looking awesome.

Edit: We might need a poll about which of the bosses was best.

 

[TheGreenManalishi]

I'd like to share some thoughts of mine on The Shadow Temple. Every temple in this game holds two things - a purpose, and a gaurdian race. The Forest temple was originally a mansion - the design reveals this - habited by the people from before the Kokiri. The Fire temple was obviously a mine that was made into a shrine for the hero that fought the dragon by the Gorons. The water temple was a large mechanical device built by the Zora to allow them to better control the water flow (the Zora always seemed pretty smart to me). The Spirit temple was a place of worship for the Gerudo to their god(s).

The shadow temple has none of this. It serves no purpose - it can't be protecting anything because the first thing it gives you is the hover boots. Its not protecting anything, but the monster at its core. It also lies to you - not only is it the only temple to require the eye of truth in a major way, it also uses these in downright evil ways - there are signs that say "Come this way for the treasure" at the lip of invisible bottomless pits. It also has not one, but two points where it makes escape impossible - you cannot go back.

But there's more - this thing serves no point. Seriously, there is no practical use of it within the history of Hyrule - its simply there, a place that tries to do all it can to kill you. You, and only you - all traps are geared precisely towards Link.

My theory? The evil that was unleashed from the well wasn't just Bongo Bongo - it was the entire thing. The entire level is sentient, and just toying with you, trying to kill you, but drawing it out.

It's been a while since I played the game...could the shadow temple have originally been a catacombs?

... guarded by the Sheikah people. Either that or it's hell.

 

[Iskenator67]

I liked the Fire Temple for the boss fight. Tt was second only to Ganon.

 

[patronscorn_v1legacy]

Dark link was the only good thing about water temple. It was so confusing! It hate it, my favorite was the forest temple. The atmosphere was making me piss my pants of fear and I was only 8 or something

 

[adamwestslapdog]

spirit temple for me

mainly because it was the biggest temple in the game and the fact you had to do it as both young and adult link basicly made it 2 temples in 1, I also think it had the best boss battle in the game (well after the final boss). Plus to even get access to the temple you had to sneek around gerudo valley so even getting there was an adventure.

 

[opiwankenobi]

I liked the forest temple for some reason. It had a dark atmosphere.
On my first playthrough, i hated the fire temple...i actually missed the red armor, and did it without. And yes, that IS possible. You just need three fairies, many hearts in your healthbar and you need to be very quick.

 

[tk1989]

I loved the forest temple... Just the feel of it all, the music. It was actually quite a scary place when i played it when i was younger...

I love that temple... no other dungeon in the game has quite the same atmosphere in my opinion.

 

[Incredible Bullshitting Man]

Lots of stuff

It's been a while since I played the game...could the shadow temple have originally been a catacombs?

... guarded by the Sheikah people. Either that or it's hell.

Now that we are having this wonderful discussion about the nature of the dungeons in Ocarina of Time, I´d like to propose that the Shadow Temple is more of a symbolic place. It doesn´t have any particular function in Hyrule, but it symbolizes all the cruelty and bloodshed in Hyrule´s history. The weird voices in that small skull decorated labyrinth would indicate something like this. I also like very much Dingo´s theory.

 

[Jeronus]

I loved the water temple for only one reason. You got to fight a water clone of yourself and it was probably the most challenging enemy in the game. Seriously, I could fight Ganon and not need one Fairy in a bottle but that water clone was the only enemy to make use two fairies to beat him and I still barely got out alive. He is quick and will capitalize on an opening if you are foolish enough to leave yourself open. If all the enemies in the game were as strong as this guy, people would wonder if they were playing a Ninja Gaiden Game set in Hyrule.

 

[searanox]

Honestly, I don't know. They're all so well-designed, highly atmospheric given the Nintendo 64's limited hardware, and wholly memorable. I think I enjoy the Forest Temple the most, if only for its very haunting and unconventional music.

 

[blackcherry]

I'd like to share some thoughts of mine on The Shadow Temple. Every temple in this game holds two things - a purpose, and a gaurdian race. The Forest temple was originally a mansion - the design reveals this - habited by the people from before the Kokiri. The Fire temple was obviously a mine that was made into a shrine for the hero that fought the dragon by the Gorons. The water temple was a large mechanical device built by the Zora to allow them to better control the water flow (the Zora always seemed pretty smart to me). The Spirit temple was a place of worship for the Gerudo to their god(s).

The shadow temple has none of this. It serves no purpose - it can't be protecting anything because the first thing it gives you is the hover boots. Its not protecting anything, but the monster at its core. It also lies to you - not only is it the only temple to require the eye of truth in a major way, it also uses these in downright evil ways - there are signs that say "Come this way for the treasure" at the lip of invisible bottomless pits. It also has not one, but two points where it makes escape impossible - you cannot go back.

But there's more - this thing serves no point. Seriously, there is no practical use of it within the history of Hyrule - its simply there, a place that tries to do all it can to kill you. You, and only you - all traps are geared precisely towards Link.

My theory? The evil that was unleashed from the well wasn't just Bongo Bongo - it was the entire thing. The entire level is sentient, and just toying with you, trying to kill you, but drawing it out.

I like that theory. Adds to the darkness of an already pretty dark temple. I mean you essentially ride down the river styx at one point! As for what was there, I think sheik and impa (and the temple itself if I remember right) explained it away as 'housing all the dark and bloody past of hyrule'.

So the temple and bongo bongo are personifications of all that is dark and disturbing about hyrules past and present (I would assume, as bongo bongo is awoken during a dark future/present), compressed into one place. All those negative and destructive thoughts put in one place. That would be a pretty powerful combination!

EDIT: ahh, beaten to it by IBS!

 

[cyrad]

What's this have to do with Super Mario 64? We were talking about why Ocarina of Time was so popular.

 

[Soulieth]

It's a hard decision because I enjoyed most of them but my favourite has to be the forest temple. It's at that point in the game where the dungeons become challenging and when you first meet those hands that come and snatch you from the ceiling, so scary! The forest temple also has a really cool boss fight at the end and that is one of the best in the game. The dungeon design is also really fun to play with some cool parts to it such as the twisty corridors and skeleton fights.

 

[FinalGamer]

The Forest Temple taps into something within my soul.
I can't explain it but when I hear that music in it, it sends shivers up my spine, almost nostalgic ones even when I was first playing it. I love everything about that dungeon. The eerie misty atmosphere, the disturbing boss fight, the absolute dark greenness, all of it.

Well I have to agree with this FinalGamer here. There is something about the forest temple that just clicks with me. The other temples, once you disregard the temples you do as a child, I think tend to like equally.The best music would be from either forest of spirit temple.

I´ll join the choir. The atmosphere in Forest Temple is so eerie and there´s this weird feeling of oblivion all around. It really struck me. I sometimes start a new game just so that I could wonder around in that temple again. By today´s standard it might not that great a dungeon, but to me it has a lot of nostalgic value, and the atmosphere still appeals to me.

Shadow Temple would be a close second, because of it´s haunting and slightly menacing ambiance.

Okay now I love this forum <3

The shadow temple has none of this. It serves no purpose - it can't be protecting anything because the first thing it gives you is the hover boots. Its not protecting anything, but the monster at its core. It also lies to you - not only is it the only temple to require the eye of truth in a major way, it also uses these in downright evil ways - there are signs that say "Come this way for the treasure" at the lip of invisible bottomless pits. It also has not one, but two points where it makes escape impossible - you cannot go back.

But there's more - this thing serves no point. Seriously, there is no practical use of it within the history of Hyrule - its simply there, a place that tries to do all it can to kill you. You, and only you - all traps are geared precisely towards Link.

My theory? The evil that was unleashed from the well wasn't just Bongo Bongo - it was the entire thing. The entire level is sentient, and just toying with you, trying to kill you, but drawing it out.

Actually that reminds me, I found a very interesting theory on 4chan to do with this and the well.

A man in Kakariko Village in the future tells you that there used to be a thief in Kakariko Village who was capable of seeing the truth with an Item. He was eventually caught and punished. His house was demolished, but it was located where the well is now located. This item is the Eye of Truth. Bongo-Bongo came from the well. In medieval ages, some nations punished thievery by cutting hands off. Bongo-Bongo had his hands chopped off.

So you are right in one way, the Shadow Temple does want to kill you, because it's full of hatred and vengeance upon the living, remember the intro before you entered the Shadow Temple when Kakariko was going to hell?
Poltergeist.

 

[FinalGamer]

I think, though, that we can all agree, that that temple wasn't just a series of traps - that thing was filled with pure evil. They really need to drop the bullshit and send us back into the maw of that deep terror, of things like this and Majoras Mask.

Well Twilight Princess was pretty dark for a Zelda game, I mean especially the last parts.
But I agree we need macabre dungeons like that again, absolutely. I'd love another Shadow Temple level in a future Zelda game.