Water Temple 

NOTE - The water temple has a reputation for being difficult.  Many people have commented that the experience was a source of extreme frustration.  Personally, I don't think it is all that bad.

The Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time features a Water Temple video  game dungeon that is still remembered by world - wide Nintendo gaming lovers today, some new and others old. This game still picks up lots of positive customer reviews as one of the best N64 games that ever roamed the earth. And the Water Temple, as one of the most memorable levels to be played within it, is no less important to the overall mission and tone of the whole game; it’s the 6th dungeon that the protagonist known as Link must get through in order to save his land and his people. 

It’s the third adult - form temple he has to fight through in the popular game. What do I mean by this? Well, if you buy the game, you’ll notice that Link can take on two different forms as he makes progress in the adventure, the first form being his innocent, childlike form. But players also get to see him in action seven years later, past this time frame, in which Link is a fully - matured adult, more robust and handsome overall….not to mention smarter, faster and stronger. This is adult Link. 

And young Link, or child Link, has to initially get his way through 3 dungeons….the Deku Tree, Dodongo’s Cavern, and Lord Jabu - Jabu’s Belly. After getting through, he collects 3 stones and pieces them together….leading him to eventually pick up the mystical Master Sword out of the legendary, restricted - access Temple of Time and then advance in time 7 full years, making him an adult. And as an adult, he finds that his land has changed greatly, in many ways only having become more dark and evil altogether.

And adult Link has now fought through the Forest Temple and the Fire Temple, his first ongoing challenges. Now, what lies ahead is --- you guessed --- the Water Temple. And it’s like having to face the insides of Lord Jabu - Jabu’s Belly, all over again, but this time harder and with more adult - level challenges. But there’s some other things to note, too…..such as the fact that, to get there, Link once again calls upon the help of the Zora people and even gets adult Princess Ruto’s (whom he met as a child) letter of distress in a bottle and comes to the rescue. 

Seven years have passed since he last had any contact with Princess Ruto, and he perhaps wonders if she still has feelings for him….or even remembers the promise she made to him as a child, that she would one day marry him. Link manages to sink to the bottom of Lake Hylia, where he then enters the concealed Water Temple and begins his next part in the mission. He hopes to uncover further clues, not to mention the next medallion he needs, that will help him finally stop Ganondorf, the man he now knows is the root cause behind all the evil that’s been happening in the world of Hyrule….. 

To sink down to the bottom --- I forgot to mention ---- Link uses a pair of heavy iron boots, his hookshot and even a Zora Tunic (which, like the Goron Tunic did for environments of fire and flame, lets him survive and move about in environments of water and ice). One of the most beautiful, memorable features of this carefully structured, visually remarkable Zelda dungeon is the fact that it’s the one where Link has to often pull out the Ocarina of Time and play Zelda’s Lullaby on it in order to manipulate the dungeon’s water levels. He must play his instrument on certain markings with a Triforce symbol on them. 

This game dungeon holds one of the most memorable Legend of Zelda sub - bosses of all time, a mini - enemy that is not to be reckoned with, even on his best day : We’re talking about Dark Link, or as some prefer to call him, Shadow Link. He is a foe that knows everything about Link and can mimic, or even anticipate and counter - attack, Link’s every move before he does it. As you can imagine, this makes for a challenge. 

Dark Link looks and talks, and acts, exactly like Link….but is all black, dark and shadow - like. He is pure evil. The only thing about him that is not full black, in color, is his dark red eyes, which are menacing and full of destruction. After finally outsmarting and defeating Dark Link, Link feels better about himself and knows that anything’s possible for those who believe in their own abilities...and perhaps have a bit of luck on their side, all in all. Since Dark Link is down, Link now has access to another glorious treasure chest, this time one that contains the Longshot, which is basically like an extended - range version of his original Hookshot.

Link then seeks out to find that Boss Key, which he hopes to use on the final door of the dungeon and gain himself access to the last boss, Morpha. This villain is a giant, aquatic amoeba summoned and ordained by the evil Ganondorf himself, in his search to end Hyrule and collect all pieces of the 3 - in - 1 Triforce for himself….by which he will become unstoppable. And this Morpha is one of his latest pets, but Link will not stand for the evil that’s going on, so he will fight to his last breath to try and stop Morpha. 

Morpha can manipulate the waters and even create water tentacles of its own, which pick Link up and try to squeeze the breath out of his lungs. Link uses both his Longshot and Master Sword, in this battle, making his way through to the core of the enemy’s weak spot as fast as he can. And like with the last few main bosses he’s fought, he comes out victorious. The Water Temple has been saved from evil…..at least, for now.