Woodfall Temple

Woodfall Temple is a Spring - season-like boss dungeon you will encounter if you ever choose to take on a classic N64 game called The Legend of Zelda : Majora’s Mask, which is itself a direct sequel to the best - selling title that came out right before it, called The Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time. Majora’s Mask, according to thousands of players, not excluding me from that list, is definitely, in terms of a sequel, as good as they get. And The Legend of Zelda’s video game series, for instance, has not done too many sequels for its major selling games though it has certainly managed to put out a few….each with mixed reactions. And that’s the tough part about sequels --- it really is a hit or miss, but Majora’s Mask was an absolutely hit in every way; it managed to keep the same graphics, layout and scenery looks, action controls, and even similarities in other areas, from what the top Zelda game had (Ocarina of Time, in my own opinion) but all while incorporating it in a new way not seen before.   

And yes, the Link from Majora’s Mask is the very same one from Ocarina of Time, only he’s a bit older and wiser….but not too much more than when we last saw him save Hyrule and return to his time. Now, in this adventure, he is wildly bucked off his horse, Epona, in an unsuspecting ‘surprise assault’ made on him in the wilderness, by none other than a skull kid possessed by the mask he’s wearing (aka, which is Majora’s Mask) and his two twin fairies...who never leave his side, apparently. Link quickly wakes back up from his fall and pursues the skull kid in the mask, only to find the skull kid using an evil curse on him, turning Link into a deku shrub. 

Now, the adventure is on, and Link must restore himself to his original form, save the land of Termina (which is about to be destroyed by a ‘suicidal moon’ taking orders from Majora’s Mask, which is also controlling the skull kid’s evil actions), and bring peace to everyone, once again. He finds that, in order to do so, he must go through four special dungeons spread out throughout the land of Termina, and that is where the adventure begins : the first dungeon being that of --- guessed it? --- yes, Woodfall Temple! 

What is also interesting to take note of here is the fact that each of the four temples Link will encounter each represents a different season of the year. It goes like this : Woodfall Temple comes first (which is the rainy, gloomy spring season that most know), followed by Snowhead Temple (which is winter time), then proceeded by Great Bay Temple (summer time at last - yay!), and last but certainly not least, topped off by Stone Tower Temple (which represents fall). Many who have played the game, believe it or not, have not understood the symbolism represented here….even though it’s plain for all to notice. Yet most hardcore gamers, and other types of fans of the game --- even a few ‘newbies to Zelda’, here and there --- did notice it. It’s quite intriguing, is it not? Now, let’s talk about what we came here to discuss further….Woodfall Temple itself. 

In this temple, you play entirely as Deku Link, and you can only save your progress after you make some considerable advancement throughout the levels. So, if you should end up losing your life in any room of the dungeon, then yes, you will have to start all over again….boo hoo. What’s cool, though, is that there are a few small owl statues that you can ‘smack’, the first one of them being right outside of Woodfall Temple, and save your progress through. You also later learn a song that lets you transport back in time, when the 3 days are almost up….so you can save the progress and continue back up on day 1, without having to start all over again. 

And Woodfall Temple is the first that incorporates numerous added layers of depth and challenge never before done for any 3D dungeon, even taking things  from Ocarina of Time up a notch. The reason Link has to enter this dungeon is also to save a Deku Princess, who is being held captive there…..and a poor, innocent, little white monkey is being held hostage, about to be killed, by the Deku King….improperly accused of having kidnapped her, which the monkey never did. Link, hurry to the rescue and set the record straight, please, before it’s too late to do so! Everyone’s counting on you!!!!!

Link must make his way through the dreary Southern Swamp in order to access this temple. He must fly on Deku Flowers and more. It will not be the easiest thing he’s ever had to learn to do, but with some faith in himself, he moves forward to try and do so…..

In the scary, dark Woodfall Temple, he finds his Hero’s Bow, which reminds him of his adult days (in Ocarina of Time) in which he used to shoot with bow and arrow. Now, this time, for the first time, he gets to use a full bow as a kid. So that’s pretty cool.

He also comes upon his first group of stray fairies, 15 to be exact, whom he must rescue and piece back together. Not only that, but he also finds himself stepping into enemy territory like never before….coming to grips with the fact that he must take down a new dungeon boss, Odolwa. It becomes his first major challenges, and seeing as how he has no option of surrender or retreat, he faces it head on. 

The Woodfall Temple is full of many puzzles that can outsmart you, monsters who can destroy you, and darkness that can scare the wits out of you. Can you make it through? Pick up the game, say a prayer, and see if you can…..