I left final week’s Ocarina of Time characteristic feeling like I may need been a bit of too unfavorable about the entire thing. Three weeks into my playthrough, and I had simply poo-pooed back-to-back puzzle packing containers. Properly, worry not, as a result of I am swinging in the exact opposite course 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 Change 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 go again to Kokiri Village and see what had been taking place within the residence city in the course of 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? One of the 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, might you make your assault telegraphing any extra apparent?). As occurs each time I play by the dungeon, I forgot all about the important thing within the tree earlier than you enter the temple correct, and spent a great half an hour wandering round like a wally, satisfied there was some type of dungeon ‘onerous lock’ for those who use the keys incorrectly earlier than I remembered. Sigh.
Exterior of that minor hiccup, I had a sometimes wonderful time with this one. It is a end result of all the pieces that I favored (or wished) 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 appears like probably 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 really 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, in truth, although every of them are simply seen from the extra apparent route. I am considering of the high-up doorway in one of many exterior 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 moving into from the lift-side.
Very like the looping walkways that I praised in Dodongo’s Cavern, the best way that each one of those secret doorways are simply out of attain makes finally strolling by them really feel all of the extra satisfying. My misplaced key shenanigans meant it took ages earlier than I might face that darn Deku Baba on a backyard room’s high-up walkway, however man, did it really feel nice once I lastly minimize 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 assume. Greater than some other I’ve revisited up thus far, it is a puzzle field that forces you to know the way it works earlier than you’ll be able to discover any additional. Be that within the iconic twisting corridors (which I like how you need 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. The sensation of lastly getting the Bow so you’ll be able to return and hit all the attention switches stays unmatched.
I am going to 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 in the present day, 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 continues to be sufficient to get beneath my pores and skin; I needn’t see it realised in some other method, thanks.
Having solved the 4 torch puzzles and brought the raise all the way 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 in the beginning 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 up to now) had 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 prepared 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 a bit of 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 Loss of life Mountain. I am going to see you all then — keep in mind to pack a change of Tunic!