With The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s Change 2 remake out now, long-time Nintendo followers are in for lots of heat nostalgia. A trek by the misplaced woods, duets with Sheik, a return to the Bombchu Bowling Alley — all of these great moments return in a devoted remake that feels each bit as magical because the Nintendo 64 basic. However with all these great moments comes a painful reunion with some of the hated moments in Zelda historical past. Sure, you’ll have to return to the dreaded Water Temple.
Don’t fear! Though the Ocarina of Time remake is cautious to not change an excessive amount of concerning the authentic sport, it does make some small tweaks to a dungeon that also haunts a era. It’s mercifully simpler to navigate now thanks to some minor however good updates that go a great distance.
The Water Temple is probably the most notorious dungeon within the authentic Ocarina of Time, a lot in order that it has been a little bit of a operating joke for many years now. The gist is that it’s a four-story construction constructed round a central room, and it’s flooded with water. To entry sure areas, you have to discover rooms within the dungeon that can help you change the water stage all through the temple. Straightforward sufficient on paper, but it surely’s a little bit of a ache in follow. As a result of restricted visible data you get in-game, it requires you to maintain a psychological map of the place every water adjustment level is, in addition to how every of the three ranges will change the structure of the dungeon. It’s a headache to maintain every thing straight, thus incomes it a fame as a irritating ceremony of passage.
Whereas that construction hasn’t modified a lot within the remake, Nintendo does make it simpler to get by with a couple of good selections. That got here on the request of Eiji Aonuma, who directed the unique Ocarina of Time. “I had some overdue homework: I wished to do one thing concerning the Water Temple I created 28 years in the past,” Aonuma mentioned in a latest Nintendo developer interview. “Because it grew to become well-known for its problem within the authentic sport, I had the workforce make some changes on this model.”
A kind of changes simply comes right down to clearer signposting. Constructing off the dungeon’s Ocarina of Time 3D redesign, the doorways that result in water controls are actually clearly marked with symbols displaying you precisely how the water stage will change. You not have to recollect which door results in the room that drains the room, or which one will get you to flooring two.
On high of that, every of the routes are actually color-coded. You’ll discover variously coloured pipes round every of the three doorways, and people visually lead you to the management room when you comply with them by the dungeon. As an example, if you enter the path to the room that brings the water to its lowest stage, you’ll discover that some blue pipes sign that it is best to float to the water’s floor. Comply with that trace and also you’ll discover that the pipes result in clearly marked pedestals so that you can play your ocarina on. All of that makes it considerably simpler to recollect precisely the place you have to go always.
Arguably, the extra impactful Water Temple change comes from a top-level management determination that simply so occurs to make life simpler within the dungeon. A part of why the Water Temple is such a ache is as a result of you have to use a couple of key objects all through it. Your ocarina, Iron Boots, Hookshot, and extra all play main roles in fixing puzzles all through the temple. For the reason that authentic sport solely gave you three merchandise slots to work with, you had been usually left juggling round your merchandise shortcuts in the primary menu. It’s a minor ache level, however one which stands out if you’re continuously swapping objects.
Whereas the Change 2 remake nonetheless has its personal merchandise administration quirks, it correctly retains your ocarina mapped to the D-pad always. Your boots get a fast swap button on the down button there too, which means that you simply don’t must waste an merchandise slot on the Iron Boots. With these two requirements unlock, you may dedicate your ZR merchandise slot to the Hookshot and solely swap to different objects as wanted with a fast menu on the R button. That call cuts out any want for pause-menu administration, permitting you to maneuver by the dungeon extra fluidly.
For the ‘90s purists, these modifications would possibly sound just a little sacrilegious. As a lot as gamers declare to hate the Water Temple, that grievance invariably comes with a passion for a genuinely memorable little bit of irritating design. “Why shouldn’t as we speak’s youths wrestle by the Water Temple like their elders as soon as did?” you could ask. I, for one, welcome the assistance, simply as I help the thought of as we speak’s college students having their loans canceled despite the fact that I needed to pay mine off. The brand new visible design tweak makes for some smart signposting that also feels a part of the dungeon’s structure, and the management resolution simply makes it simpler to remain immersed in a well-built dungeon. New generations of gamers needn’t undergo like us outdated Zelda followers as soon as did. Swim free, ye tadpoles.