Whereas each second of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is memorable, it’s the Nintendo 64 sport’s dungeons that basically stick in your reminiscence. Every one is a tightly constructed puzzle field constructed across the instruments you gather inside, culminating in an often-excellent boss battle. The sport’s terrific Change 2 remake doesn’t mess with that power; it solely refines a few of Zelda’s finest dungeons in tasteful methods.
It was a pleasure to revisit these dungeons throughout my playthrough, not simply to expertise some nostalgia, however to understand some timeless Nintendo design. Since I left the remake with some sturdy opinions about which of them are finest at school, I’ve determined to definitively rank the eight main dungeons in Ocarina of Time from worst to finest. (I’ve unnoticed side-dungeons just like the Gerudo Coaching Floor and the Backside of the Nicely, although these include some killer bits of puzzle design, too.)
8
Shadow Temple
Key merchandise: Hover Boots
Boss: Bongo Bongo
On paper, the Shadow Temple sounds improbable. It’s a dungeon that absolutely realizes Ocarina of Time’s underlying horror by forcing Hyperlink to face off with Gibdos, Like Likes, and Useless Palms. In actuality, it’s a reasonably simple temple that revolves round a gimmick that sounds cooler than it’s: a ghost ship trip. The remake misses a possibility to make that sequence extra thrilling, leaving it feeling like an amusement park trip. The one saving grace right here is Bongo Bongo, a weird boss that comes completely out of left subject to make for considered one of Ocarina of Time’s most delightfully bizarre fight encounters.
7
Jabu-Jabu’s Stomach
Key merchandise: Boomerang
Boss: Barinade
Just like the Shadow Temple, Jabu-Jabu’s Stomach is an iconic temple that doesn’t fairly maintain as much as its fame. Don’t get me incorrect: It’s maybe probably the most artistic dungeon in your entire sport. Hyperlink will get swallowed by an enormous fish and has to chop his means out of it by attacking its electrified uvulas. However the actuality is that it’s a reasonably small dungeon with an underexplored Princess Ruto escort gimmick and the least memorable boss in your entire sport. It nonetheless deserves all of its flowers for being a humorous, gross-out thought, although.
6
Dodongo Cavern
Key merchandise: Bomb Bag
Boss: King Dodongo
Dodongo Cavern is certainly not a weak dungeon. It’s a enjoyable, early-game space that offers you a whole lot of room to play with bombs. (That ends with you feeding them to King Dodongo, considered one of Zelda’s most basic boss mechanics.) It’s extra that it’s outclassed by the Fireplace Temple later in Hyperlink’s journey. The one means that Dodongo’s Cavern actually stands out is in its central room, which has a large skeleton looming over it. Dropping bombs in its eyes to unlock the path to King Dodongo stays a fantastic closing puzzle, as does setting off a bomb chain response to knock down a staircase.
5
Water Temple
Key merchandise: Longshot
Boss: Morpha
Relying on who you ask, the Water Temple is both an abomination or one of the best Zelda dungeon. The reality is that it’s neither: It’s only a fairly good dungeon held again by some repeated backtracking. The concept of unlocking new areas in a flooded temple by altering the water degree makes for a fantastic gimmick that provides some intelligent spatial reasoning to the combo. The remake even makes it simpler to navigate, thanks to raised visible signposting and streamlined controls. Even with these adjustments, it’s nonetheless simple to get combined up and wind up trekking again by means of routes to reset the water. The Longshot is a little bit of a cop-out key merchandise too, however the space’s pair of standout bosses in Darkish Hyperlink and Morpha greater than make up for that.
4
The Nice Deku Tree
Key merchandise: Slingshot
Boss: Gohma
Despite the fact that it’s little greater than an introductory dungeon, The Nice Deku Tree is an ideal little bit of Zelda design. The opening part, which has you climbing webs and avoiding Skulltulas, is a singular little bit of vertical exploration that makes it particular. Falling by means of the massive net on the heart of the dungeon to get to the underside flooring is a magical second, too. After which there’s Gohma, a top-notch first foe that’s simpler than ever to understand with the remake’s management tweaks. It’s a little bit small and the puzzles are easy, but it surely’s a pleasant first problem for Hyperlink.
3
Fireplace Temple
Key merchandise: Megaton Hammer
Boss: Volvagia
As a dungeon that lands proper close to the midpoint of Ocarina of Time, the Fireplace Temple does a fantastic job of (ahem) heating issues up. It’s one of many extra advanced dungeons within the sport, combining high-stakes platforming with a Goron-searching throughline that basically shakes up the linear dungeon design at simply the precise time. It additionally options the most effective gadgets within the sport, the Megaton Hammer, which is particularly satisfying to make use of within the remake. Volvagia would possibly simply be probably the most spectacular boss battle in your entire sport too, other than the ultimate showdown. High to backside, it’s a meat and potatoes dungeon that nails all of the necessities.
2
Spirit Temple
Key merchandise: Silver Gauntlets, Mirror Defend
Boss: Twinrova
Because the final dungeon within the sport earlier than Ganon’s Fort, the Spirit Temple makes for a fantastic closing examination. Its defining function is the truth that it’s a dungeon in two components, as Hyperlink must discover it as each a toddler and an grownup to finish it. It’s the type of ingenious thought that you’d discover in a sport like Hyperlink’s Awakening, and it’s a little bit stunning that Ocarina of Time doesn’t play with that time-travel dynamic extra elsewhere. That distinctive hook makes it really feel like two dungeons in a single, as you clear up puzzles with each the Silver Gauntlets and the Mirror Defend. The ultimate battle in opposition to Twinrova is a excessive level too — particularly within the remake, which does a wonderful job turning the witches into lovable foes. It’s a splendidly artistic strategy to ship Hyperlink on his strategy to his journey’s finish.
1
Forest Temple
Key merchandise: Fairy Bow
Boss: Phantom Ganon
Zelda dungeons don’t get a lot better than the Forest Temple. Actually dialing into Ocarina of Time’s spooky aspect, it’s a literal ghost home the place Hyperlink has to trace down and defeat 4 Poes. That quest sends him by means of twisted hallways and flipped rooms that require simply sufficient spatial reasoning to really feel gratifying with out being a headache. Utilizing Hyperlink’s arrows to shoot Poes out of image frames, reorient rooms, and lightweight torches makes for a robust puzzle dungeon that offers you a number of makes use of in your newfound merchandise. The truth that all of it ends within the memorable Phantom Ganon battle, a battle that brilliantly teases the ending encounter, makes it that a lot stronger. It’s a quintessential Zelda dungeon, and Ocarina of Time wouldn’t really feel as magical because it does with out it.