The Water Temple in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is remembered by many players as one of the most frustrating dungeons in the Zelda series. Its challenges were significant enough for Nintendo to revise several aspects of the experience in the Nintendo 3DS remake.
Eiji Aonuma, who directed the original game, said he was troubled by the possibility that players might give up when they reached the dungeon. He also explained that the team had different perspectives on how players remembered the original, but agreed that the Water Temple needed to be improved in some way.
One major source of frustration was the constant need to equip and remove the Iron Boots in order to move through the dungeon’s underwater areas. In the Nintendo 64 version, this meant repeatedly opening the pause menu. The 3DS remake addressed the issue by taking advantage of the console’s dual-screen design.
The dungeon’s layout also made progress difficult to follow. Some details could easily go unnoticed, including a gap that opened in the central tower. Changing the water level between three different heights further complicated navigation and made it harder for players to maintain their bearings.
Aonuma welcomed the fact that many of these gameplay friction points were resolved in the Nintendo 3DS remake. The Water Temple’s reputation has nevertheless continued to attract attention, with players now wondering how the dungeon will feel in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake for Nintendo Switch 2.
Sources: Vandal.