Favorite Zelda Moments: Entering the Forest Temple

July 3rd, 2012 by Axle the Beast

Yes another one of these. Every so often or when I don’t have another editorial to bring you, I’ll be going over my favorite moments in the series and asking your thoughts about them. This time I want to bring up a moment I loved from Ocarina of Time: the first time we entered the Forest Temple during the Adult Link portion of the game.

I’ll probably go into this dungeon as a whole in a future Dungeons editorial series like I did for Skyward Sword, and I technically have brought this up before, but to me the Forest Temple is one of the coolest dungeons of the series. Talking strictly about the presentation here, I loved the Forest Temple’s atmosphere. Of all the dungeons in Ocarina of Time, I think it’s easily the most atmospheric, and I think it might even be the most atmospheric dungeon out of the entire series.

Another thing about this dungeon is I think the Forest Temple was an epic intro. Not to the beginning of the game, but to the Adult Link portion. I never thought of the initial trek through the ruined Castle Town or visiting Kakariko Village to be the introductions to this portion of the game. I consider them like a prologue. No, to me the true intro to the game’s second half is the Forest Temple, because it’s here that the game throws you right back into the core gameplay and challenges — with new additions like the dungeon keys — and shows you what things are going to be like from now on. It’s even like this from the plot perspective, since you’re finally going to tackle rescuing the Sages and are even going to save your childhood home and friends. Maybe a better way to put it would be to call it the climax of the intro, but either way I consider it amazing in its intro status.

Combine that status with its atmosphere, and entering it was an incredible experience. You go from the fairly basic Inside the Deku Tree and Dodongo’s Cavern dungeons — plus the unusual Jabu-Jabu’s Belly — straight into the large, complex, atmospheric, and challenging Forest Temple. The dungeon opens with mysterious and eerie music, a forested entrance, and you enter into a deep inner maze of surreal rooms. I love it every time.

Did you think that entering the Forest Temple for the first time was as epic and incredible as I did, or did you feel differently? Did you like the atmosphere at all? Do you agree with my assessment that it’s the “intro” of the Adult Link portion of the game or at least how cool it was as part of the intro? Tell me in the comments!

Categorized under: Discussion Questions, Editorials
Tagged: Entering, favorite, Forest Temple, moments, Ocarina of Time, OoT, the, ZD, Zelda, Zelda Dungeon

http://twitter.com/UrangSowelu Óliver Sanz

Totally agree
name

coold story bro
tigermander

The forest temple was definitely my favorite!!!
- Aaron Frentz
  
  Same here I mean because it was the first temple you officailly go into and it has the bow one of the best weapons in the game. Although it was one of the hardest to. I had to look look up Zeldadugeon like 10 times before I got it. It was harder than the water temple in my book. Water temple is considered(hard) becasue you have to run back and forth from bottom to top if you mess up.
Boobberto

I played through this portion of the game when I was a little kid and it scared me, the music most of all, and the hands that drop from the ceiling. I had so many nightmares, but as I look back on it now I love and adore the music, and the temple in general. It was a very good temple, unfortunately when I was little I wasn’t good enough to defeat phantom ganon and advance to the shadow temple where I’m sure I would have crapped my pants in fear lol
guess who

The music and the awry corridors was the best part of this dungeon and of course the Phantom Ganon was one of the best bosses in the game
mm forever

hey this is a little off topic but wat do u guys think about the possible remake of mm for 3ds?
- ifyouwerelistening
  
  if you were listening Nintendo is making one of these three games LTTP Remake, LTTP Sequel, or MM Remake
Wave

Best temple ever…
- Legend of Cabanela
  
  I really like it too, but my personal favorite is Stone Tower Temple.
  - hubs
    
    I would also agree with you, the idea of a temple you can switch upside down was breathtaking, the only thing I misunderstood was WHY THE HELL THE ELEGY OF EMPTINESS WASN’T A DAMN ITEM?!???!?!
    Sorry… I mean, they used it SO MUCH and I got tired of this temple just for that… and also, the Deku version was completely unused.
Rush

I remember the sense of wonder I felt when I first saw the entrance to the forest temple as young link while visiting Saria. Since the ruins were just out of reach, I could not help but wonder if I would be able to go up there and explore at some point. Sometimes, the anticipation is more exciting than the real thing; not to say that the forest temple was not excellent.
hyliansword

my favorite zelda moment is when shiek teaches you the songs in 0ot
gahpickit

That’s mu all time favorite dungeon. My brother and I made our room look like the Forest Temple, with ruined looking walls and ivy all over the place. I used to play the Forest Temple music when I went to sleep for background noise, too. Creepy as hell, but so so amazing
TwilightMirror11

Forest Temple was one of those temples I had to use walkthrough for. I agree though, It was fun chasing the Poe Sisters… (In an extremely annoying sense.)
- ojama-blue
  
  yeah, i found it a lot harder than the water temple. Sure the water temple was frustrating, but the forest temple was just complex
Jam9t3

Well…I dont remember my expression when i first entered this temple because i was pretty young, but ive played the game many times so i know everyplace inside out so i dont find this temple difficult, although id never get bored of it [Tip: When you're fighting the 4 Poe sisters, when they disappear, use deku nuts to make them re-appear!] <—For those who didnt know
- DekuMask
  
  Thanks for the tip! didn’t know that one!
  - Draco
    
    Wow, that’ll be useful
- ThePieOfTruth
  
  wow… I’ve been playing this game ever since it came out… and i never knew that! i am ashamed because i know just about everything thing about this game.
  - Regent909
    
    same here. I always thought the perfect way to fight them is to stand around, hold up your shield, do nothing, wait for the Poe to appear, Jump Attack, waiting… repeating. Thanks!^^
- http://axlethebeast.com/ Axle the Beast
  
  Wow I didn’t know that. Thanks! I hate it when they disappear. <.<
  - alex s
    
    Sorry to change the subject, but why do you have a MvC2 sprite of Shuma Gorath set as your profile picture if you are writing articles on Zelda Dungeon?
    - Keyshe
      
      Because it’s his avatar, a lot of people choose to not have site related images for their avis. And he loves Shuma Gorath. Glad to see you know who it is!
- Legend of Cabanela
  
  Lol, I just put up my shield and trap them in a corner, then they reappear every 2 times they hit the shield.
http://www.facebook.com/jackson.floyd.3 Jackson Floyd

I get what you’re saying. That’s how OoT felt when I first played it as well.
Linkfan99

I couldn’t figure out how to kill the purple ghost for a while but other than that i loved this temple.
mtcor

Well, i personally dont “like” the dungeon per se, but only because i was stuck on it for 6 months. other then that, i would probably enjoy it
BlackRaven6695

The first three dungeons, although a fair challenge, were dealt with without much trouble.
The Forest Temple is the first dungeon you face as an adult. It introduces the new difficulty and mood that you’re going to be seeing for the rest of the game. With it’s winding corridors and tough new enemies, it’s a lot tougher and scarier, but still doable. You may have felt a bit lost in this ruined world, but after completing the Forest Temple, you know you can conquer anything the game throws at you.
The atmosphere is incredible. It’s so eerie. What is this strange mansion and why was it built? And by whom? It’s an unforgettable experience, and one that dungeons in the series have matched but a handful of times.
The Forest Temple: A work of videogaming art.
JuicieJ

Oh, my gosh, the Forest Temple. That is hands-down the best moment in Ocarina of Time, as well as the best dungeon in the entire series. Right on, Axle.
ThePieOfTruth

one day, if i become rich… i will buy some land in the mountains of north carolina and create a floor plan to actually copy the forest temple in as much glory as i can! of course twisted hallways would have to be normal hallways but they could connect to both of their paths but the paths that drop to a lower room would have stairs or an elevator instead. also there would be more balconies to prevent people from falling down 2 or 3 stories of a height. obviously I’ve already planned this out in my head multiple times… (label: nerd… and damn proud of it!)
- Legend of Cabanela
  
  Forget twisted hallways, challenge yourself with Stone Tower Temple and try to make it flip. :3
  - H37I
    
    don’t you think it’s hard to… oh, i don’t know… the sky?
    - Legend of Cabanela
      
      You could have a screen, or an illusion to make it look like the sky
      - H37I
        
        are you planning on recreating it?
- Patrick taylor
  
  I will have to visit you when your rich
LinksFanGirl231

The first time I went through the Forest Temple I was scared out of my mind because of the Wallmasters. But it definitely has a unique feel overall. It’s one of my favorite dungeons in the game to be sure.
linkasourous

I love the forest tmple so much I remaking it in Minecraft!
Galko

New to this site. Love it.
I’d like to share a song I wrote about the Forest Temple a few summers ago.
“GIrl In the Green” by Easy Elliothttp://easyelliot.bandcamp.com/track/girl-in-the-green-2
Priest_of_Nayru

i certainly thought it was eerie
panda

BEST-TEMPLE-EVER!
Non-Epic

Forest Temple was great. From returning to your roots and saving you friends, to growing up and learning the world isnt simple, it starts adulthood off great.
TheIvoryDingo

When I entered the Forest Temple for the first time, I didn’t think it had a nice atmosphere, I just thought it was just another dungeon to go through. I never thought this dungeon was so special.
Sir Quaffler

I definitely like the intro. This dungeon, being as dark and mysterious as it is, definitely steers the game in a much darker direction. It’s hard for me to remember exactly how it went for me the first time I played OoT, it was so long ago. But from what I can recall, the dungeons as a child were relatively easy and lighthearted, it was like “Ok yeah I have to get the three spiritual stones but I’m not too worried about it, not like anything bad will happen, I’ll just run around and blow up holes in walls.” Starting at the forest temple I felt more like “There is so much more death and suffering in the world now, all because of my mistake. I MUST awaken the sages and put a stop to Ganondorf.” So yeah, the temples were so much more meaningful, dealt with very dark themes (at least for me as a kid), and were so much more challenging. The Forest Temple intro is only rivaled by the Spirit Temple intro, because that felt most like an actual place of spiritual worship and was very awe-inspiring.
K2L

Forest and Spirit Temples were my favorite in OOT. ^o^
- K2L
  
  Aaaaaaand once again, positie comments get no votes. While the supposedly negative one in the spin-off article got three negative votes. I guess life isn’t meant to be fair. =/
Guest

I love the Forest Temple. The music alone is incredibly atmospheric, and the moment I hear it I’m taken back to my early playthroughs as a wee little 10-year-old. I distinctly remember when I was a kid, even after having beaten the temple, I would go back to the entrance, kill the two Wolfos who stood guard, and wander around the “courtyard” just listening to the music.

Aside from that, I think part of what made the Forest Temple so memorable was also how well it tied into the very beginning of the game and the start of your quest. This is the temple whose sage is Saria, your old childhood friend and one of the few (perhaps only) Kokiri who accepted you despite knowing there was something different about you, despite your lack of a fairy. She met you at the Sacred Forest Meadow, at the spot just below the Forest Temple, to teach you her song. You had no idea what was so special about this place or why Saria spoke about it having some sort of destined importance for the both of you that early in the game. So when you do return to the Sacred Forest Meadow and venture into the temple as an adult, it all makes sense and it all comes full circle. The passage of seven years time only makes it more bittersweet. You’re both still friends, but the innocence is gone, and you each have greater duties to perform now.
Also, twisitng corridors. Don’t know why, but that’s still just so coo.
Sorry to have gotten a bit carried away there.
http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Best/100003863840372 James Best

I remember having such a hard time with the moblins outside the Forest Temple.
tlozoot

I agree that it is one of the best dungeons in Tlozoot, but just as someone posted before:
I had many nightmares by it too!
(first comment ever here)
Private Simmons

I’ve never had the pleasure of entering said tunnel.
JAy

I am just about to start playing through the forest temple on Oot 3ds. I can’t wait to finish it. (I know I’m behind the times)
Someone

I hope you’ll be writing more of these pieces in the future, they bring back some really sweet moments ^^
I also found entering the forest temple an really amazing moment, the atmosphere has something forest-like but the temple really felt like an old mansion, which I loved. This makes me think of all Link’s encounters with Sheik. Link tried to get closer to her every time, but he failed and she just disappeared again. Those moments are also my favorietes ^^
stupidsyrup97

I HATED this dungeon! Still hate it. I’ve played through it at least 8 times and I always forget ONE KEY! One key. And then I’ve got to trek BACK through the dumb thing and find it. Water Temple was always easy for me on the other hand. After the first time I played it my cousin played it and got stuck and I looked and said”Oh yeah, you just gotta do this.” And then he finished it himself. (He’s only 9, btw.) Water Temple: easy. And ZeldaWiki says that the Spirit Temple is the longest but that’s probably my fastest, the Fire Temple is the longest IMO.
Google1988

I prefer the moment when Link goes for the master sword in TP
http://www.facebook.com/people/Christoffer-Treyz/100001436286027 Christoffer Treyz

judging the comments made here: the only appeal a zelda game (i.e. ocarina) has is obviously that people are able to relive their teen-years by plaing stoneage-zeldas. me, i played ocarina when it was released the first time around. thought it was so-so. then i bought ocarina 3d and sold it after 1,5 hours of lacklustery. from an objective point of view the game mechanics and the game itself (the whole franchise) did not age particularly well. but the magic for people who played it as a little kid makes it very obviously legit for nintendo to cash in on the need for nostalgia.
googg

i agree on everything you say
alink2yoshi

i loved he forest temple however i did get lost but it was stupid. When i killed the second stalfo i didn’t go through the door to the second poe
http://www.facebook.com/jshangreaux Jessica Ryan Shangreaux

I was frightened of the falling hands and stuff, and my first time through this temple I was actually scared of the Giant Baba plant in the middle of the temple, I used to jump whenever It got me!!!! I love this temple
leroyjenkins777

I agree completely xD I have never really thought about it, but I have always loved the forest temple and loved the feel of it.
Skull Kid 57

I personally didn’t like the forest temple. The music kind of annoyed me and it didn’t really hit me as a forest temple but more like a mini dungeon like theme. I am warming up to it but it doesn’t appeal to me like the the spirit and shadow temples in terms of atmosphere.
wafflegoat

TBH I’ve never really thought about this one, but it’s pretty cool. Doesn’t have the same atmosphere as the Spirit and Shadow Temples though.