Tag: Shadow Temple

There are a few songs between Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask that some players don’t consider as much more than what they seem to be. The Sun’s Song is as it sounds; it changes night to day and vice versa, whereas The Song of Storms makes it rain and drains the well in Kakariko Village in order for our hero to continue on his journey to defeat Ganondorf. However, these songs and a couple others involving the spirits of…

It’s no secret that the Zelda universe is filled with many different races, some humanoid, like the Gerudo and the Kokiri, and some with traits from other creatures, like the Zoras and the Mogmas. And while none of the races have any extensive backstory behind their presence in the land of Hyrule, it seems that there could be one for the the Sheikah, also known as the Messengers of the Goddess. Through many subtle clues and much research, one can…

“Psychopomp” is a really funny-sounding word that simply refers to a figure or entity who escorts deceased souls to the afterlife. Each psychopomp has different rules, behavior, treatment or transportation of souls, and indeed even send them to different afterlives. With legends about what happens when people die being so prominent in religions both old and new, it should be no surprise that the Zelda series takes a lot of influence from the many psychopomps featured in them. While of…

One of my favorite moments in Ocarina of Time was this sequence. When you visit Kakariko Village after completing the Water Temple, you’ll find the village on fire and Sheik standing by the well. He warns Link to get back, before a creepy immaterial force comes out of the well and subdues both Link and Sheik. After which, Sheik explains that this “evil shadow spirit” has been released, and Impa has gone to seal it in the Shadow Temple but…

“Shadow Temple… Here is gathered Hyrule’s bloody history of greed and hatred…” This quote carries with it a good deal of weight, and events throughout Ocarina of Time hint that Hyrule is far from an idyllic wonderland sans Ganondorf. What’s surprising to me is that few Zelda games seem to have explored this possibility, and even in Ocarina of Time, it’s ambiguous; in the majority of games, Link protects Hyrule from a foreign threat, and threats from within are explored…

Happy Halloween! It’s that time of year again; children dress as goblins, ghouls or zombies, and go door to door requesting tricks or treats (but only ever get treats); and adults throw on the nearest article of rarely-worn clothing and make up some kind of costume for the party they’ll be attending. It’s also that time of year when we all consider things that we fear. In the spirit of the season, today we’ll be talking about fear in the…

Ah, the Shadow Temple. It’s now time to review this infamous dungeon. Now, mind you, it’s not nearly as infamous as the Water Temple. People complain about the Water Temple’s design and say it’s repetitive and overly confusing, whereas the Shadow Temple just scares people. Horror is meant to scare, and for some people that’s not fun, so some people won’t like the Shadow Temple (or the Bottom of the Well, by extension), but for others that’s the fun part!…