Daily Debate: What’s the Most Frustrating Game, Moment, or Dungeon in the Zelda Series?

Zelda titles can be fun, and rewarding, and at times quite challenging. But they can also be frustrating. This may not have to do with difficulty; how many times have you or someone you know been driven to fits of rage by a fairy or sword spirit telling you what to do? I know there are still memes being made about how frustrating the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time can be (personally, I actually enjoy it). Maybe even an entire game is, to you, the most frustrating thing in the entire series.

Personally for me, I can never reconcile with Jabu Jabu’s Belly in Ocarina of Time. That entire dungeon just drives me up a wall, every single time. Bear in mind I’ve played through and beaten the game over twenty times. It doesn’t make a difference. While I don’t find the dungeon hard, I do find it frustrating due to its maze-like design, having to haul Princess Ruto everywhere (and her being a total jerk whenever you leave her behind for perfectly logical reasons), an awkward-to-hit switch that requires a really trial-and-error boomerang throw, and probably the worst mini-boss in Zelda history. It’s only redeeming factor to me is Barinade, who is one of my favorite bosses in the entire series.

I also find the redundancies in Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword to be nearly infuriating. Twilight Princess is, to me, the worst offender, because it reminds you how much each rupee is worth every time you turn the system back on. No other Zelda game does this. Why, Twilight Princess, why? But Skyward Sword is equally confounding, and I found myself avoiding picking up some materials if I knew I didn’t need them just so I could avoid being told for the twentieth time what they are.

So what about you? Do you find a particular dungeon the most frustrating, or just a single moment? Maybe an entire game makes you rage quit every time you so much as think about it? Let us know in the comments below!

Above Fan Art by JaviNine