Countdown: Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Dungeon Crawl #6 – Forget The Hate, It Still Floats My Boat
The writer, continuing a week-by-week replay of Ocarina of Time, reaches the Water Temple and argues that its reputation is unfair once the Iron Boots’ awkward controls are set aside. The piece matters as a defence of a much-debated dungeon, highlighting how its central chamber and linked puzzles reward careful exploration.
The writer describes following Princess Ruto’s clues, adjusting the water level, revisiting marked routes and collecting keys before reaching Dark Link. They praise the dungeon’s signposting, including a cracked wall and a hidden path beneath a floating block, while acknowledging some backtracking and boot changes. The account ends during the Dark Link fight, before revealing its outcome.
In short
- The Water Temple is more thoughtfully designed than its reputation suggests.
- Iron Boots controls are the writer’s main source of frustration.
- The replay reaches Dark Link after exploring the dungeon’s routes.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The Water Temple’s bad reputation may be overstated: its central chamber, clues and linked routes reward players who observe carefully and piece together how the dungeon fits together. Setting aside the Iron Boots’ awkward controls, its backtracking and water-level changes can feel like meaningful exploration rather than needless obstruction.
The case against
The dungeon’s design can still be frustrating even when its puzzles are considered on their own: changing the water level and revisiting routes may make progress hard to track, while collecting keys and switching boots interrupt the flow. Signposting may help attentive players, but it does not necessarily make the layout intuitive or the repeated backtracking enjoyable.
Explained simply
The Water Temple is a dungeon in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a 1998 adventure game starring Link. Link explores it while searching for the spiritual stones and clues needed to stop the villain Ganondorf; Princess Ruto, a Zora princess, helps guide him through the temple.
The dungeon is built around a central chamber where Link can raise or lower the water, opening routes to different rooms. Players must find keys, solve puzzles and return to earlier areas as the layout changes. The Iron Boots let Link walk underwater, but switching them on and off can make movement cumbersome.
The Water Temple is often discussed as one of the game’s most challenging dungeons. Its design has prompted debate about whether careful exploration and visual clues make the puzzles satisfying, or whether the repeated trips and equipment changes interrupt the adventure.