Water Temple

Lore & Background

The Water Temple originally appeared in the 1998 Nintendo 64 video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It is one of the levels that the protagonist Link explores as an adult. The temple was constructed to worship water spirits and was guarded by Zoras. It is found in Lake Hylia, which is at the time cursed by antagonist Ganondorf and an entity in the Water Temple. The dungeon is located underneath Lake Hylia and is a large, multi-leveled dungeon. Players raise and lower the water level in wings of the dungeon to access new areas. Link utilizes equipment to navigate the dungeon, including Iron Boots, a tunic that allows him to breathe underwater, and a Hookshot to hook onto distant objects. Link battles his alter-ego Dark Link in the Room of Illusion, which features shallow water and a lone tree on a patch of land. At the end, Link faces the dungeon's master, Morpha, a large water amoeba creature. Upon its defeat, Link warps to the Chamber of Sages, where the Sage of Water, Princess Ruto, bestows onto him the Water Medallion. Afterwards, Lake Hylia returns to normal. Another version of Ocarina of Time was released called The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest, which features harder versions of each dungeon, including the Water Temple. Game director Eiji Aonuma cited his love for deep-sea diving as his inspiration for the Water Temple, utilizing diving-based puzzles to reflect this.

In Their Own Story

The air inside is thick with the scent of damp stone and ancient algae. At the edge of the central shaft, the cold, dark water awaits, broken only by the rhythmic dripping from the ceiling and the distant, eerie echoing of a creature's cry. Narrow tunnels require the Longshot to hook onto distant ledges, pulling upward against the current rather than relying on swimming alone. As one ascends, the water level shifts dynamically, revealing new paths previously hidden beneath the surface, while shadows in the corners seem to lengthen, waiting for the moment a mistake is made.

Reader's Guide

The primary challenge lies in managing limited resources while navigating a hostile environment filled with aquatic monsters. What makes this location unique is its dynamic water system; players must frequently raise or lower the water level using a central lever mechanism to access different tiers of the temple. Traversal relies heavily on equipping the Iron Boots to sink to the bottom and the Longshot to reach high ledges, as misjudging the depth can leave Link stranded or vulnerable to ambush.

Did You Know?

• The Water Temple was created by Ocarina of Time director Eiji Aonuma, who was inspired by his love of diving.
• In the 2011 remake Ocarina of Time 3D, the designers added red and green lights to direct players on the path to areas where they can raise or lower the water.
• Shigeru Miyamoto felt that needing to pause to equip and unequip the Iron Boots was cumbersome, leading to a fix in the 3DS release that allowed players to do so without pausing.
• Aonuma cited the Water Temple as one reason he wanted to create Ocarina of Time 3D, so that he could fix it.
• Aonuma still considers the Water Temple one of his favorite The Legend of Zelda levels.