The Difficulty of Ocarina of Time
A 10th Anniversary Article by lftenjamin
I remember Christmas of 1998, opening all of my gifts – the final gift I opened was some game called “Zelda.” I wasn’t sure why I received a game called Zelda. I had played LA, but never went past the second dungeon after I got stuck. To this day, I think I picked up that game because my father used to be a Zelda fan himself. So, I eventually started to play it and, of course, ended up stuck in the first dungeon (one has to remember I was only 7 at the time). A game this massive was too much for me to comprehend. Such a large place, so much to look for. I didn’t even understand what was going on; who pays that much attention to the story at seven years old? Why was I in a tree? What am I supposed to be looking for? These questions and more were popping up in my head as I played.
Eventually I figured it out and moved on with the game. I could go on, now, to write about how massive the overworld was, the shock of playing as Adult Link, and then segway into commentary on the story and many other things from there, but I want, specifically, to talk about one of my biggest peeves in all of Zelda history: The Water Temple. I’m sure a handful of you readers also hated the Water Temple on your first play through. You might remember being stuck for days trying to find the room to raise the water level and, when you finally found out where the room was, you didn’t know how to activate the switch to get into the room you’d spent days looking for.
My own Water Temple woes occurred trying to find one small key to get me into the room leading into the final deeper parts of the Temple, where I could find the Boss Key. I was there for a week, every day spending hours retracing all of my steps looking for the key. It turned out that, in the room where you find Ruto, if you put the water at medium level there is a platform with a bombable wall. That is where my key resided, and at last I was able to continue on with the dungeon! But I couldn’t help wondering, how is the player supposed to know about that room, that wall? As a room you only travel through once, I felt it was so random for the key to be hidden there.
And then, Dark Link – fighting him made my blood boil. He mirrored the player’s movements so precisely that to get a hit in on him either meant he or she had lightning-fast reflexes or was clinically insane. Never did I think of using Din’s fire, not once, and as this was my first play through the game I knew nothing of Biggoron’s Sword. I died fighting Dark Link almost more than any other mini boss (and boss, for that matter) in the game. I say almost for one reason: the main boss of the Water Temple was Morpha. Even getting to the boss door took forever, and trying to run up that slope and not get hit with any of the blades aggravated me so much that fighting the boss was almost a relief. Unfortunately, Morpha is difficult as all hell to defeat. While I wouldn’t say Morpha is the most difficult boss in any Zelda game, it’s probably in the top five. Whenever Morpha grabbed Link he lost an insane amount of heart life, and trying to hook the amoeba was incredibly difficult as well. When you finally hooked it, the thing flopped around so much that it became impossible to hit.
The Water Temple, as a result, came across as one of the strangest dungeons ever to appear in any Zelda game, full of difficult puzzles and a set of one of the hardest mini bosses and bosses for years to come.
By today’s standards OoT is only of mediocre difficulty, but for its time the game was both complex and difficult enough for us kids playing it. Games seem to become easier and easier as the years go on – but is that because of the developers slacking on the job or because we are simply growing older and more experienced at gamers? As I previously stated, I’m guessing that most of you reading this are about 15-18 years of age, which means you were 5-8 when OoT came out. If you’ve been playing video games – especially Zelda – since the age range of 5-8, you’ve probably become accustomed to how most games work out. If you’ve been a diehard Zelda fan, you’ve probably learned the ins and outs of traditional Zelda mechanics and dungeon design. You, as gamers and Zelda fans, have tried an umpteen amount of different games from an equal amount of strange genres, each with their unique story line and visual style – but I’m willing to bet they all had similar gameplay, puzzles and mechanics.
Even shooters, while first-person most of the time, consist of a figuring moving dynamically about a 3D space. To say that a shooter is just like a Zelda game, or a 3D platformer like Mario, is absurd, but spending years controlling different characters moving around in a similar 3D space would easily prepare one for, well, doing just that. Playing games repeatedly, all types of games, gives you experience as a gamer – and complaints that modern Zeldas are too easily could be attributed to our own growth and experience as gamers, and not simply Nintendo’s insistence on making casual, easy to pick up games.
And as we more hardcore gamers have gotten better at games, games can, and should, become more difficult at a faster rate. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Games feel easier and easier to play with each passing release cycle. Perhaps games are getting more difficult, but we’re simply adapting to their difficulty that much faster. I’m sure that if you gave Twilight Princess to a seven-year-old kid they’d get stuck, maybe even mad, and in the worst case scenario give up on the game. But maybe they’d work at it and beat it, just as we did when we played OoT as youngins. And thus, this makes way for a new generation of gamers to play through their own difficulties, at their own pace. But who’s to say they won’t soon become like us older folk, starving for games that equate with their years of gaming experience?
It is a cycle, and will continue for years to come unless developers decide to make their games mind-numblingly difficult for adults that much sooner. And just as I gained experience, and frustration, playing the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time, so too will the youngest generation of all gain similar experience in Twilight Princess’s Water Temple fighting Morpheel, and the cycle will go on and on again. Perhaps that young gamer will be here in several years, writing a similar article to mine, but about Twilight Princess – because, if you think it about it, it was an incredibly difficult game for its time.
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November 21st, 2008 at 11:14 am
WOOOOOOOO! I love this game, and lefty basically put it in the right format on how difficult yet amazing it is.
I agree fully.
-Lunk
November 21st, 2008 at 11:54 am
Great article, lefty! I’m sad to say that I wasn’t a gamer when OoT came out (I was only 4 at the time) but you sure did it justice.
November 21st, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Cool article!
I must say, although I always loved videogames, I only started playing not so long ago (lack of money when I was a youngster). My first real play through a Zelda game was Twilight Princess.
I did already try Ocarina of Time before at a friend’s house, but I was, like the five year old you were, stuck inside the Deku Tree and utterly confused.
I bought TP because I wanted to try out the Wii so bad, plus it had a horse, a wolf and a sword. What’s not to love?
Unlike veteran Zelda gamers, I’ve found TP hard the first time around.
I’m playing it a second time, trying to beat it with my left hand to check if they were right to mirror it.
Still a whole lot easier than my first time.
And when I decided to play OoT for real, shortly after beating TP, I managed to hit Dark Link with my sword many times and I’ve found Morpha to be easier than Morpheel.
^^
November 21st, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Ahh, Ocarina of Time, one of the classic Zelda titles. I had quite a bit of trouble with the Water Temple myself, especially when I had to fight Dark Link. I remember screaming at the game and even throwing the controller occaisionally when I kept dieing. Now, I really don’t find Dark Link to be much of a challenge anymore,escpecially if I’d gotten my grubby little hands on the Biggoron’s Sword first. I think that’s the problem. We’re gradually getting better at games, and that makes the new releases to seem easier. I hope that The next Zelda title gives us the option of setting the difficulty level. This way, new Zelda players won’t be so intimidated on their first playthrough, while veteran players could actually have a difficult challenge.
November 21st, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Well, I disagree on the difficulty, my 8 year old brother beat the Twilight Princess very easily, but he got stuck on Majora’s Mask a lot, and a few times on OOT, the games are getting easier, it’s not just us, I’m 18 btw and can see that zelda is rapidly becoming more casual, this needs to stop or I’ll lose interest in the series, after all I’m not a diehard fan who would buy a game so damn easy it’s actually a chore to play like WW, I hated that game for many reasons
November 21st, 2008 at 5:41 pm
I had the revered Versus Books guide by my side when I played OOT, so I didn’t have too much trouble with it,although the Water Temple did still get on my nerves.
I don’t think I ever died much when fighting Dark Link. I kept rolling and flipping out of the way a lot, and only attacked when I was sure I was going to get a hit. Plus I used Din’s Fire and the Megaton Hammer a lot (like the guide said to). The fight was still pretty darned time consuming, though.
The hardest part of OOT for me personally was fighting Ganondorf with only 13 hearts (including white borders, of course)…
November 21st, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I’ll have to say that while it is certainly true that we are getting better as gamers, games are getting easier. The hardest in the series are the two from the NES. I played those for the first time like a year ago, after I had played all the other Zeldas (except MC and PH), I had a hard time with those, they are just hard, period. TP was so straight forward. Both the enemies and the puzzles are much, much easier. It’s hard to get stuck. For me the 3D Zeldas from hardest to easiest go like this: MM, OoT, WW, TP.
November 21st, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Ah, Ocarina of Time… It brings back so many memories. I only got interested in playing the game 2 years after it was launched. But it was a difficult game for me. It took me quite some time to find that key you mentioned, too. And I had to die some times fighting Dark Link before thinking of using Din’s Fire. And if you tried to stab him, he’d jump on Link’s sword and attack him. Quite a mini boss.
Ocarina of Time isn’t that hard for me now. In fact, it’s as easy as Twilight Princess. Oh yeah, a seven-year-old child would sure get stuck on TP.
This difficulty stuff is a real problem. The only solution I see if to include in the game various levels of dificulty.
November 21st, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Yeah! I’m 15 years old, and OoT was my first Zelda game!
November 22nd, 2008 at 2:37 am
There are exceptions to every rule:)
November 23rd, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Bull. Years of gaming experience isn’t making modern games merely seem easier, they really just *are* easier. Compare LoZ to TP or PH. Compare AoL to any other Zelda.
Besides, who even cares about “challenge” anymore? It’s an anachronism to me. Games are designed to be finished, so it’s not like you’re really overcoming anything more than an arbitrary obstacle designed with usually one really contrite solution.
So modern games are easy, big deal. The nature of the medium has changed in such a way that they shouldn’t be about difficulty anymore anyway. If you’re playing because games make you feel like you’ve accomplished something, then you’re kidding yourself.
Just play for fun.
November 23rd, 2008 at 11:20 pm
That’s why they’re called “video games”. They’re games, you should have fun playing them. But, that’s just what I think.
November 24th, 2008 at 7:33 am
great article
about the difficult level problem (a problem that bothers me very much); i think developers should try to add the option to choose between levels of difficult or at least add a Second Quest that is harder…playing the new zeldas has been sometimes disapointing for the lack of real challenge (especially when it comes to dungeon complexity)…Im playing the gameboy color zeldas and im loving then because i think they are really satisfying in their complexity (Oh goddesses! OoA is so wonderfull!)
November 24th, 2008 at 7:41 am
the problem is that i dont play for the stories of the games…i play then for the entertainment of beating then; if they are too easy, theres no “beating then”, theres just “watching then while mechanicaly moving my hands to make then go forward” hehe…in order to me to really feel like im playing something, they should require for me to think creatively and slightly fear the chalenges ahead; thats how we can feel part of the game, of the adventure, and thats where the zelda franchise usually excels
November 25th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
I only became a Zelda fan earlier this year and I got hooked because of Twilight Princess. I had always known that Zelda was out there I just never thought to try it. I actually think that the games aren’t getting easier I think that the new games have a more logical progression to them. The older games are great and all but I found it hard to know what to do next. I do think that they are easier in the fact that you rarely lose more than a heart in the newer games. Fighting Ganon in OoT made me want to throw my controller at the wall and give up on Zelda forever. You don’t have the annoying 4 heart killer attacks of the older games. And frankly, I’m not missing them. I beleive that the story is the thing that matters most and I think that OoT and TP have the hands-down best story lines.
November 29th, 2008 at 4:49 am
I would just like to say that Ocarina of Time has effected me to an exponential extent! If it wasn’t for it, not only would i not be a Zelda fan, i would also not be a Nintendo fan altogether!!! I owe Miyamoto many thanks and hope to see more outstanding Zelda tittles to come!
Let the Zelda Reign Live On!!!
December 17th, 2008 at 2:14 am
Maybe you found the two NES games hard because you are not used to that gameplay style. But I agree that now a days they just hold your hand through out most of the game.
January 31st, 2009 at 8:21 pm
These are very accurate opinions on Ocarina of Time’s difficulty. It’s quite challenging for me, a steady 8/10 for most parts but occasionally a 9/10 (maybe it’s ’cause I’m young?). I think everyone hates water-based dungeons/levels in video games. Let’s face it. Wind Waker is up to my game level, mostly 7/10 or 8/10 in difficulty, and perhaps easier on my second playthrough.
But by far, Twilight Princess and Majora’s Mask are the hardest for me…
Excellent article.
February 5th, 2009 at 6:55 am
ahhh,i remember those endless amount of days playing OoT.i got stuck on the Jabba’s belly level.I only died once on Dark Link which was weard…. anyway,I agree with wat u said about the items,like Naaryu’s Love,WTF ? I got my 1st Zelda game when i was 8 in the gamecube pack with four games in it. good times…… anyway the Spinner was DEFINATELY under used,right along with the Dominion Rod.I remember going into an open space and just press the Dominion Rod button and play racket ball next to a wall.i wish the designers the best of luck!
-Qman94
February 8th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
I can totally relate to this. Jabba was the difficult level for me in OoT, but i can see where you’re coming from. I was 5 when i first played OoT and probaly three when i go a link to the past. I found twilight princess very easy and saw repeating weak spots on enemies like the jewl on the bossos head, or the weird eye. But the thing is I still loved it.
February 15th, 2009 at 3:04 am
i will admit, that the water temple is frustrating, but only because like you, i couldnt find that last darn key(song of time behind the long shot), and theres so many rooms i keep forgetting which one im supposed to go into. however morpha and dark-link wasnt that bad, because my brother urged me to get the biggorrons sword. i tell you, ive never played Ocarina of time until recently, because when my cousins play i got freaked out by the zombies and lack of camera angles(dont judge me im a girl >=T)yes i just about had a heart attack at the bottom of the well and shadow temple. i can’t wait to see how the game ends though =D
March 7th, 2009 at 3:26 am
don’t be offended, its just my opinion, but i found this game quite easy. there were a few somewhat tough parts though (i made a topic about a dodgy big poe). to be honest, i havent been stuck in this game, ever, apart from master quest, where i had to play song of time on an invisible block of time. i PWNed morpha and i think it is an easy boss compared to some others. its just my opinion.
i hated jaba-jaba’s belly. weird dungeon, no real music, it was eww. i freaked out by da zombies (i’m a boy, but still….) and yeah…shdaow temple was freaky because of the pictures (two hands holding up a rotten head)
March 10th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Ocarina of Time is my all time favorite game. And yes… the Water Temple… hoo boy. I played OOT a second time through, actually excited to do the Water Temple, knowing I could do it like it was nothing… of course I got lost and didn’t know what I was doing. Water Temple= 3rd hardest game level I’ve ever played (although in Zelda there aren’t any levels…). Anyway, nice article.
March 10th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
See, this would actually be correct… but your statement is ruined by one little fact– Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams.
March 21st, 2009 at 3:25 am
First of all, terrific article — as well written and thought out as Hylian Dan’s “Message of Majora’s Mask”. Bravo.
Anyway, I found everything you’ve said here relevant to me and my Zelda experience. I was introduced to Zelda at the age of five, playing OoT and trying to make sense of it all. Hard to believe that at one point, I actually thought my experience was original.
As for the Water Temple: I’m embarrassed to say that after a previous one-year hiatus from OoT, I managed to repeat my old mistakes in the Water Temple (finding the room hidden under the floating platform took hours… AGAIN).
An all-around great read; I’d be interested in finding more of your work.
March 28th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
I love this game, I thought the water temple was hard with the puzzles. Dark link was annoying and hard to beat but morphea was EASY AS HELL, I killed him without getting damaged, but everyone has his difficulties like I had the hardest time, like my hardest fights were Volvagia and Bongo Bongo.
Still… great article
April 2nd, 2009 at 3:38 pm
I'm really sucky at puzzles and thinking, so that's why I'm so frustrated with this game. I mean, I'm still stuck at the forrest temple, and i can't even get through it with a strategy guide. So I'm basically wondering if there are any less "puzzly" zelda games for me to train on before attempting OOT again? Wonderful game anyway (as far as I've seen).
May 16th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Well, as someone who's a bit older, I guess that it makes sense that I always found OoT to be easy from the get-go. I never really died all that much, never acutally got a game over (until I did it purposefully just to see what it looked like), and I never had the problem of being stuck in the Water Temple like just about everyone else, for whatever reason. I have seen people struggle with the game though, and I can see why it would be difficult to some. The same goes to TP.
As for games getting easier… well, it all depends on the game, really. Most are getting easier though, Zelda being no exception. I'm not just saying this out of person experience, either; I observe others playing these games more easily, whilst having issues with earlier entries in the same series. I think this is mainly because the majority of gamers aren't necessarily looking for just a challenge anymore, as was the case earlier on in the gaming history. Now stories and interaction with others are more at the forefront, overshadowing challenge in the process.
May 22nd, 2009 at 9:11 pm
I think it's confusing how you people have had more trouble with Jabu Jabu's belly than with the damn forrest temple. I've just picked up the franchise, and everything was going fine until the forrest temple. I misplaced a key and i've been stuck ever since (6 months). I'm seriously this close to giving up.:D
Great article.
July 3rd, 2009 at 7:12 pm
the hardest temple for me was the water temple because i can't get into any new rooms and i can not find any new keys.
July 4th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
I found Morpha pretty easy… after a couple goes through. I beat him without dying on my three heart challenge.
Gandorf was fun to fight with 3 hearts and no half damage and without extra magic! It did make Ganon hard though… died twice but luckily i had 2 fairies.
@ the age of 18 OoT was my first Zelda game and the 2nd one i beat. God I love that game!
July 12th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
How is the Water Temple hard?
You use the Megaton Hammer against Dark Link,
It wasn’t really that confusing,
and Morpha was pretty easy.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:45 am
My first Zelda games were The Legend of Zelda and Legend of Zelda II Adventures of Link. I managed to beat Zelda 1at the age of 4 or 5 on the old Nintendo which wasn't too complicated because there was no storyline so it was more like wonder off and find the dungeons. It would take me 16 years to beat AoL with large breaks in between because I couldn't figure out how to beat the damn boss before dark link in the last temple. I have beaten 12 of the 13 Zelda games with the exception of the 4 swords which I never bothered playing and which I don't even know if its even considered one of the main series game.
My top 3 Zelda games are Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time, and A Link to the Past. Top 3 toughest were Adventures of Link, Majoras Mask, and Links Awakening. Links Awakening because killing Valor or whatever his name was took me forever with a level 1 sword. Most stressful temples Sky Temple (Twilight Princess) Water Temple( Ocarina of Time) last temple (Adventures of Link).