Soapbox: Ocarina Of Time's Deku Tree Dungeon Is Still My All-Time Top Gaming Moment

Reminds me I was playing through this game for the first time before Tears of the Kingdom came out. Guess I better play it today, I was gonna play Celeste... Oh well...

I started this game up on my 3DS a couple weeks ago and was immediately struck by how much I miss classic temples. The last two games do so much right but it doesn't amount to the old magic for me without good temples, and anyone who thinks the new "temples" stack up with the old ones is lying to themselves.

We all have these moments eched deep inside us even if for no reason. I think it's a great testament of how video games, among other media, managed to move us and stir deep emotions for what seemed like a normal gameplay moment.

I'll never forget the day I got back from school and heard that we have GTA VC. Immediately started watching the TV screen, and I don't know if it was me that was playing, but I have a memory of a particular street and Comet (Porshe of GTA universe). I remember thinking that it's disappointing because it's not exactly as GTA3. Tiny me was silly.

My favorite moment in gaming was playing Metroid Prime for the first time. Blew me away. Ocarina is way up there too, and I share a lot of the same joys as the author.

As much as I love the last two Zelda games I have to agree the temples are not up to the standard set by Ocarina.

Ahhh back when even the first temple could blow your mind away, unlike any of the so called “temples” or shrines present in TotK

It's hard for me to play this game today, mostly because it means doing so on an emulator with a controller that isn't the N64 original, plus the visuals don't hold up particularly well these days either, but it's still a total classic in my mind for sure. I wish we had a proper remake that was made with 100% pure love for getting everything just perfect and to the highest possible Nintendo quality. So, to be clear, I'm talking orders of magnitude above the likes of the recent Mario RPG remake, which, for me personally, isn't even close to the level I'd want from a modern Nintendo remake of a classic in order to be able to say it was "made with 100% pure love for getting everything just perfect and to the highest possible Nintendo quality". But, yeah, a Zelda 64 that was like the equivalent of the RE2 remake or even RE4 VR remake would be stunning and still up there as contender for one of the very best games of all time imo.

In before the moaners complain about another OOT article (quick life tip to you guys - you don’t need to open or read things you aren’t interested in, or generally look out for things to get annoyed by)

Deku Tree is probably the best tutorial dungeon in the series - can do the whole thing in less than 10 mins if you know what you are doing but can learn all the main mechanics if you are inexperienced.

Been loving this whole week long series of articles NL chaps - thanks for giving me something to read about my favourite game every day!

Also, notable that Gohma is potentially the scariest boss visually in the whole game and you fight it when you are at your least powerful. Was certainly frightening to me as a kid anyway!

Great introductory dungeon to 3D Zelda. Although, in my opinion, surpassed several times later within the same game.

I quite like these articles, pushes me ever closer to actually trying it out for the first time ever. I was very young when it was first out on the N64 but my Nintendo journey to now was Game Boy>DS>Switch, and I was only mildly interested in Nintendo until the Switch.
BotW was my first Zelda, Links awakening my second.

Think my big hesitation in finally trying Ocarina is the articles like the recent ones here and other sites over the years. The game is now of near mythical legendary status, some say the greatest game ever made!

I do worry that when I finally try it I may not agree.

Still, thanks again for these recent articles, I’m enjoying the read.

That's kind of depressing. It's been 25 years it's ok to move on from n64 games.

This temple is what hooked me into falling in love with the game. I love the earthy, relaxing, and calm song found inside The Great Deku Tree, and play it when I go to bed sometimes

But oh boy I tried this game for the first time about a decade ago and man I had no clue what I was doing or how to even play the dang game. Had to use Youtube a lot for this game back then to get me going and while I still needed it later in the game, things eventually started clicking and I felt I was becoming smarter as well trying to think hard and critically about how to advance in the dungeons and quests.

Why isn't this done for every Zelda Game or Nintendo game?

i know everyones favorite ocarina of time dungeons the dreaded water temple and the well/shadow temple with the horror elements.........Dead Hand.

The Forest Temple would like to have a word with you.

@RetroGames The game already got an excellent and lovingly made remake on the 3DS. It is great and proper!

@TheGameCube86 Ocarina of Time is still a great game that just turned 25. It's not about being stuck in the past: it's about celebrating a milestone in gaming history by talking about memorable things from the game. I don't know why you'd call that depressing?

The Deku tree is a great intro dungeon for sure. Teaches you a lot and is a lot of fun. I loved the concept of exploring a giant tree and a little arboreal fairy village, but I also remember just wanting to get out of it and see the world.

I can't believe it's been 25 years since I grabbed Ocarina of time on day one. I still have the console and games here. The forest temple heavily twisted my mind forever, the music with those clock sounds, grown up link with the master sword, the hookshot, the ghosts, Phantom Ganon... also loved the water temple. What a game, it changed my life.

Great article. It really is a superb introductory dungeon and those were truly a-ha moments back in the day.

After been blown away by the open world (I had the n64 on launch, 3D was magic back in the day) and meeting the Deku Tree…… Gohma was scary and set the tone for the rest of the game for me.

1998 was the best year for videogames. Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid, WCW vs nWo Revenge, Resident Evil 2, Crash 3 Warped, Marvel vs. Capcom, Xenogears, Pokemon Red & Blue, Link's Awakening DX, F-Zero X... Seriously legendary games and to have played them all when they released was amazing

My favourite game and for that reason, I've never played it since. Keep it in 1998 along with my memories of it.
Regard this dungeon, I remember when the text came up and gave the title of the boss. Felt so cinematic.

@LikeWhoa Don’t forget Half-Life, which quite literally redefined the FPS genre.

@Quarth it has been surpassed several times even by its own series. It's pure nostalgia and nothing more.

@SpaceboyScreams 100% The classic temples are exactly the "something is missing" from the last two entries. They're fun but taking the most Zelda component out of a Zelda game just seemed like a really weird development decision. The fact they sold so well makes me nervous that they won't return to the earlier Zelda formula. Maybe I'll live to see that, but given their 4-5 year development cycle, I've only got a few more chances.

I was 4 years old in 1985, when Super Mario Bros. came out. A year or so later, I was introduced to it when my sisters asked my folks if we could rent a Nintendo from a local video rental place.

I am not kidding, the first time I got to the end of 1-4, heard that "CHRRRRR" sound effect and saw that orange undulating flame sprite traveling my way, every neuron in my brain fired at once.

I'll never forget the first time I got to Bowser.

So I'm confused. We all agree that TotK has the best dungeons, right? Lol.
It's impossible to separate OoT from nostalgia. I still remember playing the Kokiri Forest demo at a big box store when I was like 12. I could not believe what I was looking at. I know a lot of people didn't experience the transition from 2D to 3D with the series, but it was mind-blowing at the time. I don't know that we will ever get anything near as revolutionary to the series as that transition.
I keep saying it here, but I wish the series would give us new areas and species/races. I don't want another game of fire, snow, forest, water, etc temple. Okay...maybe forest. Those ones always make me feel like a kid exploring and finding secrets again. Which, for me, is what the series is about or at least when it is best.

@FunGuy We got an NES when I was 4. My parents said "sorry, Santa could not give you guys a Nintendo this year...(pause for effect, because they're monsters) SO WE GOT YOU ONE!" Classy move. Never forget it.
Also my mom has beaten every console Zelda, including the second, lol.

@TheMenaceToSociety Yeah, then we had to wait like 18 years until shooters were fun-first again.
I kid...kind of. I would love for the anniversary edition of HL to come to Switch. With the tiny enemies all over the screen, gyro might finally make that game work well on a console.

@TheGameCube86 "It's been surpassed several times by it's own series." So? This is a games enthusiast site. It's okay to be enthusiastic about games here. Including older ones. This is not a place to be objective. It's a Nintendo fan site, practically. Nostalgia can be wonderful, but if you are writing off OoT just because a lot of us remember it fondly, you aren't seeing the forest for the trees, ha ha. The game was revolutionary, and it's astounding that it's design is still lauded, 25 years later. Not many games of that early 3D era pulled that off at all. Besides...loosen up, man.

@Yoshif3 Wait, so you are a huge Tears of the Kingdom fan, right? I couldn't tell from every word you post here...

@LikelySatan See this is what I’ve been saying. We need a Half-Life collection for Switch containing the first two games as well as the standalone games (Blue Shift, Opposing Force, Decay.) And as far as fun-first shooters go, I can’t really comment much on that as the only shooters I’ve played are HL2, TF2 and CoD BO1.

@TheMenaceToSociety There's a lot of great ones out there. I'd suggest Dusk, but it takes a few levels to really get to the insanely great stuff. If you get to Escher Labs, you'll know what I mean. My idea of "fun" also often means "really dumb" too though.
I think it's "Blue Shift," though. I remember because I was DYING for that game and the expansion to come to Dreamcast, and then they just cancelled the port because that rad DVD player was released and killed the DC.

Nice little trip down memory lane. OoT is my most played zelda game. I've beaten it more times than I can count, and I still love that first dungeon as well. Every first dungeon in each zelda game is just special for some reason.

I love nostalgia. It's a warm and pleasant emotion mixed with a bit of longing and melancholy. It's not all a positive feeling and yeah it can be a bit depressing, but that's life. How are we supposed to forget the past?

And if you don't like this kind of indulgence, you don't have to read these articles. It sounds like I'm being flippant but, seriously, it's so empowering when you realize you can just not participate. Everything on the internet doesn't need to be catered to satisfy you. Not everything requires your participation, your appreciation or your comment. You can just not engage.

@Purgatorium right? We are talking about things that bring us joy. Nostalgia can be wonderful.

I’ll never forget the moment when me and my brother figured out that we had to jump through the web in the middle of the floor. Incredible feeling. I was about 10 at the time.

I remember getting this game on release day. My mum took me to the game shop on my way home from secondary school with a bunch of old games to trade in. I was about 14. No other single game has come close to the sheer awe i felt when playing OOT for the first time. Absolutely revolutionary game and back then when qol features wasnt really a thing it was a near perfect expierience. The game was pure genius from its graphics, dungeons, time traveling/ageing of Link and Z targeting system. It was a completely captivating and magical expierience. I could only wish for a remake with some real qol features, more populated towns/hyrule field etc. All the tings that was impossible back then.

Didn't have the patience to read through multiple paragraphs narrating one's experience with a game, but Ocarina was definitely a hallmark of excellence for its time. Very few games compare to that.

@TanaDax

I think if you're a first-timer, the best thing you can do is just forget all these articles and try it like any other game.

Most people who hold Ocarina in high regard sort of worked their way up to it. They didn't sit down and go, "Alright, this has to be the most amazing gaming experience ever." No game can live up to that.

I didn't even hold Ocarina in high regard for much of my life. It was only in the past few years that I realized how good it is. But what makes it good is also the fact that it's from the 90s.

I don't mean nostalgia, which I don't care about. It's just that Ocarina — by virtue of having to use smoke and mirrors to make you feel like Hyrule is vast even when it's really not, because of technical limitations — is very compact and tightlly built. It's like a greatest hits compilation, one dungeon after another. (And there's a lot of them.) Unless you get stuck somewhere, it legit has some of the best pacing in the series. And it only gets better in replays. (Probably why it's so speedrunner-friendly.) It also packs a lot of personality and mystery into little nooks and crannies that modern games would just gloss over. Mostly because in the 90s you had to make every square foot count.

So that's kind of what makes Ocarina work, in my opinion. If you walk from point A to point B, you'll experience several vibes: every room and stretch of land has its own music, color, and even traversal dynamic. It's very, very different from how a modern game would do it. Because a modern game would prioritize consistency over (potentially disjointed) variety. Which is cool, too. But I appreciate what Ocarina was doing 25 years ago, as well. It's a different approach.

My fav zelda moment is still the storming of hyrule castle, followed by the possessed Zelda, beast ganon, horseback chase, and final ganondorf sword fight of twilight princess. I have a save file I keep just to replay that dungeon.

@BongoBongo Nah, I'd say that creepy honor belongs to dead hand. That thing looks like a straight up silent hill monster

@Spider-Kev ???

@Tempestryke
What?

@TheGameCube86 So what? It can still be celebrated for what it achieved and what it meant to people back then. People are still talking about it 25 years later, that must mean something.

@Beaucine

You made some genuinely good points and I realise yes, If I go in expecting the life changing gaming experience others often blog about It’ll likely end in disappointment. So per your suggestion, I’m slapping on the expansion pass in two weeks and just diving into Ocarina, taking it as I find it. Thanks for the much needed nudge!

@Spider-Kev you made a comment about doing something with every nintendo game,but didn't elaborate what it was. I was curious.

@Tempestryke
For Nintendo life to do anniversary things for every game, not just the ridiculous amount they always do for Ocarina.

Experiencing OOT for the first time when it launched 25 years ago will not be topped. A lot is written about that leap from 2D to 3D and the obvious impact it had on that day one experience.

However, one contributing factor I don't think gets enough commentary is regarding the limits of play in these new 3D worlds. They had never been experienced before, so the exploration, sense of wonder and trying things out was on a level I personally have only ever experienced once since - intriguingly another Zelda title, BotW.

Jumping into a game today... we know the limits. We know the visual tricks. We know the algorithms. The magic hasn't been repeated.

@TanaDax

Glad to hear it! Only tips I'd give you are:

1) Spend time in the tutorial area getting used to the controls and camera. They work for the game, but they're decidedly not modern. A mix of centering the camera, trusting the camera scripting, or moving into first-person view gets the job done — wherever you want to look — nearly always.

2) If you're playing the NSO version, practice holding down ZR to turn the face buttons into C buttons. Using the right stick for items is going to feel weird. You're supposed to be clicking buttons when using, say, the boomerang or slingshot.

3) Talk to every NPC. Nearly every character holds a clue to something else in the game. This is a very 90s thing. You really are expected to talk to everyone to figure out what to do. Towns aren't really that populated, though, so don't worry. There are only ever five to seven people you can talk to in a given space, and they have like two lines of dialogue each.

4) Use Z-targeting. I don't know what it is, but a lot of new players just ignore one of the game's famous, trademark mechanics. So they end up randomly swinging their sword everywhere. Once you get really good at the game, you can maybe pull off fighting without Z-targeting. But until then, just rely on it. The whole battle system is built with it in mind.

5) If a Great Fairy tells you to visit her friend near Hyrule Castle, she's not kidding and it's not a sidequest. Trust me on this one.

I loved Ocarina but I was so terrified of it as a kid. I ended up playing on a completed save so I could just wander Hyrule because every time I saw Gohma I would run for the power switch. Somehow I had no problem with Doom 3 at the same time...kids!