It’s been a lot of fun revisiting The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time via the 3DS remake.
One of the more interesting aspects of this was revisiting previously perceived hard dungeons or mini-games only to find out they really weren’t as bad as I remembered them.
I want to clarify that it has been almost a decade since I last played Ocarina of Time so I’ve had enough time to forget all about how to navigate each dungeon. Some came back to me easily and others didn’t.
One that was an extremely interesting experience was the Shadow Temple.
On my last playthrough, I thought the Shadow Temple was the hardest dungeon in the game, not the Water Temple. I remember spending the better part of a week trying to figure out this dungeon without an online guide.
I would get turned around and all the hidden surprises were just infuriating. Don’t even get me started on the linearity of the thing. Sure, that may be easy for some, but if you died, you had to start all over with minimal shortcuts.
And then there was the boss fight against Bongo Bongo.
The Hover Boots are supposed to help you against that boss, but they did nothing for me. Despite the Shadow Temple having the best aesthetic in the game, I was happy to leave it behind.
Then, I played it on the Nintendo 3DS.
I was all ready to write a Banter about how the Shadow Temple was the hardest dungeon and we should leave the poor Water Temple alone. Sure, it’s a jerk, but not the biggest jerk there is in the game.
I wanted to wait until after I beat the Shadow Temple before I put my fiery pen to paper. I am so glad I did because I would’ve felt foolish had I jumped the gun.
I completed the Shadow Temple in less than two hours. Huh? The same Shadow Temple that took me a week to figure out? Yes, that is the one.
It’s not that it all came back to me. It’s more that the puzzles were just not difficult to me anymore.
Age does wonders when it comes to gaming. There are numerous challenges that we face in video games from our youth that, upon returning as adults, are no longer a problem.
I find it fitting that Ocarina of Time was the game I realized this on given that it is all about growing up and accomplishing things your kid self could not. There aren’t many games a revisit, but I’m curious to find out what other childhood challenges are suddenly a lot easier.
So, what about you? What gaming challenge seemed difficult as a youth, but was a lot easier later in life? What are your thoughts on the Shadow Temple? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.
Featured Image: Nintendo (via The Gamer)
Nintendo Pow Block: The Nintendo Podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network
Nintendo Pow Block – Nintendo Pow Block is Boss Rush Media’s Nintendo Podcast. Each week, Edward, Corey, and their friends from around the internet come together to talk about the week that was in the world of Nintendo, including news, rumors, games, fun facts, and more, including fan favorite segments like Snacktendo, Playing with Power, Game Fact Advance, and Question Block. Look for the question thread in the community Discord.
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