The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time #2 - Lake Hylia
Lake Hylia - Information
Lake Hylia is a recurring location in The Legend of Zelda series. It is the largest body of water in Hyrule and is commonly guarded by the Zora people. Lake Hylia is usually home to an underwater temple that is guarded by the Zoras. Lake Hylia goes unnamed in The Adventure of Link and BS The Legend of Zelda.
In Ocarina of Time, Lake Hylia is located in the southern region of Hyrule and is home to the sunken Water Temple, which is used by the Zoras to worship the water spirits. The lake is made up of various islands, with the largest one bearing a lone tree as well as the pedestal that serves as the warp point for the "Serenade of Water." It is connected to Hyrule Field and has an underwater tunnel that serves as a shortcut to Zora's Domain, although it is blocked by ice once Link turns into an adult. All of the lake's water comes from Zora's Fountain, passing through Zora's River, then Gerudo Valley, and eventually reaching Lake Hylia. As such, it is possible to reach the lake by floating down the river from Gerudo Valley. Also on the shore of Lake Hylia are two Scarecrows named Pierre and Bonooru, the latter of which helps Link obtain the Scarecrow's Song. Other notable features of Lake Hylia include the Lakeside Laboratory, where various experiments are conducted to discover the lake's mysteries, and the Fishing Pond, where Link can fish for an unlimited time for just 20 Rupees.
Link first visits the lake as a child while looking for Princess Ruto, where he finds Ruto's Letter encased in a bottle at the bottom of the lake. Later, after the young hero turns into an adult by pulling the Master Sword from its pedestal, Link returns to find the lake almost drained of its rich waters. He discovers that the lake has been drained as a result of Morpha's curse. With the help of Princess Ruto, Link sinks to the bottom of Lake Hylia using the Iron Boots and the Zora Tunic to reach the Water Temple and defeat Morpha. Once Ruto awakens as the Sage of Water, the lake is filled with water again, returning it to its normal state. Furthermore, Link can stand on a stone tablet above the Water Temple's entrance and shoot an arrow at the sun as it rises to have the Fire Arrows appear on the small, lone island.
1. Fishing Hole, Lake Hylia
The Fishing Holes, also known as the Fishing Ponds, are recurring locations in The Legend of Zelda series. They usually consist of a small, secluded areas in which Link, for a small fee, is allowed to roam freely and fish wherever he wants. The Fishing Holes are usually home to a variety of prizes that Link can receive by catching a record-size fish.
In Ocarina of Time, the Fishing Pond is located in a small island of Lake Hylia. The pond is open at any time, and for the price of 20 Rupees, the Fishing Hole Man hands Link a Fishing Rod, allowing him to fish for an unlimited time. Every time Link catches a fish, he will be asked whether he wants to keep it or not, as he can only keep one fish at a time. Any fish that he shows to the Fishing Hole Man will be weighed and, if it breaks the current record, it will be kept inside a fish tank near the entrance which shows its size and the name of the angler.
Along with having the fish displayed, Link will also be rewarded with prizes depending on whether he is a child or an adult. If he catches a fish that surpasses the current record by at least four pounds, he will be given a Piece of Heart as a child and the Golden Scale as an adult. However, Link can only use the regular lure to catch fish, since Sinking Lures are prohibited and will grant the Fishing Pond owner the right to deny Link a prize. Because of this, the Sinking Lure does not appear in the past until Link has obtained the Piece of Heart, and it will not appear in the future until the Golden Scale is obtained.[verification needed] The fish will still be put inside the fish tank, but it will include a note stating the illegal use of the Sinking Lure.
The size of the fish that Link can catch varies depending on the time period. Once he returns to the Fishing Hole as an adult, the fish will all have grown. The biggest fish Link can catch as child and adult is the Hyrule Loach. When caught, the Fishing Hole Man will reward Link with 50 Rupees, although it will be released afterwards as it is an endangered species. The biggest normal fish Link can caught is located in the middle of the pond, near a tree trunk sticking out of the water.
There are four rules posted in a sign near the pond, all of which can be easily broken without causing Link to get kicked out.
- No Sinking Lures
- No littering
- No running
- No casting at anyone
2. Lakeside Laboratory, Lake Hylia
The Lakeside Laboratory is a location in Ocarina of Time. Located in the shores of Lake Hylia, it is home to a Lake Scientist who tries to resolve the lake's many mysteries.
Inside the laboratory, Link can find the Lake Scientist's experiments as well as a pool. Link can dive in the pool so the scientist tells him how many meters he dove. If Link possesses the Golden Scale, he can dive to the bottom of the pool and touch the floor to receive a Piece of Heart from the scientist as a reward for his excellent diving skills. Link can also find a Golden Skulltula hidden inside the crate at the bottom of the pool. Moreover, there is a cage where a motionless shark is imprisoned. There are also two glass aquariums on the desk behind the scientist, one of which holds two shrimp-like creatures, and another that holds a small octopus-like creature. In Ocarina of Time 3D, there is a frozen Octorok instead.
There is a patch of soft soil outside the laboratory where Link can plant a Magic Bean, enabling access to the roof. The roof can also be accessed by using the "Scarecrow's Song." Atop the roof is a ladder that leads to a small platform that oversees Lake Hylia, where another Piece of Heart can be found.
According to a Gossip Stone, the Cucco Lady goes to the Lakeside Laboratory to study how to breed pocket-sized Cuccos.
3. Water Temple, Lake Hylia
The ancient temple lies deep under the vast Lake Hylia. Guarded by the Zoras, it is considered a sacred temple that is used to worship the water spirits. The Water Temple is accessible after the young hero finds the Iron Boots in Ice Cavern. Aided with the boots and the Hookshot, Link can access its entrance by shooting the target above the gate.
The Water Temple contains the source of the curse that has frozen Zora's Domain. Various parts of the temple require Link to go underwater for substantial amounts of time, thus necessitating the Zora Tunic (though the Water Temple can be beaten without it by an experienced and resourceful player). Its enigmatic structure consists of various floors (four in total, one of them is a basement) and requires the use of playing Zelda's Lullaby at each of the special markings on the walls that manipulate the level of water, which give Link access to various parts of the temple from the hub room. Link will need to use all of his intellectual skills and cunning survival techniques to truly conquer this temple, as puzzles and obstacles are strategically varied: From the aforementioned water level manipulation, to swimming in presence of current flows, defeating enemy groups, climbing a waterfall with descending platforms, raise and lower pillars with a switch, etc.; the young hero will also come to confront his very own doppelgänger, Dark Link in the Water Temple. After defeating Dark Link, Link will find the Longshot which, once acquired, helps Link in the search for the Boss Key and enter the lair of the aquatic boss, Morpha.
This temple is infamous to Ocarina of Time fans for its difficulty and necessity for constantly pausing the game in order to switch to the Iron Boots and back. When the game was remade for the 3DS, the temple was altered in order to be completed easily. The Iron Boots are now a click-on item, glowing markings appear on the wall to show the way, and the entire temple was made brighter.
The Water Temple makes much use of Din's Fire in the Master Quest version of the game. The Hookshot is also used more often than in the original version. The infamous "serpent-shaped" room now has Hookshot targets over the wall, making it easy to simply bunny-hop through the vortex-filled gauntlet. The map, compass, and even the Longshot are obtained very early in the dungeon. The Longshot gives access to a lot of new areas and makes most puzzles easier than before. Most rooms are blocked with gates, so puzzles must be solved to be able to access them. Boulders and most enemies are no longer found, except for two Spikes and nine completely new Stalfos. Two new features include a room with several Dodongos, plus several crates that are found throughout the dungeon.
In the GameCube version of the Master Quest, Link can complete the dungeon with an extra Small Key remaining. This is because one of the doors that Link is meant to unlock with a key unlocks itself, specifically when defeating the Stalfos prior to Dark Link and causing the dragon heads to rise. The only way to reach this door and unlock it normally is by using glitches. In Ocarina of Time 3D this glitch was fixed.
Eiji Aonuma apologized for the design of the Water Temple in a 2009 interview. Due to the confusing layout and controls for the Nintendo 64 version of Ocarina of Time, several changes were in Ocarina of Time 3D. The Iron Boots were changed into an item rather than a piece of equipment, the dungeon received glowing markings on various walls and corridors to mark where the player must go and to make changing the water level more clear, and an additional camera scene was added in the central tower of the dungeon to make the location of a commonly and easily missed Small Key more obvious.
The Forest Temple is an eerie, complex Temple filled with strange puzzles and other features designed to confuse its explorers, such as an array of Switches which have the ability to twist entire hallways in an unnatural manner, rearranging the very Dungeon, making walls become floors. It one of the few Dungeons in The Legend of Zelda series whose structure can be altered in this manner. The Dungeon's interior design is reminiscent of a mansion or castle, with portraits hanging in certain rooms and quaint red carpets decorating the floor. This is also one of the few Dungeons that has open-air elements, walled gardens are found on the east and west sides of the Dungeon, connected by two wells. Most of its rooms and corridors are covered with moss and Vines, and many hold enemies. However, most of the threats Link will encounter in this Dungeon are undead.
The Temple is also home to the four Poe Sisters that first appear by stealing the flames from four multicolored Torches in the center of the main room of the Dungeon. This becomes the primary puzzle that the Dungeon is centered around: Link must hunt down and destroy them to restore the flames and complete the Temple. The first two Sisters can be found on the upper levels of the Temple, in passageways with staircases; the third Sister appears in the eastern end of the upper levels after Link solves a jigsaw puzzle, and the final Sister returns to the Dungeon's main chamber after the other three are defeated.
The Temple's music uses a mix of haunting, eerie sounds and a slow, gentle melody driven by wind instruments. Its boss is Phantom Ganon, a ghost of Ganondorf's creation.In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest, the locations of Small Keys and Locked Doors have changed. The two Wolfos are no longer at the entrance of the Temple, but rather at the room where the first Stalfos was fought. The Stalfos now appears in a small connecting room and rewards Link with the Dungeon Map. More Skulltulas and Skullwalltulas throughout the Dungeon. The room with the Floormaster has been altered to host a single ReDead whereas the Floormaster has been moved elsewhere. There are two extra blocks in the jigsaw puzzle room, but they serve no purpose other than to obfuscate the puzzle further. The first twisted room is straightened when it is first found, and is twisted by activating a Shock Switch instead of an Eye Switch. Puzzles involving Time Blocks have been added throughout the Dungeon as well. The wells are now emptied by shooting an Eye Switch with an Arrow.
Small Keys
In the original, there are six small keys.