What do YOU think? Top 3 3D Zelda Temples

February 7th, 2010 Posted in Features, Posted by Austin

[flashvideo file=http://www.nintendoeverything.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Top3ZeldaTemples956.flv /]

For those of you that aren’t able to watch, or don’t feel like watching a video, I’ve written up a brief “script” of it so you won’t be left in the dark!

Top 3 3D Zelda Dungeons

There are more than 50 dungeons in the Legend of Zelda series, and it’s hard to think of one that’s really not fun to play. No, the water temple doesn’t count. Out of those 50 temples, there are a select few that people will consider just a step above the rest, and for me there are three that really stand out when it comes to this; the Great Bay Temple, the Lakebed Temple, and the Stone Tower Temple. Each one has its own upsides and downsides (the Stone Tower Temple especially!) but overall they really show how the great Zelda dungeons are separated from the good, so without further ado, here are my personal top 3 temples from the Legend of Zelda series.

Number 3, the Great Bay Temple

While Majora’s Mask may have been considered a low point to the Legend of Zelda series by many, it’s hard to argue that amidst its tradition breaking story and time-based gameplay, it didn’t have some of the best temples the series had to offer. One of the best temples from the game is the Great Bay temple, which offers a unique progression on many fronts. Firstly, the method of using zora link for movement through the water was a vast improvement over eqiuipping and unequipping the iron boots in Ocarina of Time, but secondly, it was arguably the hardest temple in Majora’s Mask; a game notorious for its difficulty. It had everything from atmosphere to enemy design, and it all flowed (no pun intended!) flawlessly from room to room. Following the colored pipes also added a sense of urgency since the whole temple had to be completed in 3 days. Due to this heart wrenching difficulty and an unforgiving boss battle, The Great Bay Temples clocks in at number 3.

Number 2, The Lakebed Temple

The lakebed temple in Twilight Princess is a temple that is of near-perfect design. The puzzles of directing the water throughout the entire temple were great, performing a cross-room puzzle solving style that hadn’t been in previous Zelda games. The clawshot you receive is an upgrade to one of the cooler items from past Zelda games (the hookshot), and it set the stage for the coolest item from Twilight Princess, the double clawshot. Additionally, the manner in which you get to the temple is by far my favorite from any Zelda game, traveling deep to the bottom of a massive lake and blowing open the entrance. As far as I’m concerned, the entire area of Lake Hylia from Twilight Princess is arguably the most beautiful location in any Zelda game, 2D or 3D. Lastly, the entire experience is topped off with a fantastic, massive boss that not only pushed the limits of the gamecube, but pushed the limits for the Zelda series in general by providing the biggest boss yet and an epic finish to a puzzling temple.

Number 1, The Stone Tower Temple

Another temple from Majora’s Mask, The Stone Tower Temple is one of the most innovative temples in the entire Zelda series, and my personal favorite dungeon of all time. The entire gimmick of the temple is that it can be flipped upside down, and it offers some amazing puzzles that are completely unique to the game. The Stone Tower Temple also offered 3 total bosses, rather than the standard 2, and it also required the player to use all 3 transformations, the zora, the deku, and the goron, to get through it. Similar to the lakebed temple, the stone tower temple also had a groundbreaking boss battle in the twin snakes, and providing yet another satisfying end to another fantastic Zelda temple.

So the question this week is which Zelda temples are your favorite? Why do you like them? Also, we’d like to know what you think about the idea for video features in the future. This week was just a short little test of the waters, but if you guys think the idea is promising I’d love to continue. Send your questions and answers to the comments sections below, and I’ll see you back here again next week.


  1. 34 Responses to “What do YOU think? Top 3 3D Zelda Temples”

  2. By Hejiru on Feb 7, 2010

    Water Temple. *shot to death*
    just kidding :p

  3. User avatar

    By Valay on Feb 7, 2010

    My favorite 3D Zelda dungeon is probably the Sky City from Twilight Princess. Amazing boss, loved the additional clawshot, and I liked the design in general.

  4. By Reginald on Feb 7, 2010

    The only thing I’d change for my own list is having the Shadow Temple at 3.

  5. By bob on Feb 7, 2010

    idk what my fav is. but i liked the temple of time from tp. oh and btw you should do more of these vids, it was a fun watch!! :D

  6. By umb on Feb 7, 2010

    I personally loved the Great Bay Temple, but am I the only one who thinks it was a tad bit too easy compared to the other 3 brutal dungeons in Mojora’s Mask.

  7. By MIZ on Feb 8, 2010

    I like the video features idea, would be nice ot see more :)

  8. By Zack on Feb 8, 2010

    Like the video features idea as well,

    and I agree with Valay about the Sky Temple in TP. I felt like Link was kinda like Spider-Man xD

  9. By Ryan on Feb 8, 2010

    Sky Temple from Twilight Princess definitely is one of the most fun I’ve had in any Zelda dungeon. Plus the boss battle was as epic as Zelda dungeon bosses get.

  10. By Sleexus on Feb 8, 2010

    Great video! The Lakebed Temple is near perfection, no doubt. I would love seing more videos like this! :)

  11. By Alex Lannon on Feb 8, 2010

    Video features would be awesome, and as far as favorite temple go, the Snow temple from Twilight was a lot of fun, simply because it was not a traditional temple. It felt… weird and kind of laid back.

  12. By thomas on Feb 8, 2010

    Does anyone know if the (PAL) Virtual Console version of Majora’s Mask is glitch free? I really need to play the only 3D Zelda I’ve got left to beat.

  13. By opiumx on Feb 8, 2010

    @Thomas

    The NTSC one plays fine so far, I have gotten half way through it. I think thats why they took so long to release it, cause of the glitches like with the gamecube version. Definitely worth the purchase.

  14. User avatar

    By Patrick on Feb 8, 2010

    I never played far enough in Majora’s Mask to get to the Great Bay or the Stone Tower temples, but my favourite dungeon in the whole series was the Forest Temple from Ocarina of Time.

  15. By Ryan on Feb 8, 2010

    Well I agree with the number one choice! Majora’s Mask is my favourite zelda title, and I’ve always loved the stone tower temple. It was tough to get through the first time, and I really like the music :P
    (Oh geez, we have another Ryan on the site…I’ve lost my individuality :P hahaha)

  16. By Jason on Feb 9, 2010

    I agree with the lakebed temple being one of the best, however my personal favorites are the Forest and Spirit temples from OOT as well as Snowpeak from TP, the idea of making a house a temple for me is just great.

  17. By TommieV on Feb 9, 2010

    Like the review, don’t talk too fast tho! You can pause sometimes. And stuff. Would be nice if some of the video also illustrates the points (I couldn’t remember the pipes in the water bay temple and I didn’t see them in your vid).
    Stone tower temple has awesome music but I found it too hard… I always liked the stuff with the gerudo’s, but I guess that isn’t an official temple. Majora’s mask is definitely one of the best Zelda games, I wonder why it was welcomed so badly…

  18. By Dorkmaster Flek on Feb 9, 2010

    Pretty much any dungeon from Majora’s Mask. I don’t know why anyone would consider that a low point in the Zelda series. It was a little odd at first glance, sure, with the time-based game design. It also only had a measly 4 dungeons, but damn if those four dungeons weren’t some of the best dungeons ever in a Zelda game!

  19. By chris on Feb 9, 2010

    You mentioned that Majora’s mask didn’t have many good temples, yet 2/3 of the list is from the very same game, and spans half of the actual dungeons in the game. It may considered a low point by many, but it’s not a shared feeling among the majority ;p

  20. By Brian on Feb 9, 2010

    Two from Majora’s Mask and one from Twilight Princess?! How old are you? 18?! What happened to Ocarina of Time, or god forbid A Link to the Past? What about the Fire Temple or the Swamp Dungeon? Dude, do your homework.

  21. By Zous on Feb 9, 2010

    Definitely the snow temple from TP. Not necessarily for the design of the rooms as much as for the feel of it. I mean, a yeti’s mansion? I’ll never forget it.

    Also, the Spirit Temple from OoT, just because it was more of what I wish the Temple of Time would’ve been in TP. Visiting it in multiple time periods. Extend that idea to traveling from time to time within the temple itself to solve puzzles would be awesome.

    That being said, the three you listed are definitely the pinnacle of temple design itself.

  22. By Joey on Feb 9, 2010

    I gotta say that the Forest Temple in Ocarina of Time really set the tone for the second half of that game. I also loved the Spirit Temple.

    Also, I totally agree that while Majora’s Mask wasn’t nearly as epic as OoT or TP, along with LttP, the dungeon design simply took the game to a new level. Not to mention the elaborate side-quests!

  23. By biggestdave on Feb 9, 2010

    Wasnt twilight princess for wii not game cube ?

  24. By Lenna on Feb 9, 2010

    @biggestdave- There was a version for gamecube too, just kind of flipped.

    I think my favorite 3D temple was the Forest Temple from Ocarina of Time. It just looked like how a temple ought to look, in my head. :p

  25. By Oogie Bee on Feb 9, 2010

    Majora’s mask is by far my favorite zelda game. Mostly due to the side quests and the difficulty. I think the people who didn’t like it are likely the people who couldn’t beat it.

    My top zelda dungeons would be the same.

    @Joey: Sorry but watching the world end if you f*** up is pretty damn epic.

  26. By Joey on Feb 9, 2010

    @Oogie Bee – fair enough!

  27. By Nathan on Feb 10, 2010

    Did none of you play Ocarina of Time? The last temple, in Gerudo valley, the Spirit Temple required you to be young link and adult link. It also had the awesome reflection shield that had some twisty puzzles to it. The boss battle with the twin witches was epic and comical.

  28. By Gordon on Feb 10, 2010

    Great timing for this article, as I just finished Majora’s Mask a few days ago. I definitely have to agree with you on the top three as being great dungeons. I feel like a Wind Waker dungeon should have made the list though…

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  30. By foursword on Apr 19, 2010

    Wind Waker had some great dungeons. And, could you do a list of the worst dungeons? <(")

  31. By Bigred on Apr 20, 2010

    My top three would be….
    3. The sky temple from TP
    2. The spirit temple from OoT
    1. The great bay temple from MM

  32. By matt on Apr 30, 2010

    1.Ice Temple Ruins TP
    2.Forest Temple OOT
    3.Spirit Temple OOT

  33. By Zelda Glitches on Jul 2, 2010

    I’d say shadow temple 3, great bay 2, and stone tower 1. Oh and i’d give honorable mention to ganons tower in twilight princess for being exciting to explore lol

  34. By true religion on Aug 31, 2010

    1.Ice Temple Ruins TP
    2.Forest Temple OOT
    3.Spirit Temple OOT

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