LoZ:OoT's Forest Temple

Icalasari

Shadow Temple was nothing Forest Temple still gives me the creeps

MadassAlex

I agree. That temple... -_-

Waltzy

ooh-whey, uh-whey, hu-ehy, ooh-wheh, OOH-WHEY, HU-WHEH, eh-wheh, hu-wheh

It always sounded like Link's voice in the background.

The only part I found really creepy though was all the Wallmasters.

Bee

Yeah the fact that it was the first place you saw those bastards didn't help.

MadassAlex

ooh-whey, uh-whey, hu-ehy, ooh-wheh, OOH-WHEY, HU-WHEH, eh-wheh, hu-wheh

---

WHY WOULD YOU

Waltzy

Hey it was a bitch to write the onomatopoeia for that! :[

Saigyouji

When I first played OoT, I spent ages wandering around the Forest Temple because I didn't notice the tiny dark alcove with a ladder in it,

MadassAlex

^^ Yes, but now I hear it in my head and it's 4:45 AM and dark outside and my sword is blunt and aajhfhsgakdasda

Forest Temple is creepiest temple, especially when you consider the environment in and around it.

Saigyouji

And then Alex was eaten by poes.

Waltzy

Yeah, and then just imagining poor Saria dying in such a place. DX

MadassAlex

Consider this, though: the Forest Temple is a fortress. This raises the question of what it was trying to defend. As we know, it sits somewhere on the edge of Hyrule, so there are no Hylian lands to block off from enemies, at least not given the approach to the Temple as we know it. There's no artifacts, either, nor technologies or resources or anything of the sort. My best guess? It was like Helm's Deep in LotR; a safeguard for people in their hour of desperation.

Consider the defenses. A single stairway, looked upon by battlements and towers. An exterior maze. The need to pass through an enchanted wood to get there. Obviously, these defenses were extremely strong, yet they still fell to violence. We know because the stone architecture has crumbled, but carpets, paintings and technology still remain in workable condition. After all the blood has been eaten by mould or licked off the stone by monsters, those inanimate objects remain untouched, of no interest to the aggressors who only sought to end the people inside.

Who are the Poes? Bitter defenders, remnants of the attackers or someone else entirely? And the monsters? Natural inhabitants after the many years of deathly peace, or imposed upon the place after is destruction? There's always the possibility that the monsters and Poes are the soul remnants of the defenders, whom you must destroy once more.

That's why the Forest Temple is creepy. Not just because of ooh-whey uh-whey, but because it was, by generous standards, the site of a battle. Otherwise, it was the site of a slaughter. Either way, the defenders were at their final stronghold and final hope with nowhere to run but into the treacherous woods. Perhaps the singing is a song echo from the past.

Counterclock

Actually, if you think about it, we already know the force responsible for laying waste to the temple,

I.E. The force you meet within the temple is Ganondorf's spirit, Once he finally started his crusade, perhaps it was used as a "Helm's Deep" if you will.

So it's very plausible those poes you meet were the very soldiers you passed by as a child.

MadassAlex

On the other hand, the temple is already ruined once you go there as a child. Ganondorf probably placed his power there to prevent it from being used by the Sages, which would've been easy given its abandonment.

Saigyouji

^^ Except the Forest Temple poes are female.

Counterclock

Now you got me thinking about all the other temples >_>

Like the Water temple...

Counterclock

Besides which, that bow in the temple seemed fairy new ^_^

MadassAlex

I've had a bit of a think about them, but none are so clear or creepy as the Forest Temple.

Ooh-whey uh-whey... ._.;

And yeah, but it was a fairy bow and therefore at least somewhat magical. Or perhaps it was Saria's when she went in?

Counterclock

I think you're absolutely right in all of your opinions and I support you 100%

MadassAlex

noooo bad clocky bad clocky

Counterclock

It was most likely Sarias, which proves at the very least she didn't go in without a weapon.

MadassAlex

^^^ goddamnit ooh-whey uh-whey

Counterclock

MadassAlex

That's better.

uh, I mean, ooh-whey

InsanityAddict

Bottom of the Well was worse than both the Forest & Shadow Temple.

Icalasari

^ Eh, I can handle the bottom of the well as well. It isn't that creepy to me (Heck, even when I was a kid it didn't bother me)

nohaynicklibre

I hated the bottom of the well because it made me wanna pee with it contast dripping sound

InsanityAddict

It wasn't so much atmosphere as well as invisible pits before you have the Lens of Truth in combination with Redead below. It's tense, not scary.