The first time that Link visits the Forest Temple in Ocarina of Time, he is unable to step foot within the ancient, ivy-covered citadel. Nestled deep within the Lost Woods, the Forest Temple’s entrance offers a place of solitude for Saria, who sits beneath the crumbling stairway playing her eponymous song on an ocarina. The lofty tree branch and broken staircase prove impassable for the youthful hero at that point in his journey. It would not be until seven years that Link would enter the Forest Temple and venture through one of the most atmospheric dungeons in The Legend of Zelda series. Every aesthetic element comes together to make the Forest Temple so memorable, but maybe most of all is its musical track that is as beautiful as it is haunting.
The theme for Ocarina of Time’s Forest Temple has several different sounds at work, beginning first with that rattle-like noise whose tempo rises sharply and then falls into a near hush all within a second or two. The percussive cadence echoes throughout the interior before seemingly being swallowed up by one of the stygian chambers. The rattle is soon joined by a series of ghostly rings and hums, their pitch distorted as they linger within the air well after first emanating from a murky corner of the temple.
Sharp whistles gracefully enter the melody, lancing through all other sounds to be heard most keenly. Indistinct chants are uttered in the background — the ghostly vocalizations of mysterious, unidentifiable beings. But even these sounds eventually fade away down the lengths of shadowy hallways. For a brief duration then, only the eerie rattle continues.
A fully orchestrated effort was not necessary in 1998 for the Forest Temple’s music track to captivate those who played Ocarina of Time. Its arrangement of such distinct noises and the emphasis on reverberation transcend sound quality. An 8-bit version by Megastaw and a 16-bit version by Patricio Herrera featured below are testaments to why the Forest Temple’s theme has stayed with The Legend of Zelda fans even 21 years after they first listened to it.
