The Forest Temple frightened me as a child. Before entering it, two Wolfos with glowing eyes appeared from nowhere and scared me quite a lot, though I soon learned that they were pretty harmless. But then, when I came to the dungeon’s main room, I learned that the place was haunted by four Poe Sisters. All of that, combined with the spooky background music, lead me to the decision that the Forest Temple had to be cleared later when I was feeling a bit more courageous.
And it took me some time before I came back. When I eventually did, I didn’t really enter the Forest Temple until the music sounded less intimidating to me. I simply stood there, a safe distance away from the Wolfos, listening to and watching my surroundings. There was a sense of stillness just outside the dungeon’s entrance. And that moment is perfectly captured by Tom Garden in the digital painting seen below.
In this painting, we see Link reaching the first of six dungeons after his seven-year long slumber. After passing through a maze filled with Moblins carrying sharp spears, ready to strike Link down the moment he’s in their vision, the Hero of Time gets a moment to slow down, perhaps wonder what awaits him next and exchange a few words with his fairy companion, Navi. That is, before Link steps closer to the Forest Temple’s entrance and the two Wolfos appear.
This painting is so rich with all its shades of green and has details so fine that I can almost smell the lush trees and imagine morning dew sitting on every single leaf. Tom has done a tremendous job at capturing the beauty of stumbling across the Forest Temple while still keeping elements of, not exactly danger, but spookiness. The spot outside the Forest Temple is calm and beautiful with all its trees, and the sunlight is just peeking through the branches. But the plants are growing wild and the temple has not been taken care of for… let’s say a very long time. And the tree that Link is leaning against may look alive and thriving next to his hand, but looks rather dead higher up. The Forest Temple is beautiful on the outside, but Link will soon learn that the place is haunted, to say the least.
If you want to see more of Tom Garden’s art, I suggest reading this column by my fellow writer Zac about a piece Tom drew of the Water Temple, or go directly to Tom’s website. Tom has made several concept arts based on moments and places in Ocarina of Time and they’re all filled to the brim with details, just like the one you saw here. And who knows, perhaps they will remind you of a sweet memory from the game or a frightening one too? I hope they will make you think of both.
