Stone Tower Temple

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The Stone Tower Temple is the fourth Dungeon in Majora's Mask.[1]

Entrance to the Temple

The Dungeon is at the top of the Stone Tower in Ikana Canyon. Link can access this Temple after learning the "Elegy of Emptiness", which invokes lifeless clones of Link so that slacked switches can be pressed and held. This is the only way to activate the platforms that allow the young hero to make his way to the top, where the lifeless clones are needed again to gain access to the entrance itself.

Themes and Navigation

Unlike the other three Dungeons in the game, the Stone Tower Temple requires the use of all four of Link's forms: Hylian, Deku, Goron, and Zora. This Dungeon is also unique in the fact that, thematically, it does not reflect the current situation of the region of Termina where it is located. Ikana Canyon is experiencing a dark age because of the rise of spectra, undead creatures and other beasts; in contrast, Stone Tower Temple does not even show the depressing atmosphere like the outside conditions. Instead, it is a light-themed Dungeon that features a potpourri of other elements, including fire, water, and even sky.

The first room of the Temple in its inverted state

Hylian Link is useful to solve puzzles pertaining to light, as he is the only form that can use the Mirror Shield. Nearly midway through the Dungeon, he will encounter the Garo Master, whose defeat will grant him the Light Arrows. These mystical Arrows can be used to turn the Dungeon, and the whole of Stone Tower, upside down, by firing one into the Red Emblem fastened to the wall just outside of Stone Tower Temple.[2] Each room flips on its own, so for example, the rooms on the east side of the temple remain on the east side. Other than that, the Light Arrows are also used to twist some rooms, as well as to defeat certain enemies whose weak points are evidently marked by emblems not unlike that of the Temple's entrance. They are also used to remove Sun Blocks that can only otherwise be dealt with with the Mirror Shield, and even then there needs to be a light source.

As for the other forms, Goron Link is useful to cross lava rooms, and his brute force will also be called for use. Zora Link needs to swim through a large body of water, and while Deku Link is already required to fly through a chasm prior to the Garo Master's room, he becomes entirely vital when the Temple is upside down, as most of the rooms will turn into large chasms due to the new position of the sky. The young hero's alternate forms also come into play in rooms where the "Elegy of Emptiness" is used to press slacked switches. The Boss Key is guarded by Gomess, who can only be defeated with Light Arrows and then the Sword. A corridor containing a tougher than usual Eyegore is found on the way, and Link must defeat this Eyegore to continue. The creature's defeat reveals a chest containing the Giant's Mask. Once this is obtained, Link can continue until the boss room is reached. Inside the room, he will find himself in a desert, which is the home of the temple's boss, Twinmold. Defeating Twinmold yields a Heart Container and the final quest mask, Twinmold's Remains.

If Link collects all 15 Stray Fairies, he will be rewarded with the Great Fairy's Sword, a powerful blade just like the Biggoron's Sword.

In Majora's Mask 3D, the Giant's Mask is not obtained after defeating the second Eyegore. Instead, it is obtained during the fight with Twinmold.

Minor Enemies

Upright
Majora's MaskMajora's Mask 3D
Inverted
Majora's MaskMajora's Mask 3D

Trivia

  • It is possible to complete the Stone Tower Temple before starting the Great Bay Temple by reaching the top of Ikana Canyon without the Ice Arrow. In the Nintendo 64 version, this requires a precise Hookshot shot to cross the river without freezing the Octoroks. In Ocarina of Time 3D, the Hookshot method is no longer possible, but Link can now cross the river by using a bomb to fling himself across.
  • It is possible to finish the Stone Tower Temple by using the same small keys twice if the Song of Time is played after getting the Light Arrows.
  • When the Dungeon is flipped upside, the room is not rotated unlike outside of the Dungeon and the single rooms inside that must be flipped on their own.
  • The Stone Tower Temple shares some design elements with the Desert Palace from A Link to the Past, as the Dungeons are located in similar environments, have near-identical bosses, and share architectural features like entrances disguised as the mouths of giant statues.
  • In the dark room with the Armos statues below the area that branches off to the halls containing a Death Armos squad, there are two Armos Statues that cannot be moved, yet moving near one makes the "Grab" command appear.
  • In the entrance room, the green vortex graphical effect from the boss room warp pad is mistakenly left visible in the sky. This was fixed in the 3DS version
  • There is a large statue within the Temple that, when flipped, resembles Majora's Mask.
  • In the water room on the eastern wing it is possible to get a Stray Fairy using the Ice Arrows.
  • The Stone Tower Temple was designed by Shinichi Ikematsu.[3]

Nomenclature

ZW Nomenclature Asset.png Names in Other Regions ZW Nomenclature Asset 2.png
LanguageNamesMeanings
Japan
Japanese
ロックビルの神殿 (Rokku Biru no Shinden) (MM)[6]Rock Building Temple
The Federal Republic of Germany
German
Felsenturm Tempel (MM)[7]Rock Tower Temple
The Italian Republic
Italian
  • Tempio della Fortezza di pietra (MM)[4]
  • Tempio della fortezza di pietra (MM3D)[5]
  • Stone fortress Temple
  • Stone fortress temple
This table was generated using translation pages.
To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery

  • Map of Stone Tower Temple

    Map of Stone Tower Temple

  • Map of Stone Tower Temple inverted

    Map of Stone Tower Temple inverted

  • Courtyard

    Courtyard

  • A Sun Block and an open treasure chest

    A Sun Block and an open treasure chest

  • A bridge connecting the foyer with the boss room in the inverted Temple

    A bridge connecting the foyer with the boss room in the inverted Temple

  • The courtyard after inverting the Temple

    The courtyard after inverting the Temple

  • A room that must be flipped over repeatedly to progress

    A room that must be flipped over repeatedly to progress

  • A similar room with a puzzle involving a block and a switch

    A similar room with a puzzle involving a block and a switch

  • The possible Majora idol with certain structures outlined to highlight the shape of the Mask

    The possible Majora idol with certain structures outlined to highlight the shape of the Mask

References

  1. ↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 150
  2. ↑ "To think I could be defeated... Although my rival, you were spectacular. I shall take my bow by opening my heart and revealing my wisdom... If you shoot that which releases the sacred golden light into the blood-stained, red emblem outside the temple... it shall rearrange things, in which the earth is born in the heavens and the moon is born on the earth. Do not forget these words... Die I shall, leaving no corpse. That is the law of us Garo." — Garo Master (Majora's Mask)
  3. ↑ Majora's Mask Staff Survey (The 64 Dream #46) (web archive), Good Blood, retrieved December 6, 2023.
  4. ↑ Enciclopedia di Hyrule, Magazzini Salani, pg. 246
  5. ↑ "Metti in salvo le fate sperdute intrappolate nel tempio della fortezza di pietra e riportale qui!" — Great Fairy of Kindness (Majora's Mask 3D, Italian localization)
  6. ↑ "ロックビルの神殿" — Game Screen (Majora's Mask, Japanese localization)
  7. ↑ Offizieller Spieleberater: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Nintendo of Europe, pg. 70
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