Ice

Ice is a recurring theme in The Legend of Zelda series. Most commonly it is an obstacle for Link to overcome.

A Link to the Past
Historically, A Link to the Past is the first game in the series to show ice. Its presence is in the ninth dungeon, Ice Palace; ice acts as a slippy terrain, making Link's navigation more difficult than usual (not only when solving puzzles or beating obstacles, but also when confronting enemies). After the dungeon, however, the only part that shows ice is a room in Ganon's Tower, where the young hero has a rematch with the Armos he fought in Eastern Palace.

Ocarina of Time
Though Ocarina of Time does not have a main ice dungeon (one was considered during development), it does have the mini-dungeon Ice Cavern. In addition to the traditional slippy ice, the dungeon also has an unnatural red, crystalline variation that can only be melted with Blue Fire; in addition, several local enemies are capable of freezing the young hero with their own ice. Later in the game, however, Link can acquire Ice Arrows to use them as a weapon against enemies.

Majora's Mask
With the absence of a full icy region in Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past, Majora's Mask has the northern mountains of Termina as a main source of cold. Interestingly, with the exception of ice-made walls that block ways, ice as an obstacle is a rarity, even in the local dungeon (Snowhead Temple). The rest of Snowhead is cold because of the snow.

In the Great Bay Temple, Link can use the Ice Arrows to create icebergs that help him cross bodies of water, freeze enemies to use them as walkable ice blocks, and freeze sources of water. In fact, the item is exploited better in this game than in Ocarina of Time.

The Wind Waker
The only island in The Wind Waker to sport ice is the Ice Ring Isle. Link's objective is to find its treasure in five minutes, and he does so while crossing very slippy icebergs and even sliding through an ice-made half pipe. As in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, Ice Arrows make a presence in this game as well, and it's capable of cooling lava for a time.

Twilight Princess
In Twilight Princess, ice has a predominant role in the region of Snowpeak. There is even a track Link must travel while sliding with a giant frozen leaf; ice can only be beaten by the Ball and Chain, due to the absence of Fire Arrows. For that matter, Ice Arrows are absent in the game as well.

Phantom Hourglass
The coldest place in the World of the Ocean King is the Isle of Frost. However, ice itself only appears in the Temple of Ice, where the floor is harder to walk through due to the low temperature. There are almost no ice-based enemies in the game, however, although Gleeok (the local boss) has ice powers along with fire ones.

Spirit Tracks
Scope-wise, Spirit Tracks has the second-largest icy region in the series (only short of Holodrum when in winter). Ice now serves as a primary obstacle in the Snow Temple, Snowdrift Station and Slippery Station, and ice-based enemies play a notable role for the first time since Twilight Princess. Ice can also be purchased in Wellspring Station and delivered to the Papuchia and Goron Villages.