Why do people hate water levels?

[Wolf Kanno]

I don't know what people are referring to, but I'll say poor swimming controls are a big factor. Combine that with the overused gameplay features of limited oxygen and only being able to access certain surfacing points and you have a recipe for not fun.

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I think the bigger issue is that water levels tend to involve a change in controls and if they are not prevalent enough, then they are a hassle because you're learning a set of controls for one level/location/ section of a game so it can be a bit upsetting to get your groove screwed over. I know that's why I hate Atlantica in KH1 for instance.

It never helps that these scenarios are generally more realistic about things, i.e. you're slow and your movement is limited, everything trying to kill you is in its natural environment and can move in ridiculous directions because they have better maneuverability. Not to mention these stages also tend to have rules you never had to deal with like keeping oxygen levels up.

For Zelda games, the real issue with Water Temples is that most of them involve long-winded switch puzzles where you have to remember multiple elements just to get out of the dungeon and it's easy to hit the wrong switch and force yourself to start the whole puzzle over again. I feel the reason why the Water Temple in Skyward Sword is my favorite is precisely because it's not this style of dungeon (that would be the Time Factory in the Desert) so I feel it has more to do with that.