Ocarina of Time Hall of Fallen Foes: Unlock and Rematches

The 3DS Ocarina of Time let you fight bosses again from your bed in Link's house. The Switch 2 remake keeps the bed and drops the house: the rematch mode now lives in the Hall of Fallen Foes, a dream-world room full of statues, hosted by Kaepora Gaebora. It has been out for three days as I write this, and the first question people will type is how to get in.

Everything below comes from Zelda Wiki's pages on the released game and the 3DS mode, plus one sentence from Nintendo. I have not played the remake, so this is a read of the documentation and not a tested walkthrough. Where Zelda Wiki's own pages say slightly different things, I say so. For the release date, price and the rest of the change list, see our Ocarina of Time Switch 2 remake guide; this post stays on one feature.

The short version

How you get in

Zelda Wiki's page on the remake gives the unlock in two steps. First you have to reach the Adult era for the first time. Then you return to Kakariko Village in the Child era and meet Kaepora Gaebora. After that, Link can enter the Hall in either era by resting in a bed or a sleeping roll.

The Hall of Fallen Foes page words the entry slightly differently: it says the Hall is reached by resting at glowing green carpets found around Hyrule. Beds and sleeping rolls are documented on the remake page, carpets on the Hall page, and I do not know whether the carpets are a separate entry point or a different description of the same one. If you are standing in a bed and nothing happens, check whether you have done the Kakariko meeting yet.

I could not check the unlock against the game itself, so treat the exact trigger as unconfirmed (more under "What is still unconfirmed"). On the 3DS, the rematch mode opened after the Forest Temple and a talk with Sheik.

What the statues do

The Hall holds statues of enemies you have defeated. Inspecting one shows a description of the enemy and where it can be found, per Zelda Wiki. Statues of defeated bosses add a second function: interact with one to rematch the boss, with a timer recording how quickly you win. The boss statue description also lists items that are useful against that boss.

Nintendo's own screenshot of a King Dodongo rematch shows what that looks like: a running timer at the top (00:18.20 in this frame), four hearts and a Bomb count of 10 on the ZR item slot. Zelda Wiki's boss list gives Bomb as the useful item for King Dodongo, which matches the screenshot. For the other nine boss statues, the wiki's item column was empty when I read it on November 8, so I cannot tell you the recommended items for them.

Zelda Wiki also keeps a separate list of the enemy statues, which I have not checked against the game itself.

The ten boss statues

Zelda Wiki's boss-statue table lists ten. The locations below follow where each boss is fought in the base game.

For fight strategies, our Ocarina of Time boss guide covers the N64 and 3DS versions of each. Zelda Wiki says each boss statue's description also lists useful items.

Gauntlets and the proof in your house

Zelda Wiki's remake page says several boss gauntlet challenges are available. In those, Link has a limited number of Hearts and items, and earns Rupees that can be spent on upgrades to help in the challenge. After you clear a gauntlet, Kaepora Gaebora delivers proof of your effort to Link's house in Kokiri Forest.

That is all the wiki says. I could not find how many gauntlets there are, which bosses are in each, how many Hearts you get, what the upgrades cost, or what the proof is. Those details are the part to check once players report back.

Hall of Fallen Foes vs 3DS Boss Challenge

Zelda Wiki says the gauntlets effectively replace the 3DS Boss Challenge. Putting that mode's page next to the Hall page gives this comparison:

The 3DS side of that table is covered in more depth in our 3D vs N64 breakdown. The notable change is the final fight: the 3DS mode excluded it, and the remake's boss table does not. I would still treat that as something to confirm in the game, since a statue in the table is not the same as a verified rematch.

The Master Quest row matters because the 3DS Boss Challenge had a double-damage Master Quest variant. Zelda Wiki and Nintendo document no Master Quest mode in the remake, as the remake overview notes.

What is still unconfirmed

• The exact unlock. The Kakariko meeting is documented only on Zelda Wiki. Nintendo's launch post says only that you can challenge powerful enemies again in the Hall of Fallen Foes.
• Bed versus carpet. Two Zelda Wiki pages describe the entrance differently (beds and sleeping rolls versus glowing green carpets).
• Mini-bosses. The remake page says bosses and mini-bosses can be rematched, but the Hall page's boss table lists only the ten above. I do not know which mini-bosses count or whether any get a rematch statue.
• Gauntlet specifics, as above.
• Zelda Notes. Zelda Wiki lists Hall of Fallen Foes as one of the ZELDA NOTES features for this game, without saying what the app shows for it.

Quick Action Checklist

• Reach Adult Link once, then return to Kakariko Village as a child and speak to Kaepora Gaebora.
• Rest in a bed or sleeping roll to enter the Hall; look for glowing green carpets too.
• Interact with a boss statue to rematch it; your clear time is recorded.
• Resources and deaths in the Hall carry no consequences, per Zelda Wiki.
• Look for the gauntlet challenges, and expect Rupee upgrades and limited Hearts.
• Do not expect a Master Quest variant.
• Treat our older boss walkthroughs as N64 and 3DS guides; the remake may differ.