Here we are again. Back to explore the depths of the world of Hyrule. Filled with determination (wait...wrong game), we traverse into the cavernous deep of the Zelda dungeons. The difficulty, the puzzles, the assorted baddies and bosses, the cliffs and chasms, whatever comes between us and that glorious heart piece and triumphant fanfare. And also the harmless music, items, and story if we're daring enough, but we might need to Ooccoo back and refill on supplies before this journey is over. So let us begin.
First, let's put a generic dungeon order. Many games follow this blueprint to a point, but each one embellishes it in a way, except for a few that disregard it completely (Majora's Mask, YET AGAIN, rebels against all Zelda law to every extent). So here it is:
Forest Dungeon, there to help a player get accustomed to lore and controls and grants player the first item in the trio of magical items that end up not doing much for the player.
Fire Dungeon, there to help players get used to being on their own without the constant guidance of assorted tutorial characters and puzzles and grants player second item in the trio.
Water Dungeon, the first real dungeon. And it grants the player the last part of the trio and usually disappoints the player immensely.
The rest is where it starts changing depending on the game, but usually includes:
Creepy Nightmare Dungeon
Sand/Desert Dungeon
Spirit/Ghost Dungeon
(Or all three in the case of Arbiter's Ground)
Snow Dungeon
Time Dungeon
Castle Finale Dungeon
So that's the generic blueprint of the average roster of dungeons respective to each game. Let's get into detail, shall we? (DISCLAIMER) Of course, as always, there are opinions, and there are facts. (For example, I love the water temple, opinion. The water temple is hard beyond all reasonable belief...and has water. Fact...mostly.) So don't be offended if I do not share the same opinions as you. But I will try to make most of these facts and things I have noticed; fair comparisons, and common knowledge and belief. Thanks :) (END OF DISCLAIMER).
Ocarina of Time
This game, like I've said a dozen times, created the blueprint for the rest of the games. The blueprint above is drawn in this games handwriting if you get my meaning. But this game adds its own spice to the mix. First is the iconic Child-Adult mechanics that are used throughout the game. In the realm of dungeons, we have the Child Dungeons and Adult Dungeons. The first three dungeons are child dungeons. These are kind of the training wheel dungeons to help our little buddy Link get his footing. But don't get me wrong, these dungeons aren't as childish as they would sound at face value. The first one, Inside the Deku Tree, is pretty easy. It's very creative in story and in puzzles, and the fact that you are ridding an all-knowing tree of a Ganon-inserted parasite is slightly terrifying, especially when you find out what it looks like. Then it just get's harder from there. Dodongo Cavern was a step up in difficulty and in creativity. A Goron rock famine (also caused by Ganon) that can only be stopped by traversing a cavern infested with land dragons is a one of a kind story. The Goron's are hilarious, the Dodongos are a challenging enemy, relative to the weapons and skill you have in that part of the game, and the level design is very engaging and fun. Then there is the iconic Jabu Jabu's Belly. Very similar story to the Deku Tree, except switch tree for a fish turtle. The design is incredible and sort of disgusting. The enemies were surprisingly effective, and I had to start over an embarrassing amount of times. The only downside to this level is little Princess Ruto. I know she was a part of the puzzle structure of the dungeon, but my goodness she got on my nerves. And the boss was pretty cool looking, but not as creepy and gross of a parasite as the aforementioned Deku Tree inhibitor. (Of course, I will not go into this amount of detail for all the dungeons in all the games, but I feel the first three dungeons really reflect on the rest of the game, and I will give my personal highlights and insights on the rest of the dungeons) The Water Dungeon is one worth mentioning. It is revered as the hardest dungeon of Zelda history, and rightfully so. It uses a water level system similar to Twilight Princess' Lakebed Temple. It has endless amounts of those water skeeter things that swarm you wherever you go, and remembering the effects of the water level in every room is nearly impossible. But the puzzles are very creative and the difficulty is legendary. Other highlights are the Shadow Temple, which defines the Creepy Nightmare category. Not even horror games have given me more nightmares than that dungeon, and Ganon's Castle has many thought-provoking puzzles and creepy aesthetics. So in conclusion, this game has many dungeons, each with its own charm and personality. The child dungeons aren't very difficult, but they make up for it in fun and story. The adult dungeon counterparts are much more difficult but don't have as much charm and story. The dungeons towards the end of the game make every other dungeon look like a stroll through the park on a Sunday morning. This game not only held its ground for its own dungeons but started the trend for every game after it.
Majora's Mask
I had more to say about last game's dungeons than I thought, so hopefully, this games summary won't be as long. It only has four dungeons, which is the smallest amount in the series. But it doesn't affect the game as much as you would expect. Time is a constant throughout the entire game, so if you are not a pro, and spend hours and hours on single dungeons (like me), then you will find yourself doing the dungeons multiple times, which is the worst thing that can ever be used in a Zelda game. But completing a dungeon is like winning a million rupees. There really isn't a "tutorial" set of dungeons like in most of the games, you're just kind of thrown into it and expected to fend for yourself. The first dungeon is the one I repeated the most. It is not all that hard, but I was not used to thinking about how long I was spending on each puzzle and ended up running out of time about halfway through the dungeon. And the first dungeon is added to all the things you have to do to get out of Clock Town, which takes some of your precious time. The Snowhead Temple is not any easier. You don't have the Clock Town section, but you have a longer and harder dungeon to eat up your time. I had finally got to the last section, with only less than a day to beat it. I had hit the boss two times, and then the day reset and I had to do the whole dungeon over again. Not a happy day. The time really is the hardest part of these dungeons. But the mechanics and puzzles were very cool, and being a Goron felt awesome. The story of the Gorons in this one is not as charming and funny as the last game, but it is much deeper and intriguing. But I am taking too long on each dungeon, so let me summarize. The Great Bay Temple uses water effects like the Water Temple in the previous game, but more of it is underwater with your newly acquired Zora abilities. And the Stone Tower Temple uses the entire dungeon as one big puzzle that changes depending what you do in the individual sections. So all in all, it doesn't have a large number of puzzles, but each one stands out and gets you thinking.
The Wind Waker
These dungeons all have the Wind Waker charm and childish effects. But as we've seen in our other discussions, the level of difficulty is not as childish as it looks. The dungeons are spread out and located on their respective island. This makes each dungeon create its own persona and character that makes them more memorable and fun. Right off the bat with the crowd favorite Dragon Roost Island, we have the music and characters that stick in your memory and make it the iconic dungeon of the game. The theme is one of the best in the game and is used in reprises in a later game. It's a pretty straightforward lava dungeon. We have that "sentient giant creature/foliage gets a parasitic nightmare that Link has to go exterminate by going into the depth of the creature/creature's lair" story used in various games before and after. So not the most creative start, but it's still one of my favorite dungeons. As I said, I need to start being brief (which I am not good at) so I will go to the highlight reel. The Earth and Wind Temple's are super fun with the Command mechanic that opens a new world of puzzles. But having to play that song 8,000 times taints the fun a little bit. Forest Haven really expands the world of the cell-shaded graphics and looks absolutely stunning. The colors of the plants and the floating plant bits all over the dungeons look amazing. And the Koroks are a great addition to the Zelda world and are used again in a further game. So these dungeons stand out from the rest in the Wind Waker way.
Twilight Princess
This game has some of the coolest dungeons in the series. The way it puts its own twists in the Zelda Blueprint is something that makes them stick out in my mind. The first three dungeons are a little bland. They themselves are awesome dungeons with cool effects and stories, but it didn't broaden the horizon much for the Zelda world. It felt very similar to OOT and didn't take that many risks. But after you get the shadow things (SPOILER ALERT: They do nothing), and embark on a quest to fix a broken bathroom accessory that opens a portal to a dimension that looks like it should remain closed. This is where you get into the meat of the game. When I think of Twilight Princess dungeons, these are the ones that usually come to mind. My favorite including City in the Sky, Arbiter's Grounds, and Snow Peak Ruins. The music (which we have already discussed) makes these dungeons come alive. Many things took me by surprise, which is a rare emotion for the Zelda series. The bosses were cool, (but we'll talk more in-depth about those later), and the story was intriguing and full of quirky characters and slightly depressing backstories. Like the previous Zelda games, the graphics and mechanics haven't aged perfectly, but stories and characters never get old. And this game makes me smile no matter how many times I've played it.
Skywark Sword
As you guys know, this game is not my favorite. It has its flaws, but it has its good moments, too. These dungeons, with the new, spruced up graphics, are full of color and character. The style choice was a bold move, one I thought paid off in full. It has a roster of characters and places that made their debut in this game. It followed the Blueprint for the first few dungeons, but then tossed it aside for a more creative approach. With the sky-located hub world, the dungeons were part of an entire world of their own and felt much bigger and fuller. I was not a fan of how you needed to repeat certain dungeons multiple times. Not like Majora's Mask where it was part of the completion of that dungeon, but that these dungeons were repeated almost as filler for the game. They were different, but I would have much preferred a whole new dungeon and area for these parts of the game. But there were several dungeons that were very enjoyable and creative that stuck out in my mind like the Sand Ship and Ancient Cistern. Their style and mechanics were one-of-a-kind and unheard of till then. So this game had some rough patches, but it brought things to light that hadn't been tried before, and that is something much needed in this series, and made this game that much better.
So there you have it. This series is held up by the pillars of dungeons, and each game had something new and creative to add and contribute. If you have anything you want to discuss or share about the Zelda dungeons, don't be afraid comment what you think. Happy Adventuring! :)
~Stalfos
So that's the generic blueprint of the average roster of dungeons respective to each game. Let's get into detail, shall we? (DISCLAIMER) Of course, as always, there are opinions, and there are facts. (For example, I love the water temple, opinion. The water temple is hard beyond all reasonable belief...and has water. Fact...mostly.) So don't be offended if I do not share the same opinions as you. But I will try to make most of these facts and things I have noticed; fair comparisons, and common knowledge and belief. Thanks :) (END OF DISCLAIMER).
Ocarina of Time
This game, like I've said a dozen times, created the blueprint for the rest of the games. The blueprint above is drawn in this games handwriting if you get my meaning. But this game adds its own spice to the mix. First is the iconic Child-Adult mechanics that are used throughout the game. In the realm of dungeons, we have the Child Dungeons and Adult Dungeons. The first three dungeons are child dungeons. These are kind of the training wheel dungeons to help our little buddy Link get his footing. But don't get me wrong, these dungeons aren't as childish as they would sound at face value. The first one, Inside the Deku Tree, is pretty easy. It's very creative in story and in puzzles, and the fact that you are ridding an all-knowing tree of a Ganon-inserted parasite is slightly terrifying, especially when you find out what it looks like. Then it just get's harder from there. Dodongo Cavern was a step up in difficulty and in creativity. A Goron rock famine (also caused by Ganon) that can only be stopped by traversing a cavern infested with land dragons is a one of a kind story. The Goron's are hilarious, the Dodongos are a challenging enemy, relative to the weapons and skill you have in that part of the game, and the level design is very engaging and fun. Then there is the iconic Jabu Jabu's Belly. Very similar story to the Deku Tree, except switch tree for a fish turtle. The design is incredible and sort of disgusting. The enemies were surprisingly effective, and I had to start over an embarrassing amount of times. The only downside to this level is little Princess Ruto. I know she was a part of the puzzle structure of the dungeon, but my goodness she got on my nerves. And the boss was pretty cool looking, but not as creepy and gross of a parasite as the aforementioned Deku Tree inhibitor. (Of course, I will not go into this amount of detail for all the dungeons in all the games, but I feel the first three dungeons really reflect on the rest of the game, and I will give my personal highlights and insights on the rest of the dungeons) The Water Dungeon is one worth mentioning. It is revered as the hardest dungeon of Zelda history, and rightfully so. It uses a water level system similar to Twilight Princess' Lakebed Temple. It has endless amounts of those water skeeter things that swarm you wherever you go, and remembering the effects of the water level in every room is nearly impossible. But the puzzles are very creative and the difficulty is legendary. Other highlights are the Shadow Temple, which defines the Creepy Nightmare category. Not even horror games have given me more nightmares than that dungeon, and Ganon's Castle has many thought-provoking puzzles and creepy aesthetics. So in conclusion, this game has many dungeons, each with its own charm and personality. The child dungeons aren't very difficult, but they make up for it in fun and story. The adult dungeon counterparts are much more difficult but don't have as much charm and story. The dungeons towards the end of the game make every other dungeon look like a stroll through the park on a Sunday morning. This game not only held its ground for its own dungeons but started the trend for every game after it.
Majora's Mask
I had more to say about last game's dungeons than I thought, so hopefully, this games summary won't be as long. It only has four dungeons, which is the smallest amount in the series. But it doesn't affect the game as much as you would expect. Time is a constant throughout the entire game, so if you are not a pro, and spend hours and hours on single dungeons (like me), then you will find yourself doing the dungeons multiple times, which is the worst thing that can ever be used in a Zelda game. But completing a dungeon is like winning a million rupees. There really isn't a "tutorial" set of dungeons like in most of the games, you're just kind of thrown into it and expected to fend for yourself. The first dungeon is the one I repeated the most. It is not all that hard, but I was not used to thinking about how long I was spending on each puzzle and ended up running out of time about halfway through the dungeon. And the first dungeon is added to all the things you have to do to get out of Clock Town, which takes some of your precious time. The Snowhead Temple is not any easier. You don't have the Clock Town section, but you have a longer and harder dungeon to eat up your time. I had finally got to the last section, with only less than a day to beat it. I had hit the boss two times, and then the day reset and I had to do the whole dungeon over again. Not a happy day. The time really is the hardest part of these dungeons. But the mechanics and puzzles were very cool, and being a Goron felt awesome. The story of the Gorons in this one is not as charming and funny as the last game, but it is much deeper and intriguing. But I am taking too long on each dungeon, so let me summarize. The Great Bay Temple uses water effects like the Water Temple in the previous game, but more of it is underwater with your newly acquired Zora abilities. And the Stone Tower Temple uses the entire dungeon as one big puzzle that changes depending what you do in the individual sections. So all in all, it doesn't have a large number of puzzles, but each one stands out and gets you thinking.
The Wind Waker
These dungeons all have the Wind Waker charm and childish effects. But as we've seen in our other discussions, the level of difficulty is not as childish as it looks. The dungeons are spread out and located on their respective island. This makes each dungeon create its own persona and character that makes them more memorable and fun. Right off the bat with the crowd favorite Dragon Roost Island, we have the music and characters that stick in your memory and make it the iconic dungeon of the game. The theme is one of the best in the game and is used in reprises in a later game. It's a pretty straightforward lava dungeon. We have that "sentient giant creature/foliage gets a parasitic nightmare that Link has to go exterminate by going into the depth of the creature/creature's lair" story used in various games before and after. So not the most creative start, but it's still one of my favorite dungeons. As I said, I need to start being brief (which I am not good at) so I will go to the highlight reel. The Earth and Wind Temple's are super fun with the Command mechanic that opens a new world of puzzles. But having to play that song 8,000 times taints the fun a little bit. Forest Haven really expands the world of the cell-shaded graphics and looks absolutely stunning. The colors of the plants and the floating plant bits all over the dungeons look amazing. And the Koroks are a great addition to the Zelda world and are used again in a further game. So these dungeons stand out from the rest in the Wind Waker way.
Twilight Princess
This game has some of the coolest dungeons in the series. The way it puts its own twists in the Zelda Blueprint is something that makes them stick out in my mind. The first three dungeons are a little bland. They themselves are awesome dungeons with cool effects and stories, but it didn't broaden the horizon much for the Zelda world. It felt very similar to OOT and didn't take that many risks. But after you get the shadow things (SPOILER ALERT: They do nothing), and embark on a quest to fix a broken bathroom accessory that opens a portal to a dimension that looks like it should remain closed. This is where you get into the meat of the game. When I think of Twilight Princess dungeons, these are the ones that usually come to mind. My favorite including City in the Sky, Arbiter's Grounds, and Snow Peak Ruins. The music (which we have already discussed) makes these dungeons come alive. Many things took me by surprise, which is a rare emotion for the Zelda series. The bosses were cool, (but we'll talk more in-depth about those later), and the story was intriguing and full of quirky characters and slightly depressing backstories. Like the previous Zelda games, the graphics and mechanics haven't aged perfectly, but stories and characters never get old. And this game makes me smile no matter how many times I've played it.
Skywark Sword
As you guys know, this game is not my favorite. It has its flaws, but it has its good moments, too. These dungeons, with the new, spruced up graphics, are full of color and character. The style choice was a bold move, one I thought paid off in full. It has a roster of characters and places that made their debut in this game. It followed the Blueprint for the first few dungeons, but then tossed it aside for a more creative approach. With the sky-located hub world, the dungeons were part of an entire world of their own and felt much bigger and fuller. I was not a fan of how you needed to repeat certain dungeons multiple times. Not like Majora's Mask where it was part of the completion of that dungeon, but that these dungeons were repeated almost as filler for the game. They were different, but I would have much preferred a whole new dungeon and area for these parts of the game. But there were several dungeons that were very enjoyable and creative that stuck out in my mind like the Sand Ship and Ancient Cistern. Their style and mechanics were one-of-a-kind and unheard of till then. So this game had some rough patches, but it brought things to light that hadn't been tried before, and that is something much needed in this series, and made this game that much better.
So there you have it. This series is held up by the pillars of dungeons, and each game had something new and creative to add and contribute. If you have anything you want to discuss or share about the Zelda dungeons, don't be afraid comment what you think. Happy Adventuring! :)
~Stalfos
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