Zelda Dungeons – Time for some Change

Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr +

Recently there has been some focus on the dungeons of the Legend of Zelda series. The Flying Fisch recently did an article on the top 30 things that they feel Zelda Wii would benefit from. Then our affiliate ZeldaInformer did a piece reflecting on how there should possibly be less dungeons in the games and more focus on the overworld.

So on a somewhat similar note, this article will discuss how Nintendo should change the formula of the Zelda dungeons. As we all know, the basic concept of the Zelda games is the progression from dungeon to dungeon through the acquisition of new items and skills. Each dungeon normally is made up of puzzles, a boss halfway through, a dungeon item, and a final boss fight. A typical Legend of Zelda game will feature anywhere from four to nine dungeons.

Here at The Hidden Triforce we have come up with 4 changes that we believe would make the dungeons and Zelda games more fun in general.

More Dungeons
First of all, we do not agree withe those who want less dungeons in the Zelda games. The dungeons are some of my favourite parts of all the Zelda games. The series was in fact established upon its challenging puzzles and exploration so why would we reduce this from future games? I understand that people want more focus on the overworld compared to the dungeons, but why not have both? Capabilities are higher then ever now. There is no reason that the overworld cannot be vast, detailed, and filled with interactions. And there is no reason that we cannot have a lot of dungeons filled with exploration. One of the few good parts of The Spirit Tracks was the new and mind challenging puzzles that Nintendo came up with for the dungeons. However there was not enough as there was only 5 dungeons and they honestly were not that long. So give us more dungeons, more puzzles, and more exploration

zelda dungeonNew Dungeon Themes
Alright, everybody who has played any of the Zelda games since The Ocarina of Time knows every dungeon will follow the same pattern and theme. There is the Fire Temple, Water Temple, Forest Temple, and etc. There is no need for this. The original Zelda game had no dungeon themes, Link’s Awakening had no dungeon themes, and A Link to the Past had no dungeon themes. It is not necessary to have the same themes carry on game to game. However, we are not entirely opposed to dungeon themes and actually think things could get quite creative. Nintendo just needs to stop focusing on elements of nature for their themes. In fact some of their best dungeons are ones that are a bit more interesting. The Arbiter’s Grounds in Twilight Princess was fantastic. While it had the general “Sand” temple theme that has been featured in many games, it also felt very much like you were exploring an ancient ruin. I kind of got the feeling as if I was in an Egyptian Pyramid. So Nintendo just needs to play around with the dungeon concepts. There are other themes out there that need to be explored and the old ones can be refined for perfection.

zelda dungeonUnderworld Connections
For those hardcore Zelda fans out there, you will recognize this as a reference to the Legend of Zelda cartoons. So what do I mean by this? Way too often, the dungeons all take place in pre-made buildings from long ago. This is cool for a couple of dungeons but come on, think about things a bit. Why doesn’t Ganondorf hide things a bit better? Why aren’t some of the dungeons hidden away in the landscape and underground. The first Zelda game implemented this concept perfectly. The dungeons entrances are hidden under bushes, inside of rocks, and in fact take place underground in the Underworld. Take Twilight Princess for instance. The first few dungeons revolve around Link’s quest to retrieve the Fused Shadows. Why would Zant/Ganondorf hide the Fused Shadow fragments in such obvious and fairly populated places. I want to explore Hyrule to find these dungeons. I want them to be in some not so obvious locations. Ocarina of Time was pretty straightforward. It was always head from one Sage Temple to the next Sage Temple. None of those dungeons were anything out of the ordinary. Once again I will cite Twilight Princess as doing things the right way. At first, as I have already stated, the dungeons were all quite obvious, but as the game progressed Nintendo began to get things right. Snowpeak Ruins and the Temple in the Sky were two amazing dungeons that did not really feel like your general Zelda temples. Snowpeak Ruins, was a dungeon that took place inside of a gigantic mansion up in the snowy mountains of Snowpeak. This was just a fantastic idea. And to expand on a previous note, this dungeon was obviously an ice based dungeon, but it was different then any other ice dungeon in any Zelda game and it did not feel like your regular temple. The Temple in the Sky, again obviously took place in the sky. And what made this dungeon even better was the fact that it was not in an enclosed building. A lot of this dungeon actually took place outside which is not commonly done in Zelda games. Nintendo, we want more of this.

Extra Dungeons
Earlier I said there should be more dungeons, well now I want more again. However I am not referring to plot based dungeons. One of the most enjoyable parts of Zelda to me is the after game exploration. And another one of my favourite things is a Cave of Ordeals kind of dungeon. For those who are unfamiliar, this is a 100 floor action filled fight. I want there to be more dungeons like this. Link’s Awakening DX had the extra colour dungeon and the Oracle games had extra dungeons that could be unlocked via the Linked Game Password system. So why not? Give us some extra, non-vital, dungeons that are just there for us to explore, get new items, and to just have fun.

zelda dungeon

Once again thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed our article. Feel free to sign up to out Legend of Zelda forums if you would like to discuss this further.

Share.

About Author

Noah Glaser is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati where he majored in Information Technology with a minor in awesome. Noah has worked in web marketing for over 5 years and has built a reputation that has followed him both professionally and independently. He is the founder and lead content contributor for The Hidden Triforce.In the 5th grade he bought Link’s Awakening for his brother as a Christmas gift. Since stealing it back, he has been hooked to the Zelda series and has never looked back. In his spare time you can find Noah frolicking with his Porygon and Kiwi Birds. He dislikes chocolate, cheese, and bacon.

  • farore

    Awesome article.
    More dungeons please Nintendo!

  • Senshi of sadness

    I disagree with you in certain point: every dungeon has a theme, even in Link's awakening. They aren't element themes but objects, animals themes, i.e. in the oracles there was the dagger and shield dungeon and it had form of these objects, in Link's awakening there was the tail dungeon, the bottle dungeon, the face dungeon… you get the drill.

    Also I'd like to be more no story related dungeons but with their own puzzles. The cave of ordeals from TP was only combats and I felt it as a pushover.

    In spirits tracks there's an attemp for more dungeons (lost at sea station i.e.), even one with was just puzzles, and, now that I remember, another in which you had no sword or bow. They were quite challenging.