10 Things We MISS About Classic Zelda Dungeons
10 Things We Miss About Classic Zelda Dungeons
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re exploring all of the facets and features we miss about classic “Zelda” dungeons!
First, a disclaimer. “Echoes of Wisdom” obviously exists, and has some great, more traditional-leaning dungeons. When we say we miss classic dungeons, we mean within a bigger, 3D space. Secondly, if you’ve been to the channel before, you know we love “Breath of the Wild” and “Tears of the Kingdom;” they’re incredible games! But we agree with a common assessment that, if there’s one area that old-school “Zelda” does better overall, it’s the dungeons.
They’re Timeless
It seems that when “Zelda” went more open with its world, Nintendo also sought to give non-linearity to its dungeons. You can do the Divine Beasts from “Breath of the Wild” and most of the Temples from “Tears of the Kingdom” in any order. Similarly, each dungeon’s objectives don't come with a set pattern to follow either. For many players, this made them less interesting. If the thought process is that the dungeons should reflect the world, and that older dungeons limit that idea due to their linear nature, we’d argue against it. Plenty of open world games still feature dungeons with vastly different difficulty levels, some tied to items or artifacts that you can’t enter without. This entry is both something we miss, the timelessness of older dungeons, and an argument that they can and still do exist in increasingly-larger worlds.
The Story Progression
The freedom of the Wilds era is definitely something to be admired, offering an experience with fewer restrictions than many other open world titles. However, one consequence of this is the loss of any urgency or momentum when it comes to the story. This wasn’t a problem in older games, since you had to complete dungeons to progress through each plot. Being kept on a path meant everything stayed in the foreground, for the most part. It’s hard to take the plight of Hyrule or the threat of Ganon seriously when you can spend hundreds of gameplay hours doing literally anything else. What really made a classic dungeon soar was if it had its own unique story and lore, wrapped within the overarching narrative, like the bloody history of the Shadow Temple in “Ocarina of Time” or the mystery behind the Snowpeak Ruins in “Twilight Princess.”
The Personality
One of the biggest reasons so many classic “Zelda” dungeons stick out in our memories can be boiled down to a simple concept: the vibes. Sure, many of them would be defined by a common elemental trope. There are forest, fire, and water-themed dungeons in most major releases. But even within some of those expectancies, Nintendo crafted undeniably strong personalities. A pristine manor being retaken by nature in “Ocarina of Time’s” Forest Temple, a forgotten prison overrun by the dead in “Twilight Princess’” Arbiter’s Grounds, and a decrepit ship, sailing through the desert and time itself in “Skyward Sword.” This isn’t to say that every classic dungeon in the 3D games is this well-defined, nor that those in the Wilds era are completely devoid of personality. But in comparison, the older games have the definite edge.
The Music
Going hand-in-hand with a dungeon’s visual personality, and helping it further along in finding a place in the hearts of players, is its music. Themes for many past dungeons just feel like they belong there. Sometimes it's through simulating sounds within the music that visually match your surroundings; the themes for Great Bay Temple in “Majora’s Mask” and the Goron Mines of “Twilight Princess” both sound like they include clanging pipes to match the industrial aesthetic of the space. Other times, it’s because the music thematically matches the space, like the choir and bells in the Tower of the Gods from “Wind Waker.” Or it’s through instruments used by the same culture that served as visual representation, such as with the Spirit Temple in “Ocarina of Time.” The dungeon music in “Breath of the Wild” and “Tears of the Kingdom” is still good. But just like with their visual design, it doesn’t have nearly as much personality.
The Items
Naturally, the non-linear nature of the dungeons in the Wilds era has led to the erasure of dungeon-specific items. It used to be that progression both inside and outside the dungeon, as well as their boss fights and some optional secrets in the overworld, would be tied to these items. Some could argue that this element of the formula had grown stale, especially since there are a fair few items across the series that are barely used outside the dungeons you find them in. Still, we’d argue the sense of excitement that comes from unlocking a new weapon or piece of equipment still has merit. An open-world format doesn’t mean these couldn’t come back, either. You could still have plenty of secrets blocked off, and optional, non-item specific challenges like Shrines to fill out the world.
The Enemy Variety
A larger criticism of “Breath of the Wild” in general, though still obviously a minor one in the grand scheme, was with the enemy variety. Tons of classic “Zelda” monsters didn’t appear. Instead, many enemies came in different-colored variants signaling their strength. “Tears of the Kingdom” was a bit better with this, but still not on par with the older 3D entries. The Divine Beasts and Temples are perfect showcases of this flaw. Enemies are few and far between both in variety and sheer numbers. In previous dungeons, you might find enemies that only appeared there, or enemies in unique group combinations, all helping to keep the experience fresh.
The Suspense
Going into a new dungeon is a stand-out moment in any “Zelda” game. You never know what to expect, and that excitement of the unknown can lead to glory or letdown. Thankfully, it’s usually the former. However, in “Breath of the Wild” and “Tears of the Kingdom,” you kind of lose that suspense. For the most part, completing the dungeons of those games is accomplished the same way. For the Divine Beasts, it’s finding and activating a series of terminals to fight an elemental Ganon spawn. For the Temples, the terminals are swapped for using a companion’s ability at a series of locations. And while the bosses there are at least more unique, that excitement for the unknown is further lost by the fact that you have to watch what is essentially the same conversation after completing each one. Whether the classic dungeons were good or bad, they were at least more unique.
The Layout
Within each of the newer dungeons, the overall core design philosophy of its game remains intact. Non-linearity and freedom to accomplish your tasks in any order. Though there are obvious first steps, terminals more easily reached than others, there’s not usually something keeping you from choosing differently. But if you can go in any direction from the start, most areas wind up looking the same. This wasn’t the case in a lot of classic 3D dungeons. You had to find keys for locked doors, solve puzzles or unlock the item to get past obstacles. In a way, this allowed for more unique layouts, some intricate or grandiose, often matching the dungeon’s theme and scaling in challenge level depending on their placement in the story. Because of this, newer dungeons are a fair bit shorter than some of those found in older 3D games.
The Puzzles
Whether from the Sheikah Slate or Rauru’s arm, Link’s abilities lead to some great puzzles throughout their respective games. But as we already said, the objectives inside the Divine Beasts and Temples from “Tears” can grow a bit familiar, even if there is a fun puzzle or two linked to said objective. Still, the abilities you use to solve puzzles inside these dungeons are the same as those used outside them. The series used to often feature puzzles specific to a location, designed around their environment, theme, or the items you earn before or during their respective dungeon. Many of the best puzzles in “Breath of the Wild” and “Tears of the Kingdom” are in Shrines, so the dungeons make us miss the days of old school puzzling.
The Creativity
Really, what everything we’ve covered boils down to, the combination of the whole in what we miss about classic dungeons, is the creativity that went into them. In the newer installments, the creativity lies elsewhere, such as the physics and how you interact with the game world. But from puzzles, to lore implications, to overall aesthetics and personality, the classic dungeons feel like they had an extra bit of special put into them. “Echoes of Wisdom” showed there’s still power and creativity to be found in this style. And sure, not all dungeons are created equal, and a few in the past felt formulaic. But that’s better than the overall “sameness” that we felt with dungeons in “Breath of the Wild” and “Tears of the Kingdom.”
Do you miss traditional dungeons, or are you content with the direction 3D “Zelda” has gone in? Share your thoughts in the comments, and we’ll see you next time!
