Daily Debate: What Dungeon Theme Do Zelda Games Need to Explore?

Forest Temple, Fire Temple, Water Temple; each of these is an example of the themes Zelda dungeons have explored in the past. Every game features a collection of labyrinths that carry a specific motif, whether they are natural, spiritual, or otherwise. It may seem that the Zelda series has covered every imaginable dungeon theme, but I’m sure we can think of more that deserve to be centered around a dungeon.

When I first considered this debate, I thought about different aspects of nature that have not been properly utilized in a Zelda dungeon. For example, I concluded that fog, smoke, and haze have not fully been used in a dungeon. With something like a Smoke Temple, players would no doubt encounter interesting puzzles that made use of distorted or obscured objects; and with the Wii capable of much higher graphical qualities, smoke and fog effects would be well-implemented and cool to look at. When I presented this question to the ZI staff, some expanded on this idea to include dungeons based around storms or weather. Rain, tidal waves, hurricanes, and tornadoes are all possibilities for such a dungeon, or group of dungeons. Imagine a full Zelda game with every dungeon representing a different type of storm. Even a dungeon based around sun and dynamic light would be cool on the Wii U.

What are your ideas? What dungeon theme do you think future Zelda games should explore? Explain your suggestions, and join the Daily Debate!

Rod Lloyd

Rod Lloyd is the Editor-In-Chief at Zelda Dungeon, overseeing the news and feature content for the site. Rod is considered the veteran of the writing team, having started writing for Zelda Informer in 2014 as a Junior Editor. After ZD and ZI officially merged in 2017, he stepped into the Managing Editor role and has helped steer the ship ever since. He stepped up to lead the writing team as Editor-In-Chief in 2023.
You can reach Rod at: rod.lloyd@zeldadungeon.net