Throughout our beloved series, we've seen many dungeons, some fairly simple, others considerably difficult. I've come to mt own conclusion as to what the most difficult dungeon is, the Great Palace from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. And for many reasons why.
For its standard, the Great Palace is a dungeon that is troubling to explore. It all starts with getting to the palace itself, from the infamous Valley of Death.
This location is easily the most dangerous area of the Zelda II overworld. With unique terrain, the Valley of Death brings the most dangerous of enemies, as well as difficult action scenes. Link is often required to jump over large pits of lava while avoiding swarms of Moas. When the ground seems level and safe, he is then attacked by a mace-wielding Lizaflos. The two caverns do not make it any easier, as the hold swarms of powerful foes.
Link eventually reach the palace (with most likely only one life left) at the dark of night, undoing the binding force that guards the palace. It doesn't get any easier from here.
As the final dungeon, the Great Palace is obviously no cake walk. Link may find himself walking into numerous dead ends, forcing him to back-track through all the enemies that he carefully tried to avoid. In addition, many invisible holes litter the ground. Some of them are truthfully required to drop down through, proving that finding your way through the palace is no easy feat. Even a map (pictured) barely makes it any easier.
But it's not just the dungeon itself that makes it difficult, what about the hordes of vicious foes?
One of the may methods this dungeon uses to throw off players are the powerful enemies. The player is used to Iron Knuckles and Stalfos, as seen in previous palaces. But the Great Palace introduces new and more sinister enemies. Take, for example, a simple Bot. Even with Level 8 attack, they still require two hits from the sword. But the Bots are only a fraction of this. The truly new foes are the ones that will lead you to your downfall. The devastating Fotail is one of them.
These beasts prove to be a worthy foe. Often elevated Link from stairs, these monsters launch fireballs at him, at a speeding up rate. They're truly difficult to avoid, and attacking one is barely an easier solution.
Accompanying the Fotail is the sinister Fokka.
Arguably the strongest enemy in the game, the Fokka are a destructive substitute of Iron Knuckles. Though they may appear the same at first, attacking them yields a deadly surprise: jumping. High. Very high. This makes defeating one a difficult ordeal, as they have a pattern that's almost unstoppable: jump up, strike back down. Avoiding them is Link's best bet, but doing so is not easy.
You've finally made it to the end. What's next?
The Great Palace features two deadly foes. The first Link is to encounter is the ghastly Thunderbird.
The battle against this mighty beast is truly difficult. Starting the bout requires the use of the Thunder Spell, draining most of Link's magic power. He then must slash the monster on the face without the use of upward or downward thrust. All while avoiding powerful fireballs that only drop faster with each hit to the foe. Once Link finally destroys the beast, he must face the final test: his own shadow, Dark Link.
Dark Link is very merciless, and proves to be the most difficult fight in the game. Mirroring your attacks, he will be hard to land a hit on, but he can easily take you down. Much skill is required for this deadly fight, but, when Link is victorious, he is rewarded the Triforce of Courage, thus ending the game.
My final thoughts of the Great Palace are simple: it's the most difficult dungeon in the series.
What dungeon was most challenging in your experience?
Navigation
For its standard, the Great Palace is a dungeon that is troubling to explore. It all starts with getting to the palace itself, from the infamous Valley of Death.
This location is easily the most dangerous area of the Zelda II overworld. With unique terrain, the Valley of Death brings the most dangerous of enemies, as well as difficult action scenes. Link is often required to jump over large pits of lava while avoiding swarms of Moas. When the ground seems level and safe, he is then attacked by a mace-wielding Lizaflos. The two caverns do not make it any easier, as the hold swarms of powerful foes.
Link eventually reach the palace (with most likely only one life left) at the dark of night, undoing the binding force that guards the palace. It doesn't get any easier from here.
As the final dungeon, the Great Palace is obviously no cake walk. Link may find himself walking into numerous dead ends, forcing him to back-track through all the enemies that he carefully tried to avoid. In addition, many invisible holes litter the ground. Some of them are truthfully required to drop down through, proving that finding your way through the palace is no easy feat. Even a map (pictured) barely makes it any easier.
But it's not just the dungeon itself that makes it difficult, what about the hordes of vicious foes?
Enemies
One of the may methods this dungeon uses to throw off players are the powerful enemies. The player is used to Iron Knuckles and Stalfos, as seen in previous palaces. But the Great Palace introduces new and more sinister enemies. Take, for example, a simple Bot. Even with Level 8 attack, they still require two hits from the sword. But the Bots are only a fraction of this. The truly new foes are the ones that will lead you to your downfall. The devastating Fotail is one of them.
These beasts prove to be a worthy foe. Often elevated Link from stairs, these monsters launch fireballs at him, at a speeding up rate. They're truly difficult to avoid, and attacking one is barely an easier solution.
Accompanying the Fotail is the sinister Fokka.
Arguably the strongest enemy in the game, the Fokka are a destructive substitute of Iron Knuckles. Though they may appear the same at first, attacking them yields a deadly surprise: jumping. High. Very high. This makes defeating one a difficult ordeal, as they have a pattern that's almost unstoppable: jump up, strike back down. Avoiding them is Link's best bet, but doing so is not easy.
You've finally made it to the end. What's next?
Bosses
The Great Palace features two deadly foes. The first Link is to encounter is the ghastly Thunderbird.
The battle against this mighty beast is truly difficult. Starting the bout requires the use of the Thunder Spell, draining most of Link's magic power. He then must slash the monster on the face without the use of upward or downward thrust. All while avoiding powerful fireballs that only drop faster with each hit to the foe. Once Link finally destroys the beast, he must face the final test: his own shadow, Dark Link.
Dark Link is very merciless, and proves to be the most difficult fight in the game. Mirroring your attacks, he will be hard to land a hit on, but he can easily take you down. Much skill is required for this deadly fight, but, when Link is victorious, he is rewarded the Triforce of Courage, thus ending the game.
My final thoughts of the Great Palace are simple: it's the most difficult dungeon in the series.
What dungeon was most challenging in your experience?
and i still loved the game very much, many people dont like the game because its difficult but i loved the challenge, may be one of the best games in my opinion