Open Top Dungeons

[Spirit]

An aesthetic question.

Most dungeons Link visits are with ceilings, only a few dungeons have sections without, Namely the second fire dungeon in SS and Snowpeak Ruins in TP.

The question is, would you like more open top dungeons? Do you want to see the sky while puzzles solving and have the day turning to night while you plow through the dungeon itself?

While the night to day in an open top dungeon would be an amazing thing to behold in HD it could also help with a few puzzles perhaps if nintendo wanted it to, which could be nice, but that is just a train of thought.

So, open top dungeons yay or nay? Are you sick of feeling cramped and claustrophobic in dungeons, would a simple aesthetic difference help it feel fresh?

 

[Ventus]

Well, it's called a dungeon -- I'd like to think we're supposed to feel claustrophobic and trapped -- but I see where you're coming from

I myself would like to see open top dungeons. You're actually right, I do dislike the feeling of enclosed spaces when I'm venturing out. It makes each dungeon feel more like a separate section than part of a cohesive whole. To see more open top dungeons would be pretty awesome in my opinion! I'm not sure how they would correlate to puzzles, but seeing the sky instead of some weird ceiling? Yes please!

 

[Sydney]

I don't think it really makes a difference whether or not a dungeon's top is open or closed. As long as the dungeon is excellent and well designed over all, then it doesn't matter. Would I like to see more of it though? Ehh, sure why not. I would love to see the night sky in HD when I'm beating the crap out of Stalfos.

 

[Azure Sage]

It could make things interesting. It could give rise to neat puzzles. For example, you need to wait until it's night because a certain puzzle needs moonlight in order to be solved. And maybe another puzzle in a different room needs sunlight in order to be solved. I imagine you'd need a Sun's Song or something similar for that, though, so it doesn't feel tedious. Of course, there's also the aesthetic appeal, too. I really like this idea, Spirit. It has a lot of creative potential.

 

[Cfrock]

I would be all for open-top dungeons. My reasons why have been said already (potential for puzzles and aesthetic).

Frankly, I'd love to see more dungeons which are... Not dungeons, the way Snowpeak Ruins was a mansion. I don't know how to phrase that clearly but basically, I wouldn't mind seeing more dungeon sections which took place in a building or location whose primary purpose is something other than being a dungeon. Making dungeons that could have a function in normal society would make including open tops easier.

I loved the large room in Goron Mines that had no ceiling as well as the Fire Sanctuary's lack of a ceiling in most parts and the visual of it is very good. More I say. More!

 

[JuicieJ]

Well, we've had dungeons in the past with outside portions, so doesn't that sort of count?

 

[A Link In Time]

Absolutely; I'd love to see more open-top dungeons. Open top dungeons are often less linear than their interior counterparts. I enjoyed the open veranda in the Forest Temple garden from Ocarina of Time; the large unenclosed areas in the Twilight Princess's City in the Sky as well as traversing the Sandship's deck in Skyward Sword. I also enjoy the twist of facing a boss outdoors after a closed-top dungeon much like Phytops from Spirit Tracks' Ocean Temple.

Personally, an aspect I'd like to see revisited is reflecting sun beams as in Ocarina of Time's Spirit Temple. This could be executed much more effectively in an open-top dungeon with the sun shining down an astral observatory of sorts. I'd like a change of pace with an outdoor cemetery portion in a darker themed dungeon like the Shadow Temple as well.

 

[PhantomTriforce]

There are several dungeons in Zelda without ceilings. True, there are more close-top dungeons than open-top dungeon, but as long as there are as many open-top dungeons as there have been, there's no problem.

 

[Seth]

I always thought it would be neat for Nintendo to incorporate a few more 'natural' dungeons. Imagine, for instance, like turning Death Mountain/Eldin Volcano into an entire dungeon rather than a true region. Skyward Sword's overworld was more dungeon like, my wish is that they would go back to a large and open overworld but have some areas become outdoor dungeons. Nothing to drastic, just one dungeon or two. They kind of did this in WW with Forbidden Woods. Just something a little more advanced with modern technology would be cool.

A could see a mountain/volcano dungeon, a forest dungeon, or a canyon dungeon or something. Would have to put some more thought in it but it could work.

 

[Leonomonn]

I think an open top dungeon would be a great idea. Especially if it incorporates the cycle into the puzzle. The only problem I see with this is that if the game has no way to change between day and night like the N64 games did then this would really slow down the gameplay. Therefore it would probably need quite a bit of effort to pull it off correctly to not make the dungeon tedious.

 

[Seth]

If you are going to do puzzles that rely on the time of day, you need some device or mechanic (like Sun's Song in OoT) to make it work. Otherwise sitting around for what could be as much as 20-30 minutes real life time for the sun to come down or up would be insanely annoying.

 

[SavageWizzrobe]

While I would like to see more open-top dungeons for aesthetic or atmospheric purposes, a dungeon is still a dungeon and open-topness alone doesn't make a dungeon good. While they would present a nice change of scenery, good puzzles, layout, enemies, and boss fights make good dungeons.

 

[Castle]

Well, I suppose it could be entirely possible to have a dungeon take place exclusively out doors, but dungeons require some sort of defined structure, walls to define rooms and corridors, to navigate like a maze, not to mention set them apart from open field areas. Skyward Sword's field areas were similar to the enclosed structure of a dungeon.

I enjoy dungeons with character and variety. Having rooms open to the sky adds character and visual variety to the area (there is a youtube vid showing how to glitch onto the roof of the Snow Peak ruins). I enjoy the open garden courtyards in Ocarina of Time's Forest Temple. I enjoy stepping out of the dark interior of the mansion and crossing them into another dark hall, then stepping out onto the balcony or descending from one into the well that connects them and out into the other. It gives visual variety to navigating the space and makes it much more interesting than just endless walls floors and ceilings.

 

[Batman]

While the night to day in an open top dungeon would be an amazing thing to behold in HD it could also help with a few puzzles perhaps if nintendo wanted it to, which could be nice, but that is just a train of thought.

Wow, that's a fantastic idea. One that I would love to see implemented into the franchise.

I love the classic "cave-esque" dungeons that we're all used to, but an open top design scheme (especially one that allows a day and night cycle) could do wonders for the series. It would open up whole new avenues for dungeon puzzles, combat, exploration, and atmosphere.

That's a really good idea, Spirit.

 

[The Wanderer]

I'd actually really like to see a few dungeons in a game with plenty of open-top designs. Seeing the world outside makes Hyrule (or whatever land it is) feel more tangible and more cohesive. Being locked away and isolated from the world in a dungeon with no window to the outside has some artistic direction, but so does the liberated feeling of reminding yourself this cursed temple is still a part of the world. Imagine a huge tower dungeon where you could frequently go out on balconies or look out windows and see your progress from the ground. In HD. Anyone else up for the idea?

As I've said before, I'd really love for dungeons to base themselves off of gameplay ideas rather than just generic themes ("Hey, here's a fire dungeon!" "Hey, here's a water dungeon!"). To kind of take off what Azure Sage said, you could use the openness for puzzles, not just eye candy. I actually developed a little idea from that: picture a dungeon made of two gigantic globes, one inside the other. The outer globe can be spun around to change the position of a sun and moon representation, and the inner globe can be spun to open up and close off different areas of the dungeon, allowing sunlight and moonlight to shine on key areas. To take it a step further, perhaps you could have a Spirit Temple/Earth Temple-type setup where you use mirrors to reflect the light around the room to solve puzzles. Dungeons based on gameplay, not purely location. It could work.

But yes, I'd like to see some open dungeons that show off the outside world. It would help save some dungeons from looking too similar, and anyone who's played Xenoblade Chronicles can tell you both day and night can be incredibly pretty in all kinds of settings.