Skyward Sword What Theme Should Have Been Included?

[Justac00lguy]

Skyward Sword was certainly odd for me in terms of its dungeons. I think the actual design of each individual one was very solid and the visual architecture was probably the best in the series. However, I had a few problems: size, challenge, and lack of variety (themes).

Like the title suggests, I want to focus on the themes. Now if you look at the game you have 7 dungeons (slightly below average); though it was the lack of themes that was the real problem. Out of the 7 you only had 4 unique themes as two dungeons repeated previous themes (Sandship and Fire Sanctuary) and the Sky Keep, even though unique, was still a typical final dungeon containing all the themes that you had already encountered.

This really left a sour taste in my mouth when I looked back. It just felt like a missed opportunity in some respects; the game could have benefited off a variety of themes that weren't featured and that's what this thread is for. What themes, that weren't noticeably present in the game, would you have liked to seen?

 

[Ver-go-a-go-go]

I found myself thinking the same exact thing, actually. I remember walking into the first dungeon and being like "Soooo....... is this thing glowing mushroom themed or....?"

It was a common problem in SS too. Sure, you've got Sandship that goes above and beyond, but everything else felt either overly familiar, or it just didn't stick out much at all. I did like how there were different gimmicks than usual associated with them, but that seems to be more geared towards what the new motion controls brought to the table in terms of items and gameplay styles rather than aesthetics on the dungeon's part. I can't really blame the lack of ideas solely on the developers I guess, because so much has already been done, and new ideas are harder and harder to come by. Again, new design twists are just what the game needed. I thought having the "fire dungeon" in TP being an industrialized mine was a genius idea, since it immediately sticks out from the rest of the fire dungeons we've already had. SS needed more choices like that (and yes, I already gave credit to the Sandship, it does a good job with that).

The dungeons rely mainly on the gameplay design though. That's not ever a bad thing.

 

[Dragoncat]

Ice. It lacked an ice region, it needed one. I'll make the same joke I've made millions of times and still find funny:

Fi: I have calculated that it is cold. So cold, in fact, that if you go in the water, you will get hypothermia and you will die.
Link: Dang. I wanted to go skinnydipping. *sarcasm*

Who says our hero can't be a smart arse?

 

[Doc]

As dragoncat at said, I felt this dungeon could have had an ice dungeon. Ice dungeons are often very puzzling, and I love those aspects of it. I also would have wanted to see a proper shadow/death dungeon. People claim we got a little bit in the (I forget its name, I apologize, the waterish one). This was only in a few rooms of that temple and the rest of it was bright and colorful, the brightest and most colorful dungeon of the game. You can't make a bright and cheerful dungeon also into a dungeon which is associated with death.

I think this games lack of variety stemmed from its lack of locations. There were only three regions/locations to travel to and you can't have many different themed dungeons in a volcanic area.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I despise ice dungeons. That said, there probably should have been an ice dungeon.

 

[A Link In Time]

There certainly was a lack of variety among dungeon themes in Skyward Sword, but it made sense from a narrative and geographic perspective since you were revisiting the same areas, just different parts.

The Eldin Volcano area, in particular, could have benefited from something more original. The Sandship at least had a unique central concept, whereas the Fire Sanctuary felt like a rehash of ground tread in the Earth Temple. Since Skyward Sword made a point of loosening the distinction between dungeon and overworld, a canyon area on a grander scale than what Majora's Mask offered would have been a great way to modernize a fan favorite.

 

[nsanesk8er16]

an overworld should have been included

 

[Random Person]

With the exception of repeating themes, I don't find myself complaining too much about SS's dungeons. That being said, it would've been nice to see an ice dungeon. Most people usually complain about them, but they've become somewhat iconic in the series. And considering two dungeons were repeats, you could've easily replaced one of those with an ice dungeon. Or even put the ice dungeon underneath the water dungeon rather than having it be an undead theme. Ice is a great metaphore for death while water is one for life. Having both together says more poetically than just water and death.

 

[2bmc]

I think the game, and any Zelda game, benefits from following closer to what is done in OoT and ALBW in regards to dungeon theme. There is such a large amount of variety that at the end, it feels like you've truly been on a wholesome and fulfilling journey. There is just so much more added to the experience when you have variety. Skyward Sword desperately needed to have a definite water or ice dungeon, as well as a forest dungeon. Not only are there a lack of themes, but the themes get so intermingled at times that it is hard to decipher what exactly is going on (Skyview, Lanayru Mining Facility, Ancient Cistern), while others are way too simple and mundane (Fire Sanctuary). Also, keep the over world as something explorable, not another dungeon.

 

[DeletedUser9]

I don't think that Skyward Sword has that many theme problems personally aside from the double fire dungeons...

Spoiler

• Skyview Temple: Decrepit temple reclaimed by nature, crumbled and overgrown
• Earth Temple: Lava dungeon, but moreover an Indiana Jones-style trap-filled temple
• Lanayru Mining Facility: A mechanical mine in the past and tomblike in the present
• Ancient Cistern: Golden Buddhist shrine with a creepy asian underworld
• Sandship: A fricken' seafaring ship.
• Fire Sanctuary: Frog... mouths...? (I blame this one for the fire theme overlap since it did nothing new)
• Sky Keep: Holy trial and the room-rearranging concept

(Not actually a spoiler but here to avoid cluttering the thread.)

...but I actually did have one major missed opportunity for an area and dungeon theme that I really wish had been in the game. I did a video about it, but basically:

Snowpeak + "Ghirahim's Retreat"

Skyward Sword recycled the provinces from Twilight Princess, and even though that Lanayru Desert was just the lush Lanayru Province in the past when it was arid (...after it was lush), I used to wonder if Desert Province (Gerudo Desert) was supposed to be included that. Probably not literally, but it certainly is conceptually. That's why I thought it would be awesome if Eldin Province combined with Peak Province in Skyward Sword, so that that region actually had two mountains: Eldin Volcano and a proto-Snowpeak.

Imagine starting at the foot of Eldin Volcano, but instead of going just... deeper in in order to get to the thematically lame Fire Sanctuary... you venture in the opposite direction, away from Eldin Volcano, through arid land that quickly becomes snow-covered, up a snowy mountain, and there you find a mansion, a creepy icy and demonic mansion where Ghirahim dwelt in hiding. This was also based on Locke's pre-release theory about Ghirahim and Snowpeak Ruins having a connection, since sabres a lot like Ghirahim's appear on crests in Snowpeak Ruins.

It was a serious missed opportunity and I think an awesome idea, and I think it would have tidied up Skyward Sword's theme overlap quite nicely if it replaced the Fire Sanctuary.

 

[MyFaceYourFace]

I really wanted a tower theme...ones that have like 10+ floors always enjoyed those. I felt a lot of skywards sword dungeons were pretty flat. I dunno, just feel like multi level dungeons can be more dynamic.

 

[Dragoncat]

I liked Fire Sanctuary's music and the using water drops to make platforms in the lava was cool, but that's pretty much all it had going for it.

 

[StarkeyGamer]

As most people have already said, an Ice dungeon would have been cool, also an actual water level would have been nice. they had two fire levels so why not two water levels (I know that the ancient cistern had water but it really didn't feel like a water level to me) Also a Dark level where you had to use torches or a lantern maybe?

 

[Sanchezmran]

Yeah, an ice dungeon would've been nice, even an entire snowy region.

Besides originality and all that, I actually really enjoyed the Fire Sanctuary more than most of the other dungeons is SS. The core dungeon/puzzles were pretty cool. I thought the Mogma Mitts were okay, and Ghirahim II, while not new, still a lot of fun (and challenging at first).

 

[r2d93]

an overworld should have been included

HAHAHAH TRUE THAT

Though Ice Dungeons tend to be challenging and somehow less enjoyable for me, they are always lovely looking and have great atmosphere. Maybe not a full out Ice Dungeon, But a freezing, Snow dungeon.
In terms of the already present dungeons in the game, the ones that really stood out for me in terms of theme were: Ancient Cistern, Lanayru Mining Facility, and Fire Sanctuary.
Ancient Cistern, while not a full water dungeon, served that purpose for the game. But the theme of the entire dungeon, the heaven and hell type thing and how it was based around that spider story or whatever, was genius. LMF was innovative and cool. They managed to pull together Old dead desert with mechanical electric stuff. Bravo. And though FS took the fire theme from the Earth temple, I thought FS pulled it off much better with the whole Chinese temple monastery thing.
Skyview was a bit dull for me, Earth Temple was even duller, and Sky keep was great but I won't count it. Sandship however was fantastic and I loved the whole ship theme but they borrowed too much from LMF. I feel that instead of being in the present and having to go to the past where the ship is running and well, the whole dungeon should've been reversed- in the past but you have to occasionally turn off time shift stones to go to the present