Hyrule Compendium: The Best Water Dungeons in the Zelda Series
Posted on December 08 2020 by Andrew Millard
The Water Dungeon is a pillar in classic Legend of Zelda game design. Challenges themed around flooding, flow, swimming, and sailing grace many of the games in the series.
In the newest edition of Zelda Dungeon’s Hyrule Compendium, hosts Mases Hagopian and Gooey Fame discuss what it means for a level to be classified as a “water dungeon.” Spoiler: It’s not just the presence of water!
The duo consider a large swath of Zelda games and how they use water in their challenges. Of course the infamous Ocarina of Time Water Temple gets pride of place in the video. Surprisingly, there are a number of games — especially the waterlogged Wind Waker — that turn out to not have as definitive a Water Dungeon as you might expect.
One point I appreciated during the discussion was about the verticality introduced by water dungeons. The Water Temple only clicked for me when I realized that the Hookshot, the Iron Boots, and the altering the flood levels all took turns being useful until you reached Shadow Link.
Check out the video on our YouTube channel here.
Which water dungeon from the Zelda series floats your boat or sinks your spirits? Let us know below!
Andrew is a writing teacher in the American Upper Midwest. He has been playing Zelda games since 1990.
