Tag: Dungeons

Last week, despite saying that The Minish Cap has some of my favorite dungeons of the series, I said that Deepwood Shrine was a bit of an underwhelming first dungeon during my review. So, is the Cave of Flames the same way? No, definitely not. While the Cave of Flames is located at the end of the obnoxious Mt. Crenel climb — in my opinion a truly frustrating part of the game — the dungeon itself, set within a human…

Time to kick off the dungeon reviews for yet another game. The Minish Cap is one of my favorite Zelda games and has some of my favorite dungeons of the series — as I will get into in future reviews — but the game’s first dungeon is the one dungeon in the game that feels the most underwhelming. Some might even say it’s diminutive in performance, a pretty small-scale dungeon without much going for it. But it’s also a pretty…

Final dungeons in Zelda games are sort of an interesting topic all by themselves. I’m not sure if it’s a widely-discussed topic, but there’s certainly a lot of different ways of executing such areas in Zelda games, as I’ve written multiple times in the past. The Wind Waker might by my least-favorite Zelda game (don’t stab me!) but I’ve certainly liked some of its dungeons, so how do I feel about the very last stretch of the game? Ganon’s Tower…

Well… it’s time for me to review this dungeon, I suppose… You know, Zelda has an odd history with wind or air themed dungeons. I hear there was going to be one in Ocarina of Time before it was cut, and of course Majora’s Mask didn’t have any dungeons dedicated to such a theme, but then The Wind Waker came along and introduced the Wind Temple. And it was a must, wasn’t it? I have no doubt that the Earth…

If you managed to check out Symphony of the Goddesses either last year or during this current season, you’ve probably heard first hand its take on the themes from the storied dungeons throughout the series history. Nintnedo UK’s YouTube channel has posted a preview video of the symphony’s dungeon medley. Hit the jump to see and hear the haunting melodies of the dungeons!

The Earth Temple is my favorite dungeon in The Wind Waker, and has been for a long time. Because the things it succeeds at are less nuanced than those of Dragon Roost Cavern, it’s the only dungeon in The Wind Waker that I loved outright, whereas it was only upon further analysis that I came to understand why I appreciated Dragon Roost Cavern. That lack of nuance combined with the fact that the Earth Temple’s problems are few — regardless…

Sorry for the two-week hiatus, but it’s finally time for me to review the Forsaken Fortress. This dungeon is easily The Wind Waker’s most iconic. Dragon Roost Cavern was shown a lot in trailers, but the Forsaken Fortress featured in numerous pieces of the game’s artwork, is home to most of the game’s most significant enemies, and is visited twice due to its great story importance. The Forsaken Fortress is an odd case. While there are a few other dungeons…

Gameplay is without a doubt the most important feature of a Zelda game. Nearly every release has emphasized it over every other aspect — with the exception of Twilight Princess, which was designed to be a more cinematic experience — and rightfully so. Gameplay is the main feature of video games in general. The interactivity video games provide is something that no other visual medium can hope to recreate, making it an important factor in any video game, even if…

The Tower of the Gods is one of the few dungeons in The Wind Waker that I’m just a little bit at a loss for words on. I like it… but it’s a bit challenging to justify why (that will make more sense later in the review). So it might take me some time to explain. Bear with me! This dungeon has a concept that few dungeons — mainly just the Great Palace from Adventure of Link — had prior…

The Forbidden Woods is The Wind Waker’s obligatory forest dungeon, so it goes without saying that it follows certain Zelda conventions. Certainly, forest-themed areas can differ a lot in their other themes, but they will always have that central idea in common, and we come to expect certain things from a forest dungeon. The Forbidden Woods is definitely this; it’s pretty conventional in terms of its look and feel. And I would say, to somewhat of a fault. This might…