Dungeon

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File:ALttP Dungeon Artwork.png

Link exploring a dungeon from A Link to the Past

Dungeons,^{(TLoZ | TAoL | ALttP | LA | OoT | MM | OoS | OoA | FS | TWW | FSA | TMC | TP | PH | ST | SS | ALBW | TFH)} also known as Levels,^{(TLoZ | LA)} are locations in The Legend of Zelda series. They form the "underworld" of the worlds which Link visits and contain items and treasure to collect, enemies to overcome, and puzzles to solve.

Purpose

The main reason for the existence of dungeons is to house a prize that Link must collect. Throughout the series these items have been different; Link collects fragments of the Triforce in the original The Legend of Zelda, Pendants and Crystals in A Link to the Past, musical instruments in Link's Awakening, and other items throughout the other games. In The Adventure of Link, the goal is not to collect, but to return gems to magical statues in the dungeons.

Items

File:TWW Big Key Render.png

Big Key in The Wind Waker

The dungeons that Link visits are home to valuable items and treasures for Link to collect, ranging from item upgrades to unique tools and weapons. Many of these items will prove to be essential to the completion of Link's goals. With the exception of The Adventure of Link, almost every dungeon that Link encounters contains a set of items usable only in that dungeon. These include a Dungeon Map, which displays the layout of the dungeon (but may still omit certain secret rooms). The original use of the Compass was to display the location of the boss of the dungeon, but as the games moved into a 3D style it has come to also pinpoint hidden secrets within the dungeon. The Big Key is used to open specially locked doors (and sometimes chests). It is sometimes called the Boss Key since its use usually signals that the boss fight is about to occur.

History

The Legend of Zelda

Link searching for secrets in a Dungeon from The Legend of Zelda

In The Legend of Zelda, the dungeons retained the same format as the rest of the game: the player, as Link, maneuvers each area from a top-down perspective, facing everything from dead ends to invincible and usually strong enemies to complex traps, puzzles, and maze-like passages. From this game to A Link to the Past, there is a trend revolving around almost all the dungeons sharing a common audio theme. Unlike most of the other games in the series, the dungeons can be completed in any order, and it is the least linear entry in that aspect. This entry is also one of but a few in the franchise to feature a special Second Quest after the challenges of the first one are overcome, or by the player entering "ZELDA" as the file name. In either case, the second quest proves more challenging, offering nine dungeons similar to those in the original quest. However, not only are some of the dungeons' locations mixed up in the second quest, but they are generally more difficult, with a different layout, the items being hidden more carefully and stronger enemies and bosses introduced sooner. The general layout of Hyrule remains the same, but the locations of items scattered across the overworld are also hidden in different places.

The Adventure of Link

The Adventure of Link saw a major change in the original Zelda concept, in that, though the top-down perspective remains, it only does so when Link is wandering Hyrule Field. Most of the action takes place in a side-scrolling format, adding other platforming elements (i.e. this is the only Zelda title until Breath of the Wild in which the player can press one button to make Link "jump" without the aid of items or special moves). The side-scrolling element adds difficulty to the overall game (and the dungeons especially), in that certain enemies are much more difficult to defeat than they were in the strictly top-down perspective offered in The Legend of Zelda. On the other hand, the addition of certain abilities, most notably the downthrust technique, which is one that allows Link to jump up in the air and come down sword first, make effective tools in Link's fighting repertoire.

A Link to the Past

File:Palace of Darkness ALttP.png

The entrance to the Palace of Darkness in A Link to the Past

A Link to the Past returned to the fully top-down perspective, going back to the series' roots, thus removing the platform and side-scrolling elements that featured heavily in The Adventure of Link. However, they still suffered some alterations, as they have become multi-leveled, the puzzles are more complex and they are less focused on defeating enemies. Because of the game's use of the Light/Dark dichotomy, some dungeons in the Dark World are in the exact same places with dungeons located in the Light World. The dungeons also start featuring Big Keys, required to open the main dungeon items' chests and to access the bosses' rooms.

Link's Awakening

Link's Awakening also retains the same format, but they also include portions of side-scrolling navigation, as in The Adventure of Link. Also, each dungeon can only be accessed after collecting the proper entrance key.

Ocarina of Time

The Fire Temple in Ocarina of Time

After a five-year absence on the market, The Legend of Zelda series returned with its fifth installment, titled Ocarina of Time. Its series-new 3D graphics allow the game's dungeons to be far more individual, and more unusual settings are used, such as the humongous insides of both a tree and a giant fish. Due to this, each dungeon has its own music themes as well (except the first two, which respectively reuse the two grotto/cavern themes). The game also introduces another first in the series: an optional dungeon. This dungeon is named the Gerudo Training Ground and if he completes the challenges therein, Link will obtain the Ice Arrows, which are not necessary for completing his quest.

Though not included in the original release of the game for the Nintendo 64, the GameCube release of Ocarina of Time carries a Master Quest, which is a similar revisiting of the game to that of the Second Quest from the original The Legend of Zelda. One major difference of note between the second quest and the "Master Quest" (from Zelda and Ocarina of Time, respectively) is that, in the second quest from The Legend of Zelda, both the overworld and dungeons undergo radical changes, but in Master Quest, only the dungeons change, offering new puzzles and traps, as well as different locations for the items within and stronger enemies introduced sooner. For Ocarina of Time 3D, Master Quest is implemented with the same cartridge, and made even more difficult due to it being mirrored east-west (like Twilight Princess for the Wii) and making enemies inflict twice as much damage as before.

Majora's Mask

Majora's Mask employs the same game engine used for Ocarina of Time, but so far has not offered a second quest. In fact, the game's dungeons are the lowest in number in the series: four main temples, with two mandatory mini-dungeons. However, they are more complex in various aspects, and they are thematically unique (the third dungeon, for example, serves as a waterwheel factory, while the first one is a temple of stone and wood used by the Deku for their worship). One of the new elements is the game's time-based gameplay device, which makes the dungeons resettable, meaning that all the puzzles solved, enemies defeated and keys obtained are reverted every time Link travels back in time (he retains the Map and Compass). However, when cleared for the first time, they allow Link to directly confront the bosses through the warp spots that activate in the dungeons' entrance rooms. Likewise, stray fairies can be collected in these dungeons so that Link can return them to the fountains they belong to, in exchange for special rewards. The game's first three dungeons require Link's new respective forms (Deku, Goron and Zora) to be completed, while in the fourth one, Link makes use of all of them to reach the temple's boss; all main temple items in this game also pertain to the Bow.

Oracle of Seasons

The handheld games Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages retain the top-down perspective from the earlier 2D games. Additionally, thanks to the Linked Game feature, the overall quest between the two games offers a total of sixteen dungeons, a record only seen previously in the first The Legend of Zelda game with both Quests.

Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures

Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures brought back the top-down perspective, but introduced into the gameplay another first in the series: the first and so far only multi-player Zelda adventures, making for more varied and interesting puzzles and gameplay, which can only be conquered when the individual Links work as a team.

The Wind Waker

The inside of the Forsaken Fortress as seen in The Wind Waker

The series' next installment, The Wind Waker, saw more breakthroughs in graphics and gameplay changes through the dungeons. In this installment, the use of dungeon items is more prominent when it comes to puzzle-solving. This game also introduces the ability to manipulate other crucial characters and inanimate objects such as statues, adding another layer to the gameplay and challenging puzzle elements that are hallmarks of the series. Other additions include the availability of Warp Jars that help Link return to previous rooms more quickly, as well as the collection of Treasure Charts that pinpoint treasures that can be found later while exploring the Great Sea. There are also one-room doorless mini-dungeons.

The Minish Cap

The Minish Cap once again uses the top-down perspective of many of its predecessors, and the overall plot is to tell the backstory to Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures. Although Link once again gains the ability to split himself into up to four Links (as in the other two games), this game does not feature a multiplayer mode, but the complexity of the dungeons once again takes a turn and keeps the player on his/her toes. Adding a new layer of puzzle challenge to the game is the Minish Cap, which allows Link to shrink to the tiny size of the Picori who inhabit most of Hyrule. This item and ability combination grants Link access to places he could never have gone before, such as inside certain enemies and into the homes of the Picori, who live in everything from mouse holes to shoes to tree stumps. However, this newfound freedom to go where he wants is replete with new dangers, too, from cats to giant Chuchus, which become deadly enemies when Link is only the size of the Picori. Most of the dungeons Link visits in this game require him to be this size—or require that he shrink at certain places while he traverses the dungeons to either enter the dungeons or access otherwise inaccessible areas. The Minish Cap is also the first game to exploit the concept of Pieces of Heart within dungeons.