Search Results for: BRILLIANCE IN LEVEL DESIGN

Hello everyone! For those who don’t know, this article is a continuation of a series about level design in Zelda games. Today we’ll be looking at a frequently lauded dungeon from Skyward Sword: the Ancient Cistern. This dungeon constantly finds its way onto top ten dungeons lists, but all I ever hear this dungeon praised for are two things:

1. The theming (Heaven and Hell, Buddhist symbolism, etc.)
2. The boss fight (Koloktos)

After that, I hear nearly nothing about the actual design of the level itself. So I won’t be talking much – well, at all, really – about the spiritual themes and whatnot present in the Ancient Cistern. Because, quite honestly, this dungeon would be a fantastic example of exquisite level design without any of that symbolism. Let’s dive in, shall we?

No, it’s not April Fool’s Day. I really am analyzing the Water Temple from Ocarina of Time and telling all of you why it’s a fantastic example of great level design. Don’t believe me? Well, assuming you didn’t skip right to the comments, read on, and maybe I’ll convince you.

Also, we’re doing something a little interesting this time around (and something I wished I’d thought of when I covered Ocarina of Time’s Forest Temple), and that is including notes on the Master Quest version of this dungeon and how it differs from the original. Also on that note, I got so absorbed into my Water Temple playthrough during my regular run that my only screenshots here (posted to Miiverse) are from the Master Quest version.

Yeah, I got absorbed into the Water Temple. I can’t help it, this dungeon has grown on me every time I’ve played it since it first released. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Hello everyone! For those who don’t know, this article is a continuation of a series about level design in Zelda games. I’ll be looking at every single dungeon in these Zelda games: Link’s Awakening, Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and A Link Between Worlds, seeking to find which dungeons are examples of excellent level design, and then bringing that analysis to you fine folks. Today, we’re taking an in-depth look at a fantastic dungeon from Link’s Awakening…

Hello everyone! For those who don’t know, this article is a continuation of a series about level design in Zelda games. I’ll be looking at every single dungeon in these Zelda games: Link’s Awakening, Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and A Link Between Worlds, seeking to find which dungeons are examples of excellent level design, and then bringing that analysis to you fine folks.

The Zelda series often has a great intro dungeon in each game, but to me, Dragon Roost Cavern is the very best (though Eastern Palace in A Link Between Worlds comes darn close). This dungeon isn’t about difficulty, but about setting the mood for the entire game and preparing the player for the challenges that lie ahead. Let’s dive in…

Hello everyone! For those who don’t know, this article is a continuation of a series started last week about level design in Zelda games. I’ll be looking at every single dungeon in these Zelda games: Link’s Awakening, Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and A Link Between Worlds, seeking to find which dungeons are examples of excellent level design, and then bringing that analysis to you fine folks.

Today I’m talking about Ocarina of Time’s Forest Temple. I’ll be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of the Forest Temple. It was okay, but only stood out to me because you get the Fairy Bow in it. Since I’ve been replaying games seeking out great dungeons, it was a perfect opportunity to take a fresh look at Ocarina of Time’s Forest Temple. After playing through it with an open mind, I’m still not personally a fan of it, but I have much more appreciation for what it does right in terms of level design, which is quite a lot. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Hello everyone, and welcome to a new series of editorials where I will be talking about level design in Zelda games! Here’s how this series will work:

Each week (roughly, there’s not a set schedule for these), I will highlight a single dungeon in any given Zelda game and talk about its level design. The title of the series should clue you in that I’m focusing on “brilliant” level design. I’m looking for unique ideas, great ways of teaching the player without spelling it out, character progression, clever item usage, mind-bending puzzles, and memorable boss fights. 

Today I’ll be focusing on one of my favorite dungeons from one of my favorite Zelda games: A Link Between Worlds’ Dark Palace.

Hello everyone! My name is Tpaul Homdrom, though you may see above that my username is Theodore Homdrom. That’s because my full name is Theodore Paul Stewart Homdrom, and with lots of Theodores and Pauls in my family, T.Paul (which I eventually started spelling as just “Tpaul”… for some reason…) has been my name since before I could talk. So if you see a “Tpaul Homdrom” elsewhere on the interwebs, that’s almost definitely me. Okay! Let’s get into the whole “meet the Tpaul” thing. Wait, that’s not what it’s called…

I can’t believe it’s that time already, but here we are: it’s time for Zelda Dungeon’s 2019 Edition of the Best. Zelda. Ever! Two Zelda games were released this year — one a remake, and one a spinoff — but maybe most crucially, the next mainline installment of the series was teased at E3 when Nintendo revealed the sequel to Breath of the Wild was to be released! Exciting times are ahead for Zelda fans no doubt, but let’s focus…

It’s no secret that a great number of fans do not look back fondly on a certain Water Temple. Since the fateful day we all travelled to the bottom of Lake Hylia and felt the tedium of iron boots and water levels, we realized that Zelda could not always handle underwater segments appropriately. This fact doesn’t mean that we haven’t seen enjoyable underwater areas in Zelda since, but more than a few fans continually express their displeasure with underwater gameplay. With that said, we want to see your opinions on Zelda‘s underwater sections and to discuss the possibility of avoiding them altogether…

A common topic for many Zelda fans across the globe is what dungeons they dislike the most. There is always that one dungeon, that one temple, that had you so frustrated and filled with rage that you despise the very mention of its name. There might have been a dungeon that even made you rage quit, furiously hitting the power button without even saving. Or, you could have pulled a Markiplier, and threw your controller so hard that it broke. Whatever the case is, we want to know your pick for the most hated dungeon in the Zelda series…