Blending Dungeons with the Overworld – Hyrule Compendium

Nintendo has been clear in recent years that it has sought to “rethink the conventions” of The Legend of Zelda. While many see Breath of the Wild as the outcome of that mission statement, this was something they have seemingly been messing around with in the past few games in the series. For example, in Skyward Sword there seemed to be an effort to mix up the gameplay of the dungeons and the overworld. This resulted in many of the areas leading up to the dungeons to become more puzzle based, but did it work?

In the latest entry into the Hyrule Compendium, Mases and I discuss the ways in which Nintendo has both succeeded and failed in recent games to make the gameplay between the overworld and the dungeons gel. We discuss how Breath of the Wild’s Divine Beasts do share a nonlinear aspect with it’s overworld, but how there is also a slight disconnect in the gameplay style. There is also some talk of which dungeon design we prefer, and what they could do for future games.

Do you have a personal favorite approach to dungeon design? How would you like to see them implemented in future Zelda games? Let us know in the comments! If you enjoyed this video, please give it a like and head on over to our Youtube channel and subscribe for more!

For more of our thoughts, check out Mases’ Twitter and Gooey’s Twitter.