We’ve all been there — a frustratingly hard dungeon you’ve spent hours in and still can’t seem to get anywhere. The repetition of the music, the feeling like you’re lost in the woods, walking in circles… it’s maddening. You’ve exhausted yourself, tried everything you can think of and then again for good measure, but you just can’t solve that puzzle, find that item. Finally you cave, and look up a guide. So much for completing that without aid, right? And…
The Legend of Zelda is a series filled with wonder, beauty, and lore. These are some of the key elements that make Zelda games so special, and they’re woven through the fabric of every character, enemy, musical score, and dungeon the player comes across. The result of such weaving is a stunning architecture of distinctive environments and unforgettable encounters. And there are few more memorable and more haunting architectures than that of the Arbiter’s Grounds in Twilight Princess. Hyrulean…
We all remember the first time we guided Link to that location in that game and embarked on conquering that dungeon. For some, it’s hookshotting to the top of the broken steps and entering the Forest Temple. For others, it’s being fired from a canon and landing atop the City in the Sky. And for others still, it’s hefting the statue before the Ice Palace. Each of these temples features one theme; be it forest, sky, or ice, these themes…
There are two things in my life that I’ve always enjoyed: art and writing/storytelling. As both an artist and writer, when I evaluate games outside of just gameplay, the main two things I care about are whether there is a meaningful story being conveyed, and if there is a strong visual language/art direction being utilized. The Legend of Zelda series has many games that excel at this criteria, but perhaps among the best is Twilight Princess. It has a unique…
Hey there, Zelda fans! I hope you’re enjoying Dungeon Week so far! As promised, our talented writing staff will be highlighting the Zelda series’ biggest and best dungeons all week long. And, of course, our weekly Caption Contest is part of the festivities too! In fact, our special Dungeon Week contest is here to spotlight one of the only living, breathing dungeons in the Zelda series. Our Last Contest: We received so many fantastic entries in our last contest….
The Zelda series is filled with tons of awe-inspiring dungeons to explore and conquer. But what makes a dungeon worthy of the top tier? What makes it memorable and enjoyable, and just plain good? In my own experience, I’ve always wondered if it’s the overall theme of a dungeon that makes it memorable. Each game in the series usually has a plethora of themed dungeons that range from desert, to lava, to water (everyone’s favorite, right?). I feel like a…
From the very start of the series, dungeons have been intrinsic to the identity of The Legend of Zelda. Whether they be levels, palaces, temples, cisterns, or Divine Beasts, these structures are in many ways collectively a crucial ingredient of the whole Zelda franchise. These areas, more than any other, sell the heroism, adventure, fantasy, and sense of discovery for which we come to Zelda again and again. “Dungeon” is in the name of this website for a reason, after…
Throughout the Legend of Zelda series, we’ve seen our protagonist rise to heroism after first occupying (or apprenticing for) several different professions. In A Link to the Past, Link lives with his uncle, who is not clearly identified as belonging to one profession or another, though we can infer that he is a veteran soldier (given his ownership of both sword and shield). In the manga, he and Link are shown to be apple farmers. Given their proximity to the…
Get your headphones in, because this week, we’re taking a musical journey throughout the history of the Zelda series to rank and discuss every games main theme! We go back and find what works, what doesn’t, which games were short-changed, and which themes we would consider the best of all time. We’re playing every theme in the series, so sit back and groove out to the amazing music of the series. Don’t forget to let us know which main theme…
This probably is not a new question on everyone’s minds but as we are now a little less than four months away from Tears of the Kingdom; it makes you wonder what will be next for the Zelda series. Game developers are probably already brain storming the next Zelda title to follow Tears of the Kingdom, so do you think that future Zelda games will keep with the open world format? Breath of the Wild was the first truly open…
