Daily Debate: What is the Best Final Dungeon in the Zelda Series?
Posted on October 21 2021 by Mike Midwood
Most Zelda titles conclude with a climactic final test. Dungeons serve as the primary obstacles throughout these games and it is only sensible that they also house the endgame challenges. The final dungeons are, however, are often quite unique. Sometimes they are comparably enormous, include elements of every previous dungeon, and culminate with the final boss. While they differ in presentation and style, they typically align toward a single goal; close the player’s experience with a sense of urgency and satisfaction. Which of the Zelda series’ final dungeons is your favorite?
The Legend of Zelda‘s Level 9 (or Death Mountain) and Adventure of Link‘s Great Palace are quintessential final dungeons from their era. They operate as technical conclusions for their game mechanics, having the largest, most complex structures as well as the most demanding combat. Additionally, they add interesting tricks like unique music and exclusive enemy encounters. Though they can be brutally challenging, there’s no denying that they represent appropriate climaxes for each game. Other titles accomplish this same objective by repurposing concepts from previous dungeons. While not as complex or difficult, Ganon’s Castle from Ocarina of Time and Sky Keep from Skyward Sword offer their own gameplay crescendos by recalling the dungeons that came before. Sky Keep even has a unique mechanic where Link can rearrange the dungeon’s rooms from a set of terminals. Whether through challenge or concept, a Zelda game’s final dungeon operates best when it serves as a culminating moment for the proceeding adventure.
Some games in the series don’t truly have final dungeons. Link’s Awakening and Majora‘s Mask opt for final bosses that can be reached almost immediately, while the Game Boy Color and Nintendo DS titles all have final areas so brief it wouldn’t really be accurate to refer to them as dungeons. This may be disappointing to some, but there are numerous games where I feel no ultimate dungeon would have been better than what exists currently. I’m sure this is a very controversial statement but, despite how incredibly iconic Hyrule Castle is, I don’t think any of its appearances have constituted a satisfying finale. Despite an underrated musical theme, Twilight Princess’ Hyrule Castle does nothing to remedy that game’s infamously poor pacing. The 2D incarnations from A Link to the Past, The Minish Cap, and A Link Between Worlds (yes, I know that it’s Lorule Castle) always strike me as dull obstacle gauntlets. I would also put Ganon’s Tower from The Wind Waker in this category, despite its better theming. In all of these cases, an elevator straight to the final boss would be better. Breath of the Wild at least has this in principle if you know the right routes and gear to use, but it is faint praise when my favorite thing about the dungeon is that it can be skipped.
What is your favorite final dungeon in the Zelda series? Do you prefer a final dungeon or a more immediate encounter with the main villain? Let us know in the comments below!
Hi, I’m Mike Midwood and I’m a Senior Editor at ZeldaDungeon! Video games and literature are my greatest joys in life. An avid Zelda fan, some of my other favorite games include the Resident Evil and Dark Souls series. I hope you enjoy my content here on ZeldaDungeon!
“The sword has no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage.”
