Daily Debate: What’s the Best Elemental Dungeon?

Many dungeons in the Zelda series like to base their design aesthetics on a particular element. Sometimes it may be subtle, for others, it may be integral part of navigating around the whole dungeon. When asked to make a list of classic elements: fire, earth, water and air (wind) would be top of my list. There are others of course which have been utilized such as ice, light, shadow and time. In considering what’s the best elemental dungeon, it can tricky knowing even where to begin. Should a judgement be made on how successfully the element was used? Or how much I enjoyed the dungeon because it was a specific element or theme? Dungeons such as the Earth Temple in Skyward Sword even combine two elements! Is it fair to compare this against the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time?

Personally, there is one dungeon in Twilight Princess that sticks in my mind for this debate. City in the Sky is a dungeon that encompasses not only air/wind as a mechanic but has an atmosphere that really made me feel like I was in the clouds. To get there, you need to access the Sky Cannon and be launched into the heavens! The city is also home to Ooccoo, a bird like creature that you have met throughout the game. You can use different Oocca to fly in certain sections and zip from air fan to air fan using the Clawshots. At times, I would just hang from a Peahat taking in the scenery and listening to the music which has a “floating” quality to it. I do appreciate that the humming of the Oocca can drive you a bit loopy after a while, but found it still added to the experience!

So, which do you think is the best elemental dungeon? Does Dodongo’s Cavern fire you up? Does the Snowpeak Ruins leave you cold? Did the Palace of Winds blow you away? Whatever your thoughts, remember to leave a comment below!

This Daily debate was inspired by: @Brodige