Dataminers Discover Early-Build Dungeons, Unused Content in Tears of the Kingdom
Posted on March 27 2024 by John Lortie
Tears of the Kingdom’s dungeons weren’t always the versions players experience now. Considering the game’s scope, that statement probably isn’t surprising. But what if we were to tell you that early builds of Tears of the Kingdom’s dungeons persist in the game’s code, or that one existent early build of a temple is totally different from what was used in the final game? Dataminers in the “TotK Data Collection and Research” Discord server found these unused builds and have successfully loaded them into the game’s retail release.
Gaming Reinvented recently posted a video to its YouTube channel detailing the differences between the game’s final dungeons and these prototypes. “The Unused Dungeons Hidden in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom!“ details each change. Some apply to all dungeons (Link isn’t able to use Ascend to move throughout levels), while others are more unique (the early Wind Temple only requires one unit of cold protection instead of two).
Perhaps the single largest difference between an early-build dungeon and its counterpart in the retail game is the Spirit Temple. The final version is an entrance and arena for a boss battle, preceded by the Construct Factory, where players build Mineru’s Construct and are taught to use it. An early build of the Construct Factory doesn’t appear to be in Tears of the Kingdom’s files. Instead, the unused Spirit Temple itself is a more complete, if unfinished, gauntlet, where players use the Construct to battle enemies and solve light puzzles.
For those who would prefer it, there’s an article on Gaming Reinvented providing all of this information in a text-based format, while clarifying some points in the video. For instance, progress players make in an early build of a dungeon is reflected in the release build of it. Check out the article and take a look at Gaming Reinvented’s YouTube channel for more videos about Zelda, glitches, and other gaming content.
I find unused content in Zelda to be a fascinating topic. Seeing what could have been helps me appreciate the final version of a game all the more. While I would have loved it if the Spirit Temple had been a full dungeon, I still had fun plenty of fun helping Mineru and solving the Construct Factory’s puzzles.
What do you think? Are you surprised by the difference between the unused early dungeons and their final builds? Do you like learning about unused assets and concepts in Zelda games? Tell us what you think in the comments!
Source: Gaming Reinvented
John’s been a Zelda fan since he was seven years old (which was a good few decades ago). He loves the last three months of the year, analog media, his family, and Tolkien. His favorite Zelda game is Breath of the Wild and his favorite game is Night in the Woods.
