Favorite Death Mountain?

[Masked Bastard]

So, I was looking at the (known) map of Wii U Zelda's overworld, and couldn't help but notice a skull-shaped lake in the mountains, containing what looks to be Spectacle Rock (perhaps.) Looking back, I realized that Death Mountain could possibly contain the final dungeon, something which (if you think about it) Zelda hasn't done in a very long time.

Hard to believe it has been over 28 years for this series, and Death Mountain in particular (which, interestingly enough, is the oldest landmark in the entire franchise, beating out the entire rest of Zelda 1's overworld in terms of conception.)


So, out of all the incarnations, which one so far has been your favorite? Left the biggest impact on you? Most fun? Just plain coolest?

For me, it remains to be the one from A Link to the Past. This mountain cannot simply be climbed up to like in LoZ or OoT. Rather, caves serve as a method of transition between the fields and the high mountain. You can't really see the rest of the overworld from here either: just a void in the earth full of sparkling diamonds. From the top however, you have an absolutely gorgeous view of what lies beyond the confines of the game's overworld, complete with sporadic cloud cover below you.

Not technically Death Mountain, but Tal Tal comes close to this as well, in different ways. Maybe its the continued use of caves to navigate it, but it too feels a bit more detached from the rest of the world in a good way.

 

[Dio]

My favourite is the one from TP. Bathing in the hot springs whilst chugging milk is the best, brudda.

 

[Link Floyd]

I have very fond memories of the one in OoT, but I'm gonna have to agree with G-King and go with TP as well. I enjoy the atmosphere of TP's more and the hot springs are awesome.

 

[Mr. Ister]

Gotta go with A Link to the Past. As the OP said, it's not at all a direct route (you can basically say OoT and TP's routes are pretty direct) making you feel like you're really scaling something massive. I'd have to say TP's is one of my least favorite, despite that being one of my favorite Zelda games - it's not very memorable, involves more tedium than challenging exploration, and I never enjoyed the hot springs/Gorons themselves that much in that area.

 

[Masked Bastard]

For me, I think TP was my *least* favorite. You could say it was well made I suppose, but you only have one major visit near the beginning of the game, then come back later for a huge burning rock. Ever since Ocarina of Time, I feel like it has just become "Goron Land", while it used to be climactic. Maybe this time it can be both.

 

[ZeldaFan80]

When is comes to the classics, I prefer the one from the original Legend of Zelda game.

When is comes to a more recent game in the franchise, I prefer The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

 

[AncientPoe]

Yeah, I never liked the one from TP. It felt really tedious and annoying, but then for some reason the Goron part of almost every Zelda games feels like that to me. I really don't know why. I'm honestly struggling to think of a 'favorite'. Ocarina was my first, but thinking back, there isn't really much to it. Nothing really grabs me about LttP or ALBW's Death Mountain regions either. And Snowhead doesn't count. I think by elimination I have to go with Zelda II, not for any artistic reason but just because it's nice to be able to point to something that is just unabashedly hard in a Zelda game.

Now… if we wanna talk about other staple location favorites, Twilight Princess takes home two awards, for best 'Lake Hylia' and best Forest location (since the names tend to change on that one) in the form of Faron Woods. Both locations have truly beautiful music. Hylia grants lovely vistas and mood with its dawn and dusk atmospheres that you can view by cuccou flight, while Faron's dappled sunlight and flitting wildlife paint a remarkable calm sense that fits perfectly with the selected palette.

 

[P-Zelda]

It's a tie between ALttP and TP. ALttP because it was my first Death Mountain experience and TP for the challenge and beautiful graphics that made it more fun than in OoT! Also who doesn't enjoy a good ol' wrestling match with a Goron?

 

[Farore's Chosen]

I don't like Death Mountain in any incarnation but I think the most tolerable would have to be Ocarina's. It's not confusing, not too difficult and I actually like Dodongo's Cavern. Which is weird, because I'm not a huge fan of fiery areas.

 

[Djinn]

I wonder if Dragon Roost Mountain would count.

I would also vote for the ALTTP version since there is so much to do there. and it does not have to be related to the original mission the first time you get there. There are tons of secrets all over it and some you can only discover later in the game after you get a few items and gain some better mobility. In OOT and TP you only need to go there once then there is no point in bothering ever again. You did your part and it is time to move on to other regions of the map.

 

[DARK MASTER]

Mt. Desma, translated means "death Mountain" if that counts. Dora Dora was a great boss.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

ALttP version. I too have always felt like it feels pretty big, plus there are a lot of things you can do there, you'll find yourself going back wereas in almost all other versions of Death Mountain it's a one and done kind of thing.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

So, I was looking at the (known) map of Wii U Zelda's overworld, and couldn't help but notice a skull-shaped lake in the mountains, containing what looks to be Spectacle Rock (perhaps.) Looking back, I realized that Death Mountain could possibly contain the final dungeon, something which (if you think about it) Zelda hasn't done in a very long time.

Hard to believe it has been over 28 years for this series, and Death Mountain in particular (which, interestingly enough, is the oldest landmark in the entire franchise, beating out the entire rest of Zelda 1's overworld in terms of conception.)


So, out of all the incarnations, which one so far has been your favorite? Left the biggest impact on you? Most fun? Just plain coolest?

For me, it remains to be the one from A Link to the Past. This mountain cannot simply be climbed up to like in LoZ or OoT. Rather, caves serve as a method of transition between the fields and the high mountain. You can't really see the rest of the overworld from here either: just a void in the earth full of sparkling diamonds. From the top however, you have an absolutely gorgeous view of what lies beyond the confines of the game's overworld, complete with sporadic cloud cover below you.

Not technically Death Mountain, but Tal Tal comes close to this as well, in different ways. Maybe its the continued use of caves to navigate it, but it too feels a bit more detached from the rest of the world in a good way.

Tal Tal Heights is fun. (Not DM but that's okay) I mean how often do you get to navigate mountains and cave systems on a blue, super strong rooster that you brought back from the grave?

 

[Squirrel]

I'm gonna say the one from A Link to the Past. And I've never played that game. I just really didn't like either versions from OoT or TP and I've never heard of any others besides these 3.

 

[the8thark]

Zelda 2

You can do it the easy way (with candle) or the hard way (without candle). Also how much you grind XP prior also affects the difficulty of this Death Mountain.