Returning to Dungeons

[Mastik]

As part if the formula changes in SS it have been confirmed that we will be able to go back to dungeons that we have completed and during the game.
How will that play, will we have a completely new set of puzzles and a action in the dungeon like in the ocean tamale? Will we be able to explore the dungeon while in the silent world? And how do you think it will affect the amount of dungeons in the game?

 

[theganonator]

i'm guessing there will be different parts of the dungeon that will need to be explored but you can't get there till a certain point in the game, kinda like metroid. it's really hard to imagine how exactly they're going to implement this, I really like the idea though, it will make the dungeons seem more meaningful to the plot. I do think there will be less dungeons than twilight princess for a variety of reasons, but it's supposed to be a huge game so i think there will be a decent amount

 

[Ariel]

i'm guessing there will be different parts of the dungeon that will need to be explored but you can't get there till a certain point in the game, kinda like metroid. it's really hard to imagine how exactly they're going to implement this, I really like the idea though, it will make the dungeons seem more meaningful to the plot. I do think there will be less dungeons than twilight princess for a variety of reasons, but it's supposed to be a huge game so i think there will be a decent amount

It will actually "field-ify" dungeons as fields have become "dungeon-ified". This leads to me to a possible issue in pacing. If these environments have all been hammered down into a flat sheet of grey, won't fields and dungeons feel indistinct and cause a kind of bland flavour to persist instead of progression? Maybe I'm oversimplifying or overdramaticizing it, because I've heard no such complaints from the Game Informer staff and Nintendo, 99% of the time, more or less knows EXACTLY how a game is fun.

 

[steve12345]

What I wonder is if there is a possibility that there will be more than one boss in each dungeon. I am not talking about mini-bosses.

I mean that you, for example, return to the Fire Temple long after you originally beated that temple, use your newest items to reach an area that wasn't accesible before and, so to speak, enter a new part of that temple with in the end, another boss.

 

[Mastik]

Nintendo has proved with the metroid games that they can make backtracking Fun without creating pacing problems. I do hope that we get more variety in therms of how that plays thou, then it would be just the old formula ( get an item, get into the dungeon, fight the mini boss, get a new item, kill the boss white it) just with less verity with places you will visit. I think that we will still get a nice long 7 to 10 dungeons, and you will revisit some of them in different ways ( new paths opened, new item, silent world etc.) that will provide us abut 50-100 hours, witch fits perfectly to what nintendo told us, the specific numbers depends on the original size of the dungeons

 

[Pen]

Maybe we'll have something similar to what we saw in WW. The Forsaken Fortress there was both the first dungeon in the game and the fifth dungeon in the game (if you count it twice).

The first time around we went through the dungeon without the sword, and the second time we did have the sword. So even though we actually went through the same dungeon in the same way twice in the game there were completely different kinds of game play each time. Perhaps that's what we'll see in SS, different game play in the same dungeon...

 

[Ganondork]

I think that there will be certain dungeons where we get our hands on the item of the dungeon, but be unable to continue through the dungeon. Now (as stated by Miyamoto) we will have some idea that it's a dungeon, but will be able to continue through the Overworld. We reach another dungeon and receive a new item. Not only can we beat that dungeon with it, but we can also return to the other dungeon I spoke of and be able to complete that one. This idea can be in some ways flawed, but it makes more sense than just adding a new set of puzzles for no good reason. If we're lucky, the new set of puzzles may give us a heart piece, but that's hardly a sufficient reward for waiting so long to get it.

As for the Silent Realm dungeon idea, I think it's possible. Because it's confirmed that we may have trouble differing the Overworld from a dungeon, it's actually possible that there will be a point where we run through a dungeon in the Silent Realm. As the game progresses, I wouldn't be surprised if we had to solve puzzles in order to get the next tear (I think it's a tear that makes the guardians stop moving) in order to continue our journey through this section of the Silent Realm.

Now, this is fairly obvious; if we're revisiting so much, then the number of dungeons is going to decrease. It would be a very long game if we had to revisit about five of ten dungeons throughout the game. This would be nice for hardcore gamers, but it might discourage newcomers to the series. I think Nintendo is trying to keep in mind the hardcore fans, and the potential new ones. I think Nintendo has the formula right though, since they hired people who grew up playing Zelda; they know what worked and what didn't during their Zelda experiences.

No matter how much we have to revisit dungeons though, whether we see them in the Silent Realm, or it affects the number of dungeons there are in total, I'm sure that the dungeons in Skyward Sword are going to be amazing.

 

[athenian200]

Well, technically, we've always been able to return to dungeons. I've actually done that before in order to get an item I missed the first time, or just because I felt like fighting the monsters there again.

What may be added, in this case, is a scenario requiring you to return to dungeons to progress the plot. Making backtracking a part of the storyline rather than merely an option available to you. I personally think it's a great idea. I wouldn't mind finding new surprises in old dungeons after I haven't visited them for a while.

I didn't like the Temple of the Ocean King, but that was because it was the SAME dungeon, over and over again fairly close together in time. Not to mention the timer and inability to save your progress in that dungeon. If the backtracking is broken up over several dungeons, then it will remain fairly exciting and novel. I think Nintendo might have learned from PH how to implement backtracking in a way that appeals to gamers. Nintendo doesn't usually make the same mistake twice.

This could open up various possibilities. There could be rooms you notice the first time around, and you spend a lot of effort trying to reach them, only to find out you can't reach them until later. There could be multiple bosses and multiple hidden items in the same dungeon. This sort of feature could make the Dungeon Map and Compass even more useful items than they already are, because they would help you see where you've been already, and what you've already done/collected. With two or three different bosses and sections of the dungeon to beat, that would be needed badly. Although in some dungeons, perhaps they would only let you GET the Map in the second segment, to make the first one more challenging.

I hope that they also implement a lot of reasons to optionally return to a dungeon, like hidden heart pieces and such that you can't reach until later in the game. That would add a lot of replay value, and make the game feel less linear. Yes, this is one of the things about SS that I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy.

 

[Ventus]

like hidden heart pieces and such that you can't reach until later in the game. That would add a lot of replay value, and make the game feel less linear. Yes, this is one of the things about SS that I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy.

The problem I have with this is that they'll need to do it right. What I mean is, if we're forced to return to a dungeon in order to get a heart piece later in the game, said dungeon should have its enemies buffed or completely swapped for stronger enemies with different AI. Why do I say that? Looking back at Master Quest, I had to revisit Inside of the Deku Tree to get a Skulltula. Unfortunately, the enemies gave me no challenge at all, as I had all heart pieces and all the items in the game. I'd like for added challenge in addition to that replay value.