Skyward Sword Dungeons: Lanayru Mining Facility

Now it’s finally time to discuss Lanayru Mining Facility. I’ve been eager to write this one because Lanayru Mining Facility is my favorite dungeon in Skyward Sword and is also among my favorite dungeons out of the whole series. I thought it was a brilliantly designed dungeon, and I greatly enjoyed my time with it.

Lanayru Mining Facility is the third dungeon of Skyward Sword, found in the technologically advanced Lanayru Province. The most obvious and unique feature about this dungeon is how advanced it is, because like the region as a whole it is filled with extremely advanced technology. This isn’t immediately apparent until you activate one of the Timeshift Stones within, however, and honestly the level of technology in Lanayru Mining Facility is a shocking contrast to that of the outside areas. Activating Timeshift Stones in Lanayru Desert and Lanayru Mine will mostly just revert the desert into a place with abundant life, and might throw in some mechanisms here and there (though they are very advanced). But Lanayru Mining Facility, being a dungeon, is a fully-enclosed, mechanical and electrical facility, true to its name.

Some may like or dislike this level of technology in a Zelda game, but either way it makes the dungeon extremely unique compared to others in the series. It’s one part ancient ruin (again, much like the previous two dungeons in the first “dungeon trio” of the game), and one part something we’ve never seen before: An electricity dungeon. This unique technology theme combined with the innovative Timeshift Stone mechanic gives this dungeon its own identity, and its puzzle-driven design is brilliantly executed, feeling like a sand-flooded ruin and then an advanced, guarded and dangerous facility at all the right times. It definitely feels like walking through two worlds.

One thing I hear people complain about sometimes is the dungeon’s music, usually saying it’s a really annoying theme. But part of why I love it is how unique it is. It’s a very weird song that combines well with the uniqueness of the dungeon. I can’t stop people from personally disliking it, but I can provide reasons why I think it’s a good song. I wrote a post analyzing this song on the forums, so rather than reiterating it I’ll quote it:

Lanayru Mining Facility was an old ruin, so the song had that odd hollow tinkling and often deep wind-like sounds, but the place was also one of advanced technology, and the high-pitced sounds and various other aspects of the song work with this theme quite well. Furthermore, the dungeon was also highly dangerous. This was the climax to the game’s first half, as well as the dungeon of Lanayru Desert. Lanayru Desert was a sad area that, depending on how you want to interpret it, may have actually depicted portions of the Demon War talked about in the opening (the events that seem to be going on in the past when you activate Timeshift Stones look like they’re from that war).

Lanayru Desert had an adventurous atmosphere, but also a sad one. Lanayru Mining Facility was the dungeon of that area, the dangerous portion, so they offset that with an unsettling and alarming tune. In addition to the themes I already addressed, the Lanayru Mining Facility theme was supposed to be uncomfortable. It was a vaguely irritating noise for me, but not in the sense that it made the song difficult to listen to, but in the sense that it made the song unsettling. This fit the area — with its danger, creepiness, and sadness — very well.

I said earlier that the puzzle design in Lanayru Mining Facility was extremely good, and it is definitely a puzzle-focused dungeon. While I have some complaints about the Gust Bellows and how they are used in later sections of the game, they are used excellently within the dungeon itself, and most of the dungeon’s puzzles are very unique, and play off the sandy ruin and advanced facility themes. It’s also one of the game’s longest dungeons, with a large amount of rooms. I spent significantly more time here than in most of the other dungeons.

Being that it’s puzzle-centric, it has a minimal focus on combat, with few dangerous enemies; Most of the foes are mere nuisances, though there are many. There is no miniboss. I would however like to comment on how well-executed the dungeon boss Moldarach was. I thought it was brilliant how this boss was set up earlier in the dungeon, with Fi’s description of the Aracha growing large after a thousand years hinting at Moldarach himself. It’s neat how they set that up, and it makes Moldarach and the Aracha in general feel like a real part of the world. Moldarach himself is a very fun battle — although he could have used more health — and honestly he’s probably my third favorite boss of the game, after Ghirahim and Scaldera. I especially couldn’t get over that I was having a sword duel with a giant scorpion!

All in all, as I have said, I felt Lanayru Mining Facility was an amazing dungeon. It’s one of the smoothest dungeons of the series, with some of the best puzzles and some of the best flow and progression as you move through it, with neat little touches like acquiring the map late in the dungeon, giving you incentive to backtrack for chests like a treasure-hunter. It’s got excellent atmosphere, a cool song, and an incredible finale.

But how about you? I know some share my fondness for Lanayru Mining Facility, but plenty others do not, and I’m curious where you stand. Did you enjoy the dungeon, did you find any aspect — including the music — annoying, or is it a section of the game that you’re indifferent to? Tell me in the comments and keep an eye out next week for the fourth Skyward Sword Dungeons entry: The Ancient Cistern.

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