Tag: Axle the Beast

Final dungeons in Zelda games are sort of an interesting topic all by themselves. I’m not sure if it’s a widely-discussed topic, but there’s certainly a lot of different ways of executing such areas in Zelda games, as I’ve written multiple times in the past. The Wind Waker might by my least-favorite Zelda game (don’t stab me!) but I’ve certainly liked some of its dungeons, so how do I feel about the very last stretch of the game? Ganon’s Tower…

I already wrote in my last Favorite Zelda Moments editorial — where I discussed the flooded Hyrule — about how I feel The Wind Waker managed better epic presentation and cooler storytelling than most other Zelda games, including Twilight Princess, which is usually the game you’d see praised for cinematic presentation. This week I’d like to discuss a few more related moments: The meetings with the deceased Sages of Hyrule. Now, The Wind Waker is usually considered a pretty cartoony…

Well… it’s time for me to review this dungeon, I suppose… You know, Zelda has an odd history with wind or air themed dungeons. I hear there was going to be one in Ocarina of Time before it was cut, and of course Majora’s Mask didn’t have any dungeons dedicated to such a theme, but then The Wind Waker came along and introduced the Wind Temple. And it was a must, wasn’t it? I have no doubt that the Earth…

In a series like Zelda, with so many foes of every variety — villains, bosses, and regular enemies — it’s no surprise that not all of them are that well fleshed-out. The vast majority of bosses are never elaborated upon, though even as early as A Link to the Past you had a boss with an actual backstory in Blind. The villains, while they often have plenty of story details to their name, can also tend to be very simplistic…

Just imagine: As you finally conclude harsh trials necessary to prove yourself hero enough — several steps above “man enough” — to acquire the means to defeat the ancient evil that took your sister, your talking boat and teacher whisks you beneath the waves to- Oh, wait, you’ve played The Wind Waker? Ah. No imagining necessary then. Who didn’t have their mind blown pretty severely by this part of The Wind Waker? The journey down into Hyrule was both extremely…

The Earth Temple is my favorite dungeon in The Wind Waker, and has been for a long time. Because the things it succeeds at are less nuanced than those of Dragon Roost Cavern, it’s the only dungeon in The Wind Waker that I loved outright, whereas it was only upon further analysis that I came to understand why I appreciated Dragon Roost Cavern. That lack of nuance combined with the fact that the Earth Temple’s problems are few — regardless…

I’ve mentioned numerous times while I’ve worked on Zelda Dungeon that I never really found the ReDeads scary in Ocarina of Time. Or… anything at all scary in Ocarina of Time, actually. Things like the ReDeads and the Shadow Temple both provided too familiar and cliched of ideas without enough suspense and danger to make me feel scared. With that said, that doesn’t mean there aren’t cool moments with these undead beasts, and it doesn’t mean that they won’t scare…

Sorry for the two-week hiatus, but it’s finally time for me to review the Forsaken Fortress. This dungeon is easily The Wind Waker’s most iconic. Dragon Roost Cavern was shown a lot in trailers, but the Forsaken Fortress featured in numerous pieces of the game’s artwork, is home to most of the game’s most significant enemies, and is visited twice due to its great story importance. The Forsaken Fortress is an odd case. While there are a few other dungeons…