ZD Top 5 – Final Dungeons
Posted on July 16 2015 by Mark Olson
Every game has to have an ending, Zelda games included, and though a nice final boss is great, it’s even better when backed up by a stellar final dungeon. Some offer a new and challenging experience while others opt to run players through a gauntlet of the challenges encountered on their journey. On this weeks ZD Top, we asked staff members to showcase those final dungeons which brought the game to an enthralling close.
Jon Lett – View Profile
5. Ganon’s Castle (Ocarina of Time Master Quest)
4. Sky Keep (Skyward Sword)
3. Lorule Castle (A Link Between Worlds)
2. Hyrule Castle (Twilight Princess)
1. Ganon’s Tower (The Wind Waker HD)
I love a good gauntlet of past trials, and so I always get excited to playthrough Ganon’s Tower. Not only do you play through difficult new trials based on, AND bosses from, the past dungeons, but you also have to beat Phantom Ganon (as well as getting through his maze), Puppet Ganon, AND Ganondorf before the end of the game. At this point, sure, the real puzzle-solving is pretty much over, but it is made up for with loads of combat with giant monsters, along with 3 iterations of Ganon himself. That really makes it all worth a #1 spot for me.
Alexis Anderson – View Profile
5. Ganon’s Tower (Wind Waker)
4. Sky Keep (Skyward Sword)
3. Palace of Winds (Four Swords Adventures)
2. Lorule Castle (A Link Between Worlds)
1. Inside the Moon (Majora’s Mask)
Most final dungeons in Zelda are just reiterations of previous temples all chopped up and tossed into the one building. I tend to like this if I liked the game’s temples, but it makes for a stronger more interesting end when things vary like with the Masked Children on the Moon or heading straight into the final battle at the Palace of Winds. Lorule Castle was a beautiful composition of the game’s elements, not completely sectioned off temple clones, but a more free flowing test of the player’s amassed skills, I just had to give it props.
Thomas Jacobs – View Profile
5. Wind Fish’ Egg (Link’s Awakening)
4. Sky Keep (Skyward Sword)
3. Ganon’s Castle (Ocarina of Time)
2. Hyrule Castle (The Minish Cap)
1. Hyrule Castle (Twilight Princess)
I love me some castles, and Twilight Princess’ Hyrule Castle especially. It’s a beautiful location that shows you what the seat of power of Hyrule is like. I really like the dungeons that are inside of grand buildings: Snowpeak Ruins is one of my favorites as well. And you can’t really go wrong with Ganon’s Castle in Ocarina of Time as well: six short but sweet tracks that remind you of what you’ve learned in the previous dungeons to unlock the barrier standing between Link and Ganondorf. Sky Keep was just like this, but more expansive and more reminiscent of the previous locations. And finally the Wind Fish’ Egg because it has loomed over Link since the start of the game… and it’s a giant freaking egg. Can’t argue with that.
Kev Doughty – View Profile
5. The Moon (Majora’s Mask)
4. Ganon’s Tower (Wind Waker)
3. Hyrule Castle (Twilight Princess)
2. Ganon’s Castle (Ocarina of Time Master Quest)
1. Sky Keep (Skyward Sword)
BLIMEY this was difficult! Didn’t take long to pick 5 gooduns but putting them in an order was tough! The hide and seek games on the moon in Majora’s Mask may have been optional but they were some great challenges. Ganon’s Tower in The Wind Waker pretty much did what Ocarina of Time did with puzzle sections reminiscent of the stages but also had you re-fight the bosses which was great. Hyrule Castle in Twilight Princess was a great end to the best game in the series. Tough puzzles and intense fights made this a great final dungeon. The Master Quest version of Ganon’s Castle in Ocarina of Time was a huge improvement over the original with better puzzles but nostalgia has probably helped. Skyward Sword’s Sky Keep had some of the best puzzles, especially the timeshift orb puzzles and shifting rooms area, as well as awesome battles making it the most enjoyable final dungeon in the series.
Mark Olson – View Profile
5. Ganon’s Tower (Wind Waker)
4. Lorule Castle (A Link Between Worlds)
3. The Moon (Majora’s Mask)
2. Sky Keep (Skyward Sword)
1. Ganon’s Tower (A Link to the Past)
Doing a list like this made me realize that the Zelda series has had a number of great final dungeons. It was close, but in the end I had to give the nod to Ganon’s Tower from A Link to the Past. For whatever reason, final dungeons have seemed to get easier and easier as the years have progressed, and this is unfortunate. I think that Ganon’s Tower offers a great difficulty level for a final dungeon; it feels like it’s the culmination of all of your hard work and certainly puts your skills to the test. It also has a good mix of new and old; players must defeat some old foes once more, but a considerable portion of time will be spent trying to navigate the new trials Ganon has created. It’s a great end to a great game.
