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[ChoosableOne]

The first Zelda game I finished is TOTK. I had played a bit of Ocarina of Time before but dropped it after few hours. But after finishing TOTK, I decided to pick it up again.

The game progressed wonderfully until the Forest Temple; I was excited to play it every day. However, the puzzles in the Forest Temple felt so complicated(with a lot of backtracking), and coupled with those awful sounds in the background, I completely lost interest in the game. I'm even considering quitting.
For those who want to endure that awful sound, I'm sharing a video:



This video provides that awful sound in a 10-hour loop format. I listened to it for 2 hours in the game already.

Are the dungeons in other Zelda games like this? Are the other temples in this game as confusing and frustrating as this one? And should dungeons really make a comeback in Zelda games?

 

[Fbh]

If you are struggling with the Forest temple you'll love the Water temple

 

[KellyNole]

If you are struggling with the Forest temple you'll love the Water temple

Shhhhhh... He is going to love it.

I think Ocarina being the first foray into 3d made some of the temples a little weird, but it still had some good temples. The Forest Temple is one of my favorite in the series. After Ocarina and to an extent Majora's the temples get a little easier and more straight forward.

 

[ChoosableOne]

Ok, I got the message

 

[Chuck Berry]

Twilight Princess has arguably the coolest dungeons. Arbiters Grounds

Spoiler

Even the Water Temple but it's actually made somewhat cool since a bunch of the time you're walking around upside down with the magnet boots

 

[worldwithpyramids]

Yes lol

OoT and Twilight Princess have the best ones, imo.

 

[existensmaximum]

The dungeons in A Link to the Past are amazing. The ones from the other games.. Nah not really.

 

[Zelduh]

Honestly every time I was in a dungeon in any Zelda game (and I've played all of them since the first game and love them all) I couldn't wait for it to be over so I could be outside again. That's why Breath of the Wild was a breath of fresh air

 

[Neff]

The dungeons in A Link to the Past are amazing. The ones from the other games.. Nah not really.

ALttP is my all-time favourite video game but no. OoT and TP have some incredible dungeons.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Oh man.... Wait till you get to the Water Temple.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

Whatever you played in TOTK probably isn't even even a dungeon (I haven't played it).The dungeons are, for example, the four beasts in Breath of the Wild, not the shrines sprinkled about. Would you quit when you came to one of the four beasts?

Have you played any other Zelda games? The dungeons in almost every game are half of the reason to play these games. Try Link to the Past or something.

PS: I am genuinely curious of your age. This sounds like one of those "KIDS REACT TO RETRO GAMES" things.

 

[LordOcidax]

This is a weird thread…

 

[FinalBossWithTheMostPower]

 

[March Climber]

This is a weird thread…

Why

 

[iHaunter]

Only if you've only played Zelda. Otherwise, they're below average. At least the more modern ones. Older Zelda games like Twighlight Princess has better dungeons. For Nintendo standards they're good. If you've played other games, they're mediocre and basic.

 

[RoboFu]

This is a weird thread…

It's kind of like asking ." How good is god .. really? "

 

[Ogbert]

Only if you've only played Zelda. Otherwise, they're below average. At least the more modern ones. Older Zelda games like Twighlight Princess has better dungeons. For Nintendo standards they're good. If you've played other games, they're mediocre and basic.

Which game has better dungeons?

That’s not a dig. Genuine question. I mean Dark Souls games are incredible but they don’t have a puzzle element.

 

[TheInfamousKira]

Dungeons are great. In the most vanilla, classic Zelda sense, they're designed to basically encompass half the experience, and thematically to emphasize the contrast between light and darkness. Even the naming convention is largely reflective of this. The Legend of Zelda on NES starts you out on the overworld. This implies an underworld. Underworld evokes certain imagery - caverns, tombs.

But the dichotomy is so important. It's a perfect split. Half the game in light, half in darkness. Half on your terms, half on Ganon's. What you're trying to protect, and what you're trying to overcome. Hell, all the dungeon maps fit together in Zelda 1 to create their own little hellish "world," map.

 

[iHaunter]

Which game has better dungeons?

That’s not a dig. Genuine question. I mean Dark Souls games are incredible but they don’t have a puzzle element.

Okami would be a good example. Beyond Good and Evil. I suppose less games do 3D dungeons nowadays because it's a bit of an Archaeic style of gaming.

We can't exclude the Soul series because it's a different kind of dungeon. Even the puzzle elements within Zelda are very basic.

 

[ChoosableOne]

Whatever you played in TOTK probably isn't even even a dungeon (I haven't played it).The dungeons are, for example, the four beasts in Breath of the Wild, not the shrines sprinkled about. Would you quit when you came to one of the four beasts?

Have you played any other Zelda games? The dungeons in almost every game are half of the reason to play these games. Try Link to the Past or something.

PS: I am genuinely curious of your age. This sounds like one of those "KIDS REACT TO RETRO GAMES" things.

I have my own kid, lol. Even though I'm an old gamer, I started playing Zelda games with Totk. If newer Zelda games have dungeons like this one, I don't think they can reach Botw's popularity levels. There are significant differences between old and new Zelda games. There are a lot of fans of dungeons in here, but I don't think it will be a good idea in future games.

 

[Muffdraul]

I started with ALttP, so those dungeons will always have a special place in my heart. Going forward from there, I always thought Zelda dungeons were great. Mostly great... I've never understood the love for TP dungeons, IMO they're some of the dullest to play and ugliest to look at.

But maybe I just played enough of them over the years, because I had no problem saying goodbye to them in BotW in favor of other stuff. And while TotK went a little way towards 'old school Zelda dungeons,' generally speaking they have far more in common with BotW's divine beasts than any classic Zelda dungeons.

 

[JordiENP]

Yeah.

 

[Ogbert]

Okami would be a good example. Beyond Good and Evil. I suppose less games do 3D dungeons nowadays because it's a bit of an Archaeic style of gaming.

We can't exclude the Soul series because it's a different kind of dungeon. Even the puzzle elements within Zelda are very basic.

I love Souls games more than any other, but they are absolutely different. Linear and combat based. You don’t get lost, you just have to get through.

And Zelda’s puzzle elements are more than basic, certainly from OoT onwards.

As you say, it’s an outdated type of gameplay experience. But I don’t think anyone else has done it better. Or even attempted it, really.

 

[Physiognomonics]

I am also currently replaying Zelda OOT. Dungeons can be a bit obtuse (meaning hard) at time, but they are mostly masterpiece of design (and the handling of Link is still almost perfect). Nowadays they'd be streamlined like crazy with cues, hints, tutorials ad nauseaum.

Zelda OOT is a game you need to play with others as they often will give you very meaningfull advices. This is how I played the game before Internet. It was some hard work of guessing and trying sometimes, but very doable.

Dungeons in both A link to the past and Link's awakening are easier but also pretty good.

 

[March Climber]

It's kind of like asking ." How good is god .. really? "

It would make complete sense if someone unfamiliar with Christian/Catholic God decided to read the Old Testament, then the New Testament, and looked up at you with visible confusion and 100 questions.

 

[AngelMuffin]

Yes, the dungeons are the main reason I play Zelda games. Didn’t love BoTW because of this and other minor annoyances. ToTK at least tried to incorporate more traditional dungeons, but weren’t very memorable.

The Forrest Temple is actually one of the better temples in the series.

 

[Ogbert]

Also, playing through Link between Worlds at the moment.

Brilliant game.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

 

[Codes 208]

Yes, people werent complaining about the lack of them in botw/totk just for shits and giggles

This is a weird thread…

OP is part of the reason why nintendo is ok with removing classic zelda game design

 

[Moses85]

Not anymore. TP had great Dungeons!

 

[Gaiff]

>Awful sounds in the background

>Talking about one of the best and most atmospheric tracks of all time

 

[Astral Dog]

Yes they are good.there are ones like the Water Temple that was criticized by players because it was too 'confusing' and you needed to equip and unequip the boots from the menu, wich got annoying.

They adressed this in the 3DS version with an item shortcut and more clear directions

Though i don't like BoTW and TotK 'dungeons' they messed up what made Zelda dungeons so good

 

[Barakov]

There's some stinkers in the games but there are far more hits than misses.

 

[fart town usa]

F yes they are good. Only time they were shallow is BOTW but everything else made up for it for most people.

Even something Skyward Sword, that game is kinda shit for a variety of reasons but the dungeons weren't one of them.

 

[nkarafo]

If you want to play OOT today you should rather try the PC port or the "Redux" mod. They make many good improvements on the original game without messing with it too much.

 

[TheGodfather07]

F yes they are good. Only time they were shallow is BOTW but everything else made up for it for most people.

Even something Skyward Sword, that game is kinda shit for a variety of reasons but the dungeons weren't one of them.

How good are the dungeons in skyward sword? It's the only main zelda game I've never played but im thinking of playing it on the switch. I'm thirsty for classic zelda after botw and totk.

 

[Scotty W]

Dungeons are all about give and take.

You go, you get stuck, you figure out what to do, and there is a feeling of release.

With that said, some of the dungeons in oot are too confusing. Love the final Desert dungeon though.

 

[Sleepwalker]

My 8 year old self beat this game back in 1999, it can't be that hard OP.

And yes, they are damn good.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

Agreed it’s easy to get lost… but that’s sort of the point. If it was easy it wouldn’t be rewarding to complete. Good Zelda dungeons are tricky. Some of my fondest memories ever in any videogame are getting stuck in OoT in some of the dungeons and coming back to it later with fresh eyes.

Just go do something else for a while and come back. It’ll click for you eventually

 

[kiphalfton]

"This is what effort looks like"

"Here's some crappy shrines that are copy/pasted 50+ times"

One is clearly better than the other.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

Dungeons are all about give and take.

You go, you get stuck, you figure out what to do, and there is a feeling of release.

With that said, some of the dungeons in oot are too confusing. Love the final Desert dungeon though.

Yes! Spirit Temple. Some of the best music/ puzzles in any game, ever.

 

[Jsisto]

After seeing you insult the amazing soundtrack of the Forest Temple, we may as well be from different planets. It’s meant to be eerie, unsettling and incredibly atmosphere. It’s a temple full of ghosts and monsters. The music is a big part of the reason why I think OoT/MM and TP are the greatest dungeons in the series. Absolutely sublime nailing of the atmosphere and incredibly memorable.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Dungeons are the main reason I play Zelda games. Of course they are usually great, though not so much in the latest offerings sadly

 

[PaulBizkit]

I dont like them. Im 35, i played every zelda game except skyward sword, but the only ones i finished were Ocarina on 3ds and the 2 switch games. And with Ocarina, I forced myself to finish it since, well it's OCARINA, i HAD to finish it, the people on the internet talk highly of it.
If you dont like dungeons, classic zelda is not for you, there's no great gameplay revelation waiting for you. My main problem with the franchise is that there's very little action and you're constantly in dungeons pulling levers and moving boxes and doing menial stuff (and this is very nit-picky but i find it weird that these ancient temples all work as intended with no mechanism getting stuck or whatever).
In A Link To The Past it was the worst because all the dungeons had the same walls, and being in one for an hour, exiting to the great overworld map that's filled with fun stuff JUST TO GO BACK TO ANOTHER DUNGEON and seeing those same walls again felt soul-crushing. I managed to clear 3 dungeons in the dark realm and just got tired and dropped it. That's the farthest i went in any zelda game not counting the 3 ones i finished.

BotW is a masterpiece, it's easily in my top 5 favorite games of all time.

tl;dr: from what little i had played, Ocarina temples are tolerable but DUNGEONS ARE ZELDA. The music in the games are great, tho.

 

[LordNerevar76]

Lol, the Forest Temple is probably my favorite dungeon in the series and I love the music and ambience. I'd argue to push through and you'll eventually like the dungeons. Treat them as puzzles not as things to fly through. Twilight Princess also has great dungeons.

 

[deriks]

A lot of them are, but some are garbage

 

[MagnesD3]

Ugh In the older 3D Zelda games the dungeons in them are PEAK puzzle design in video games, they are literally unmatched in gaming. It's the reason I learned to respect and got into the series tbh as someone who really became a Zelda fan later. It's the main reason why Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess are two of the best video games ever..

And yes the puzzles in BOTW and TOTK are baby mode, they are insanely easy to solve compared to the older games, in the older games you actually had to learn the logic of the puzzle boxes where in BOTW/TOTK most of it is just based on real life stuff which should be obvious to anyone who is alive in the real world.. The puzzle designs also get nerfed hard because they have to accommodate for multiple solutions to their puzzles do to their freedom element and as a result what is the easiest solution will most likely work for most puzzles (for TOTK for example it was building a long bridge).

 

[Vandole]

How good are the dungeons in skyward sword? It's the only main zelda game I've never played but im thinking of playing it on the switch. I'm thirsty for classic zelda after botw and totk.

I found the ones in Skyward Sword to be overwhelming. They are some of the largest in the series. When you get stuck in one, or you're not enjoying it, it gets very frustrating. And personally I found the Mining Facility to be enough of a challenge that I didn't enjoy it.

That said, that's just a personal preference, and potentially a minority preference at that. I know many people who consider the skyward sword dungeons to be some of the best of the series.

 

[Azelover]

They were pretty good for most of them. Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess had the best ones.

The only console Zelda I felt was weak dungeon wise was Skyward Sword..

 

[GreenAlien]

awful sound?
What are you on about, it's amazing & immersive.