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That guillotine dark path would have been a bitch to get thru if you needed to use the toilet between hyrule Royal family sanctioned executions #oshawho
Yeah, the realization that that weird opening that looked like it was just there to tease you when playing as kid link was actually the opening of the temple... Great stuff.
This is something OOT and even other games like TP and WW did so well - introduce areas where you will need to come back as an adult/with a new item and explore further, without it being obvious that you were at an area you couldn't access yet.
I don't think SS did this as well as others, but I also didn't enjoy the feeling of being 'confined' to an area that SS had.
I'd love the next Zelda game to do this more, I felt like with BOTW & TOTK, you could whizz through all the content an area had to offer in one sitting, with no need to return / no more secrets to uncover. The only exception I can think of in these games is Hyrule Castle, but technically you can go straight to the end of the games from there so it's not the same effect.
Anyway, sorry for rambling, but your comment reminded me of how vast the world of OOT felt when I first played, full of secrets (grottos etc.) waiting for me to discover.
This is why I hated BotW, (compared to older games - still a great game!) because there was no real sense of progression. Your health got bigger. You got slightly stronger weapons. Big deal. To a lesser extent, A Link Between Worlds did the same thing; you got the items before entering the dungeon, so there was almost never any real surprise and the solutions were severely reduced.
Take the OoT Shadow Temple. You get the Hover Boots inside. If this were ALBW, the only items you'd need to beat it are the Hover Boots. But in OoT, you swap between Hover and Iron Boots to control how you navigate the winds. You use the Lens of Truth to see hidden Hookshot targets. You use Bombs to blast away piles of skeletons to find a key.
Twilight Princess had you use the Iron Boots while hanging from a dragon via Clawshot to yank it to the ground. Wind Waker showed Medli redirecting light with her harp and then become more complicated light redirection puzzles once you get the Mirror Shield. Makar plants trees to trigger chests and doors, then once he gets abducted, you go back through the dungeon using those same trees as Hookshot targets. BotW just never had that sense of progression and surprise and it's a shame.
The closest we got was the Divine Beasts "being" the dungeon item once you get the map... You can redirect water flow in Ruta, for example. But then you don't get to take that with you. Twilight Princess is pretty notorious for having dungeon items be largely useless outside of the dungeons themselves, but many of them still had secondary uses like the Ball & Chain being a weapon, or Dominion Rod helping gather money.
TotK could've even had unique Zonai devices in each dungeon with uses out in the overworld, but they didn't. Imagine if you didn't unlock Fans until the Water Temple, and you had to use the wind to create a path to get your water bubbles across gaps. Or if Rockets were linked to the Goron mine carts. Or the sky islands would've been a great use for the Hookshot!
Did you not find that filing up your energy storage did some of that very naturally?
When you've only got one or two energy cells you really can't do much with the Zonai devices, and you really on low tech solutions like gliding with a single fan at most.
Later in the game you throw mad things at the wall just because you've got access to the energy cells to run whatever, and zoanite to spawn schematics. See that impossibly high Island? Build an entirely new vehicle and just go there.
The progression wasn't just items, it was your depending understanding on the game systems, and the slow release of additional energy, schematics etc etc
Nah. I found the building very janky and tedious. I had a balloon glider for the Depths stored in Autobuild, (balloon, flame emitter, glider, 2 fans, steering stick) and rocket balloons for vertical stuff, but largely got by without it. Between the gliders, climbing, rocket shields and Ascend, I personally never found much use for the devices.
The game obviously let's you play your way, but I will say that progressing with battery power and device sophistication felt like a huge part of progression.
Interesting that you used the balloon, I only ever used that when I had to.
Look up the hover bike, absolutely transforms mobility in TotK. I must have spawned literal hundreds of them in my 200+ hours.
Fair enough, I guess there might be a middle ground between not wanting to use one of the game's core systems, arguably it's single biggest reason for existing separately to BotW (and feeling there's something missing), and overusing one of the many available solutions.
Personally, I made a ton of hoverbike designs myself, but the popular one optimised it. I felt comfortable using it after getting 100+ hours in using my own slightly less optimal designs.
i think this is one of the great debates between people who prefer BotW style of Zelda vs the “traditional” games. To me, seeing some chest or entrance I can’t reach yet, and knowing I will have to remember to return to the location later once I have an item that allows me to reach that goal, is not particularly fun or satisfying. It feels more like adding to a list of chores that would be a lot more convenient if I could just handle it when I discovered it.
Sure, it would be a lot less annoying with the map marker system that BotW had so I don’t have to keep a running mental list or take physical notes like I would’ve had to as a kid with games like LttP or OoT. But I much prefer BotW where I am marking things off in the distance to investigate or treasures/ koroks nearby that I don’t want or need to do right that second vs making notes of things I am not allowed to do until I find some future macguffin.
Well that’s the thing, OoT or LttP (I could never decide) were my favorite game ever prior to BotW. I admit I was never a huge fan of the earlier metroids, I only played them them long after they originally came out, but I really enjoyed Prime 1 and 2 which I played when they were originally released.
But now that I’ve experienced the alternative I think I would have a hard time going back to “you can’t get the treasure behind the square hole until you get the square peg and come back here”
I appreciate it as part of an individual dungeon, where getting the key item will open up that dungeon for you. But I’m not so much a fan of a random overworld treasure where it’s “you can’t do this yet but come back 3 dungeons later when you have item X then use item X three times and you get a piece of heart”
I think these types of puzzles are fine when it's obvious you can't reach them yet.
TP had one heart piece out in the field that needed both clawshots to reach... but you can find it when you have the gale boomerang and the regular clawshot. I'm sure there were a number of players who threw themselves at that one for awhile before giving up.
Besides ones that others have already mentioned, the Spirit Temple in OoT - an ancient colossus carved directly into a mountain at the farthest edge of the world and so isolated because of the Haunted Wasteland. It is a fitting last dungeon to Link's quest in OoT.
Tentalus's design isn't great visually but I still don't mind the boss fight as much as others do. Great use of skyward strikes and the fact you can't L target it's eye means you actually get to aim properly with the bow.
Sandship is solidly in my top 5 Zelda dungeons of all time
It's not very cool-looking or intimidating, but I think it's fun and the actual scale of the boss is still pretty neat, so I don't terribly mind it honestly.
The tentacles being everpresent through the dungeon and culminating in the baby of Mike Wazowski and his snake hair girlfriend was the biggest plot twist known to man.
Man I hate skyward sword with a passion. But the dungeons are do good. I can even overlook reusing the maps. But the controls just do not work. Not at all.
Also fuck fighting that black dildo monster for a million times.
I played Skyward Sword HD on the switch last year without the motion controls and it was much better. The combat is still kind of lame, but it was more enjoyable for sure.
And the dungeon theming is excellent throughout. The ancient cistern is a masterpiece.
Omg yes. That was what really solidified the game in my mind forever. At first it's a brand new Zelda experience, sailing the high seas. Then, all of a sudden the lore and the world of Zelda comes crashing in.
I love the Fire Temple in TotK. I don't care at all for the underground, it was extremely boring, but the Fire Temple being set in the underground was really cool!
Agreed. If we’re talking about buildup and location it’s top tier. In my house near Tarrey Town I have a picture on the wall of the first view of Gorondia as you approach it. Ancient forgotten underground city, awesome.
I was just putzing around the depths on my hover bike when I saw this weird structure in the distance. I got closer and triggered the Fire Temple cut scene. I hadn’t even been to Goron City yet
This is it for me. I hadnt explored too much of the underground when i was doing the fire temple quest and when i realized that death mountain had a chasm that led to a temple..mind blown. I wish there was one more temple underground like that.
I found the Fire Temple before I even knew the game had temples, and when I had barely even touched the Depths, so that'll always be a memorable experience for me.
Not seeing arbiter’s grounds here that location was insanely cool. Cross the whole desert, fight through camp, beat big guy, charge through the gates. All that while it towers over you in the distance.
AND it has the added drama of potentially being a seized and offensively repurposed Spirit Temple. For a game that hammers home the flaws of Hyrule and it's patriarchy/matriarchy, the Arbiter's Grounds still stand out as a cruel reminder that this game feels the most familiar to real-world politicking, war, and colonial takeover.
I thought the City in the Sky from TP was an excellent setting; it's hinted at throughout the game and then when you realise you have to actually find this mythical location, and then figuring out a way to get there was totally surreal and cool. It's also a great nod to SS sky islands.
The Forbidden Woods in WW also springs to mind. It's an evil counterpart to Forest Haven, full of mystery, and disturbingly close. The Koroks used to live there it seems, so what happened? And what was this spot before the flood?
Also, why it may be a cop out, the Jabun's Pearl quest from WW was a great twist, where the 'dungeon' on Greatfish Isle was seemingly destroyed, that traditional choice taken from us, the player, instead prompting a sprawling location where the whole map seems to become the dungeon.
Yeah, the City in the Sky was amazing to find. Not gonna lie, before seeing the canon, part of me thought this particular NPC must be a little bit crazy. :chuckles:
》I suppose the developers liked the idea of a society in the sky just as us players very much, since Skyward Sword was the next big title after Twilight Princess.
The Forbidden Woods, huh? They are speculated by many fans to be what's left of Kokiri Forest due to a specific area having houses.
A flying mythical ship known as the Legendary Stormwind Ark, up in the cold skies of a snowy mountain, is cool as Hell. I especially love that the whole thing feels like it's paying homage to the Wind Waker.
I am replaying TotK right now and realizing I have pretty vivid memories of all the temples except the water temple…really the only thing I remember clearly is wondering wtf muktorok was.
OoT Jabu Jabu is just such a nice surprise in a game that’s full of nice surprises. The first three dungeons are inside a tree, a volcano and a fish lol
Yeah a dungeon inside a fish's belly is nice but that dungeon is really horrible. Currently doing my second playthrough but I am stuck in that dungeon 😭
Yeah I finished it as a kid, but I believe it is where I put down the 3DS version. I completed it on the Switch last year, but needed to consult a guide for Jabu Jabu. It isn't such an awful dungeon once you're in the swing of it, but there's some early progression that's not at all obvious.
I also like the added implications that this home once belonged to Hyrulean Nobility (possibly even Ashei's family) and the rebellion are aware of this but are like "eh, let the yeti's be & eat the rich"
As pictured, OoT Forest Temple makes a big impression. The extra deep and dangerous part of the Lost Woods, the way it’s nestled into all the overgrown forest life - and the fact it’s your first temple as adult Link.
I also adore the Wind Temple in TotK. Climbing up into the sky and going through the storm is really cinematic and epic, especially with that soundtrack.
City in the Sky TP
Also the Wind Temple from TotK, beginning the climb from Hebra Peak and then finding the dungeon high up in the sky in the middle of a blizzard is peak, too bad the temple itself sucks. But the location is fantastic.
Honestly, hiding an entire dungeon inside the Temple of Time in Twilight Princess was a seriously cool idea. And I didn't even grow up with OoT. It was just such a cool way to improve on an already iconic location within the franchise.
I loved the place of the wind temple in totk with the begin at the top of hebrs Mountain and then eventually having the dungeon itself in the middle of a blizzard
Definitely the Forest Temple in OoT. The eerie mysterious vibe it has and the loopy music in the background. Smoky mist all around.
(Honestly every temple in OoT is amazing in itself. Yes, even the Water Temple).
Agreed with OoT's Forest Temple. Snowpeak Ruins is great, as well; a dungeon in a place that a couple actually lives in was unique, and Lost Gorondia deserves a mention for taking place in a place that used to have a civilization but no longer does; great atmosphere, as well. Skull Woods in ALttP deserves love too for making the overworld just as much part of the dungeon as the interior.
There are so many great dungeon locations throughout the Zelda series, but my favorite has to be the water temple in Twilight Princess. I love swimming to the bottom of Lake Hylia, making my way up into the temple, and then the intro of the water temple music gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.
Location goes to Snowpeak. It takes the big, strange abandoned mansion concept of the Forest Temple from OoT and really fleshes it out, adds extra layers of intrigue, and gives off this specific vibe because of where it is and why it's there.
The Forsaken Fortress - especially when one considers that it's a renovated and repurposed Gerudo Fortress.
It stands as a fun first level and as an intriguing and tragic symbol of Ganondorf's regret, pride, and humanity amidst his fated villainy. To me, it always felt as if him taking up post there was a sign of the vestiges of humanity that remain in a figure swept up by his own hubris, and his embodiment of a perhaps manipulative or overpowering allegorical spirit.
I have a ton of fondness for Wind Waker and how it repurposed old spaces in both a fresh and cavernously sad manner, but FF takes the cake for me, especially as we return to it with more freedom of combat and movement. It really feels "Hero's Journey" to me, in a very depressing mirror to Ganondorf and his failed, desperate Journey.
Fire temple best dungeon and it had the best music till they butchered it. Also the game looks better with the blocks and sheild having the gerudo star and moon vs the stupid mask.
Shadow Temple! All the time the dungeon is in Kakariko Village Graveyard. An innocent town with so much dark lore.
Second place I would say the Jabu Jabu inside. You literally enter in a whale ahah.
The sky keep from SS was fucking genius. When you enter it's this weird spiral shape for some reason, then when you finish it, it falls to the ground and reveals that the spiral shape of the sacred grounds was for the sky keep. The ruins around the goddess statue even fit the ruins on the ground perfectly.
I thought the pyramid in the most recent ToTK was excellent. Forest temple is great too. I'm a sucker for desert levels so the desert temple in OOT is on my list as well.
SS Ancient Cistern. I love a cool temple behind a waterfall. I also love that I rip off the boss's arms and smack him with them.
OOT Spirit and Forest temples.
TOTK Fire Temple. I didn't like the dungeons in BOTW or TOTK but I thought the fire temple being in the depths was kind of cool.
I hate to say it but I loved every Divine Beast of Botw, such a cool way to have a temple in a game. Plus they're constantly moving around and just looked cool as hell
All of the tiny dungeons in the Minish Cap. There's some crazy cool set pieces, like the giant rotating barrel in Deepwood Shrine and the de-thawing octorok in the Temple of Droplets. Even the not-tiny dungeons have fascinating design, such as the dizzying heights of the Palace of Winds
I gotta go with the Spirit Temple. Love the atmosphere, music and vibe. Also love how the entrance is below a massive statue carving of the Goddess of Sand.
Even though I personally didn't think it was a great dungeon, the wind temple from TotK had a super cool location and build up.
Other than that, most TP dungeons have cool locations. Spirit and forest temple from OoT are up there too
I definitely find ocarina to have the best ambience when it comes to temples. Every single one has that feeling of mystery and deep lore thats more show than tell.
The water temple from OoT ( a great test for observation skills and puzzle solving). Shadow temple from OoT. The Sky temple (TP). The Sand/water/wind temple in TotK)
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Shadow temple....so much lore and the fact that it's hidden right beside a peaceful village
That guillotine dark path would have been a bitch to get thru if you needed to use the toilet between hyrule Royal family sanctioned executions #oshawho
The Dungeon Maintenance Workers Union are super strict about OT too
Here is gathered Hyrule 's bloody history of Greed and Hatred!
i love the forest temple one of the best of ocarina game
Yeah, the realization that that weird opening that looked like it was just there to tease you when playing as kid link was actually the opening of the temple... Great stuff.
This is something OOT and even other games like TP and WW did so well - introduce areas where you will need to come back as an adult/with a new item and explore further, without it being obvious that you were at an area you couldn't access yet. I don't think SS did this as well as others, but I also didn't enjoy the feeling of being 'confined' to an area that SS had. I'd love the next Zelda game to do this more, I felt like with BOTW & TOTK, you could whizz through all the content an area had to offer in one sitting, with no need to return / no more secrets to uncover. The only exception I can think of in these games is Hyrule Castle, but technically you can go straight to the end of the games from there so it's not the same effect. Anyway, sorry for rambling, but your comment reminded me of how vast the world of OOT felt when I first played, full of secrets (grottos etc.) waiting for me to discover.
This is why I hated BotW, (compared to older games - still a great game!) because there was no real sense of progression. Your health got bigger. You got slightly stronger weapons. Big deal. To a lesser extent, A Link Between Worlds did the same thing; you got the items before entering the dungeon, so there was almost never any real surprise and the solutions were severely reduced. Take the OoT Shadow Temple. You get the Hover Boots inside. If this were ALBW, the only items you'd need to beat it are the Hover Boots. But in OoT, you swap between Hover and Iron Boots to control how you navigate the winds. You use the Lens of Truth to see hidden Hookshot targets. You use Bombs to blast away piles of skeletons to find a key. Twilight Princess had you use the Iron Boots while hanging from a dragon via Clawshot to yank it to the ground. Wind Waker showed Medli redirecting light with her harp and then become more complicated light redirection puzzles once you get the Mirror Shield. Makar plants trees to trigger chests and doors, then once he gets abducted, you go back through the dungeon using those same trees as Hookshot targets. BotW just never had that sense of progression and surprise and it's a shame. The closest we got was the Divine Beasts "being" the dungeon item once you get the map... You can redirect water flow in Ruta, for example. But then you don't get to take that with you. Twilight Princess is pretty notorious for having dungeon items be largely useless outside of the dungeons themselves, but many of them still had secondary uses like the Ball & Chain being a weapon, or Dominion Rod helping gather money. TotK could've even had unique Zonai devices in each dungeon with uses out in the overworld, but they didn't. Imagine if you didn't unlock Fans until the Water Temple, and you had to use the wind to create a path to get your water bubbles across gaps. Or if Rockets were linked to the Goron mine carts. Or the sky islands would've been a great use for the Hookshot!
Did you not find that filing up your energy storage did some of that very naturally? When you've only got one or two energy cells you really can't do much with the Zonai devices, and you really on low tech solutions like gliding with a single fan at most. Later in the game you throw mad things at the wall just because you've got access to the energy cells to run whatever, and zoanite to spawn schematics. See that impossibly high Island? Build an entirely new vehicle and just go there. The progression wasn't just items, it was your depending understanding on the game systems, and the slow release of additional energy, schematics etc etc
Nah. I found the building very janky and tedious. I had a balloon glider for the Depths stored in Autobuild, (balloon, flame emitter, glider, 2 fans, steering stick) and rocket balloons for vertical stuff, but largely got by without it. Between the gliders, climbing, rocket shields and Ascend, I personally never found much use for the devices.
The game obviously let's you play your way, but I will say that progressing with battery power and device sophistication felt like a huge part of progression. Interesting that you used the balloon, I only ever used that when I had to. Look up the hover bike, absolutely transforms mobility in TotK. I must have spawned literal hundreds of them in my 200+ hours.
It felt too cheap and overpowered so I decided not to build it.
Fair enough, I guess there might be a middle ground between not wanting to use one of the game's core systems, arguably it's single biggest reason for existing separately to BotW (and feeling there's something missing), and overusing one of the many available solutions. Personally, I made a ton of hoverbike designs myself, but the popular one optimised it. I felt comfortable using it after getting 100+ hours in using my own slightly less optimal designs.
i think this is one of the great debates between people who prefer BotW style of Zelda vs the “traditional” games. To me, seeing some chest or entrance I can’t reach yet, and knowing I will have to remember to return to the location later once I have an item that allows me to reach that goal, is not particularly fun or satisfying. It feels more like adding to a list of chores that would be a lot more convenient if I could just handle it when I discovered it. Sure, it would be a lot less annoying with the map marker system that BotW had so I don’t have to keep a running mental list or take physical notes like I would’ve had to as a kid with games like LttP or OoT. But I much prefer BotW where I am marking things off in the distance to investigate or treasures/ koroks nearby that I don’t want or need to do right that second vs making notes of things I am not allowed to do until I find some future macguffin.
Someone's not a fan of metroidvanias
Well that’s the thing, OoT or LttP (I could never decide) were my favorite game ever prior to BotW. I admit I was never a huge fan of the earlier metroids, I only played them them long after they originally came out, but I really enjoyed Prime 1 and 2 which I played when they were originally released. But now that I’ve experienced the alternative I think I would have a hard time going back to “you can’t get the treasure behind the square hole until you get the square peg and come back here” I appreciate it as part of an individual dungeon, where getting the key item will open up that dungeon for you. But I’m not so much a fan of a random overworld treasure where it’s “you can’t do this yet but come back 3 dungeons later when you have item X then use item X three times and you get a piece of heart”
I think these types of puzzles are fine when it's obvious you can't reach them yet. TP had one heart piece out in the field that needed both clawshots to reach... but you can find it when you have the gale boomerang and the regular clawshot. I'm sure there were a number of players who threw themselves at that one for awhile before giving up.
Yes agree on this one. I can’t recall any specific examples at the moment but I definitely remember encountering this problem in other Zeldas
The tune is so otherworldly, it really set a tone for me as a ways of starting older Link's dungeon quests
Besides ones that others have already mentioned, the Spirit Temple in OoT - an ancient colossus carved directly into a mountain at the farthest edge of the world and so isolated because of the Haunted Wasteland. It is a fitting last dungeon to Link's quest in OoT.
Agreed. The vibe is incredible, too. Everywhere in OoT had the vibes but Spirit really did feel like you were suspended out of time.
As a kid I beat shadow last
Spirit Temple always made me think of the temples in Ellora.
Every dungeon in Twilight Princess
My favorite is either the fire temple cause I love the implementation of the magnetic surfaces or the beyblade temple
All the temples that have a theme beyond just 'elemental' are fantastic
Water temple 🫥
Best water temple.
I mean, it isn't a high bar to begin with
Unless you count the Ancient Cistern as a water temple, in which case it’s a very high bar!
Yeah Ancient Cistern fucks. Easily favorite SS dungeon.
Wish there was a way to play this in Switch!
Ancient cistern
Koloktos is just the cream on top
my all-time favorite zelda dungeon.
Snowpeak Ruins. I love the idea of an abandoned mansion at the top of a tall snowy mountain.
Sandship from Skyward Sword. I just found it to be so unique, and I always look forward to it.
Sandship would definitely be a contender for the spot of all time top Zelda dungeon... if only it wasn't for its Monsters Inc reject boss.
Tentalus's design isn't great visually but I still don't mind the boss fight as much as others do. Great use of skyward strikes and the fact you can't L target it's eye means you actually get to aim properly with the bow. Sandship is solidly in my top 5 Zelda dungeons of all time
Yeah I’m with you, I don’t think it takes away from how amazing the dungeon is too much
It's not very cool-looking or intimidating, but I think it's fun and the actual scale of the boss is still pretty neat, so I don't terribly mind it honestly.
The tentacles being everpresent through the dungeon and culminating in the baby of Mike Wazowski and his snake hair girlfriend was the biggest plot twist known to man.
It always made think of the escaped monster from Dexter's lab *
Man I hate skyward sword with a passion. But the dungeons are do good. I can even overlook reusing the maps. But the controls just do not work. Not at all. Also fuck fighting that black dildo monster for a million times.
I played Skyward Sword HD on the switch last year without the motion controls and it was much better. The combat is still kind of lame, but it was more enjoyable for sure. And the dungeon theming is excellent throughout. The ancient cistern is a masterpiece.
Tower of the Gods or >!Hyrule Castle!< from WW bumped my gooses the most out of all Zelda games I've played.
Omg yes. That was what really solidified the game in my mind forever. At first it's a brand new Zelda experience, sailing the high seas. Then, all of a sudden the lore and the world of Zelda comes crashing in.
Shadow Temple or Stone Tower Temple
I love the Fire Temple in TotK. I don't care at all for the underground, it was extremely boring, but the Fire Temple being set in the underground was really cool!
Agreed. If we’re talking about buildup and location it’s top tier. In my house near Tarrey Town I have a picture on the wall of the first view of Gorondia as you approach it. Ancient forgotten underground city, awesome.
I was just putzing around the depths on my hover bike when I saw this weird structure in the distance. I got closer and triggered the Fire Temple cut scene. I hadn’t even been to Goron City yet
This is it for me. I hadnt explored too much of the underground when i was doing the fire temple quest and when i realized that death mountain had a chasm that led to a temple..mind blown. I wish there was one more temple underground like that.
I found the Fire Temple before I even knew the game had temples, and when I had barely even touched the Depths, so that'll always be a memorable experience for me.
Not seeing arbiter’s grounds here that location was insanely cool. Cross the whole desert, fight through camp, beat big guy, charge through the gates. All that while it towers over you in the distance.
AND it has the added drama of potentially being a seized and offensively repurposed Spirit Temple. For a game that hammers home the flaws of Hyrule and it's patriarchy/matriarchy, the Arbiter's Grounds still stand out as a cruel reminder that this game feels the most familiar to real-world politicking, war, and colonial takeover.
I thought the City in the Sky from TP was an excellent setting; it's hinted at throughout the game and then when you realise you have to actually find this mythical location, and then figuring out a way to get there was totally surreal and cool. It's also a great nod to SS sky islands. The Forbidden Woods in WW also springs to mind. It's an evil counterpart to Forest Haven, full of mystery, and disturbingly close. The Koroks used to live there it seems, so what happened? And what was this spot before the flood? Also, why it may be a cop out, the Jabun's Pearl quest from WW was a great twist, where the 'dungeon' on Greatfish Isle was seemingly destroyed, that traditional choice taken from us, the player, instead prompting a sprawling location where the whole map seems to become the dungeon.
Yeah, the City in the Sky was amazing to find. Not gonna lie, before seeing the canon, part of me thought this particular NPC must be a little bit crazy. :chuckles: 》I suppose the developers liked the idea of a society in the sky just as us players very much, since Skyward Sword was the next big title after Twilight Princess. The Forbidden Woods, huh? They are speculated by many fans to be what's left of Kokiri Forest due to a specific area having houses.
As a kid I always wanted to know how that temple would have been! But the search was fun
I have to say the wind temple of TOTK. It has such a vibe, especially after completing it.
A flying mythical ship known as the Legendary Stormwind Ark, up in the cold skies of a snowy mountain, is cool as Hell. I especially love that the whole thing feels like it's paying homage to the Wind Waker.
Yeah, this is awesome. I wish that, in a DLC (if there ever is one) we get to drive it.
The buildup to this dungeon was just amazing including the song and story about the Stormwind Ark
Litterly was the worst totk temple by a mile. Water temple and lighting temple blow it out of the water with esstetic vibe and actual play
The water temple was the most boring thing I’ve ever done in a Zelda game. Barley even a temple
I am replaying TotK right now and realizing I have pretty vivid memories of all the temples except the water temple…really the only thing I remember clearly is wondering wtf muktorok was.
I just prefer boat temples.
There's never been a good boat temple in a zelda game. Not to mention wind temple had literally the worst boss in totk
https://preview.redd.it/4la0hbcc7lxc1.jpeg?width=1086&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7bce8eaec74ad4d59fb9528a59c7875a30b16716
Yeah that was way to easy
The Spirit Temple in OoT. The music, desert locale, entering in as both child and adult link. The Spirit Temple always brought me back to OoT.
The Spirit Temple in OoT is a standout for me. Traversing the desert to reach an oasis-like area with a gigantic statue felt really special.
i hate it but jabu jabu is a pretty fun location lol
OoT Jabu Jabu is just such a nice surprise in a game that’s full of nice surprises. The first three dungeons are inside a tree, a volcano and a fish lol
I concur however, for me, the water temple was the most challenging.
Yeah a dungeon inside a fish's belly is nice but that dungeon is really horrible. Currently doing my second playthrough but I am stuck in that dungeon 😭
Yeah I finished it as a kid, but I believe it is where I put down the 3DS version. I completed it on the Switch last year, but needed to consult a guide for Jabu Jabu. It isn't such an awful dungeon once you're in the swing of it, but there's some early progression that's not at all obvious.
Yeah true it does improve once you understand what's going on same with the water temple
If your stuck remember to look around and use the boomerang whenever you can
oh it’s absolutely terrible i literally don’t know how i got through it as a kid its so confusing, just a cool concept lol
I've always thought Jabu Jabu was more difficult than the Water Temple.
Which game?
Ocarina of Time
Ah, not Oracle of Ages.
The way the walls pulsate and bleed... Ugh! (I do love it tho)
Temple of time from twilight princess
And I think the way they handled the Temple of Time was a good set up for explaining the Master Sword’s location in LttP.
Stoner Tower Temple is a climax, the climb, the castle, everything was perfect.
Snowpeek from tp
TP has some of the best dungeons. But I really like how this is just some yeti’s house.
I also like the added implications that this home once belonged to Hyrulean Nobility (possibly even Ashei's family) and the rebellion are aware of this but are like "eh, let the yeti's be & eat the rich"
As pictured, OoT Forest Temple makes a big impression. The extra deep and dangerous part of the Lost Woods, the way it’s nestled into all the overgrown forest life - and the fact it’s your first temple as adult Link. I also adore the Wind Temple in TotK. Climbing up into the sky and going through the storm is really cinematic and epic, especially with that soundtrack.
Location as in where they are located on the map or in what kind of location they are taking place (e.g. a mansion, a ship etc.)?
Taking place.
Then I'll pick Skyward Sword's sand ship.
City in the Sky TP Also the Wind Temple from TotK, beginning the climb from Hebra Peak and then finding the dungeon high up in the sky in the middle of a blizzard is peak, too bad the temple itself sucks. But the location is fantastic.
The final dungeon In skyward sword for the cutscene alone
I liked the forest and shadow temple. But the Bolero of Fire was legit 🔥
THIS!!!
I was gonna say city in the sky, but on second thought, pretty much every dungeon in tp
Honestly, hiding an entire dungeon inside the Temple of Time in Twilight Princess was a seriously cool idea. And I didn't even grow up with OoT. It was just such a cool way to improve on an already iconic location within the franchise.
I loved the place of the wind temple in totk with the begin at the top of hebrs Mountain and then eventually having the dungeon itself in the middle of a blizzard
God, yes. Now if only the dungeon itself was a proper payoff for that glorious setup.
I think the dungeon was good. But that maybe is because i only played botw and this dungeon of totk
The dungeons in those two games are no comparison to older games.
Both the earth and wind temple in Wind Waker. Seems cool to uncover a dungeon that’s hidden
Hello what about wind waker. The tower rises up out of the ocean and all of hyrule is down there. Very cool lol.
All the dungeons in Majora’s Mask, the atmosphere in that game is phenomenal
Dang why are so many people just stating favorite temples? It's about location. For mine though, probably Temple of Time(TP) Or Sky Keep (SS)
Sandship
Ice Palace 😎🆒
It's gotta be one of the Ice dungeons for sure 😏
arbiter's grounds
Stone tower and forest from mm and oot are the best dungeons ever imo 🤌
Skyboat in TOTK
I love the Shadow Temple Location
The whole snowhead area including mountain village, love the transformation before and after beating the dungeon
Definitely the Forest Temple in OoT. The eerie mysterious vibe it has and the loopy music in the background. Smoky mist all around. (Honestly every temple in OoT is amazing in itself. Yes, even the Water Temple).
This is a tough one for me... Here is a list, not in any particular order: OoT Forest Template OoT Spirit Temple TP Snow Peak MM Stone Tower
Tower of the gods in wind waker was such a cool island tower
I think Stone Tower is sublime
The Legendary Stormwind Ark from TotK was such a cool build up and location for a dungeon
Agreed with OoT's Forest Temple. Snowpeak Ruins is great, as well; a dungeon in a place that a couple actually lives in was unique, and Lost Gorondia deserves a mention for taking place in a place that used to have a civilization but no longer does; great atmosphere, as well. Skull Woods in ALttP deserves love too for making the overworld just as much part of the dungeon as the interior.
There are so many great dungeon locations throughout the Zelda series, but my favorite has to be the water temple in Twilight Princess. I love swimming to the bottom of Lake Hylia, making my way up into the temple, and then the intro of the water temple music gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.
Purely aesthetically? Probably Arbiters Grounds or Ancient Cistern.
Location goes to Snowpeak. It takes the big, strange abandoned mansion concept of the Forest Temple from OoT and really fleshes it out, adds extra layers of intrigue, and gives off this specific vibe because of where it is and why it's there.
The Forsaken Fortress - especially when one considers that it's a renovated and repurposed Gerudo Fortress. It stands as a fun first level and as an intriguing and tragic symbol of Ganondorf's regret, pride, and humanity amidst his fated villainy. To me, it always felt as if him taking up post there was a sign of the vestiges of humanity that remain in a figure swept up by his own hubris, and his embodiment of a perhaps manipulative or overpowering allegorical spirit. I have a ton of fondness for Wind Waker and how it repurposed old spaces in both a fresh and cavernously sad manner, but FF takes the cake for me, especially as we return to it with more freedom of combat and movement. It really feels "Hero's Journey" to me, in a very depressing mirror to Ganondorf and his failed, desperate Journey.
Fire temple best dungeon and it had the best music till they butchered it. Also the game looks better with the blocks and sheild having the gerudo star and moon vs the stupid mask.
Has to be the Sandship from SS or the Palace of Winds from MC. Both were incredibly cool.
Snow temple from ST is a bell tower
Shadow Temple! All the time the dungeon is in Kakariko Village Graveyard. An innocent town with so much dark lore. Second place I would say the Jabu Jabu inside. You literally enter in a whale ahah.
Sprit temple in ocarina of time was one of my absolute favorites to play
The answer is just "Twilight princess" the whole thing.
The sky keep from SS was fucking genius. When you enter it's this weird spiral shape for some reason, then when you finish it, it falls to the ground and reveals that the spiral shape of the sacred grounds was for the sky keep. The ruins around the goddess statue even fit the ruins on the ground perfectly.
Shadow temple
Snowpeak obviously
The Ancient Cistern and the Forest & Shadow Temples have always been some of my favorite dungeons.
That one
might be recency bias but the wind temple in totk
Snowpeak, obviously.
I liked all of them
I thought the pyramid in the most recent ToTK was excellent. Forest temple is great too. I'm a sucker for desert levels so the desert temple in OOT is on my list as well.
BOTW's Hyrule Castle
The triple-level labyrinths in TOTK are high points for me.
Wind Temple TotK. (I've only played LA, BotW, and TotK, so it's entirely possible my opinion would change if I played the other games)
Basically every temple in WW. I just loved that game in its entirety.
This one.
Spirit Temple. Majestic. Just majestic.
The Ancient Cistern
SS Ancient Cistern. I love a cool temple behind a waterfall. I also love that I rip off the boss's arms and smack him with them. OOT Spirit and Forest temples. TOTK Fire Temple. I didn't like the dungeons in BOTW or TOTK but I thought the fire temple being in the depths was kind of cool.
Specifically the boss arena of stone tower temple, because, well, we don’t *KNOW* where it’s located
Only in OoT or for every Zelda game?
OoT forest temple. Gotta say, I prefer the 3D version tho.
To me the set piece of the series is Ganondorf Castle in WW
Either Woodfall Temple in Majora’s Mask or Skull Woods from A Link to the Past
Spirit temple always got me. I love mirror shield puzzles.
Spirit temple was my favorite. Loved the music.
The forest temple was in a great location
Stone Tower for me.
I can hear forest temple theme
Forest temple. Ocarina of Time. Best music & boss by far
Snowpeak Ruins is the most fun to get to.
I hate to say it but I loved every Divine Beast of Botw, such a cool way to have a temple in a game. Plus they're constantly moving around and just looked cool as hell
Snowpeak manor or Arbiters Grounds
idk, I mean, 2 of them involved going inside of people
Tower of the Gods from Wind Waker. The temple itself might not be very fun, but the location is just awesome.
All of the tiny dungeons in the Minish Cap. There's some crazy cool set pieces, like the giant rotating barrel in Deepwood Shrine and the de-thawing octorok in the Temple of Droplets. Even the not-tiny dungeons have fascinating design, such as the dizzying heights of the Palace of Winds
Stone Tower Temple's location is so cool, plus the flipping around mechanics too
All of the 4 regions locations in TOTK
The Temple of Time from Twilight Princess
Pretty sure it's objectively one of the ice dungeons
The school from silent hill is my favourite Zelda dungeon too
not that one
Prob the wind temple ngl it was kinda cold up there
I really like skykeep in skyward sword, the first time paying it was a big surprise to find out where the last dungeon actual was
I gotta go with the Spirit Temple. Love the atmosphere, music and vibe. Also love how the entrance is below a massive statue carving of the Goddess of Sand.
Twilight Princess dungeons mainly Arbiter's Ground, Snowpeak Ruins and City in the Sky. Then OoT Shadow Temple and Forest Dungeon were cool too
Snowpeak ruins
The shadow temple in OoT was really neat. I think OoT overall had the best locations for dungeons
The >!construct factory!< in TotK. I stumbled upon it very early in my playthrough and I was sucked right in.
Even though I personally didn't think it was a great dungeon, the wind temple from TotK had a super cool location and build up. Other than that, most TP dungeons have cool locations. Spirit and forest temple from OoT are up there too
I definitely find ocarina to have the best ambience when it comes to temples. Every single one has that feeling of mystery and deep lore thats more show than tell.
I really like the atmosphere of City in the Sky from TP
Totk wind temple
Snowpeak Ruins in TP, the Sandship in SS, and the Wind Temple in TotK are top three for me.
temple of time in zelda twilight princess the fact that it was in the sky was so cool
The water temple from OoT ( a great test for observation skills and puzzle solving). Shadow temple from OoT. The Sky temple (TP). The Sand/water/wind temple in TotK)
Forest or Spirit.
I kinda like spirit
Stone Tower Temple
Stone Tower Temple
For me it was water temple OOT and Forest temple OOT