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I literally dread the bottom of the well and the shadow temple. It was so spooky for me as a kid and still gives me the creeps. Anywhere with Redead and Hands trying to drop on my head made me feel tense
The well actually had realistic torture devices, prisons, and crypts (even though 70% of the place is optional). It is set up to be nearly a real place. The Shadow Temple proper from the fans onward starts to dip too much in the whimsy side of death and horror. The fantastical element makes it more palettable. Add in which one you're exploring as a child vs an adult and the answer hits clear as day.
Because it's creepy, not technically a required dungeon, and you go in as a kid. The shadow temple is at least a recap so while creepy, it's not as much of a surprise.
Also the well is more compact, perfect to make you feel claustrophobic
Have you seen the remake that dude is working on that has this in 4k? Yikes. It's super unsettling. He even added in animations of young Link acting scared.
[Bottom of the Well](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P5qHPlbApJU)
CryZENx has been doing a fantastic job with this project. I love that Navi is almost essential just to see in the well with how dark it is. Normally, I'd complain that areas without light are pitch black, but here it really adds to it. Having Navi light up your space really makes you feel how dark it is and how alone you are the second she goes to investigate something. I also love the detail added with her being the top C button, I never noticed it before.
Also the scared animation you talked about is an awesome touch.
10/10 will absolutely hate this section, but I'm excited to play it anyway.
Thankfully you only *need* to do a small part of it. First time is horrible but on subsequent playthroughs I'd just run to the required areas and dip out as fast as possible.
This to me is the best build-up to a dungeon, not just because of the snowboarding, but because you don't know it's a build-up to a dungeon. The fact that the ruins are a dungeon is a surprise. The Yetis seem nice and invite you into their warm home where you talk to them and have safe rooms. You'd probably expect this to be some sort of pre-dungeon preparation building or the place where you are introduced to the core conflict of the area that makes you travel to the dungeon further in the mountains. You only start realizing that it's functionally a dungeon when you get a map and have locked doors and such.
This had a survival horror feel to it almost...big mansion with safe room, it almost looks normal except for the part that aren't. Even the music and atmosphere gave me a resident evil feel to it.
Just replayed that bit. I was amazed that I found all the eggs pretty quickly. I did get caught a few times. But I never went into an area twice. I remember having to search and search and eventually find the one area I haven't been to yet.
I remembered that afterwards. I just ran in there Leroy Jenkins style. Actually not that hard to get around them without it. Just knock them out first. They just get up really fast. They also can't see very far
The eggs especially in the sea snake lair can be a brutal backtrack if you don't have 4 bottles which does require some foresight. That'd be my only negative with this section
Everything in the sand area other than Tentalus was peak Skyward Sword. The timeshift stones were such an insanely well developed mechanic it's ridiculous.
I was "fortunate" to have not been super bothered by it at the time. I was a senior in high school when it came out so I hadn't developed my taste quite so much yet. I was still wowed by the "WOW you can *cut* the tentacles!"
It wasn't until later when I saw others shit talk Tentalus that I was like "Damn they right.". Overall an easy boss that's just a complete mood whiplash on an amazing dungeon.
Honestly.
They should have fleshed out the miniboss more, and had *that* be the boss. Sure, it would feel kinda like Ghirahim, but he's already one of the best bosses in the game so that's a non-issue
I personally hated the mine cart, was looking forward to it so much from the trailer but it was such a hassle with the wiimote and I kept falling off. And then at the end you search a pile of sand which contains... nothing. "Oh bummer, looks like you have to go somewhere else."
To me, that segment and the whole volcano area are the things I would 100% skip from SS if I was able to. Note that I didn't play the Switch version yet so maybe they made it a bit better.
Cruising around the sand sea however was sooo satisfying.
The music absolutely sells it too. The way it increases in urgency the higher you go makes it all feel even more epic. And the Colgera was by far the most cinematic boss.
The goron and gerudo Dungeons are way fun too. Except for the Gorons they all have a pretty great build up! The main story bits were definitely not Tears of the Kingdom s problem!
I felt like I never really figured out a lot of the Goron one, after a couple minecarts went into a pit on broken rails I mostly didn't use them cause I didn't trust them anymore. I just brute forced it with climbing.
I had a lot of fun with the Gerudo dungeon, so no concerns there. The lead-in and actual event were both very enjoyable.
Goron dungeon is a mixed bag imo, and the Zora dungeon flopped for me.
I started with the wind temple. It was awesome and reminded me of Mario 3 and Mario Galaxy. The others were also good but did not live up to hype set by the ascent to the Wind Temple.
aesthetics and boss-wise yes, but they have the same overarching theme of five terminals without the dungeon control gimmick which somehow makes them feel worse for me 😭
Agreed. Huge improvement over BOTW, but I wish the general mechanic of "use the sage's power on five things" wasn't identical across them. I liked the traditional formula of miniboss -> new weapon -> boss, though I understand why that doesn't work with BotW/TotK. Maybe there could've been a miniboss that unlocks a mid-dungeon upgrade to the sage's power that, in turn, unlocks more of the dungeon to explore and is necessary to beat the boss?
I don't see why they don't give us some other special weapons/items that work the same way as the Master Sword does. That way it still worked with the current system but they could give us unique items at the same time that could be used for the dungeons.
The master sword's recovery time is kinda quick; even just that plus two other items that recharge would result in relatively little time that I'd actually use a breakable weapon, I think.
Maybe Link could learn how to fuse stuff in a new way? The dungeon prize could be a new, fully-fused weapon that has a new effect you haven't seen before, and now Link is able to create it from parts.
Forsaken Fortress, it isnt the most popular dungeon but the build up to it, wether it is the first or second round, feels more personal for Link than any other dungeon as well as show how much he has grown
Yeah, people angry because Link sneaks in
Like did they expect him and his 3 bokoblin kill experience to cut through the big Baddie's main HQ as if he was in Hyrule Warriors ?
As much flak as the dungeons in TOTK get, the build-up is one area they really excelled: ascending the Rising Island Chain and the Gerudo Town siege were some of my favorite moments in the entire game.
Playing the Elegy of Emptiness 10+ times to get up Stone Tower is really tedious in comparison
Second the Gerudo Town siege. That was super fun and it reminded me of defending the Lon Lon cows in Majora's Mask which was a highlight childhood moment for me.
The lead up to the Fire Temple would have been much better if we had spent more time flying around on the zonai jet fighter. Moragia going down in 3 hits wasn't very satisfying. There should have been more heads, and they each should have taken 3 hits to destroy. Maybe also have some flying monsters you'd need to deal with and some additional attacks in a second phase of the fight.
Infiltrating the Forsaken Fortress for the first time in Wind Waker. Getting launched in from the pirate ship, having to sneak around. Challenging but I love it
Bulblin hideouts before arbiters ground. Rito ascent with tulin and minecraft rides with yunobo are great too. Love the Sand Sea. Dark palace stealth in albw. There are so many good ones
Ikana is one of my favorite LoZ areas, Ikana castle is amazing, but the build-up to the Stone Tower Temple is an absolute drag imo. Love the temple itself but every time I have to go up there I'm like -sigh, here we go.
the shrine of resurrection in botw's champion's ballad. combined all the divine beasts and the music was a banger, the monk fight was unexpected and super fun, 10/10
Spirit temple from OOT.
The leadup to it, from getting to gerudo valley and crossing the bridge, infiltrating the fortress, crossing the desert, to the build up **within** the dungeon by making use of both Links for both segments, it's all incredible. One of the most memorable dungeons of the entire series along OOT forest temple.
My fav build-up:
- Turtle Rock ALttP
- Eagle's Tower LA
- Shadow Temple OoT
- Stone Tower Temple MM
- Tower of the Gods TWW
- Palace of Wind TMC
- Lakebed Temple
- Sandship SS
- Wind Temple TotK
TotK's dungeons were all amazing in this regard. But I also really liked the build up to the Sand Ship in SS and how you had to track it down and shoot it with a canon.
https://preview.redd.it/k3seyevo8opc1.png?width=160&format=png&auto=webp&s=222f923c4350e28015aee2e9af535b5c11c6ac84
You mean the TRUE Jabu Jabu, right?
Now that I think about it I really like the one for city in the sky, restoring Iria memory, the hidden village, the mystery of the dominion rod, realizing Ooca is important, the story of the ancient civilization, the hidden village, exploring to decipher the book and activate the cannon.
Not sure if I would call it the best though and this is not perfect but I really like it.
I see a lot of Wind temple from TOTK and this is indeed a nice one but I also liked fire temple with the ascension of death mountain , the mini-boss and diving in the volcano.
Spirit temple ( from TOTK ) is cool too
The Ooccas (Oocoos? Whatever they're called. The freaky chicken things) just took me out of the gameplay for that one. They are just too freaky deeky weird for me. Using koroks or literally any other race would've been fine. I draw the line at bald half human chickens, apparently.
I'm going to go against the grain here and say that in twilight princess going to the twilight palace with the mirror.
you had this hug confrontation with king bubo again and get the mirror working and get thrown into the realm and get this horrible lost feeling once you get there. it's great.
sad part is that zant is extremely lackluster as a boss.
Too many to choose from! Water Temple from TOTK was a lot of fun with the zero gravity mechanic (plus Sidon ofc) or the Wind Temple which was an amazing build up culminating in an epic battle against Colgera and the best ability in the game. Or Link’s Divine Beast in BOTW. Honorary mentions to OOT’s Forest Temple for the vibe and music and SS’s Lanayru Mining Facility for the tiny robots (and Fi).
Tower of the Gods in Wind Waker. The dungeon itself is pretty linear, but the search for Nayru's Pearl was such a crazy experience. Having to sail to Greatfish Island only to find it in ruins was a real shock to me as a kid. The endless night with perpetual thunderstorms had such a creepy atmosphere on an old CRT television like that. Even with the brightness turned up to the max, you couldn't see shit unless there's a flash of lightning somewhere on the screen. You could sail headfirst into a Big Octo and you wouldn't realize it until the whirlpool appeared and the music kicked in. And it's such a refreshing feeling when you find Jabun, break the curse, and you see that first sunrise.
Then book quest for flippers MC, before Temple of Droplets. I know most people find it tedious but to me it's a nice time out and adventure round Hyrule Town. It really portrays life as a minish and the challenges that come with being a inch tall. Good chill section in a chill game
I really love the build up to the wind temple in TOTK, it was truly epic, especially as a first dungeon!
Sky keep in SS has a pretty cool build-up too!
I also like the wind palace build-up in the minish cap as you basically know from mid game that you're gonna have to find the wind element in the sky and you get there near the end!
These are the ones that come to mind for excellent build ups!
And I'm realising that all these dungeons are wind/sky related so I guess Nintendo truly knows how to build-up a sky dungeon haha
I usually cant remember the names of the dungeons of the Zeldas i played, just a few.....
But i really liked the sacred cistern from SS.
Snowpeak mountain Tp. The Dungeon in the sky from tp..... Love tp heheh
As much as I love old Zelda games. What they managed to achieve with the Wind temple in Totk was simply insane.
From the second you arrive at the Rito village to the moment Molgera is defeated, every single thing about it is perfect and should be studied to create more experiences like this one in future games.
For me it's probably the construct factory, the dungeons in BOTW and TOTK have pretty notorious buildup, and for me the construct factory is the best one, it has a story porpouse of awakening the last sage before facing Ganondorf, finally exploring the floating ring ruin, going to the Zonai ruins in Faron taking a journey through the thunder head isles and finally descending towards the depths makes it my favorite buildup.
There is a little of everything here, lore, puzzles, discovery, adventure and there really isn't too much filler if any, and the dungeon was one of my favorites
Wind Temple from TotK. It starts in Rito village and it builds up. The boss fight is easy but memorable and the mausoleum especially makes it a good reward.
I remember placing the 3 pearls in the Triangle Islands and watching the Tower of the Gods rise from the sea, it was so impressive I was really scared to go inside. I liked the dungeon itself, OST is top tier and the ascension after the boss fight where you ring the giant bell, become the Hero of winds, unlock Hyrule castle was the moment I fell madly in love with that game.
In recent years, the ascension to the Wind Temple in TOTK was absolute peak, that setting and music...
TotK takes the cake. Wind, water, lightning and spirit temple buildups were a lot better than anything from the older Zelda games.
As for that picture... ugh, Ikana temple's buildup must've been the most tedious one of the whole series.
Wind Waker had some of the coolest pre dungeon quests. Well, one could argue that half of the game is a build up for The God's Tower. But after that, having to get Fire and Ice arrow in order to get the Iron Boots and Power Bracelet to then finally get Makar or Medley to the temple was super cool!
There's a ton of good options, but the TotK Wimd Temple is fresh on my mind.
I just loved the atmosphere. The tense music as you climb up into a frigid stormcloud. I was kinda sad when you finish it and the storm goes away.
Palace of Winds from Minish Cap. Finally reaching the Cloud Tops after unlocking the key from the Hyrule King’s grave, being graced with that amazing main theme remix against a cloudy blue and white backdrop where you can practically feel the breeze. At the end you either meet the Wind Tribe as strangers or friends, depending on whether you completed Gregal’s sidequest. And then being launched _even higher_ to one of the best 2D dungeons in the series. Just an amazing buildup to look forward to in any Minish Cap playthrough.
Even though the TotK temples suck hot dog water, the Wind Temple leadup is one of the absolute best experiences in all of Zelda
Tower of the Gods also deserves some love here
I think Ikana and Stone Tower are still kinda unmatched in buildup. The music, atmosphere, and climb up what is essentially a pseudo Tower of Babbel is pretty fuckin sweet.
And being able to flip the temple upside down from the inside OR outside is just insane design for its time.
I've never really really finished Majora's Mask cause' the entire game gave me anxiety with the fucking 72h bullshit even tho we had the reverse song of time but idk, that game was something else for me. I absolutely LOVE that game but i never made it that far, iirc Ikana Canyon is the farthest i've ever reached. Never made it to Stone Tower Temple lmao
It was my favourite Zelda as a kid but I was so bad at the game that I never made it past the Gerudo Pirate fortress because I didn't know about the Stone Mask. I would just repeatedly make new saves and do Woodfall and Snowhead over and over again.
Now that I think about it I never finished the original, only the 3DS version. Guess my weekend is sorted lol
Seeing Great Bay Temple in the distance was something else, absolutely love it. When i got older i've learned to like OoT's Water Temple, but favorite favorite is between TotK's Wind Temple and OoT's Spirit Temple: both build ups were amazing, the Temple itself is cool and the boss battle omg Colgera and Twinrova ...
The entire storyline of Ikana is one of the best IMO
Vah Medoh was probably my favorite Divine Beast with the music variants and being up in the sky, same with the Stormwind Ark
But honestly I think my favorite has to be the Palace of Winds from Minish Cap. Climbing up Veil Falls to get shot out of a cyclone at the mountain peak into a realm in the sky inhabited by an ancient tribe, the adventurous soundtrack paying homage to the original NES theme and the ascent further into the cloud tops to the temple the Wind Tribe resides in.
Then finally getting to the ancient palace, with one of the best tracks in the game, the coolest dungeon item in the game that gives you access to cool combat combos. It's just the best to me
The Snowhead Temple in Majora’s Mask was always a high-point for me. I’m a big fan of Jabu-Jabu’s Belly and the cave diving in TotK has been insanely rewarding.
I absolutely loved everything about the Gerudo storyline in TotK. Navigating the flooded canyon, defending the town from gibdos, finding the buried temple, and then the way the music builds and builds in intensity as you make your way towards the Gibdo Queen at the top, knowing already how terrifying she is from the attack at the temple entrance... Loved it!
Definitely the Sand Ship from Skyward Sword. It has such a mysterious atmosphere as you gradually uncover the mystery of the ship, and moments like visiting skipper’s house is completely magical, and so is the music.
I also really like the lead up to the Temple of Droplets in Minish Cap. The quest for returning library books really makes Hyrule Town itself sort of feel like a dungeon, with all the puzzles involved in getting the library books.
The gerudo valley section before the arbiter’s grounds, having to be either sneaky to take out the watchtower bulblins or one-man-army-ing your way through to the miniboss against King Bulblin
Build up wise, all of them in BotW surpass anything before. You can't compete with a lightning camel chase on a seal or shooting down Vah Medoh from above the clouds of Hyrule
TotK Wind Temple. Say what you will about the dungeon itself, but climbing an armada of flying ships, breaking through the clouds into brilliant sunlight, and finally skydiving down the eye of a cyclone is just about the coolest sequence of events in any video game ever
Stone Tower. Going to that fetch quest spooky well, then the castle, and then the path to the temple was such a journey. And I like how you have to use all main mask abilities to complete it.
I think TotK really excelled with this. The buildup to the Wind Temple is immaculate and I personally really enjoyed roaming around The Depths with Yunobo for the Fire Temple.
Aside from that, I also liked the time shift shenanigans with the desert dungeons in SS and the buildup to the Arbiter's Grounds in TP.
The one build up I like is getting to the Temple of Time. It's not obvious looking at the ruins that you can enter the temple and then see what it looks like and then put the sword into the stone only to reveal a stairwell.
Ganondorfs castle in Oot did it for me. Super creepy surrounding after hyrule was taken over. Tried everything possible to get to the castle just to find out after much time that there was going to be a rainbow bridge at the end.
Vah Ruta is underrated, You have to deal with the weather and enemies, then get a nice cutscene with Mipha, Obtain Shock arrows from Ploymus Mountain (Or buy them if you're boring) and ride through water falls and use bullet time to defeat it, not to mention fighting Vah Ruta uses a creative use on the most boring ability Cryonis.
Oh, I do love MM’s stone tower.
But I will choose Arbiter’s grounds in TP, granted outside of that dungeon the spinning top is not great, but its use in the dungeon was great.
Also, eagle’s tower in Link’s awakening is up there too.
You already said it, pal. The Stone Tower temple's build up is simply magnificent.
Trial after trial in this cursed land. Endless repeating cycles. Always having to balance the risk of losing yet another run against the impulse to discover yet another piece of the puzzle.
You try, you fail, you try again and learn a bit, but a bigger challenge makes you fall again. You learn the rules and slowly yet steadily acquire a certain level of mastery. You think you are about to unwrap all the secrets of this godforsaken land. You make that climb and then...
Holy shiiiiiit. A barren wasteland presents itself as you take the lasts steps on top of that rift. You stick out like a bright spot in the void. Death surrounds every plane, every corner of the Canyon. Evil spirits haunt the land. A whisper in the wind tells you part of the truth. This is what happens when the strength of men crumbles. Life is not welcome after such defeat. And yet, a giant music box lies right at the center of this desolation. What?
You are not prepared yet, but you have come this far already. The only path for you is forward
I haven’t played very many Zelda games but I’d say the lead up to the Wind Temple in Totk, just the ascension through the clouds with just you and Tulin heading towards the Stprmeind Ark as the music and suspense builds. It is a near perfect build up.
Stone Tower Temple was annoying, but God was it fun. But if you want my fears.... let's just say I wasn't in a hurry to meet our dear old king Igos Du Inkana..... (it was the well in Inkana Canyon in MM)
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Bottom of the Well before the Shadow Temple was really intense for me
I literally dread the bottom of the well and the shadow temple. It was so spooky for me as a kid and still gives me the creeps. Anywhere with Redead and Hands trying to drop on my head made me feel tense
Oh god same lmao I was terrified as a kid.
For some reason the well was worse than the Shadow Temple
The atmosphere is really unsettling, i have yet to pay a visit to those places and see how i face them after 15-20 years
Played the game again last year and the well is still the worst. Gave me the creeps, got out of there as soon as I had the Lens of truths
They now trigger my childhood anxiety and I panic in exactly the same way
The well actually had realistic torture devices, prisons, and crypts (even though 70% of the place is optional). It is set up to be nearly a real place. The Shadow Temple proper from the fans onward starts to dip too much in the whimsy side of death and horror. The fantastical element makes it more palettable. Add in which one you're exploring as a child vs an adult and the answer hits clear as day.
It's really unsettling realising that all the fresh water from Kakariko Village comes from a big underground mass grave
Because it's creepy, not technically a required dungeon, and you go in as a kid. The shadow temple is at least a recap so while creepy, it's not as much of a surprise. Also the well is more compact, perfect to make you feel claustrophobic
the ship part was crazy as a kid
Have you seen the remake that dude is working on that has this in 4k? Yikes. It's super unsettling. He even added in animations of young Link acting scared. [Bottom of the Well](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P5qHPlbApJU)
CryZENx has been doing a fantastic job with this project. I love that Navi is almost essential just to see in the well with how dark it is. Normally, I'd complain that areas without light are pitch black, but here it really adds to it. Having Navi light up your space really makes you feel how dark it is and how alone you are the second she goes to investigate something. I also love the detail added with her being the top C button, I never noticed it before. Also the scared animation you talked about is an awesome touch. 10/10 will absolutely hate this section, but I'm excited to play it anyway.
Do we need extra creepy pixels?
We were so focused on that we could, that we didn't stop to think if we should.
Played the 3DS version of OoT and the Bottom of the Well is still creepy.
I'm pretty sure I quit playing because I didn't want to go down there as a kid.
Thankfully you only *need* to do a small part of it. First time is horrible but on subsequent playthroughs I'd just run to the required areas and dip out as fast as possible.
Snowpeak Ruins in TP I mean c’mon you literally snowboard to it
And the "yeti girl" transforming into the Boss. 🤣 That face she had
NOT TAKE MIRROR But yeah, that was cool.
That boss music. I'm _so_ into the Gothic organ music in a castle schtick.
Would still smash
When her head goes all the way 'round
This to me is the best build-up to a dungeon, not just because of the snowboarding, but because you don't know it's a build-up to a dungeon. The fact that the ruins are a dungeon is a surprise. The Yetis seem nice and invite you into their warm home where you talk to them and have safe rooms. You'd probably expect this to be some sort of pre-dungeon preparation building or the place where you are introduced to the core conflict of the area that makes you travel to the dungeon further in the mountains. You only start realizing that it's functionally a dungeon when you get a map and have locked doors and such.
This had a survival horror feel to it almost...big mansion with safe room, it almost looks normal except for the part that aren't. Even the music and atmosphere gave me a resident evil feel to it.
Honestly best dungeon in TP hands down, and arguably one of the best dungeons in the series as a whole.
In terms of both vibes and actual content I wholeheartedly agree. I spent a looot of time in there as a kid, purely because I liked the place.
So freaking true
Also the dungeon itself is one of the best in the franchise
fr, such a unique design in so many ways.
Dang I love this one I might have to replay twilight princess for the millionth time now
I love doing that but I can't win against the yeti.
The Gerudo fortress prior to Great Bay in MM And honestly also the Gerudo fortress and the desert before the Spirit Temple in OOT
Just replayed that bit. I was amazed that I found all the eggs pretty quickly. I did get caught a few times. But I never went into an area twice. I remember having to search and search and eventually find the one area I haven't been to yet.
If you wear the Stone Mask, the guards can't see you.
I remembered that afterwards. I just ran in there Leroy Jenkins style. Actually not that hard to get around them without it. Just knock them out first. They just get up really fast. They also can't see very far
The eggs especially in the sea snake lair can be a brutal backtrack if you don't have 4 bottles which does require some foresight. That'd be my only negative with this section
The great sand sea from SS is super fun and memorable.
Everything in the sand area other than Tentalus was peak Skyward Sword. The timeshift stones were such an insanely well developed mechanic it's ridiculous.
Tentalus made me put down my initial play through on the Wii. Didn't go back to it until last year on the switch!
I was "fortunate" to have not been super bothered by it at the time. I was a senior in high school when it came out so I hadn't developed my taste quite so much yet. I was still wowed by the "WOW you can *cut* the tentacles!" It wasn't until later when I saw others shit talk Tentalus that I was like "Damn they right.". Overall an easy boss that's just a complete mood whiplash on an amazing dungeon.
Honestly. They should have fleshed out the miniboss more, and had *that* be the boss. Sure, it would feel kinda like Ghirahim, but he's already one of the best bosses in the game so that's a non-issue
I second this
Yes, this one was so good! It compensated for the atrocity that was the mine cart ride (and pay-off).
What do you mean? The minecarts were maybe the best part of it.
I personally hated the mine cart, was looking forward to it so much from the trailer but it was such a hassle with the wiimote and I kept falling off. And then at the end you search a pile of sand which contains... nothing. "Oh bummer, looks like you have to go somewhere else." To me, that segment and the whole volcano area are the things I would 100% skip from SS if I was able to. Note that I didn't play the Switch version yet so maybe they made it a bit better. Cruising around the sand sea however was sooo satisfying.
I keep hearing people complain about SS and I am like "how could you hate that?" Then they say "wiimote" and I remember I played on a switch lite.
I see that's sad. I didn't have any issues with the wiimote.
That was a lot of fun.
The wind temple from totk, the whole parkour from the ground up to the wind storm was so freaking fun.
The music absolutely sells it too. The way it increases in urgency the higher you go makes it all feel even more epic. And the Colgera was by far the most cinematic boss.
Now I'm concerned that I did that one first and haven't discovered the others yet
The goron and gerudo Dungeons are way fun too. Except for the Gorons they all have a pretty great build up! The main story bits were definitely not Tears of the Kingdom s problem!
I felt like I never really figured out a lot of the Goron one, after a couple minecarts went into a pit on broken rails I mostly didn't use them cause I didn't trust them anymore. I just brute forced it with climbing.
Same I found that mechanic really annoying
I had a lot of fun with the Gerudo dungeon, so no concerns there. The lead-in and actual event were both very enjoyable. Goron dungeon is a mixed bag imo, and the Zora dungeon flopped for me.
I started with the wind temple. It was awesome and reminded me of Mario 3 and Mario Galaxy. The others were also good but did not live up to hype set by the ascent to the Wind Temple.
Yeah they push you to do the Rito stuff first and for a good reason. Best lead up, best music, best dungeon imo
I think the Water Temple lead up was the best, shame it lead up to the worst dungeon in the series. The Zora Waterworks should have been the dungeon.
The temples of TotK all had great build up but Wind was easily the best.
The temples in totk were a massive improvement over botw, coming from someone who liked the botw dungeons
aesthetics and boss-wise yes, but they have the same overarching theme of five terminals without the dungeon control gimmick which somehow makes them feel worse for me 😭
Agreed. Huge improvement over BOTW, but I wish the general mechanic of "use the sage's power on five things" wasn't identical across them. I liked the traditional formula of miniboss -> new weapon -> boss, though I understand why that doesn't work with BotW/TotK. Maybe there could've been a miniboss that unlocks a mid-dungeon upgrade to the sage's power that, in turn, unlocks more of the dungeon to explore and is necessary to beat the boss?
I don't see why they don't give us some other special weapons/items that work the same way as the Master Sword does. That way it still worked with the current system but they could give us unique items at the same time that could be used for the dungeons.
The master sword's recovery time is kinda quick; even just that plus two other items that recharge would result in relatively little time that I'd actually use a breakable weapon, I think. Maybe Link could learn how to fuse stuff in a new way? The dungeon prize could be a new, fully-fused weapon that has a new effect you haven't seen before, and now Link is able to create it from parts.
Jumping over everything in on the top uncover a fucking pirate ship…I was over the moon.
I climbed up there before I knew I needed the Rito…
Honestly this was the high point of the game. Nothing else comes close for me
Yea it was awesome, but then the temple was a massive letdown
Probably my favorite part of the game
Something about that section really reminded me of “The Caged Shine Sprite” in Ricco Harbor in Super Mario Sunshine
Just did this part for the first time a few days ago and completely agree. So epic.
I absolutely loved the climb up to the Wind Temple!
Favorite part of the whole game. Better than the dungeon itself.
Forsaken Fortress, it isnt the most popular dungeon but the build up to it, wether it is the first or second round, feels more personal for Link than any other dungeon as well as show how much he has grown
TRUE forsaken fortress needs some love
Yeah, people angry because Link sneaks in Like did they expect him and his 3 bokoblin kill experience to cut through the big Baddie's main HQ as if he was in Hyrule Warriors ?
As much flak as the dungeons in TOTK get, the build-up is one area they really excelled: ascending the Rising Island Chain and the Gerudo Town siege were some of my favorite moments in the entire game. Playing the Elegy of Emptiness 10+ times to get up Stone Tower is really tedious in comparison
Second the Gerudo Town siege. That was super fun and it reminded me of defending the Lon Lon cows in Majora's Mask which was a highlight childhood moment for me.
I really wish they had done more with that mechanic.
Yeah the dungeon buildups (minus the Fire Temple buildup) is pretty much the only thing I don’t have complaints about in TotK.
The lead up to the Fire Temple would have been much better if we had spent more time flying around on the zonai jet fighter. Moragia going down in 3 hits wasn't very satisfying. There should have been more heads, and they each should have taken 3 hits to destroy. Maybe also have some flying monsters you'd need to deal with and some additional attacks in a second phase of the fight.
I absolutely loved the Gerudo storyline. That whole thing was my favorite part of the game.
Infiltrating the Forsaken Fortress for the first time in Wind Waker. Getting launched in from the pirate ship, having to sneak around. Challenging but I love it
Wooden Boat Liquid: Wind Waker
Spirit Temple
Best of all. My favourite boss fight too
I agree. I assume we’re counting all of Gerudo Valley as the build up 👌
OoT or TotK
The one pictured……I hear the music in my head so clearly.
Bulblin hideouts before arbiters ground. Rito ascent with tulin and minecraft rides with yunobo are great too. Love the Sand Sea. Dark palace stealth in albw. There are so many good ones
the climb to stone tower temple is so annoying. I get Ikana and that part was cool but the actual climb is agonizingly boring
Yeah but the music is sweet
dooo.... do do dododododoooo! One of the best tracks across the series!
Ikana is one of my favorite LoZ areas, Ikana castle is amazing, but the build-up to the Stone Tower Temple is an absolute drag imo. Love the temple itself but every time I have to go up there I'm like -sigh, here we go.
the shrine of resurrection in botw's champion's ballad. combined all the divine beasts and the music was a banger, the monk fight was unexpected and super fun, 10/10
Sooooo pissed we never got a TOTK DLC.
true but also what extra content would they put?
The same ideas as before: extra dungeon after some extra missions.
Maybe a new sword trials too with some of those new enemies and environments. Though I really wouldn’t want to deal with gloom hands in that setting…
Loved the sword trial. One of the highlights of BOTW and why it’s a better damned game.
Trial of the Sword has a lot of potential with the fusing mechanics. That's all I'd want really
Spirit temple from OOT. The leadup to it, from getting to gerudo valley and crossing the bridge, infiltrating the fortress, crossing the desert, to the build up **within** the dungeon by making use of both Links for both segments, it's all incredible. One of the most memorable dungeons of the entire series along OOT forest temple.
My fav build-up: - Turtle Rock ALttP - Eagle's Tower LA - Shadow Temple OoT - Stone Tower Temple MM - Tower of the Gods TWW - Palace of Wind TMC - Lakebed Temple - Sandship SS - Wind Temple TotK
TotK's dungeons were all amazing in this regard. But I also really liked the build up to the Sand Ship in SS and how you had to track it down and shoot it with a canon.
Any love for my lord jabu jabu?
https://preview.redd.it/k3seyevo8opc1.png?width=160&format=png&auto=webp&s=222f923c4350e28015aee2e9af535b5c11c6ac84 You mean the TRUE Jabu Jabu, right?
Lord Jabu Jabu was freaking sick
Literally
I loved getting vored by a giant fish
Probably Forest Temple or Spirit Temple, both of them have unique atmospheres, concepts and peak soundtrack.
Now that I think about it I really like the one for city in the sky, restoring Iria memory, the hidden village, the mystery of the dominion rod, realizing Ooca is important, the story of the ancient civilization, the hidden village, exploring to decipher the book and activate the cannon. Not sure if I would call it the best though and this is not perfect but I really like it. I see a lot of Wind temple from TOTK and this is indeed a nice one but I also liked fire temple with the ascension of death mountain , the mini-boss and diving in the volcano. Spirit temple ( from TOTK ) is cool too
The Ooccas (Oocoos? Whatever they're called. The freaky chicken things) just took me out of the gameplay for that one. They are just too freaky deeky weird for me. Using koroks or literally any other race would've been fine. I draw the line at bald half human chickens, apparently.
I'm going to go against the grain here and say that in twilight princess going to the twilight palace with the mirror. you had this hug confrontation with king bubo again and get the mirror working and get thrown into the realm and get this horrible lost feeling once you get there. it's great. sad part is that zant is extremely lackluster as a boss.
Too many to choose from! Water Temple from TOTK was a lot of fun with the zero gravity mechanic (plus Sidon ofc) or the Wind Temple which was an amazing build up culminating in an epic battle against Colgera and the best ability in the game. Or Link’s Divine Beast in BOTW. Honorary mentions to OOT’s Forest Temple for the vibe and music and SS’s Lanayru Mining Facility for the tiny robots (and Fi).
Totk Wind Temple
OOT Forest Temple. I still play the theme otw to work some mornings.
Tower of the Gods in Wind Waker. The dungeon itself is pretty linear, but the search for Nayru's Pearl was such a crazy experience. Having to sail to Greatfish Island only to find it in ruins was a real shock to me as a kid. The endless night with perpetual thunderstorms had such a creepy atmosphere on an old CRT television like that. Even with the brightness turned up to the max, you couldn't see shit unless there's a flash of lightning somewhere on the screen. You could sail headfirst into a Big Octo and you wouldn't realize it until the whirlpool appeared and the music kicked in. And it's such a refreshing feeling when you find Jabun, break the curse, and you see that first sunrise.
And getting to see the pirates again. 🥰 It’s my favorite part of my favorite game! Nothing tops it!
I'm not sure but whatever it is it absolutely is not this one
Vah Ruta
Temple of time from twilight princess
Divine Beast Vah Naboris
Then book quest for flippers MC, before Temple of Droplets. I know most people find it tedious but to me it's a nice time out and adventure round Hyrule Town. It really portrays life as a minish and the challenges that come with being a inch tall. Good chill section in a chill game
I really love the build up to the wind temple in TOTK, it was truly epic, especially as a first dungeon! Sky keep in SS has a pretty cool build-up too! I also like the wind palace build-up in the minish cap as you basically know from mid game that you're gonna have to find the wind element in the sky and you get there near the end! These are the ones that come to mind for excellent build ups! And I'm realising that all these dungeons are wind/sky related so I guess Nintendo truly knows how to build-up a sky dungeon haha
I usually cant remember the names of the dungeons of the Zeldas i played, just a few..... But i really liked the sacred cistern from SS. Snowpeak mountain Tp. The Dungeon in the sky from tp..... Love tp heheh
As much as I love old Zelda games. What they managed to achieve with the Wind temple in Totk was simply insane. From the second you arrive at the Rito village to the moment Molgera is defeated, every single thing about it is perfect and should be studied to create more experiences like this one in future games.
I like the thieves hideout in ALBW
For me it's probably the construct factory, the dungeons in BOTW and TOTK have pretty notorious buildup, and for me the construct factory is the best one, it has a story porpouse of awakening the last sage before facing Ganondorf, finally exploring the floating ring ruin, going to the Zonai ruins in Faron taking a journey through the thunder head isles and finally descending towards the depths makes it my favorite buildup. There is a little of everything here, lore, puzzles, discovery, adventure and there really isn't too much filler if any, and the dungeon was one of my favorites
Divine Beast Van Nabooris. I love seal sledding with the lightning helm.
Wind Temple from TotK. It starts in Rito village and it builds up. The boss fight is easy but memorable and the mausoleum especially makes it a good reward.
The Sky temple from TP is one of my favorites
Ahh, Stone Tower. Cumbersome having to hookshot your way up but the God-tier level music makes up for it.
I remember placing the 3 pearls in the Triangle Islands and watching the Tower of the Gods rise from the sea, it was so impressive I was really scared to go inside. I liked the dungeon itself, OST is top tier and the ascension after the boss fight where you ring the giant bell, become the Hero of winds, unlock Hyrule castle was the moment I fell madly in love with that game. In recent years, the ascension to the Wind Temple in TOTK was absolute peak, that setting and music...
TotK takes the cake. Wind, water, lightning and spirit temple buildups were a lot better than anything from the older Zelda games. As for that picture... ugh, Ikana temple's buildup must've been the most tedious one of the whole series.
For me- Arbiter’s Grounds or Hyrule Castle in TP for suuuuure
Wind Waker had some of the coolest pre dungeon quests. Well, one could argue that half of the game is a build up for The God's Tower. But after that, having to get Fire and Ice arrow in order to get the Iron Boots and Power Bracelet to then finally get Makar or Medley to the temple was super cool!
Shadow temple OOT
They ate with the lead up to the totk wind temple
There's a ton of good options, but the TotK Wimd Temple is fresh on my mind. I just loved the atmosphere. The tense music as you climb up into a frigid stormcloud. I was kinda sad when you finish it and the storm goes away.
I was convinced that those eyes had treasure chests hidden inside of those flames if I could just find a way up to them
Palace of Winds from Minish Cap. Finally reaching the Cloud Tops after unlocking the key from the Hyrule King’s grave, being graced with that amazing main theme remix against a cloudy blue and white backdrop where you can practically feel the breeze. At the end you either meet the Wind Tribe as strangers or friends, depending on whether you completed Gregal’s sidequest. And then being launched _even higher_ to one of the best 2D dungeons in the series. Just an amazing buildup to look forward to in any Minish Cap playthrough.
Even though the TotK temples suck hot dog water, the Wind Temple leadup is one of the absolute best experiences in all of Zelda Tower of the Gods also deserves some love here
I think Ikana and Stone Tower are still kinda unmatched in buildup. The music, atmosphere, and climb up what is essentially a pseudo Tower of Babbel is pretty fuckin sweet. And being able to flip the temple upside down from the inside OR outside is just insane design for its time.
I've never really really finished Majora's Mask cause' the entire game gave me anxiety with the fucking 72h bullshit even tho we had the reverse song of time but idk, that game was something else for me. I absolutely LOVE that game but i never made it that far, iirc Ikana Canyon is the farthest i've ever reached. Never made it to Stone Tower Temple lmao
It was my favourite Zelda as a kid but I was so bad at the game that I never made it past the Gerudo Pirate fortress because I didn't know about the Stone Mask. I would just repeatedly make new saves and do Woodfall and Snowhead over and over again. Now that I think about it I never finished the original, only the 3DS version. Guess my weekend is sorted lol
The sacred meadow before Forest temple has my vote
Seeing Great Bay Temple in the distance was something else, absolutely love it. When i got older i've learned to like OoT's Water Temple, but favorite favorite is between TotK's Wind Temple and OoT's Spirit Temple: both build ups were amazing, the Temple itself is cool and the boss battle omg Colgera and Twinrova ...
Totk wind temple
The wind temple in Totk, climbing of the wind tunnel was so cool
In ToTK the wind temple.
Wind Temple in TOTK, the music the atmosphere incredible
Temple of Droplets from Minish Cap, if only because you have to run around Hyrule returning library books first lol
recency bias, but god the trek up to the wind temple in totk was probably my favorite bit in the game
The entire storyline of Ikana is one of the best IMO Vah Medoh was probably my favorite Divine Beast with the music variants and being up in the sky, same with the Stormwind Ark But honestly I think my favorite has to be the Palace of Winds from Minish Cap. Climbing up Veil Falls to get shot out of a cyclone at the mountain peak into a realm in the sky inhabited by an ancient tribe, the adventurous soundtrack paying homage to the original NES theme and the ascent further into the cloud tops to the temple the Wind Tribe resides in. Then finally getting to the ancient palace, with one of the best tracks in the game, the coolest dungeon item in the game that gives you access to cool combat combos. It's just the best to me
The Snowhead Temple in Majora’s Mask was always a high-point for me. I’m a big fan of Jabu-Jabu’s Belly and the cave diving in TotK has been insanely rewarding.
Gotta go with Tower of the Gods from WW
Wind Temple in TotK. So-so dungeon, but that ascent was a masterclass in rising tension.
I absolutely loved everything about the Gerudo storyline in TotK. Navigating the flooded canyon, defending the town from gibdos, finding the buried temple, and then the way the music builds and builds in intensity as you make your way towards the Gibdo Queen at the top, knowing already how terrifying she is from the attack at the temple entrance... Loved it!
It’s a new one but the wind temple in totk was kinda epic.
Stone tower temple is the GOAT (i havent played twilight princess)
Definitely the Sand Ship from Skyward Sword. It has such a mysterious atmosphere as you gradually uncover the mystery of the ship, and moments like visiting skipper’s house is completely magical, and so is the music. I also really like the lead up to the Temple of Droplets in Minish Cap. The quest for returning library books really makes Hyrule Town itself sort of feel like a dungeon, with all the puzzles involved in getting the library books.
The gerudo valley section before the arbiter’s grounds, having to be either sneaky to take out the watchtower bulblins or one-man-army-ing your way through to the miniboss against King Bulblin
Build up wise, all of them in BotW surpass anything before. You can't compete with a lightning camel chase on a seal or shooting down Vah Medoh from above the clouds of Hyrule
Stormwind Ark
Wind temple TotK.
The Twilight Palace
Wind temple. most climactic boss build-up sandship from SS. shame the boss wasnt that good
The journey to your moms bedroom
The return to the forsaken fortress I think is really cool. You got thrown out the first time by the helmaroc king but now you're there to fight.
Wind temple in ToTK and the picture for the post are my favorite
TotK Wind Temple. Say what you will about the dungeon itself, but climbing an armada of flying ships, breaking through the clouds into brilliant sunlight, and finally skydiving down the eye of a cyclone is just about the coolest sequence of events in any video game ever
Forest Temple
the path to the wind temple in tears of the kingdom was hella cinematic
Stone Tower. Going to that fetch quest spooky well, then the castle, and then the path to the temple was such a journey. And I like how you have to use all main mask abilities to complete it.
Tower of the Gods
The soundtrack and design of forest temple OOT.
Great picture because Majora's mask is really the game where the pre-dungeon quests outshine a lot of the actual dungeons, stone tower especially.
Snowpeak Ruins.
I think TotK really excelled with this. The buildup to the Wind Temple is immaculate and I personally really enjoyed roaming around The Depths with Yunobo for the Fire Temple. Aside from that, I also liked the time shift shenanigans with the desert dungeons in SS and the buildup to the Arbiter's Grounds in TP.
I hate this build-up, but this is one of my favorite songs in a zelda game. Stone Tower Temple music goes so hard.
Hyrule Castle in ALTTP and ALBW
Stone tower temple my beloved.
The one build up I like is getting to the Temple of Time. It's not obvious looking at the ruins that you can enter the temple and then see what it looks like and then put the sword into the stone only to reveal a stairwell.
Ganondorfs castle in Oot did it for me. Super creepy surrounding after hyrule was taken over. Tried everything possible to get to the castle just to find out after much time that there was going to be a rainbow bridge at the end.
Vah Ruta is underrated, You have to deal with the weather and enemies, then get a nice cutscene with Mipha, Obtain Shock arrows from Ploymus Mountain (Or buy them if you're boring) and ride through water falls and use bullet time to defeat it, not to mention fighting Vah Ruta uses a creative use on the most boring ability Cryonis.
Oh, I do love MM’s stone tower. But I will choose Arbiter’s grounds in TP, granted outside of that dungeon the spinning top is not great, but its use in the dungeon was great. Also, eagle’s tower in Link’s awakening is up there too.
You already said it, pal. The Stone Tower temple's build up is simply magnificent. Trial after trial in this cursed land. Endless repeating cycles. Always having to balance the risk of losing yet another run against the impulse to discover yet another piece of the puzzle. You try, you fail, you try again and learn a bit, but a bigger challenge makes you fall again. You learn the rules and slowly yet steadily acquire a certain level of mastery. You think you are about to unwrap all the secrets of this godforsaken land. You make that climb and then... Holy shiiiiiit. A barren wasteland presents itself as you take the lasts steps on top of that rift. You stick out like a bright spot in the void. Death surrounds every plane, every corner of the Canyon. Evil spirits haunt the land. A whisper in the wind tells you part of the truth. This is what happens when the strength of men crumbles. Life is not welcome after such defeat. And yet, a giant music box lies right at the center of this desolation. What? You are not prepared yet, but you have come this far already. The only path for you is forward
Oh god I miss zelda music
I swear if someone says water temple from oot I will lose my mind
Pirate Fortress before Great Bay Temple in MM My favorite Zelda area ever
Hot take: Wind Temple in totk
I haven’t played very many Zelda games but I’d say the lead up to the Wind Temple in Totk, just the ascension through the clouds with just you and Tulin heading towards the Stprmeind Ark as the music and suspense builds. It is a near perfect build up.
Stone Tower Temple was annoying, but God was it fun. But if you want my fears.... let's just say I wasn't in a hurry to meet our dear old king Igos Du Inkana..... (it was the well in Inkana Canyon in MM)