DUNGEON (THE LEGEND OF ZELDA SERIES)

In Nintendo's ''The Legend of Zelda'' series of video games, a dungeon is a type of location in which much of the games are played in, and are generally underground labyrinths containing various types of enemies and puzzles, usually with a boss enemy at the end.
Other video games have featured areas referred to as dungeons, but these references are usually generally descriptive of interior areas that contain enemies, traps, puzzles, and bosses.
Since the original ''The Legend of Zelda'', Nintendo has produced fourteen canon titles in the series to date.^[1] Since the original game, the series has also become one of Nintendo's flagship video game franchises, ranking high with the likes of ''Mario'' and ''Donkey Kong''.^[2] A top reason that may be cited for this is the complexity, challenge, and evolution of the many dungeons that have come and gone over more than 20 years.
Dungeons have been an essential component of the ''Zelda'' series starting with the first ''The Legend of Zelda'' game in 1986. These dungeons were pretty complex for their time, as they challenged the adventurer with puzzles, traps, and enemies, the likes of which had not previously been seen in video games. Enemies occasionally re-spawn to attack adventurers, and a room may be "reset" (in the sense that everything returns to its starting point) when Link exits and reenters a room.

Contents

''The Legend of Zelda''

''The Adventure of Link''

''A Link to the Past'' and ''Link's Awakening''

''Ocarina of Time'' and ''Majora's Mask''

''Oracle of Seasons'' and ''Oracle of Ages''

''Four Swords'' and ''Four Swords Adventures''

''The Wind Waker''

''The Minish Cap''

''Twilight Princess''

''Phantom Hourglass''

References

''The Legend of Zelda''

In the original ''The Legend of Zelda'', the dungeons retained the same format as the rest of the game: the player, as Link, maneuvers each area from a top-down perspective, facing everything from dead ends to invincible and annoying enemies to complex traps, puzzles, and maze-like passages.

''The Adventure of Link''

saw a major change in the original ''Zelda'' concept, in that, though the top-down perspective remains, it only does so when Link is wandering Hyrule Field. Most of the action takes place in a side-scrolling format, adding other platforming elements (i.e. this is the only ''Zelda'' title to date in which Link can actually "jump" without the aid of other items). The side-scrolling element adds difficulty to the overall game (and the dungeons especially), in that certain enemies are much more difficult to defeat than they were in the strictly top-down perspective offered in ''The Legend of Zelda''. On the other hand, the addition of certain abilities—most notably the downthrust technique, which is one that allows Link to jump up in the air and come down sword first—are effective techniques against a lot of enemies.

''A Link to the Past'' and ''Link's Awakening''

returned to the fully top-down perspective, going back to the series' roots, thus removing the platform and side-scrolling elements from the second game. also retains the same format.

''Ocarina of Time'' and ''Majora's Mask''

After a five-year absence on the market, the ''Zelda'' series returned with its fifth installment, titled . Its series-new 3D graphics allow the game's dungeons to be far more individual, and more unusual settings are used, such as the humongous insides of a tree and a giant fish. There is also for the first time an optional dungeon, the Gerudo Training Ground, which will gain Link an extra item, the Ice Arrows, if he completes it. employs the same engine used for ''Ocarina of Time''.

''Oracle of Seasons'' and ''Oracle of Ages''

and retain the top-down perspective from the original.

''Four Swords'' and ''Four Swords Adventures''

and brought back the top-down perspective, but introduced into the gameplay a first in the series: the first and so far only multi-player ''Zelda'' adventures, making for more varied and interesting puzzles and gameplay, and giving the player yet another new element to define the ''Zelda'' series.

''The Wind Waker''

The series' next installment, , saw more breakthroughs in graphics and changes to the way the game is played through the dungeons. While most people were neither pleased nor impressed at first with series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto's more "child-friendly" approach — Miyamoto's idea was actually to appeal to all ages with the advent of cel shading, not necessarily just a younger audience^[3] —the game retains in spades the same basic puzzle and unique elements that have made the ''Zelda'' franchise so popular. The dungeon idea got another renovation: as new items are introduced in the game, ''The Wind Waker'' proves once again that a new spin on an old idea can work. With every item Link obtains throughout the dungeons, new abilities become available, but the puzzles change more than ever to conform to the usability of the items, and so the series continued more this way. This game also introduces the ability to manipulate other crucial characters and inanimate objects (such as statues), adding another layer to the gameplay and challenging puzzle elements that are staples in the series.

''The Minish Cap''

''The Minish Cap'' once again retains the top-down perspective of its predecessors, and the overall plot is to tell the backstory to ''Four Swords'' and ''Four Swords Adventures''. Though Link does gain the ability to split himself into up to four Links (as in the other two games), this game doesn't feature a multi-player mode, but the complexity of the dungeons once again takes a turn and keeps the player on his/her toes.

''Twilight Princess''

''The Legend of Zelda'' series is best known for its innovations in gameplay and advances in computer graphics technology, always stretching the limits of all that is currently known. returns the player to the 3-D perspective, but adds a new element of puzzle and gameplay: the ability Link gains to turn himself into a wolf (the idea of Link transforming into an animal was actually introduced in ''A Link to the Past'', but it was uncontrollable and something found only when Link stepped into the Dark World, and essentially useless, except to show Link that he was traversing Ganon's darkened version of Hyrule, where all who went there were turned into beasts that reflected their hearts). Certain puzzles can only be solved and obstacles overcome by Link when he is in wolf or human form. The items play a heavy role in puzzle specifications once again. Statue manipulation also returns to stretch the player and test his/her abilities and puzzle-solving skills.

''Phantom Hourglass''

This sequel to ''The Wind Waker'' will once again take the player back to cel-shading and similar puzzle elements. According to a review by ''kaboodle.com'', "[ will feature] an overhead camera perspective primarily, but incorporat[e] different views based on context".^[4] Traditional ''Zelda'' elements remain.

References

1. Zelda Universe (official site) Nintendo
2. Nintendo Changes Direction EGM
3. GameCube / First Look / The Legend of Zelda Dingo, Star
4. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Kaboodle, Inc.