Dungeons have been one of the most integral parts of the Legend of Zelda franchise since its very beginning, with the original 1986 Zelda boasting a few of its own, most of which could be tackled in any order the player sees fit. Dungeons have continued to appear throughout Zelda over the last four decades, and for many fans, they're the highlights of each game. Thankfully, after a little hiatus, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom brings back dungeons, and they're bigger and better than ever before.
While it's still considered by many to be an absolute masterpiece, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild wasn't without its criticisms, and one of the biggest had to do with the game's lack of dungeons. Though Breath of the Wild's 120 Shrines helped to provide a similar feeling with their own combat and puzzle challenges, many fans still longed for a traditional Zelda dungeon experience, and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom doesn't disappoint.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Was Right to Bring Back Dungeons
There's something inherently magical about The Legend of Zelda's dungeons. Though they take on a range of different appearances over the years, and highlight a plethora of different mechanics, a Zelda dungeon always feels like a Zelda dungeon, and it's a core aspect of the series' identity. Usually taking place in ancient temples long forgotten, Zelda's dungeons always have an air of mystery about them, like the player is the first one venturing down here in hundreds of years. And each game's music, visuals, and mechanics only further cement this unmistakable feeling of adventure.
The vast majority of Zelda's dungeons have first-class presentation. From the ancient architecture of the environment, to the subtle and natural lighting just barely showing the way, Zelda's dungeons look exactly how they feel to explore, even when shown from a top-down perspective. But another big reason why Zelda's dungeons are so iconic is their music. Widely considered to be some of the music in gaming, Zelda's dungeons have the perfect blend of eerie and triumphant musical cues, perfectly paced throughout the level.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's own dungeons had a lot to live up to, but thankfully, they're pretty great. After finishing Tears of the Kingdom's tutorial stage, players will be given free rein over Hyrule once again, getting just four objective markers for each corner of the map. Following these markers will lead the player to an iconic Hyrule destination, where, after a few hours of detective work, combat, and errands, the player should unlock a dungeon in the form of a temple. For the most part, these dungeons are good additions to the Legend of Zelda franchise, with each one having one central puzzle, a handful of combat encounters, and a challenging boss fight, all packaged with some top-notch presentation.
But one of the biggest highlights of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's dungeons is not actually the dungeon itself, but the route to get to it. Each of Tears of the Kingdom's dungeons has a unique way to unlock it, and each path provides an extremely compelling challenge, whether it's a long-form riddle or a series of tough platforming challenges in the sky. One of the best examples of this is the Gerudo Temple of Lightning, which requires the player to make their way through a sandstorm and bounce a light off three towers, each of which requires a different solution to complete. While it isn't the most complicated puzzle on paper, it emphasizes the game's core adventuring ethos and helps to make the dungeon feel like a reward in itself.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Switch.