![]() Zelda needed a change, and the series' dungeons have built on the concepts presented in ALttP without really doing much of anything to innovate on them. This is the element that Breath of the Wild's shrines lack-which is not necessarily a bad thing. Study and repeat, until you finally reach the center.īreath of the Wild's shrines changed things considerably. At some point, you loosen up the first thread you were tugging at and go back to work on that some more. You tug at one until it won't give anymore, then study the ball to find the next thread, and the next. You want to unravel it and get to the shiny crystal at the center, but in order to do so you have to pull at the threads in just the right order. Think of the dungeons in this game as a deliberate, jumbled ball of yarn, with multiple loose ends of thread poking through. However, an even greater design revolution came in the way those puzzle elements interlock to turn each dungeon into a complex, unified whole. Each dungeon in ALttP has its own personality, theme, or central mechanic, and each one makes use of those specific elements repeatedly throughout the moment-to-moment play. See, beginning with ALttP, dungeons in Zelda ceased to exist as a collection of disparate challenges or obstacles and became instead cohesive, layered creations. ![]() However, with an expensive gourmet dish you at least have the option of just putting a little of each ingredient in your mouth all at once to recreate the full experience. ![]() In theory, you could see the shrines as "deconstructed" dungeons, like going to a fancy restaurant and having a "deconstructed" dish where all the various components are served separately. Yes, you can challenge the shrines that litter Hyrule, each of which contains its own dungeon-like puzzle or combat scenario, but they're not the same thing.Ī Link to the Past Deep Dive, Part 3: Link's Trek Into Darkness The closest you really come to the classic Zelda labyrinth are the puzzle-laden Divine Beasts. The latest Zelda sequel, Breath of the Wild, has proven somewhat controversial among fans for Nintendo's decision to more or less remove dungeons from the game. ALttP has proven itself an influential work in many, many respects, but nothing about this game has shaped the past 25 years of action-adventure games the way its dungeons have. I couldn't possibly spend a month writing about everything that made The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past so brilliant without taking a long, meaningful look at the game's dungeon design. We explore why this 16-bit classic remains the standard for the genre. Currently: A Link to the Past redefined Zelda games, and action-RPGs at large, 25 years ago. Design in Action is a weekly column by Retronauts co-host Jeremy Parish that explores games both new and classic, analyzing the way their various moving parts work together to make them great.
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