Soapbox options allow our particular person writers and contributors to voice their opinions on sizzling subjects and random stuff they have been chewing over. Right now, Jim spreads some love for the modern-day Zelda dungeon.
Remember that he discusses Tears of the Kingdom under (not intimately, however he references a particular dungeon), so bookmark this and are available again at a later date in the event you’re nonetheless on a media blackout…
It was two days earlier than the official launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom that director Hidemaro Fujibayashi introduced {that a} extra “conventional” tackle Zelda dungeons can be making an look within the recreation. Two days. After what had been months of watching each trailer body by body, choosing aside the environments and speculating as to whether or not they can be ‘actual’ dungeons or not, the builders confirmed it on a whim by way of an in-house developer interview with no fanfare, large announcement or highlight trailer to talk of.
Taking a look at this, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that over the previous six years, dungeons have been the collection’ hottest matter. Breath of the Wild’s Divine Beasts launched a recent manner of tackling Zelda’s development mechanic, the place you can head to them in any order that you simply wished and full the puzzles inside of your personal accord.
So completely different was this from the standard Zelda system, that there are various on the market who straight-up deny that dungeons even exist within the Change launch title, putting the Divine Beasts extra akin to overworld puzzles or a set of shrine rooms than something resembling a ‘traditional’ dungeon.
You’d suppose, subsequently, that the implementation of clearly signposted elemental dungeons in Tears of the Kingdom may deserve barely extra fanfare, after having been an anomalous adverse mark on Breath of the Wild’s in any other case squeaky-clean report. But it surely wasn’t, and after having received a few Tears of the Kingdom’s dungeons below my belt, I can see why.
It is as a result of the format hasn’t really modified all that a lot, demonstrating that, the truth is, fashionable Zelda dungeons are actually somewhat good.
Observe: Whereas I’ve stayed away from any main particulars, I will probably be discussing varied dungeon points from each Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom from right here on out, so be careful for spoilers forward.
Earlier than I get into what it’s that I like about this recent tackle the tried-and-tested system, let me first lay out precisely what I imply by “fashionable Zelda dungeons”.
Historically, dungeons have been the closest factor that The Legend of Zelda collection has come to structured ranges. You enter a big space and, one after the other, remedy a collection of linear puzzles to progress, choosing up a singular merchandise from a giant ol’ chest alongside the way in which. Usually, you may discover a grotesque beastie hanging from the ceiling / below the ground / within the water / behind the curtains on the finish, and use your new-found merchandise to beat it in a chic battle serving as the ultimate lesson in utilizing that merchandise, which you then use to additional progress within the wider world. It is formulaic, sure, but it surely works.
Or, it labored.
For essentially the most half, attending to a dungeon required you to have first plundered the products of one other one beforehand. A number of prior video games within the collection from The Legend of Zelda proper as much as A Hyperlink Between Worlds gave us the choice to combine up the order by which we might deal with some dungeons, however Breath of the Wild was the primary time that our choices have been really open.
There was no requirement to go to Vah Ruta earlier than taking over Vah Naboris. You possibly can skip Vah Rudania fully in the event you so desired, and the ultimate boss was all the time proper there ready so that you can pop in everytime you felt prepared. Zelda dungeons needed to change, and so they needed to change quick.