Zelda's Most Creative Dungeons (by Carl B.)

November 19, 2011, by Carl B. - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has, by far, some of the most creative dungeons in any Zelda title to date. The Zelda series in general has plenty of creative dungeons that either blend a natural environment with the temple or make use of some very innovative puzzles. With the highly anticipated Skyward Sword releasing tomorrow, what are the most creative Zelda dungeons to date?



Temple of the Ocean King – Phantom Hourglass
The Temple of the Ocean King was one of the most repetitive, boring dungeons in all of the Zelda series – and ultimately what makes me hate Phantom Hourglass – but there were a few puzzles present in the temple that were so mind-blowing that it makes the TotOC a worthy addition. The greatest example of this is one puzzle where players have to copy a marking from a tablet to their map. After trying to copy it with the touch screen, to no avail, I closed my DS in frustration and took a break. When I opened it again, the marking was copied from the tablet to Link's map. Genius.

Stone Tower Temple – Majora's Mask

Stone Tower Temple is easily the most difficult dungeon in Majora's Mask, thanks to some clever puzzles. Stone Tower's concept is to flip the dungeon upside down numerous times, allowing Link to travel to new areas that weren't previously accessible by walking on what used to be the ceiling. This is one of the few dungeons in the series that makes use of multiple parts, where players travel through the same rooms but they are dramatically changed.

Snowpeak Ruins – Twilight Princess

Snowpeak Ruins had some pretty creative puzzles, but the snow-based dungeon's setting inside of a manor is what makes it stand out. Instead of venturing inside a traditional temple, Link finds himself inside an abandoned manor – sans the presence of two Yetis – where he must travel to a variety of rooms to find the master bedroom's key. Puzzles make use of classic block pushing on ice, as well as shooting several different canons into multiple rooms in order to activate doors and remove other obstacles.

Jabu-Jabu's Belly – Ocarina of Time

Ocarina of Time features two dungeons that take place inside of a living thing, but of the two, Jabu-Jabu's Belly is the most difficult and most creative. Everything inside the dungeon is rather grotesque – Link is inside a fish, after all. What makes it so brilliant is that the map is actually shaped like Jabu-Jabu.

Honorable Mentions:
Water Temple (OoT), Spirit Temple (OoT), Great Bay Temple (MM), City in the Sky (TP).