Twilight Princess' Dungeons RANKED!- Worst to Best
Hello, and welcome to the first of hopefully, many Zelda themed countdowns. This is all the dungeons of Twilight Princess ( my favorite Zelda game)ranked from the worst to the best. I've seen this particular list floating around on the net before, but so many of the opinions differed from mine that I decided it was time I stated my own views on the dungeons of a game, which, in my opinion, holds the best Zelda dungeons to date. So without further ado, let's do this thing!
NUMBER 9-
 |
| Less impressive than it looks at first |
The build up to this dungeon was very exciting. The sense of trepidation and anticipation builds up as you scurry across Hyrule to set up a massive ancient cannon to blast you sky-high.
And when you get there, it's intriguing. There is a sense of wonderment to being in a floating city hundreds of feet up in the air.
But I'm afraid I very quickly grew to hate this dungeon. To put it short, its the worst combination of boring and annoying.
For a start, this place tries to have you believe it is an ancient ruined city, but the interior really does little to convince you of that. The rooms are empty and bland. The rotating fans are an interesting concept but the amount of waiting you have to do before latching onto the next one is very irritating. Personally, the music doesn't appeal to me. It sounds odd, not in a good way, and quickly grows annoying. And so the pattern emerges, a good concept wasted by boring waits, bland surroundings, and sub-par music. Not even the Double Clawshot could save it!
NUMBER 8-
This one is a bit of a funny one for me. Like the City in the Sky, I enjoyed the build up to this dungeon very much. Gerudo Dessert was one of my favorite areas in the game, with brilliant music, thrilling enemy encampment fights, and rippling surroundings.
The dungeon holds one of the best ( and weirdest!) items in the game, the Spinner, so why is this dungeon my second least favorite?
It seems cheap to simply say: I just didn't like it, but that's the truth. I'm perfectly fine with it being peoples favorite dungeon in the game.
For me though, the old temple aesthetic quickly wore thin, and in general I didn't enjoy solving the puzzles or tracking down the poes. And, I'll be honest, for whatever reason, the layout really confused me. I got stumped on this dungeon for years. I'm not joking. Literal years. I quit the game for two years before returning to it again to finish this dungeon. So, I suppose, other than simply not liking it, the reason it places so low is because of a personal issue, that I got stuck. Sucked to be me.
NUMBER 7-
 |
| Proving the first isn't always the best |
Now we come to a chunk of dungeons on this list where I just felt like-meh. It came to a point where I had so little an opinion or memory of the following few dungeons, that to be honest, they could all share one spot.
However, since I found Forest Temple more visually boring than the upcoming 'meh' dungeons on the list, it ends up coming as the third worst dungeon in my opinion.
It was also the first dungeon in the game, and was by no means bad. Saving the monkeys to form a swinging bridge was fun, and the place certainly got me pumped for the rest of the game. But...not pumped for actually playing the dungeon. The whole Forest theme is a little unoriginal, and I can't really recall many memorable moments or rooms other than that boss fight with the butt-shaking baboon.
NUMBER 6-
Upon fixing the Mirror of Twilight, our hero ventures to the realm of Twilight to face evil Zant.
The reason this dungeon places higher than the Forest Temple is because of the visuals.
The unsettling murky haze and glittering black particles contrast with the odd, green and red hieroglyphs found inside. Yet that is not enough to stop it falling into the same trap as the Forest Temple, not many memorable moments.
And, as much as I like the visuals, it really doesn't convey this image of a Palace. The layout is also very linear, which isn't inherently a problem unless the dungeon is also on the uninteresting side. Sorry Palace, but despite your importance in the plot, you still remain trapped in the 'meh' block of this countdown.
NUMBER 5-
Was going to put this higher on the list until I remembered the ice block puzzle. Enough said. Next dungeon..
Okay, fine, I'll give some more detailed opinion.
The idea behind this dungeon is super cool! Get it? Cool, like cuz it's ice themed... um, never mind.Anyway, going to each wing of the mansion separately was a neat idea, and cleverly makes the place feel larger than it really is.
The Yeti couple were my favorite characters in the game, and having a sort of safe hub area to return to after retrieving each key item was very comforting and the cozy warmth contrasted with the spooky blue iciness beyond. But the canon-ball puzzles ended up being quite laborious, and that block puzzle man. So hard. I had to resort to a guide in the end. I really wish this list could be higher on the list, and in terms of visuals,theme, and concept this dungeon certainly scores a lot higher than the following dungeon, which is...
NUMBER 4-
I'll be very honest with you, I don't remember a lot about this place. I do remember however, having fun. I just wish I could explain how and why.
The visuals are decent, if a little unoriginal. We've seen lava and fire done a lot now in Zelda, and the introduction of a mining element just didn't do enough to switch up this tired theme.
The puzzles involving magnetism were cool, and the mini boss was really awesome, better, even that Fyrus, the final boss of the dungeon. Overall, still a 'meh' dungeon to me, but thankfully, the last one we'll find on this list.
NUMBER 3-
 |
| More slippery than a bar of soap |
Oh boy, we're into the big leagues now. And, what can I say about the Lakebed Temple?
I thought it was great. Over the years, I've heard a lot of negativity and criticism aimed at this place, and I don't understand why!
The place looks awesome, with a drippy, shimmery kind of vibe, and a sweet ass staircase.
The staircase serves as a large chunk of the puzzles you'll find in Lakebed, all of it which I found clever, interesting, and fun to solve. The final boss was...disappointing to say the least, but it didn't dampen my spirits. Dampen?Get it? Because the dungeon is water themed? Never mind.
NUMBER 2-
 |
| Awesome! |
For a lot of people, the Castle is the best final dungeon in the entire history of Zelda. And I agree, it really is.
The lack of music in the outside segment makes it spooky, mysterious and foreboding. The game just felt really epic here, even throwing in some gameplay with those weird bull boar things as an added bonus. Things really ramp up a notch when you get inside.
The music, a disturbingly enchanting version of the Hyrule Castle Theme, adds to the empty, off-set surroundings of the interior. It isn't disturbing per say, but something just doesn't feel right. As you get closer and closer to the top, where Ganondorf awaits, the atmosphere goes from unsettling you to building a massive sense of anticipation. There's more gameplay with the Spinner, tense fights with Darknuts, all of which gets the blood coursing hard through your veins.
All in all, it's a fantastic dungeon. So what beats it? Some people might be displeased with this, but hey, this is my list!
NUMBER 1-
This, beyond all doubt, is my favorite dungeon in the game, possibly in any Zelda game.
And yes, I went into this knowing my number one would be controversial to say the least. People just don't have a lot to say about this place, and when they do, it isn't particularly positive.
So why do I like it so much? For a start, it looks great. Entering for the time, it struck me how mysterious it was, aided by a minimalist dungeon theme. Going from room to room felt interesting and exciting, and all the way through I never felt bored.
But the best thing about the Temple of Time is its key concept. So, you go happily through this dungeon (la la la) until you get the Dominion Rod, then the entire dynamic of the place is flipped on its head! You must now lead a statue all the way back through the dungeon, with puzzles on the way. Most memorable of those would have to be the scales puzzle.
All in all, this concept was very interesting, used well and introduced with minimum confusion. Yeah, this dungeon is linear, but in that linearity comes a sort of cleanness, a sharp, well defined, streamlined place that somehow doesn't take away a sense of adventure from your travels through the Temple.
I don't care if some people don't like this dungeon, for me, the theme, music, concept, and awesome final boss make this a brilliant, fantastic Zelda dungeon.
FINAL NOTES
Thank you for reading, this is the part where I ask you to interact with me! Don't worry, I won't bite. I'd like to hear what you thought about my choices, even shred apart my ideas with criticism, if you just so wish. You can even post your own version of this list, with your fave dungeons, as a comment. I'd be interested to see how different peoples opinions are from mine.
Thank you again!
Comments
Post a Comment