RE-UPLOAD ALERT: Hi friends! This is another re-upload / compilation video! BUT WITH A TWIST! *I have actually ADDED an entirely new section at the end of the video, examining The Palace of the Four Sword, which I did not cover at all during my original run of Dungeon Design in A Link to the Past. So, hey, this is both a compilation AND new content!* A few things to note. I began production into this series originally in February of 2023, and as you'd expect given that time window, Tears of the Kingdom released about halfway through production of the series. If I recall correctly, I was working on the video for Thieves' Town when TOTK launched. That said, I pushed through and continued covering this game, and tried juggling that with TOTK content, with mixed success. I'm still, overall very proud of how this series turned out, I think the finished products are some of my best work ever, with narration that I'm actually happy with, a custom 3D intro I made in Blender, and overall pretty refined editing. A teensy thing that bugs me though is that it took until the dark world dungeons for me to notice that I'd been recording footage in 30FPS (frames per second) when the game actually runs at 60FPS! So, you may notice a jump in the smoothness of the footage around the Palace of Darkness section. Anyways, that's enough rambling, I hope you enjoy revisiting the dungeons of A Link to the Past! EDIT: Hey, don't worry, *I know you can use magic powder on fire-fairies aka anti-fairies.* There's text on screen at 19:12 acknowledging that, but even then it goes by fast and I gloss over it, so that is on me for not being clear enough. My reason for including that line about them in the script is because it is highly unlikely that players are going to even have magic powder at this point of the game, unless they have prior knowledge/experience and go pretty far out of their way to get it. I myself almost never bother grabbing the magic powder that early, instead getting it at the same time I go up to get the flippers. But technically you could I suppose, so I probably should have been more clear in my original script about that instead of just breezing past it. Thanks still for watching!
I think it's Nostalgia! I my self liked it quite a lot. I also began with NES. For me I've got most Nostalgia for OoT and TP. Yet Zelda 2 Linx adv is special to me. But I like the 3D more Even if I'm an old Man now and almost 40 when I played TP.
For Dark world my prefered order is 1/2/4/5/3/6/7. I like the extra hearts for the boss fight as well as the better sword. sneaking out treasures the best I can before hand. I have found that 3 is my least liked... then I remember 7 and go no this is the worst in game. Over all of Zelda I have not thought about it enough. But probably my least liked then is 4 or 5 in Zelda 2. so much hard to avoid danger between the 2 and unlike final palace they did not need to be hard to navigate..
As to fave dungeons of this game... probably like 2 most; Hera 2nd most and 3rd is 4. I hate Turtle rock because Mirror Shield is not helpful to me outside of dungeon; the lay out gives me migranes thanks to the float puzzles NEVER going the direction I need... as far as I know its pure R&G and out of my hands. The numerable involurable threats. The Boss's final form. and all the eye lasers. The only positive thing about its design is the chutes and Mario references. 3 has many of the same flaws in that I have no directional memory most of the time so I get stuck quite often. That boss fight is just no fun to me. I like all in one place dungeons that give items as versatile as possible. At the very least they need to feel interesting to me The final Dungeon for instance as at minimum interesting to me. Ocaranna's Shadow Temple is ideal because I never got stuck or bored and required the well and some set up then to top it off I love the levitation boots; used them for everything I could.
@@kodytiffany5686 Oh are you referring to the platforms you make and ride on using the cane of somaria? If so, it isn’t RNG. You directly control the direction it moves using the Dpad
@@CaptBurgerson In that case I really just do not get the timing then. is it exactly at the point they meet? Is it before? Because regardless I do not get any real responsiveness; its more a feel of when the game wills it. To be clear I am meaning 100% of the times; my play throughs make it feel more like a 50/50 than an actual Guarantee. SNES or whatever system its on. Leading to the final point of I am not catching how its a me problem, hence the questions I started with. I have no clue if its before or exactly when you reach the 4 way that I am supposed to push the direction. I do not like timing puzzles/rthymn puzzles because I just do not see good (or as I word it; I have slow vision). It turns those type of puzzles into "must" trial and error each attempt rather than get a feel for it proper. So like lighting the torches with fire rod is also annoying. I will ask if you ever tried the PS1 title Alundra. You doing a dungeon exam of that game I think would be really interesting. But I will warn you that the game is a tough exact jump platformer and has some dungeon puzzles that are difficult to figure out on your own thanks to the clues being a bit to cryptic. But as far RPG stuff goes I always thought of it as one that was Zelda inspired. Since the puzzles stuck out to me more than the fights. Never beat it personally but I also am not sure what I am doing wrong at my current stuck point. Follow the guide I found and still not getting it. Honestly think my version is either bugged or I somehow am in an area I was not meant to be yet. The guide says to go where I was on the dungeon I am stuck on and yet I hit a point where I am somehow not able to jump far or high enough... so if it is a me issue then the timing of button push is to exact or as its a downloaded version the chance of a glitch or bug also exists. either way last spot I was stuck on before this took me over a decade to solve so eventually I will beat it. I just have to pause on games when I get to heated in repeat trying. But no Alundra is a game where some dungeons are the dream of people you enter to help slay their inner demons. So level design is weird at times to reflect it being a dream.
Sooo saaame! I wouldn't even know how to solve this puzzle without the Cane of Somaria. Well, after this video, I now know. :D I even do dungeon 4 before 3 because I like to have the tempered sword for Mothula. Thanks, Burger, I didn't know that tempering the sword doubles the damage. I thought it's 3 times the basic sword. About Kholdstare: You can unfreeze the first stage immediately with the Bombos Medallion (which I also use for the penguin rooms). And I think the boss's second stage is quite tedious with the three fluff balls and the falling ice. It's just easy because you have so many hearts which are basically doubled by the blue mail.
Yes. What I did not realise till years later is you can free flow the dark world dungeons. Nowadays I just go through them first to collect all key items for full access to both over worlds and then return the second time with the better gear, spells and hearts for a boss rush up to Ganon's tower and endgame. Thinking back I remember the challenges I playing the linear way.
@@yami122 I always like getting it before Mothula at least because you can one shot her with a spin attack which is nice because screw that whole fight.
A small note for the Desert Palace and the Tower of Hera, Noting the color of the pendants you get actually gives you a clue as to why certain design choices were made. The Desert Palace is mode about exploration and thinking, solving puzzles and as you said, unravelling the cord. This is because this place is meant to be a test of your wisdom, not really your combat ability. Where as the Tower of Hera is built like a straight gauntlet, because it's asking you to prove your battle prowess, and ability to think on the fly while in combat.
Also in the Dark Temple when you fight the Helmasaur King, the blade traps in the back are to dissuade players from even trying to hit him from behind, which wouldn't work
The boomerang DOES get the spotlight in the 1st dungeon! It is used almost immediately to stun the first real threat, the ball and chain knight miniboss. This demonstrates how it is used, shows how effective it can be and earns you a big key to literally rescue Princess Zelda, the titular character of the game and who's rescue is the main point of the dungeon's rescue mission itself.
My six year old has a review for you: “The dungeon design videos are MY FAVORITE.” Thanks for these long compilation videos! They’re soothing and safe choice for when this mama needs a mid-day nap!
1:05:42 I'm pretty sure those spikes are there to prevent you from running up behind the Helmasaur King and trying to stab him in the butt. After all, that's how you defeat the smaller helmasaurs before you get the hammer, and a non-creative player might have never thought to hammer them in the face after obtaining it to make the connection on breaking the King's mask. I imagine that playtesters kept trying to run back there and the spikes were placed to prevent them trying to get behind the boss and dying to no avail because that isn't actually his gimmick.
12:40 - Technically, there is a way to know which is the correct switch to pull. If you approach the correct one, Zelda gives you an added explanation of how to pull it. She doesn't do that if you approach the wrong one.
Wow ❤❤❤❤ when I can’t sleep, I often go through all the dungeons of LttP in order, in my mind until I fall asleep. I didn’t realize anyone else thought about the dungeons this deeply! Thank you for making this!
Playing the LttP Randomizer made me appreciate the world and dungeon designs of this masterpiece even more than I already did -- there are so many ways to get around that I never thought of until the randomizer made me!
I think the Helmasaur King has spikes behind him to stop players fruitlessly going back there, since, "undamagable because of frontal mask...better get behind him." is a reasonable train of thought. So this keeps people on the right track towards discovering his weakness
You are absolutely right. I guess I didn’t count it before since that room is strictly optional, though granted so is the entirety of Palace of the Four Sword. Good catch
1:08:48 - I think for me, I figured it out because the trim on the floor didn't wrap against the wall clued me in. That and the Eyegore statue being bright cyan just invites you to interact with it. Also, this series is what made me first realize the details in the map screen on the left-hand segment: they're somewhat themed to that specific dungeon (ie: the Tower of Hera having a mountain background, Misery Mire being on water instead of ground etc.) and the basement levels are below the horizon line (the Ice Palace being the most prominent example). I can't believe I never caught that for over 30 years.
Three Fun Trivia facts to add to the Hyrule Castle escape sequence, ala rescue Zelda. The first three chests before the boomerang, all have a 100% chance to be the Lantern, and if you have the lantern, the other two become rupee. If you somehow do not have the lantern by the time you get to Zelda, she will mention your lack of a Lantern and encourage you to find one before you go into the secret passage, as it is dark. And the top left gravestone in Hyrule Cemetary, next to the chapel Zelda hides in, can be pushed to open a drop hole that leads to the lit chamber where the two bombable walls are. 'Bonus' both of those walls can be charged into with the pegasus boots to open them.
mmhmm, I did know about these, but I didn't include them in this video haha. Thanks for sharing still. I actually did make a short about the lantern bit last year though th-cam.com/users/shortscNxGy3-dydc
@@CaptBurgerson I felt like commenting it as those bits help add to your argument of how good a beginner dungeon it is. Redundant fail safes to ensure progression without feeling like its handholding you for the first couple facts. Last one is just that, while I agree, its a bit annoying to backtrack, they 'did' add a shortcut as the exit after is one way only due to the push blocks if I recall.
A Link to the Past is like an old friend to me. I recently had a playthrough of the game, and I attempted to beat the Dark World dungeons in the weirdest order possible. I started with Dungeon 1. After getting the hammer, I went all the way to the Thieves' hideout. From there, I got the bird for fast-tracking, and I went to Misery Mire. From here, I tried to go to the Ice Dungeon, but I couldn't get beyond the first room because I couldn't kill that ice skeleton thing without the fire rod, so I left there and went to the Skeleton Woods instead. Once I beat that, I went back to the Ice Dungeon and beat it. I also got lost trying to get the blue tunic. I couldn't remember how to get it. I then finally did the second dungeon, and I saved Turtle Rock for last. I thought I would have a hard time in Turtle Rock, because I always do, but I remember blazing through it in about twenty minutes. I love this game. This was open-world in two dimensions, before Breath of the Wild.
I like goofy burger worm boss too. I think it's a fun challenge prioritizing both your health and the need to stay in the ring focusing on the boss and it's movements to get clear shots at it's weak point whenever possible while avoiding it's attacks.
I... never noticed how important the central room is to Zelda's dungeon design. The only post-LTTP dungeon that comes to mind without one is the Shadow Temple from OoT. Every time I think I've thought of one, I remember something like "wait, no, Jabu-Jabu's belly loops back around to the lift room constantly" or think "wait, nevermind, the Divine Beasts are basically one big central room and nothing else."
@@efad3215 It likes to loop back to that one room that slowly disassembles itself as the big mecha-bird flies around outside, if I recall? I distinctly remember having to navigate the same room multiple different ways with the clawshot to progress, might be a different dungeon.
@CoralCopperHead TotK Goron temple. That place has no central room, and is a _nightmare_ to navigate (for more reasons than just that, but damn if that wouldn't help out)
@@efad3215 Oh, my bad, I was thinking of the Occa city from TP. Haven't had a chance to play TotK yet either, so I'm sure I'm missing some, but the fact that there's so few kind of proves my point.
2:43:43 There's actually one other creature in the game, besides Ganon, which is both vulnerable to silver arrows and doesn't die in one hit to them. That's Vitreous, the boss of Misery Mire. Of course, under normal gameplay it's impossible to do this, since you need the crystals from both Kholdstare and Vitreous in order to unlock the big bomb to get the Silver Arrows. But if you do have them, Vitreous actually takes 2 whole shots to go down!
A Link to the Past is probably the Zelda game closest to my heart. It was the first Zelda game I ever played, in fact the first game ever I really played, and I was introduced to it by my dad and we used to play it together. Whilst I went on to continue playing the series, my dad never did but it is still a series I always connect with him. I couldn't watch this video straight away because the 3 year anniversary of my dad's death was pretty recent and as it is such an emotionally charged time, I couldn't face this video. But I am happy I have now managed to watch it. I've played ALttP more times than I can count and I never get tired of it. I really loved watching this video and seeing somebody else have as much love and passion for this game and its dungeons (except the Ice Palace) truly brought me joy. Personally, I don't mind the Ice Palace (except that block puzzle which I too hate), my real strong dislike in this game is Misery Mire, I just can never bring myself to enjoy it. But I can, as always, respect your views and opinions and even agree with them objectively whilst still having my own personal subjective bias towards certain things. Just a few stray thoughts (sorry for rambling but I am nearly done): I too love Ganon's Tower and personally think it is the best final dungeon in any Zelda game purely because it feels like a final test, as you said, of everything you've learnt without just outright rehashing dungeons like other Zelda games do. Also, the Ganon fight is the best fight against Ganon for me, hands down. It feels like a true challenge. I haven't replayed TotK yet so I can't accurately compare those Ganondorf fights with ALttP Ganon, but I still don't think they'll be as monumental and exhilirating. Regarding Kholdstare, you can actually make that first phase even easier by simply using Bombos. It one shots the ice shell and takes you straight to the second phase. Actually, you can also use Bombos on the Pengators to one shot them. Also, I always thought of the sometimes twisty pointless layout of Skull Woods being a reference to it being the Dark World counterpart to the Lost Woods, but that's purely my own headcanon and I have zero evidence to back that up. Sorry for the ramble but I really wanted to have some space to emotionally digest and respond to this video, I doubt you are still reading but if you are, sincerely thank you. This game means so much to me, it now holds an even more special place since the passing of my dad and honestly watching you break down these dungeons made me emotional and kind of bittersweet and nostalgic. I haven't been able to play this game since losing my dad but I think, after watching this, I should maybe dig out my old copy and fall back in love with it all over again. So thank you again for this video and thank you for (unintentionally) giving me a safe space to revisit something so fundamentally important to me.
I’m so sorry for your loss, and also many thanks for the generosity and thoughtful comment. It absolutely warms my heart that the video connected with you that way. Makes all the toil worth it. Cheers
Scrubbing through and see a massive spike of activity at Trinexx and no preceding ad... Guess I'll find out what's so worth re-watching there in 2 hours and 40 minutes!
I recently started this game for the first time as part of my several years long "timeline" playthrough of the series (I played the other two timelines first because I've actually played those games before, and I wanted to end with the newest (haha, ironic oldest games being the newest to me) experiences). So far i've only beat the first two dungeons: Hyrule Castle: while not easy by today's standards, it fills the same role as BotW's Great Plateau, as Capt pointed out. The atmosphere is exhilirating, especially after you take up the mantle from your dead uncle (nah lets just leave him in a sewer somewhere). The pounding rain, the infiltration, and then the bombastic castle theme are an awesome way to start your adventure. Navigation isn't too jard, and the enemies are managable. And then you get to the ball and chain knight. This guy kicks your butt. If you're used to the more generous slash attacks of the newer games, this guy will not give you a break. After a few attempts, I finally beat the guy, and then getting Zelda out is a great way to end the dungeon. (I did guess wrong on the 50/50 choice at the end, oh well) The Eastern Palace was a noticable but not too extreme jump in difficulty. The bow being given to you in this dungeon is awesome, a way to deal with enemies while not getting into harms way, albeit with a need for more precise maneuvering to use properly. The jumping Stalfos are always a fun challenge, and once you get the bow its so rewarding to shnipe these guys. The boss was an interesting one, with the interesting foreshadowing that sahasrahla gives you of the knights defending the pendant. Navigation in this temple is great. Although none of the puzzles really stick out to me, I feel like the navigation is more of the puzzle in this dungeon anyways, seeing as this is the first real dungeon in the game. There's a lot of winding between rooms and backtracking and side areas, so even though you are going in basically a straight path, it feels like you're going through the dungeon a bunch cuz of the way its structured. The gauntlet battle at the end is awesome, followed by the interesting boss. Great, if not easy, dungeon.
Hey a lot of people don’t know this but the levers that you pull that drops snakes in the room can be figured out. When you walk into a room the snakes in the room will be facing a specific direction. You want to use the lever they are facing.
I don’t really think that’s intuitive enough of a hint. Most of the rooms in which snakes spawn are dark, meaning you can’t see most of them before they start moving about. The lever room itself also has no snakes, only a pair of rats who spawn looking in opposite direction. If this was intended as a hint, it’s so cryptic that I don’t think it qualifies. But I’m more inclined to believe it was not meant as one and is a coincidence that they face right. A more likely hint is that Zelda only tells you the “pull” controls are when you approach the correct lever, which is more helpful for new players than returning ones admittedly
1:38:40 It's a soft lock prevention. Part of the gimmick for Skull Woods is dropping down into sections of the dungeon from holes in the woods and while there is only one useful drop down, they give you others to explore. If you fall into the hole to the left of the first entrance without a key you'd be trapped in the dungeon and have to restart the game to get out without that key to open the door from the inside.
I get that, it just feels pointless to design the dungeon that way if a bunch of those rooms are basically optional. Otherwise instead of a key and locked door it could have been a one-way-door
12:50 The real purpose of the snake-trap room is to test the player on the new pulling mechanic. Prior to this in the Zelda series, you could only push objects (blocks), but now you can pull them as well. On a more personal anecdote, I remember my very first night playing A Link to the Past clearly. It was evening on my birthday in mid-July, and it just so happened that a potent thunderstorm was making its way through my area, so the sound of rain hammering on the roof of my home, along with the thunder and lightning elevated things above vicarious. Sadly, it also prompted my folks into ushering me into bed early and to unplug the electronics to keep them from getting nailed by lightning. (it was an old ass country house with bad electrical insulation) I got to the snake-trap section and...got it right the first try. But curiosity got the better of me, and I pulled the other switch...I nearly took my first death there, but managed to slay the snakes ('Ropes') with 3 quarters of a heart remaining.
Two things about Helmasaur King: His mask can also be damaged by bombs. Even if you're new to Zelda and your sword doesn't work, I think you'd still try the dungeon item first since you had to use it so often before. Also, the spikes in the back only damage you as long as the boss is alive. As soon as he explodes, they can't damage you anymore. It's sweet how they don't give you any chance to die after defeating the boss. ♥
52:28 - Bit late on the uptake since this is a compilation and also a month old, but...the Tower of Hera is designed to prepare you for the Dark World, which is why the Moon Pearl is the item here. The Moon Pearl is effectively your Dark World item, being the item you use to remain in your regular form in the Dark World. The basic mechanics of the Tower are changing details about the dungeon that result in you having to adjust your navigation, but without fundamentally changing the actual structure. This is pretty much how the Dark World works - it's Hyrule but with these critical changes in the layout details that force you to adjust how you deal with it. The point of the design is that, if you can keep the style of thinking from the Tower of Hera you can handle switching between the Light and Dark Worlds.
The Ice Palace is a test of endurance, preparing us to the lenght of the final dungeon. Notably the magic meter, you HAVE to manage your mana (and stock on green potions if you have bottles) to have an easier time with the fire rod. The boss is a pushover so you can destroy him in retaliation of the frustrating dungeon, just like Morpha in the Water Temple. Turtle Rock do the same, but not to have an easier time, you are now forced to be thoughtful of your mana while creating platforms simply to progress, but this time, the boss also need you to have plenty of magic left or you cant hurt him.
One slight mention: On the Lanmolas fight, when there is one left, it DOES slightly change its strategy. When it emerges from the sand, instead of just shooting 4 projectiles, it shoots 8 in all directions. Otherwise, it is pretty much the same.
1:42:24 So, for those of us who played the game on its original release and hardware, Nintendo provided a small booklet with a set of clues for some of even the later game areas. One of those clues pertains to entering Thieve's Town within the Village of Outcasts. But even without the booklet of hints, you're given the EXACT POSITION of the entrance of each of the dungeons, so opening the entrance is simply a matter of experimentation. I don't think it's too obscure considering what the player was given though there were times where both me and my dad were stumped about how to proceed on the first time through ALttP. One of those places was a room in the Ice Palace where you had to pull the tongue on the statue to open the door leading to the Big Key. What's especially amusing is that I was in 2nd grade at the time, and she was in Kindergarden, so it really goes to show that even a Kindergardener could solve those puzzles so long as they're attentive and willing to indulge their curiousity.
This reminds me a lot of ZoomZike's videos, and in a good way! This is one of my all time favorite games, and I loved seeing you go into these dungeons' design, (particularly appreciating your teardown of the Ice Palace, the game's only true low point in my opinion) Also heavily appreciate the coverage of the Palace of the Four Sword, a cool dungeon that nobody talks about ever
I distinctly remember cracking into Thieves’ Town for the first time just by messing around - and I was in without too much time wasted. I’m not really sure _why_ I pulled on the entrance, it might have just been on a whim. I’ve definitely got no memory of any kind of hint on the way to get in. The guidance on _why_ you have to let the light into the dungeon for the boss also felt… muddled. We learned early on Blind hated bright light, but at the time I was thinking “okay, how is that relevant?” and had forgotten all about it by the time I reached Thieves’ Town. It just felt like world building (not a bad thing in itself). As a result I didn’t even make the connection that it was Blind I was fighting, even after he said “Gyaah! Too bright!” It’s very possible I was just a dumb kid. I also agree with your issues with the ice dungeon.
Finally someone mentioned the GBA version sword swing yells! Upgrading the sword gave it a progressively deeper swiping sound that I enjoyed. You can hardly hear it over Link’s HYAHs.
The game makes sure you won't miss the lantern. If you don't pick it up in your house at the beginning (which is impossible for me nowadays but back then, you might have been overwhelmed with everything), it will be in the chest next to Zelda. And didn't we all just get the 5 rupees first, then talked to Zelda? :D
Excellent video and a great reminder of what makes a link to the past such a classic! I will say this, and call me dumb, but the swamp Temple kicked my butt just as bad as the water Temple for ocarina of time! I'm sure many of you probably had easier time but I certainly didn't!!!😂
Finally a video on all the alttp! A link to the past is my favourite Zelda game (along with oot) misery mire and( dark palace and eastern palace for nostalgia reasons) are my favorite..also the Castle dungeons are pretty cool.
The Dungeons i most liked in the game were Thieves Town, Palace of Darkness and the Swamp Palace usually because their fancy entrance ways (like using the monkey through the labyrinth of thorns to open up the palace, having this flood gate in the bright world to lower/ higher the water in the shadow world (also playing with the water was very cool back in the days) and thieves town with the unusual way to summon the boss and its connection to the games lore, imagining this dungeon boss being one of the guys sucked up by the shadow realm being completely transformed but taking residence in the overworlds counterpart of his home. Nice thing that we have this with one of the other residents of Kakariko also: the flute player. A sad story indeed, especially when we can see him being stuck between both worlds, apearing as an vanishing echo on the clearence. the dungeons I really hated were turtle rock and misery mire. Misery Mire I solved by shear bruteforce, constantly going in and try over after dying, because I got so much bullied around by the mobs and traps as a child and constantly lost track in there and turtle rock for a similiar reason, being totally consufed by the pipes and platforms and then not able to figure out, how to move through the corridor with all these even when posessing the shield, because I doesn't know you can have it in specific direction depending on where you are looking. This was something confusing, because i played Links awakening before, where the Shield is a usuable item.
Yippie. This will be on my rewatch list. Especially with the inclusion of the palace of the 4 swords. My first experience of alttp was actually the gba port. Even tho thats what I grew up with I have to agree that the snes version is just a better experience overall (despite the failable ice palace puzzle) Thank you so much for this series its truly one of my favourites on all of youtube. (Still cant believe you actually did talk about palace. been waiting so long for that ❤)
1:42:50 The talking tree in the village mentions the gargoyle statue and how you can hear a woman screaming coming from underneath it. As for figuring it out I have no idea. Im pretty sure most people just asked their friend with a nintendo power subscription.
Funny you mentioned the Green Eyegore statue . I have very VERY distinct memory of not being able to progress in that dungeon or know what to do. I first played this game back when I was 7 or so in the era pre net so there was no way to find the info I wanted. That was until the nintendo power issue came out covering the game and said what to do. I can remember being frustrated but determined and finding every item i could in the game,.
At 12:50 there is a really vague hint as which lever to pull. Zelda will tell you how to pull objects only at the correct one as you approach it. So if it was a first time playthrough and one didnt know, when she explains it they'd be right by the correct one. I always figured anybody would pull both levers anyway to see what happens... so ya kinda get the snakes anyways. :-)
What I like about the first castle is that for future playthroughs the path to completion is actually pretty short. For your first time it's a bit of a maze (because of the similar rooms and lots of different directions to go) but once you know the route you can just make a beeline for the princess while ignoring the other routes. The only thing that bums me out a little bit is that when you go to the castle again there aren't any changes that make you change up your route through the castle like adding a couple locked doors along the main route to make you switch things up for your second time through. That could easily be a hardware limitation thing, though. I know they switch the guards around the castle but I know the map is weird in this game so it might've been hard to add things like chests/keys/locked doors.
3:05 "The game guides us with subtle clues, like a giant blinking X as the only thing on the map, guards blocking every other path for no well-explained reason, and Zelda telepathically screaming at us: "Get a move on, you lazy git!" every 15 seconds. Ahh, the art of subtlety."
I mean, yeah if we ignore all the nuance then you have a point! These things you mention are all the game giving us a clear overall objective. It's saying "here's where you need to go" but it is not saying how to actually get there. That's up to the player to explore and figure out
@@CaptBurgerson I just thought it was funny, how you called it subtle, coming off of a blind playthrough, where every time he tried to do something Zelda would interrupt him, like: "Did you forget?... you know, from 15 seconds ago? ...Is anyone there, hallo-ohhh?"
i think the spikes in the helmasaur king fight is to discourage the player from going behind him, the baby helmasuars have a vulnerable backside so its logical to think the king may as well however the devs want you to confront him head on so the spikes help reinforce the idea that attacking his backside is not an option
6:25 - An interesting detail here: The soldiers with the shorter 'dagger'-like weapons aren't actually hostile. Sure they'll still hurt if you touch them, but they won't go after you either, you can just walk past them. Story wise, I imagine those are the guards that weren't affected by Agahnims magic... yet. (F in the comments for that 1 soldier on the outside edge of the castle that notices something weird going on. 😮💨) 12:40 - It's not something you'd realize your 1st time through, but there's a "hint" of sorts revealing which is correct. As Zelda will only give you the 'tutorial' for pulling things when you're near the right switch. 🤓 46:44 - Well, its "attack" does change slightly when there's just one left. When it emerges rocks get sent out in 8 directions, instead of just 4 diagonals. Not too interesting, but it's something at least. (Side note: It's not a/the dungeon item, but they actually have a weakness to the Ice Rod. Probably not something you'd find this early your 1st time through, but useful for replays at least.) 47:44 : I think it's less that it makes you walk all the way back up/around to it that bothers people and more with the fact that falling off means its health resets and you need to start over. 1:31:47 - Damn. That fireball has quite the hitbox. That top Gibdo walked _nearby_ while it was _fading_ and _still_ got lit on fire. (Also, wow, that was some _intense_ knock-back, especially for an indirect hit.) 1:36:21 - You know what _else_ you can use during this fight? _-My Mom!-_ Bees. If you happen to find the Good/Golden Bee and use it here, that sucker can very nearly solo this boss. (However, it's also _immune_ to Spin Attacks from the Tempered Sword and the Golden Sword entirely.) 2:06:52 - You can save yourself a lot of magic in the 1st phase by using the Bombos Medallion instead. (I think that's the only time any of the medallions actually have an effect of the bosses too.) When it splits up in phase 2 the Fire Rod does extra damage so hit them as much as you can with it.
Regarding the Thief-Town-Dungeon. I have really vivid memories coming into town basically eager to explore the shadowworlds counterpart of Kakariko and was super excited, so I doesn'T care so much about the Dungeon in the First place and simply go to the statue while exploring around the town and simply push or grab the trident by messing around and try to interact with things in the town, like you haven't to figure out, that you can jump in the well in Kakariko but you simply try because its simply there, what you can maybe do with it. I wasn't aware in the first place, that this was the dungeon and was super surprised.
if you ask me, i understand not being a fan of backtracking or going back once you finish a dungeon, but i think that truly only applies to completionists or someone that wants to do everything in a playthrough. like unless youre after all the skulltulas, im not going back to the bombable wall in the deku tree, i wont go back to the dodongos cavern as an adult, i very rarely take the time to learn the scarecrow song for the fire temple. now, you most likely will if you want to kill the skulltulas for their rewards. in MM, the skulltula houses or even collecting any masks outside of the transformation masks or the story masks are optional unless you want the Fierce Deity mask (it does make beating majora easier but you dont really need it to beat majora). in TP, i never bother with the poe souls and i never bother with that chest in the city in the sky. in WW, it helps with the triforce quest but very rarely do i bother to visit every island fish but you can make it through just with what the game gives you. if im honest, i never really go after the treasure charts either. in SS, i very rarely bother going after the goddess cubes. for me, in BOTW and TOTK, i only do the shrines because i want the master sword and you get more hearts but even those are optional. i mean, we are in 2024. you can look up alot of this stuff. theres sites to tell you where everything is and it tells you where all those hidden paths go, but most of it is completely optional. now, im sure it was different when games like LTTP and OOT and TP were considered new or if you want to figure it out for yourself (i know the feeling of satisfaction of figuring out a puzzle for yourself). All in all, i think it really depends on what coming back to bomb that wall in the castle, or collecting every poe soul, or doing every shrine, or collecting every mask really means to you as the player.
@@CaptBurgerson not saying its a bad thing. i know alot of people want to do EVERYTHING EVERYTIME in every zelda game they play. but personally, im the kinda fan that just wants to play through the game. now, i might collect heart pieces or kill skulltulas or go after goddess cubes but maybe not every single time i do a playthrough. im in no way a hater, but ive watched enough of your dungeon design videos to know.
@@Brockbuiltmore definitely wasn’t accusing you of being a hater or anything, just was saying you were definitely able to look at that critique and identify the root of that criticism pretty well. And hey, thanks for watching, means a lot
@@CaptBurgerson appreciate that. and i always try to. gonna look forward to the other games now. not sure how the minish cap or the oracles or the DS games would go, but im sure youd have something to say for them...
There is a hint to the escape puzzle kind of, if you talk it out and think: Which is the right one? The Right one of course! In games of this period, we are trained that to the right is progress. In games of the previous generation, some of them didn't even let you go left. Also,like in many dungeons, the boss [The big knight] is stunned by the boomerang, helping you defeat him. Its been a while but I believe kees maintain their weakness to boomerang, being 1-shot by it.
I would buy that argument is this were a side scroller- like how the original Metroid subverts the general popular game design of its time by placing the morph ball to the left. In the case of a top down game in 1991 however, I don’t think that justification flies, and I don’t think that’s what they were going for. This is Zelda, not Mario. More likely, the real answer is that you have to guess. And Zelda will only tell you the pull-controls when you approach the correct one, which is probably more useful for new players than experienced one. Regarding the boomerang, it’s useful in that way, true! I just wanted *more* uses for it in the level design itself. But it’s one of those items that is useful everywhere, but never really mandatory I guess This comment was longer than I meant it to be oops my b
@@CaptBurgerson No problem on length... As you were mentioning with progression of education, each switch type is taught about in each progressive dungeon: Kill this/all enemies [the generic Z1 switch] in Castle Light the torches in escape floor switches in Eastern Shoot the weird thing in Desert, though I agree the puzzle in Desert to get to the boss door should have been in eastern, with maybe more glove and book related stuff in desert. Hera is the first crystal switch dungeon, since its reward is the mirror, which is a progression/QoL item and not a weapon, having crystal switches earlier would have made things potentially too complex too early, and removed the only real gimmick of Hera, making it a repeat of the next dungeon Aghanim's Tower [which uses most light world gimmicks] Also go right is the solution for the most efficient path in the next dungeon Eastern, after the center path of course. This could be a false positive admittedly, with the solution not being intentional, but subconscious, assuming the dungeon designer is right-handed. Hence the Right is Right thing.
Thanks for uploading a compilation, I was watching the second episode of your video about LTTP, until I stumbled upon this, I was trying to get some insight from another fellow player, truly learned something, using these insights for a Dungeon Maker to create levels xd
Big tip, you don't have to beat the bosses in order. I left the desert dungeon to get a couple hearts and only realized I was missing the pendant when I couldn't pull the Master Sword!😂
1:42:00 I'm not 100% sure, as it's been a long time since I've played LttP outside of the randomizer, but if I remember correctly there's either an NPC or one of the trees in town tells you about how the trident looks flimsy and like it could be ripped off of the statue.
I remember when going through this game, I would go through the swampy mire THEN go to the ice palace for that switch block... made it so much more enjoyable
I feel like Blind should have needed the mirror shield to defeat him. They make a point of saying he hates light but them after the light in the room reveals his true form he just bounces around through that light repeatedly like it’s nothing.
Place of Darkness holds a special spot for me. Besides also using bombs to take off the mask of the boss (you don't have to use the hammer, something I like) the part where you needed to use the bow and arrow on the statue's eye to open up that room stumped me pretty hard as a kid playing their 1st Zelda game...to the point where it was the last dungeon in the dark world I beat lol.
So for thieves town gargoyle entrance. If I recall right there is something that actually mentions there is something under the statue. I dont recall if its a sign NPC or a book but something in the town mentions there is something under the statue. And in your video you can clearly see the stairs behind the prongs. Just like there is someone who mentions blind doesnt like sunlight in the Light world Jail I think.
I remember on my first playthrough a long time ago, getting stuck after the 4th dungeon, because i completly missed the Titan Mitts and did not figure out, how I can get to the next dungeons.
1:52:21 I agree that there should be black rocks that block your way to blind but 2 notes. 1 Do not put the big key behind a rock that needs the item that is locked by the big key. That would be bad. 2 just turn the 2 white rocks into black rocks and move the rock that blocks the pointless trap room to the bottom right of the same room making it impossible to reach blind.
15:57 for whatever reason it feels like new games expect players to have never picked up a controller before and just need to explain every single thing. Old games though, it’s sink or swim, learn the game or quit the game. However l, with games from the snes and 64 era, they take a liberty of assuming if you’re playing the game you know that pressing certain directions moves you and that a and and b do something. but slap in a nice fun tutorial level for you. That way you learn the very basics Developers now seem to forget people can learn through doing. The closet I can think of to an old style tutorial is Helldivers 2, where its tutorial is got funny dialogue and takes a short 10 minutes or so. Lethal company is a better sink or swim game example however giving you little details about what you’re doing.
@@Robert-hc way better view & graphics before grand theft auto games & that was on PlayStation 1, Nintendo really out did themselves here for this game
A way they could have made the Ice Palace better, Dungeon item is early, and its the cape now instead of the Blue Tunic. Make the Blue Tunic where the cape is, and requires the cape to get it. Having the cape, makes the dungeon so much better, avoiding the fire traps in there. One thing they could have done with the cape, make it so ice isnt slippery also.
Ha, got to the part where you say you like the water temple in OOT. Funny thing I played OOT as a kid at age 11, and while I certainly found the game challenging, I didn't find the water temple to be more challenging than anything else in the game. It seemed like it fit right in to me then, and the shadow link fight was great. ALTTP's Ganon was much harder for me then, and I didn't beat it until revisiting in college.
I'd love for a remake/reboot of this game to fit with the new hardware capabilities and redesign of the dungeons/ bosses (Nintendo ask Burger on that aspect, he has amazing ideas already)
Zelda is a franchise that has made cry, jump for joy, and even laugh uncontrollably It is also one of the few Nintendo franchises that made multiple different generations of people enjoy gaming were Mario seems to have a cut off Kirby is the same were all it takes to be a Zelda fan is you like fantasy you like puzzles good enough yeah modern ones are more about adventure instead of puzzles but seriously when I think Zelda games I think the puzzles then fantasy adventure this is were the actual puzzles started the first 2 couldn't handle making overly complex challenges that is why I kinda consider this one to be the proper 2D Zelda game first 2 were test runs
Regarding Dark World 4, I remember seeing the location on the map, realizing it had to be under the weather wane location, first running into it, then trying to pull it and hearing the noise, so it just kind of solved itself.
I got so mad at the ice palace the last time i played this because for the first time i can remember- i missed one key and couldnt get to the room leading to the boss area. I litterally wandered around for about an hour and a half; going through the entire dungeon like 4 times in every room. I killed the gjosty things cause i thought maybe i missed the key drop from one of them, but finally realized the key was inside a jar i didn't lift up -but assumed i did- in on of the ghost jar rooms.
In a way the master sword was in the first zelda on NES the one you need to get powerful enough to get from the graveyard. That was the inspiration for the link to past version and other versions requiring work before you can actually aquire it. And the simple pixel art is mimicked for the design of all future versions. Things are just simpler back then
@CaptBurgerson fair enough and your correct. But I was meaning more in sprit than in fact. My point was the idea of a sword you have to earn that is the best in game was a hallmark. No argument or disrespect meant.
RE-UPLOAD ALERT:
Hi friends! This is another re-upload / compilation video! BUT WITH A TWIST! *I have actually ADDED an entirely new section at the end of the video, examining The Palace of the Four Sword, which I did not cover at all during my original run of Dungeon Design in A Link to the Past. So, hey, this is both a compilation AND new content!*
A few things to note. I began production into this series originally in February of 2023, and as you'd expect given that time window, Tears of the Kingdom released about halfway through production of the series. If I recall correctly, I was working on the video for Thieves' Town when TOTK launched. That said, I pushed through and continued covering this game, and tried juggling that with TOTK content, with mixed success. I'm still, overall very proud of how this series turned out, I think the finished products are some of my best work ever, with narration that I'm actually happy with, a custom 3D intro I made in Blender, and overall pretty refined editing.
A teensy thing that bugs me though is that it took until the dark world dungeons for me to notice that I'd been recording footage in 30FPS (frames per second) when the game actually runs at 60FPS! So, you may notice a jump in the smoothness of the footage around the Palace of Darkness section.
Anyways, that's enough rambling, I hope you enjoy revisiting the dungeons of A Link to the Past!
EDIT: Hey, don't worry, *I know you can use magic powder on fire-fairies aka anti-fairies.* There's text on screen at 19:12 acknowledging that, but even then it goes by fast and I gloss over it, so that is on me for not being clear enough.
My reason for including that line about them in the script is because it is highly unlikely that players are going to even have magic powder at this point of the game, unless they have prior knowledge/experience and go pretty far out of their way to get it. I myself almost never bother grabbing the magic powder that early, instead getting it at the same time I go up to get the flippers.
But technically you could I suppose, so I probably should have been more clear in my original script about that instead of just breezing past it.
Thanks still for watching!
I think it's Nostalgia!
I my self liked it quite a lot.
I also began with NES.
For me I've got most Nostalgia for OoT and TP.
Yet Zelda 2 Linx adv is special to me.
But I like the 3D more Even if I'm an old Man now and almost 40 when I played TP.
For Dark world my prefered order is 1/2/4/5/3/6/7.
I like the extra hearts for the boss fight as well as the better sword. sneaking out treasures the best I can before hand.
I have found that 3 is my least liked... then I remember 7 and go no this is the worst in game. Over all of Zelda I have not thought about it enough. But probably my least liked then is 4 or 5 in Zelda 2. so much hard to avoid danger between the 2 and unlike final palace they did not need to be hard to navigate..
As to fave dungeons of this game... probably like 2 most; Hera 2nd most and 3rd is 4.
I hate Turtle rock because Mirror Shield is not helpful to me outside of dungeon; the lay out gives me migranes thanks to the float puzzles NEVER going the direction I need... as far as I know its pure R&G and out of my hands. The numerable involurable threats. The Boss's final form. and all the eye lasers.
The only positive thing about its design is the chutes and Mario references.
3 has many of the same flaws in that I have no directional memory most of the time so I get stuck quite often. That boss fight is just no fun to me.
I like all in one place dungeons that give items as versatile as possible. At the very least they need to feel interesting to me
The final Dungeon for instance as at minimum interesting to me.
Ocaranna's Shadow Temple is ideal because I never got stuck or bored and required the well and some set up then to top it off I love the levitation boots; used them for everything I could.
@@kodytiffany5686 Oh are you referring to the platforms you make and ride on using the cane of somaria?
If so, it isn’t RNG. You directly control the direction it moves using the Dpad
@@CaptBurgerson In that case I really just do not get the timing then.
is it exactly at the point they meet?
Is it before?
Because regardless I do not get any real responsiveness; its more a feel of when the game wills it.
To be clear I am meaning 100% of the times; my play throughs make it feel more like a 50/50 than an actual Guarantee.
SNES or whatever system its on.
Leading to the final point of I am not catching how its a me problem, hence the questions I started with. I have no clue if its before or exactly when you reach the 4 way that I am supposed to push the direction.
I do not like timing puzzles/rthymn puzzles because I just do not see good (or as I word it; I have slow vision). It turns those type of puzzles into "must" trial and error each attempt rather than get a feel for it proper. So like lighting the torches with fire rod is also annoying.
I will ask if you ever tried the PS1 title Alundra. You doing a dungeon exam of that game I think would be really interesting. But I will warn you that the game is a tough exact jump platformer and has some dungeon puzzles that are difficult to figure out on your own thanks to the clues being a bit to cryptic. But as far RPG stuff goes I always thought of it as one that was Zelda inspired. Since the puzzles stuck out to me more than the fights. Never beat it personally but I also am not sure what I am doing wrong at my current stuck point. Follow the guide I found and still not getting it. Honestly think my version is either bugged or I somehow am in an area I was not meant to be yet. The guide says to go where I was on the dungeon I am stuck on and yet I hit a point where I am somehow not able to jump far or high enough... so if it is a me issue then the timing of button push is to exact or as its a downloaded version the chance of a glitch or bug also exists. either way last spot I was stuck on before this took me over a decade to solve so eventually I will beat it. I just have to pause on games when I get to heated in repeat trying. But no Alundra is a game where some dungeons are the dream of people you enter to help slay their inner demons. So level design is weird at times to reflect it being a dream.
I can't wait to fall asleep to this, then wake up and rewind it then go back to sleep, then repeat this for 6 nights until i finally finish it
@@jayv9070 been doing the same exact thing
Ah yes it puts me straight to sleep
The best way to TH-cam
I feel so seen!
Exactely the same
Always a pleasure to work with you Daniel. When things are more stable for me, we should do more together. Thanks again.
Always thought it was a weird choice to have a defence buff in the Ice Palace when the Ice Rod is literally stuck in some random cave somewhere.
especially when the Ice Rod is necessary to beat Turtle Rock's boss
That block puzzle in the Ice Cavern is why I always do Misery Mire first and use the Cane of Somaria and make a block that way.
Sooo saaame! I wouldn't even know how to solve this puzzle without the Cane of Somaria. Well, after this video, I now know. :D I even do dungeon 4 before 3 because I like to have the tempered sword for Mothula. Thanks, Burger, I didn't know that tempering the sword doubles the damage. I thought it's 3 times the basic sword.
About Kholdstare: You can unfreeze the first stage immediately with the Bombos Medallion (which I also use for the penguin rooms). And I think the boss's second stage is quite tedious with the three fluff balls and the falling ice. It's just easy because you have so many hearts which are basically doubled by the blue mail.
Yes. What I did not realise till years later is you can free flow the dark world dungeons. Nowadays I just go through them first to collect all key items for full access to both over worlds and then return the second time with the better gear, spells and hearts for a boss rush up to Ganon's tower and endgame. Thinking back I remember the challenges I playing the linear way.
@@TwinFlyDSW It's interesting to try to get the gold sword as soon as possible
@@TwinFlyDSW I like playing the randomizers so on a normal play through I'm always looking for ways to do things differently
@@yami122 I always like getting it before Mothula at least because you can one shot her with a spin attack which is nice because screw that whole fight.
A small note for the Desert Palace and the Tower of Hera, Noting the color of the pendants you get actually gives you a clue as to why certain design choices were made. The Desert Palace is mode about exploration and thinking, solving puzzles and as you said, unravelling the cord. This is because this place is meant to be a test of your wisdom, not really your combat ability. Where as the Tower of Hera is built like a straight gauntlet, because it's asking you to prove your battle prowess, and ability to think on the fly while in combat.
Also in the Dark Temple when you fight the Helmasaur King, the blade traps in the back are to dissuade players from even trying to hit him from behind, which wouldn't work
The boomerang DOES get the spotlight in the 1st dungeon! It is used almost immediately to stun the first real threat, the ball and chain knight miniboss. This demonstrates how it is used, shows how effective it can be and earns you a big key to literally rescue Princess Zelda, the titular character of the game and who's rescue is the main point of the dungeon's rescue mission itself.
Nah, the correct way to kill that guy is by throwing pots 😅
My six year old has a review for you: “The dungeon design videos are MY FAVORITE.”
Thanks for these long compilation videos! They’re soothing and safe choice for when this mama needs a mid-day nap!
1:05:42 I'm pretty sure those spikes are there to prevent you from running up behind the Helmasaur King and trying to stab him in the butt. After all, that's how you defeat the smaller helmasaurs before you get the hammer, and a non-creative player might have never thought to hammer them in the face after obtaining it to make the connection on breaking the King's mask.
I imagine that playtesters kept trying to run back there and the spikes were placed to prevent them trying to get behind the boss and dying to no avail because that isn't actually his gimmick.
I think you’re right about that. Keeps players positioned front and centre in the fight
@@CaptBurgerson
I'm so happy I got to grow up with this game.
I'm also happy people are still talking about it.
I was young back then, and my thoughts is that those blade traps are his feces or something.
Came looking for this comment. My thought exactly!
Bombs also work against the mask though you probably need more skill to use them against it.
12:40 - Technically, there is a way to know which is the correct switch to pull. If you approach the correct one, Zelda gives you an added explanation of how to pull it. She doesn't do that if you approach the wrong one.
Wow ❤❤❤❤ when I can’t sleep, I often go through all the dungeons of LttP in order, in my mind until I fall asleep. I didn’t realize anyone else thought about the dungeons this deeply! Thank you for making this!
Playing the LttP Randomizer made me appreciate the world and dungeon designs of this masterpiece even more than I already did -- there are so many ways to get around that I never thought of until the randomizer made me!
I think the Helmasaur King has spikes behind him to stop players fruitlessly going back there, since, "undamagable because of frontal mask...better get behind him." is a reasonable train of thought. So this keeps people on the right track towards discovering his weakness
ooh the "all dungeon" series compilations are getting into the 2d Zeldas , this day is getting better and better
The rebound from the Pegasus Boots collision is used in the base game to access a resupply room in Ganon's Tower.
You are absolutely right. I guess I didn’t count it before since that room is strictly optional, though granted so is the entirety of Palace of the Four Sword. Good catch
1:08:48 - I think for me, I figured it out because the trim on the floor didn't wrap against the wall clued me in. That and the Eyegore statue being bright cyan just invites you to interact with it.
Also, this series is what made me first realize the details in the map screen on the left-hand segment: they're somewhat themed to that specific dungeon (ie: the Tower of Hera having a mountain background, Misery Mire being on water instead of ground etc.) and the basement levels are below the horizon line (the Ice Palace being the most prominent example). I can't believe I never caught that for over 30 years.
Three Fun Trivia facts to add to the Hyrule Castle escape sequence, ala rescue Zelda.
The first three chests before the boomerang, all have a 100% chance to be the Lantern, and if you have the lantern, the other two become rupee.
If you somehow do not have the lantern by the time you get to Zelda, she will mention your lack of a Lantern and encourage you to find one before you go into the secret passage, as it is dark.
And the top left gravestone in Hyrule Cemetary, next to the chapel Zelda hides in, can be pushed to open a drop hole that leads to the lit chamber where the two bombable walls are. 'Bonus' both of those walls can be charged into with the pegasus boots to open them.
mmhmm, I did know about these, but I didn't include them in this video haha. Thanks for sharing still.
I actually did make a short about the lantern bit last year though
th-cam.com/users/shortscNxGy3-dydc
@@CaptBurgerson I felt like commenting it as those bits help add to your argument of how good a beginner dungeon it is. Redundant fail safes to ensure progression without feeling like its handholding you for the first couple facts.
Last one is just that, while I agree, its a bit annoying to backtrack, they 'did' add a shortcut as the exit after is one way only due to the push blocks if I recall.
A Link to the Past is like an old friend to me. I recently had a playthrough of the game, and I attempted to beat the Dark World dungeons in the weirdest order possible. I started with Dungeon 1. After getting the hammer, I went all the way to the Thieves' hideout. From there, I got the bird for fast-tracking, and I went to Misery Mire. From here, I tried to go to the Ice Dungeon, but I couldn't get beyond the first room because I couldn't kill that ice skeleton thing without the fire rod, so I left there and went to the Skeleton Woods instead. Once I beat that, I went back to the Ice Dungeon and beat it. I also got lost trying to get the blue tunic. I couldn't remember how to get it. I then finally did the second dungeon, and I saved Turtle Rock for last. I thought I would have a hard time in Turtle Rock, because I always do, but I remember blazing through it in about twenty minutes. I love this game. This was open-world in two dimensions, before Breath of the Wild.
I like goofy burger worm boss too. I think it's a fun challenge prioritizing both your health and the need to stay in the ring focusing on the boss and it's movements to get clear shots at it's weak point whenever possible while avoiding it's attacks.
I... never noticed how important the central room is to Zelda's dungeon design. The only post-LTTP dungeon that comes to mind without one is the Shadow Temple from OoT. Every time I think I've thought of one, I remember something like "wait, no, Jabu-Jabu's belly loops back around to the lift room constantly" or think "wait, nevermind, the Divine Beasts are basically one big central room and nothing else."
Sky Keep? Maybe?
@@efad3215 It likes to loop back to that one room that slowly disassembles itself as the big mecha-bird flies around outside, if I recall? I distinctly remember having to navigate the same room multiple different ways with the clawshot to progress, might be a different dungeon.
@@CoralCopperHead Mecha bird outside....? I was talking Skyward Sword's layout-puzzle final dungeon where you get the Triforce
@CoralCopperHead TotK Goron temple. That place has no central room, and is a _nightmare_ to navigate (for more reasons than just that, but damn if that wouldn't help out)
@@efad3215 Oh, my bad, I was thinking of the Occa city from TP. Haven't had a chance to play TotK yet either, so I'm sure I'm missing some, but the fact that there's so few kind of proves my point.
1:52:17
Big key blocked by requiring dungeon item. 10/10 design.
Yeah that was my b lol
My brain was at “boss key needed for boss door” forgetting that ALTTP does the big chest thing
Looking forward to rewatching these are the type of videos I appreciate the most and seeing you're perspective on there is pretty cool.
I love these Compilations, there great to pass the time and learn lots about Zelda Dungeons all at once.
2:43:43 There's actually one other creature in the game, besides Ganon, which is both vulnerable to silver arrows and doesn't die in one hit to them. That's Vitreous, the boss of Misery Mire. Of course, under normal gameplay it's impossible to do this, since you need the crystals from both Kholdstare and Vitreous in order to unlock the big bomb to get the Silver Arrows. But if you do have them, Vitreous actually takes 2 whole shots to go down!
A Link to the Past is probably the Zelda game closest to my heart. It was the first Zelda game I ever played, in fact the first game ever I really played, and I was introduced to it by my dad and we used to play it together. Whilst I went on to continue playing the series, my dad never did but it is still a series I always connect with him.
I couldn't watch this video straight away because the 3 year anniversary of my dad's death was pretty recent and as it is such an emotionally charged time, I couldn't face this video. But I am happy I have now managed to watch it.
I've played ALttP more times than I can count and I never get tired of it. I really loved watching this video and seeing somebody else have as much love and passion for this game and its dungeons (except the Ice Palace) truly brought me joy.
Personally, I don't mind the Ice Palace (except that block puzzle which I too hate), my real strong dislike in this game is Misery Mire, I just can never bring myself to enjoy it. But I can, as always, respect your views and opinions and even agree with them objectively whilst still having my own personal subjective bias towards certain things.
Just a few stray thoughts (sorry for rambling but I am nearly done):
I too love Ganon's Tower and personally think it is the best final dungeon in any Zelda game purely because it feels like a final test, as you said, of everything you've learnt without just outright rehashing dungeons like other Zelda games do. Also, the Ganon fight is the best fight against Ganon for me, hands down. It feels like a true challenge. I haven't replayed TotK yet so I can't accurately compare those Ganondorf fights with ALttP Ganon, but I still don't think they'll be as monumental and exhilirating.
Regarding Kholdstare, you can actually make that first phase even easier by simply using Bombos. It one shots the ice shell and takes you straight to the second phase. Actually, you can also use Bombos on the Pengators to one shot them.
Also, I always thought of the sometimes twisty pointless layout of Skull Woods being a reference to it being the Dark World counterpart to the Lost Woods, but that's purely my own headcanon and I have zero evidence to back that up.
Sorry for the ramble but I really wanted to have some space to emotionally digest and respond to this video, I doubt you are still reading but if you are, sincerely thank you.
This game means so much to me, it now holds an even more special place since the passing of my dad and honestly watching you break down these dungeons made me emotional and kind of bittersweet and nostalgic. I haven't been able to play this game since losing my dad but I think, after watching this, I should maybe dig out my old copy and fall back in love with it all over again.
So thank you again for this video and thank you for (unintentionally) giving me a safe space to revisit something so fundamentally important to me.
I’m so sorry for your loss, and also many thanks for the generosity and thoughtful comment.
It absolutely warms my heart that the video connected with you that way. Makes all the toil worth it.
Cheers
The best tutorials don't feel like tutorials.
I really enjoyed this video. I hope Link Between Worlds is on your list as well.
It’s definitely on the list!
Scrubbing through and see a massive spike of activity at Trinexx and no preceding ad...
Guess I'll find out what's so worth re-watching there in 2 hours and 40 minutes!
I’m not even sure what it is tbh 😅
@@CaptBurgerson My only guess is the pronunciation of trinexx?
@@kirbs0001I came to the comments wondering if anyone commented on the pronunciation of Trinexx.
I recently started this game for the first time as part of my several years long "timeline" playthrough of the series (I played the other two timelines first because I've actually played those games before, and I wanted to end with the newest (haha, ironic oldest games being the newest to me) experiences). So far i've only beat the first two dungeons:
Hyrule Castle: while not easy by today's standards, it fills the same role as BotW's Great Plateau, as Capt pointed out. The atmosphere is exhilirating, especially after you take up the mantle from your dead uncle (nah lets just leave him in a sewer somewhere). The pounding rain, the infiltration, and then the bombastic castle theme are an awesome way to start your adventure. Navigation isn't too jard, and the enemies are managable.
And then you get to the ball and chain knight. This guy kicks your butt. If you're used to the more generous slash attacks of the newer games, this guy will not give you a break. After a few attempts, I finally beat the guy, and then getting Zelda out is a great way to end the dungeon. (I did guess wrong on the 50/50 choice at the end, oh well)
The Eastern Palace was a noticable but not too extreme jump in difficulty. The bow being given to you in this dungeon is awesome, a way to deal with enemies while not getting into harms way, albeit with a need for more precise maneuvering to use properly. The jumping Stalfos are always a fun challenge, and once you get the bow its so rewarding to shnipe these guys. The boss was an interesting one, with the interesting foreshadowing that sahasrahla gives you of the knights defending the pendant. Navigation in this temple is great. Although none of the puzzles really stick out to me, I feel like the navigation is more of the puzzle in this dungeon anyways, seeing as this is the first real dungeon in the game. There's a lot of winding between rooms and backtracking and side areas, so even though you are going in basically a straight path, it feels like you're going through the dungeon a bunch cuz of the way its structured. The gauntlet battle at the end is awesome, followed by the interesting boss. Great, if not easy, dungeon.
Hey a lot of people don’t know this but the levers that you pull that drops snakes in the room can be figured out. When you walk into a room the snakes in the room will be facing a specific direction. You want to use the lever they are facing.
I don’t really think that’s intuitive enough of a hint. Most of the rooms in which snakes spawn are dark, meaning you can’t see most of them before they start moving about. The lever room itself also has no snakes, only a pair of rats who spawn looking in opposite direction. If this was intended as a hint, it’s so cryptic that I don’t think it qualifies. But I’m more inclined to believe it was not meant as one and is a coincidence that they face right.
A more likely hint is that Zelda only tells you the “pull” controls are when you approach the correct lever, which is more helpful for new players than returning ones admittedly
1:38:40 It's a soft lock prevention. Part of the gimmick for Skull Woods is dropping down into sections of the dungeon from holes in the woods and while there is only one useful drop down, they give you others to explore. If you fall into the hole to the left of the first entrance without a key you'd be trapped in the dungeon and have to restart the game to get out without that key to open the door from the inside.
I get that, it just feels pointless to design the dungeon that way if a bunch of those rooms are basically optional. Otherwise instead of a key and locked door it could have been a one-way-door
12:50 The real purpose of the snake-trap room is to test the player on the new pulling mechanic. Prior to this in the Zelda series, you could only push objects (blocks), but now you can pull them as well.
On a more personal anecdote, I remember my very first night playing A Link to the Past clearly. It was evening on my birthday in mid-July, and it just so happened that a potent thunderstorm was making its way through my area, so the sound of rain hammering on the roof of my home, along with the thunder and lightning elevated things above vicarious. Sadly, it also prompted my folks into ushering me into bed early and to unplug the electronics to keep them from getting nailed by lightning. (it was an old ass country house with bad electrical insulation)
I got to the snake-trap section and...got it right the first try. But curiosity got the better of me, and I pulled the other switch...I nearly took my first death there, but managed to slay the snakes ('Ropes') with 3 quarters of a heart remaining.
Two things about Helmasaur King:
His mask can also be damaged by bombs. Even if you're new to Zelda and your sword doesn't work, I think you'd still try the dungeon item first since you had to use it so often before.
Also, the spikes in the back only damage you as long as the boss is alive. As soon as he explodes, they can't damage you anymore. It's sweet how they don't give you any chance to die after defeating the boss. ♥
52:28 - Bit late on the uptake since this is a compilation and also a month old, but...the Tower of Hera is designed to prepare you for the Dark World, which is why the Moon Pearl is the item here. The Moon Pearl is effectively your Dark World item, being the item you use to remain in your regular form in the Dark World. The basic mechanics of the Tower are changing details about the dungeon that result in you having to adjust your navigation, but without fundamentally changing the actual structure. This is pretty much how the Dark World works - it's Hyrule but with these critical changes in the layout details that force you to adjust how you deal with it. The point of the design is that, if you can keep the style of thinking from the Tower of Hera you can handle switching between the Light and Dark Worlds.
Ahh alttp.
Sadly I can only play it on emulator but that also gives the fun of doing randomizers
The Ice Palace is a test of endurance, preparing us to the lenght of the final dungeon.
Notably the magic meter, you HAVE to manage your mana (and stock on green potions if you have bottles) to have an easier time with the fire rod.
The boss is a pushover so you can destroy him in retaliation of the frustrating dungeon, just like Morpha in the Water Temple.
Turtle Rock do the same, but not to have an easier time, you are now forced to be thoughtful of your mana while creating platforms simply to progress, but this time, the boss also need you to have plenty of magic left or you cant hurt him.
One slight mention: On the Lanmolas fight, when there is one left, it DOES slightly change its strategy. When it emerges from the sand, instead of just shooting 4 projectiles, it shoots 8 in all directions. Otherwise, it is pretty much the same.
1:42:24 So, for those of us who played the game on its original release and hardware, Nintendo provided a small booklet with a set of clues for some of even the later game areas. One of those clues pertains to entering Thieve's Town within the Village of Outcasts. But even without the booklet of hints, you're given the EXACT POSITION of the entrance of each of the dungeons, so opening the entrance is simply a matter of experimentation.
I don't think it's too obscure considering what the player was given though there were times where both me and my dad were stumped about how to proceed on the first time through ALttP.
One of those places was a room in the Ice Palace where you had to pull the tongue on the statue to open the door leading to the Big Key.
What's especially amusing is that I was in 2nd grade at the time, and she was in Kindergarden, so it really goes to show that even a Kindergardener could solve those puzzles so long as they're attentive and willing to indulge their curiousity.
This reminds me a lot of ZoomZike's videos, and in a good way!
This is one of my all time favorite games, and I loved seeing you go into these dungeons' design, (particularly appreciating your teardown of the Ice Palace, the game's only true low point in my opinion)
Also heavily appreciate the coverage of the Palace of the Four Sword, a cool dungeon that nobody talks about ever
Thanks so much! I’ve never heard of ZoomZike haha but I appreciate the kind words!
Misery Mire is my favorite dungeon in this game
Watergate for me
@@Clyde-S-Wilcox this one is actually pretty neat! Especially the item
I distinctly remember cracking into Thieves’ Town for the first time just by messing around - and I was in without too much time wasted. I’m not really sure _why_ I pulled on the entrance, it might have just been on a whim. I’ve definitely got no memory of any kind of hint on the way to get in.
The guidance on _why_ you have to let the light into the dungeon for the boss also felt… muddled. We learned early on Blind hated bright light, but at the time I was thinking “okay, how is that relevant?” and had forgotten all about it by the time I reached Thieves’ Town. It just felt like world building (not a bad thing in itself). As a result I didn’t even make the connection that it was Blind I was fighting, even after he said “Gyaah! Too bright!” It’s very possible I was just a dumb kid.
I also agree with your issues with the ice dungeon.
Finally someone mentioned the GBA version sword swing yells! Upgrading the sword gave it a progressively deeper swiping sound that I enjoyed. You can hardly hear it over Link’s HYAHs.
OH BOY! Another video to sleep to! Yippee! It’s going in the playlist!
The game makes sure you won't miss the lantern. If you don't pick it up in your house at the beginning (which is impossible for me nowadays but back then, you might have been overwhelmed with everything), it will be in the chest next to Zelda. And didn't we all just get the 5 rupees first, then talked to Zelda? :D
Indeed! I made a short about that little quirk last year haha. I love that detail
th-cam.com/users/shortscNxGy3-dydc?si=1oYmtNcdLhnLoJMW
@@CaptBurgerson Thanks a lot! I didn't know there's even another chest that could contain the lantern. :D
That small reward in the castle dungeon can also be the lantern if you didn’t open the chest in your house.
Indeed! I made a short about that very detail last year haha
th-cam.com/users/shortscNxGy3-dydc
Growing up in the late 80s and early 90s was awesome.
One could even say it was rad. I wouldn't, but it could be said.
Excellent video and a great reminder of what makes a link to the past such a classic! I will say this, and call me dumb, but the swamp Temple kicked my butt just as bad as the water Temple for ocarina of time! I'm sure many of you probably had easier time but I certainly didn't!!!😂
This video is amazing. I been listening in parts or while sleeping
Finally a video on all the alttp! A link to the past is my favourite Zelda game (along with oot) misery mire and( dark palace and eastern palace for nostalgia reasons) are my favorite..also the Castle dungeons are pretty cool.
The Dungeons i most liked in the game were Thieves Town, Palace of Darkness and the Swamp Palace usually because their fancy entrance ways (like using the monkey through the labyrinth of thorns to open up the palace, having this flood gate in the bright world to lower/ higher the water in the shadow world (also playing with the water was very cool back in the days) and thieves town with the unusual way to summon the boss and its connection to the games lore, imagining this dungeon boss being one of the guys sucked up by the shadow realm being completely transformed but taking residence in the overworlds counterpart of his home. Nice thing that we have this with one of the other residents of Kakariko also: the flute player. A sad story indeed, especially when we can see him being stuck between both worlds, apearing as an vanishing echo on the clearence.
the dungeons I really hated were turtle rock and misery mire. Misery Mire I solved by shear bruteforce, constantly going in and try over after dying, because I got so much bullied around by the mobs and traps as a child and constantly lost track in there and turtle rock for a similiar reason, being totally consufed by the pipes and platforms and then not able to figure out, how to move through the corridor with all these even when posessing the shield, because I doesn't know you can have it in specific direction depending on where you are looking. This was something confusing, because i played Links awakening before, where the Shield is a usuable item.
I finally watched every bit of this whole video!
Thank you for making this
Yippie. This will be on my rewatch list. Especially with the inclusion of the palace of the 4 swords. My first experience of alttp was actually the gba port. Even tho thats what I grew up with I have to agree that the snes version is just a better experience overall (despite the failable ice palace puzzle) Thank you so much for this series its truly one of my favourites on all of youtube. (Still cant believe you actually did talk about palace. been waiting so long for that ❤)
Maybe Aonuma should take a look at this series instead of reductively accusing the fans interest in dungeons to just "nostalgia".
1:42:50
The talking tree in the village mentions the gargoyle statue and how you can hear a woman screaming coming from underneath it. As for figuring it out I have no idea. Im pretty sure most people just asked their friend with a nintendo power subscription.
Funny you mentioned the Green Eyegore statue . I have very VERY distinct memory of not being able to progress in that dungeon or know what to do. I first played this game back when I was 7 or so in the era pre net so there was no way to find the info I wanted. That was until the nintendo power issue came out covering the game and said what to do. I can remember being frustrated but determined and finding every item i could in the game,.
At 12:50 there is a really vague hint as which lever to pull. Zelda will tell you how to pull objects only at the correct one as you approach it. So if it was a first time playthrough and one didnt know, when she explains it they'd be right by the correct one. I always figured anybody would pull both levers anyway to see what happens... so ya kinda get the snakes anyways. :-)
2:24:40 vitreous or vitreous humor is the jelly like liquid that fills the eyeball and makes it round. It's just an eyeball pun.
Indeed, fitting for the juicy eyeball boss lol
What I like about the first castle is that for future playthroughs the path to completion is actually pretty short. For your first time it's a bit of a maze (because of the similar rooms and lots of different directions to go) but once you know the route you can just make a beeline for the princess while ignoring the other routes. The only thing that bums me out a little bit is that when you go to the castle again there aren't any changes that make you change up your route through the castle like adding a couple locked doors along the main route to make you switch things up for your second time through. That could easily be a hardware limitation thing, though. I know they switch the guards around the castle but I know the map is weird in this game so it might've been hard to add things like chests/keys/locked doors.
pre gauntlet of enemies
3:05 "The game guides us with subtle clues, like a giant blinking X as the only thing on the map, guards blocking every other path for no well-explained reason, and Zelda telepathically screaming at us: "Get a move on, you lazy git!" every 15 seconds. Ahh, the art of subtlety."
I mean, yeah if we ignore all the nuance then you have a point!
These things you mention are all the game giving us a clear overall objective. It's saying "here's where you need to go" but it is not saying how to actually get there. That's up to the player to explore and figure out
@@CaptBurgerson I just thought it was funny, how you called it subtle, coming off of a blind playthrough, where every time he tried to do something Zelda would interrupt him, like: "Did you forget?... you know, from 15 seconds ago? ...Is anyone there, hallo-ohhh?"
i think the spikes in the helmasaur king fight is to discourage the player from going behind him, the baby helmasuars have a vulnerable backside so its logical to think the king may as well however the devs want you to confront him head on so the spikes help reinforce the idea that attacking his backside is not an option
The span of lttp oot mm and the oracles really was just a slam dunk for zelda
I've never played the Palace of the Four Sword and I want to so bad 😭😭😭
6:25 - An interesting detail here: The soldiers with the shorter 'dagger'-like weapons aren't actually hostile.
Sure they'll still hurt if you touch them, but they won't go after you either, you can just walk past them.
Story wise, I imagine those are the guards that weren't affected by Agahnims magic... yet.
(F in the comments for that 1 soldier on the outside edge of the castle that notices something weird going on. 😮💨)
12:40 - It's not something you'd realize your 1st time through, but there's a "hint" of sorts revealing which is correct.
As Zelda will only give you the 'tutorial' for pulling things when you're near the right switch. 🤓
46:44 - Well, its "attack" does change slightly when there's just one left.
When it emerges rocks get sent out in 8 directions, instead of just 4 diagonals.
Not too interesting, but it's something at least.
(Side note: It's not a/the dungeon item, but they actually have a weakness to the Ice Rod.
Probably not something you'd find this early your 1st time through, but useful for replays at least.)
47:44 : I think it's less that it makes you walk all the way back up/around to it that bothers people
and more with the fact that falling off means its health resets and you need to start over.
1:31:47 - Damn. That fireball has quite the hitbox.
That top Gibdo walked _nearby_ while it was _fading_ and _still_ got lit on fire.
(Also, wow, that was some _intense_ knock-back, especially for an indirect hit.)
1:36:21 - You know what _else_ you can use during this fight? _-My Mom!-_ Bees.
If you happen to find the Good/Golden Bee and use it here, that sucker can very nearly solo this boss.
(However, it's also _immune_ to Spin Attacks from the Tempered Sword and the Golden Sword entirely.)
2:06:52 - You can save yourself a lot of magic in the 1st phase by using the Bombos Medallion instead.
(I think that's the only time any of the medallions actually have an effect of the bosses too.)
When it splits up in phase 2 the Fire Rod does extra damage so hit them as much as you can with it.
Regarding the Thief-Town-Dungeon. I have really vivid memories coming into town basically eager to explore the shadowworlds counterpart of Kakariko and was super excited, so I doesn'T care so much about the Dungeon in the First place and simply go to the statue while exploring around the town and simply push or grab the trident by messing around and try to interact with things in the town, like you haven't to figure out, that you can jump in the well in Kakariko but you simply try because its simply there, what you can maybe do with it. I wasn't aware in the first place, that this was the dungeon and was super surprised.
i really love your insightful and interesting analysis
I don’t know if this was mentioned, but I always grab the Cane of Byrna for the skull dungeon boss fight. Love this video by the way!
This is the best deep dive in lttp I've ever seen. Great job!
if you ask me, i understand not being a fan of backtracking or going back once you finish a dungeon, but i think that truly only applies to completionists or someone that wants to do everything in a playthrough. like unless youre after all the skulltulas, im not going back to the bombable wall in the deku tree, i wont go back to the dodongos cavern as an adult, i very rarely take the time to learn the scarecrow song for the fire temple. now, you most likely will if you want to kill the skulltulas for their rewards. in MM, the skulltula houses or even collecting any masks outside of the transformation masks or the story masks are optional unless you want the Fierce Deity mask (it does make beating majora easier but you dont really need it to beat majora). in TP, i never bother with the poe souls and i never bother with that chest in the city in the sky. in WW, it helps with the triforce quest but very rarely do i bother to visit every island fish but you can make it through just with what the game gives you. if im honest, i never really go after the treasure charts either. in SS, i very rarely bother going after the goddess cubes. for me, in BOTW and TOTK, i only do the shrines because i want the master sword and you get more hearts but even those are optional.
i mean, we are in 2024. you can look up alot of this stuff. theres sites to tell you where everything is and it tells you where all those hidden paths go, but most of it is completely optional. now, im sure it was different when games like LTTP and OOT and TP were considered new or if you want to figure it out for yourself (i know the feeling of satisfaction of figuring out a puzzle for yourself). All in all, i think it really depends on what coming back to bomb that wall in the castle, or collecting every poe soul, or doing every shrine, or collecting every mask really means to you as the player.
In some respects you do have me nailed down- I am absolutely a completionist. Sometimes to a fault
@@CaptBurgerson not saying its a bad thing. i know alot of people want to do EVERYTHING EVERYTIME in every zelda game they play. but personally, im the kinda fan that just wants to play through the game. now, i might collect heart pieces or kill skulltulas or go after goddess cubes but maybe not every single time i do a playthrough. im in no way a hater, but ive watched enough of your dungeon design videos to know.
@@Brockbuiltmore definitely wasn’t accusing you of being a hater or anything, just was saying you were definitely able to look at that critique and identify the root of that criticism pretty well.
And hey, thanks for watching, means a lot
@@CaptBurgerson appreciate that. and i always try to. gonna look forward to the other games now. not sure how the minish cap or the oracles or the DS games would go, but im sure youd have something to say for them...
There is a hint to the escape puzzle kind of, if you talk it out and think: Which is the right one? The Right one of course! In games of this period, we are trained that to the right is progress. In games of the previous generation, some of them didn't even let you go left.
Also,like in many dungeons, the boss [The big knight] is stunned by the boomerang, helping you defeat him. Its been a while but I believe kees maintain their weakness to boomerang, being 1-shot by it.
I would buy that argument is this were a side scroller- like how the original Metroid subverts the general popular game design of its time by placing the morph ball to the left.
In the case of a top down game in 1991 however, I don’t think that justification flies, and I don’t think that’s what they were going for. This is Zelda, not Mario.
More likely, the real answer is that you have to guess. And Zelda will only tell you the pull-controls when you approach the correct one, which is probably more useful for new players than experienced one.
Regarding the boomerang, it’s useful in that way, true! I just wanted *more* uses for it in the level design itself. But it’s one of those items that is useful everywhere, but never really mandatory I guess
This comment was longer than I meant it to be oops my b
@@CaptBurgerson No problem on length... As you were mentioning with progression of education, each switch type is taught about in each progressive dungeon:
Kill this/all enemies [the generic Z1 switch] in Castle
Light the torches in escape
floor switches in Eastern
Shoot the weird thing in Desert, though I agree the puzzle in Desert to get to the boss door should have been in eastern, with maybe more glove and book related stuff in desert.
Hera is the first crystal switch dungeon, since its reward is the mirror, which is a progression/QoL item and not a weapon, having crystal switches earlier would have made things potentially too complex too early, and removed the only real gimmick of Hera, making it a repeat of the next dungeon Aghanim's Tower [which uses most light world gimmicks]
Also go right is the solution for the most efficient path in the next dungeon Eastern, after the center path of course.
This could be a false positive admittedly, with the solution not being intentional, but subconscious, assuming the dungeon designer is right-handed. Hence the Right is Right thing.
Thanks for uploading a compilation, I was watching the second episode of your video about LTTP, until I stumbled upon this, I was trying to get some insight from another fellow player, truly learned something, using these insights for a Dungeon Maker to create levels xd
Big tip, you don't have to beat the bosses in order. I left the desert dungeon to get a couple hearts and only realized I was missing the pendant when I couldn't pull the Master Sword!😂
I remember this being my first action adventure game i ever played and ive been in love with the genre ever since
3:16:12 The beam function is used in that one conveyor belt room in Gannon's tower if you're out of bombs but that's pretty much it lol
Fair point! I’ve always used bombs for that, never even thought about using the cane of somaria
Well, well… My day just got infinitely better.
Thanks for inspiring me to play this game yet again! 😊
1:42:00 I'm not 100% sure, as it's been a long time since I've played LttP outside of the randomizer, but if I remember correctly there's either an NPC or one of the trees in town tells you about how the trident looks flimsy and like it could be ripped off of the statue.
The original LA Moldrum in the tail cave also could push you off the arena
I often cite the first dungeon (hyrule castle) as being the best tutorial level in any game ever.
I remember when going through this game, I would go through the swampy mire THEN go to the ice palace for that switch block... made it so much more enjoyable
2:25:00 - Bad news. The name comes from "Vitreous humor" the gel substance that makes up your eyeball. They literally just named it "Eye"
At least it sounds cool though
I feel like Blind should have needed the mirror shield to defeat him. They make a point of saying he hates light but them after the light in the room reveals his true form he just bounces around through that light repeatedly like it’s nothing.
In the Ice Dungeon, I use the Hookshot to arrest my movement on the ice.
Place of Darkness holds a special spot for me. Besides also using bombs to take off the mask of the boss (you don't have to use the hammer, something I like) the part where you needed to use the bow and arrow on the statue's eye to open up that room stumped me pretty hard as a kid playing their 1st Zelda game...to the point where it was the last dungeon in the dark world I beat lol.
So for thieves town gargoyle entrance. If I recall right there is something that actually mentions there is something under the statue. I dont recall if its a sign NPC or a book but something in the town mentions there is something under the statue. And in your video you can clearly see the stairs behind the prongs.
Just like there is someone who mentions blind doesnt like sunlight in the Light world Jail I think.
I remember on my first playthrough a long time ago, getting stuck after the 4th dungeon, because i completly missed the Titan Mitts and did not figure out, how I can get to the next dungeons.
1:52:21 I agree that there should be black rocks that block your way to blind but 2 notes. 1 Do not put the big key behind a rock that needs the item that is locked by the big key. That would be bad. 2 just turn the 2 white rocks into black rocks and move the rock that blocks the pointless trap room to the bottom right of the same room making it impossible to reach blind.
Yeah, agreed. My suggestion with the big key and the block was my mistake. Thats an oops and an automatic soft lock
15:57 for whatever reason it feels like new games expect players to have never picked up a controller before and just need to explain every single thing.
Old games though, it’s sink or swim, learn the game or quit the game. However l, with games from the snes and 64 era, they take a liberty of assuming if you’re playing the game you know that pressing certain directions moves you and that a and and b do something. but slap in a nice fun tutorial level for you. That way you learn the very basics
Developers now seem to forget people can learn through doing.
The closet I can think of to an old style tutorial is Helldivers 2, where its tutorial is got funny dialogue and takes a short 10 minutes or so. Lethal company is a better sink or swim game example however giving you little details about what you’re doing.
@@Robert-hc way better view & graphics before grand theft auto games & that was on PlayStation 1, Nintendo really out did themselves here for this game
I ended up leaving the ice palace and getting the cane and coming back for the block puzzle.
Great vid, glad I watched the whole thing! Never played ALttP myself
A way they could have made the Ice Palace better, Dungeon item is early, and its the cape now instead of the Blue Tunic. Make the Blue Tunic where the cape is, and requires the cape to get it. Having the cape, makes the dungeon so much better, avoiding the fire traps in there. One thing they could have done with the cape, make it so ice isnt slippery also.
I'm playing this for the second time.
It's great. A comfort as I work through Zelda 2.
Just beat level 5 in there as well.
Ha, got to the part where you say you like the water temple in OOT. Funny thing I played OOT as a kid at age 11, and while I certainly found the game challenging, I didn't find the water temple to be more challenging than anything else in the game. It seemed like it fit right in to me then, and the shadow link fight was great. ALTTP's Ganon was much harder for me then, and I didn't beat it until revisiting in college.
I'd love for a remake/reboot of this game to fit with the new hardware capabilities and redesign of the dungeons/ bosses (Nintendo ask Burger on that aspect, he has amazing ideas already)
Zelda is a franchise that has made cry, jump for joy, and even laugh uncontrollably
It is also one of the few Nintendo franchises that made multiple different generations of people enjoy gaming were Mario seems to have a cut off Kirby is the same were all it takes to be a Zelda fan is you like fantasy you like puzzles good enough yeah modern ones are more about adventure instead of puzzles but seriously when I think Zelda games I think the puzzles then fantasy adventure this is were the actual puzzles started the first 2 couldn't handle making overly complex challenges that is why I kinda consider this one to be the proper 2D Zelda game first 2 were test runs
leaping sandworm can only be hit in head. you can go between body so foe has vertical parts.
Thank you for this. It takes me to my childhood.
Regarding Dark World 4, I remember seeing the location on the map, realizing it had to be under the weather wane location, first running into it, then trying to pull it and hearing the noise, so it just kind of solved itself.
I always did #6 (Misery Mire) before #5 (Ice Palace) so I could get the Cane of Somaria for that stupid ground switch in Ice Palace.
I got so mad at the ice palace the last time i played this because for the first time i can remember- i missed one key and couldnt get to the room leading to the boss area. I litterally wandered around for about an hour and a half; going through the entire dungeon like 4 times in every room. I killed the gjosty things cause i thought maybe i missed the key drop from one of them, but finally realized the key was inside a jar i didn't lift up -but assumed i did- in on of the ghost jar rooms.
In a way the master sword was in the first zelda on NES the one you need to get powerful enough to get from the graveyard. That was the inspiration for the link to past version and other versions requiring work before you can actually aquire it. And the simple pixel art is mimicked for the design of all future versions. Things are just simpler back then
That is the magical sword. Functionally as a sword upgrade I get what you’re saying, but it’s not meant to literally be the same sword
@CaptBurgerson fair enough and your correct. But I was meaning more in sprit than in fact. My point was the idea of a sword you have to earn that is the best in game was a hallmark. No argument or disrespect meant.
No disrespect taken at all, not to worry. And from that standpoint I do agree with you