The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past's dungeon design | Boss Keys

Translator: Chu Tiankuo Hi, I'm Mark, this is Boss Keys. I made

a YouTube show called "Game Making Toolbox." For a long time, I'

ve wanted to do a design analysis of the dungeons in the Zelda g

ames. I think they're fascinating. They're winding, non-linear m

azes full of traps and enemies. They have awesome boss battles a

nd unique architecture. The best part is the giant mechanical pu

zzles to solve. But if I wanted to make this show properly, I wo

uld need to revisit every single Zelda game, which would take hu

ndreds of hours. Doing that kind of research for just one video

is a bit much. Therefore, I thought it might be better to releas

e a series of supplementary videos along the way. Each Zelda...

I'm making a video about the game, along with my thoughts on the

game and my discoveries in the dungeons. If you'd like to foll

ow along, that's great. If you prefer a more comprehensive, tho

ught-provoking full-length video, wait a few months. I'll be co

mpiling everything I've learned from this project into a "Gamema

king Toolbox" episode. We'll start with *The Legend of Zelda: A

Link to the Past*. This is the third Zelda game, but also the

one that truly established Nintendo's standards. It brought us c

lassic elements like the Master Sword, the Heart Container, and

the Grappling Hook. Let's start with linear gameplay. Does a du

ngeon guide you room by room, or does it allow you to explore th

e layout as you wish? The answer is that some dungeons are the

former, some the latter, and some are somewhere in between. In

the latter category is the game's first dungeon: East Palace. Y

ou'll notice there's only one path through the dungeon. You nee

d to go up, dodging falling rocks, then go around a large area

to reach this room, then cross this area to get the large key,

then go to the item chest to get the bow and arrow, and then g

o upstairs to fight the boss. However, there are several reason

s why dungeons don't feel very linear. One reason is the number

of selectable rooms. This one includes a dungeon map, but not

all items are mandatory. This one only has a bunch of rupees.

Those rooms, plus the ability to observe the layout of rooms you

'll need to revisit later... For example, two blocks in this are

a form a one-way path, giving the dungeon a larger area to explo

re. There are many doors and rooms to choose from. However, the

key forces you to deviate from the critical path. Only by findin

g the key in this room can you pass through this door. Nintendo

allows you to adjust the difficulty by moving the key away from

the main entrance. Finally, the routes intertwine throughout the

dungeon. This bridge is above where you previously avoided fall

ing rocks. Obtaining the large key requires you to run a large c

ircle around the dungeon, and the large key also forces you to b

acktrack to the room with the large chest. These obstacles on th

e critical paths force you to explore and overcome them. Therefo

re, although the dungeon essentially has only one route, You get

the feeling of finding your own way. That's clever. Other dunge

ons have fewer limitations in how they're solved. The fifth dung

eon, the Dark Palace, allows you to carry multiple keys on your

first playthrough. Keys can unlock multiple locked doors. This m

eans you can truly progress through the dungeon non-linearly. Yo

u can use this key to open this door, or this key. Later, you ca

n use this key, this key, or a previous key to open this door or

this door. There are still some rooms you have to visit sequent

ially. But the choices along the path give you a real sense of d

ecision-making. You also find yourself encountering fewer dead e

nds. The most surprising thing is the flexibility in the dungeon

design. Choosing the Number of Rooms Taking the main level of

Ganon's Prison as an example: To complete this dungeon, none of

these rooms need to be entered. In the Mire of Pain, there are

five keys that can be found. But if you know how to do it, you o

nly need two to unlock the entire dungeon. Of course, you rarel

y know how to do it. Therefore, these unnecessary rooms appear,

making the dungeon feel larger and more difficult. Exploring s

o many keys, locks, and rooms gives you the feeling of winning a

puzzle competition upon completion. Turtle Rock is another dun

geon that feels even more difficult. This room has a tangled me

ss of pipes. But in fact, you only need to go through two to co

mplete it. Some dungeons are completely... Linear Especially t

he return journey to Hyrule Castle You move from room to room,

using keys to unlock doors. But this fits the story's tone. At

this point, Princess Zelda is kidnapped (again). You storm Hyru

le Castle's towers, smashing everything in your way. This time,

tracking Princess Zelda involves facing armored soldiers, rath

er than puzzles or getting lost. It's unique, but you'll find s

ome dungeons with a style somewhere in between. The second dung

eon, the Sand Palace, starts non-linearly. It has huge open roo

ms, seven doors to explore, and one door to unlock. But then com

es the straight path to the boss. This creates a kind of sloping

tension. You rarely enter the boss's door while exploring. To g

et to that area, you first have to move quickly through the room

, defeat enemies, and accumulate equipment before facing the fin

al monster. There are also wonderful moments in Hera's Tower, re

minding us that while Zelda won't be 3D for at least seven years

, A Link Between Worlds has already made us think about vertica

lity. Because to get the Moon Pearl in the large chest on the fo

urth floor, you need to jump down from the same spot on the fift

h floor. This puzzle won't hold you back for long, but it does m

ake you think of these dungeons as 3D spaces. It's a shame it do

esn't. More similar dungeons require strategic thinking and com

bining elements as you navigate them But there's another great

design In the Dark Palace, you need to lower the orange blocks

to climb the stairs But if you use this switch or this switch

it will also raise the blue blocks, preventing you from climbin

g the stairs Therefore, you need to circle the dungeon to reach

the southern room It's simple, yet elegantly designed encoura

ging you to understand the level's layout and prompting you to t

hink ahead An enhanced version of this puzzle appears in the lo

ng, winding Ice Palace It's perhaps the most difficult dungeon

in the game When you reach the end, you realize you need to pus

h the blocks down the hole This time You need to lower the blue

blocks, but that will raise the orange blocks to block your way

. This time, the looping path is harder to find. Another dunge

on worth mentioning is the Skull Forest, which has both above-gr

ound and underground sections. It's interesting to see how Nint

endo played with game rules in its early days. For example, in

Thieves Town, you take the girl to a sunlit room. There she bec

omes the dungeon boss, Bran. That's all. 12 dungeons, some lin

ear, some winding, some non-linear. They require you to underst

and how dungeons are combined, then break the rules to surprise

you. Overall, this is a strong start to the series. The questi

on is—what's next? Link's Awakening or skip straight to Ocarina

of Time? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks

for watching. Boss Keys was made possible by Patreon's supporte

rs. They were happy to wait months to see a ten-minute Zelda ga

meplay video. What a strange bunch.

真是一群怪家伙