Honorable Mentions:
Arbiter's Grounds (Twilight Princess)
Lanayru Mining Facility (Skyward Sword)
Snowpeak Ruins (Twilight Princess)
5. Sandship (Skyward Sword)
This dungeon and Lanayru Mining Facility alike I was a huge fan of because of their time shifting mechanic that allowed Link to manipulate the landscape and solve puzzles both in the present and in the distant past. Sandship takes the cake over Lanayru Facility though because of the sheer wackiness of this dungeon. Link is sailing on a small boat searching for this ship when he must shoot it with a cannon to make it visible. From there he boards the ship and uses time shifts to solve the various puzzles and eventually fights a gigantic gorgon-esque beast while the sandship sails on violent seas.4. Earth Temple (Wind Waker)
A rather unique dungeon in the series in the sense that it is traversed with a partner: Medli, a small Rito girl who plays the harp and will fly Link short distances. The bulk of the temple's puzzles rely on reflecting light in the right way to open doors and disintegrate objects in Link's path. Although most "escort missions" get annoying, this temple is done right and is an overall enjoyable and fun experience.3. Stone Tower (Majora's Mask)
A fine culmination of most everything Majora's Mask had to offer. A very challenging dungeon that manages to incorporate Link's different masks in fun yet difficult puzzles. As it is the final dungeon of the game, of course there is a twist. After Link has traversed through what he believes to be the whole dungeon, the Stone Tower flips and Link now must solve the rest of the dungeon upside down. This new take on the same dungeon offers a surprising amount of new puzzles while maintaining the same feel and mood of the dungeon.2. Shadow Temple (Ocarina of Time)
The Shadow Temple stands out to me for a few reasons, one of which is the reliance on the Lens of Truth to seek out invisible floors and distinguish fake walls from the real ones. Another reason this temple is so well remembered and cherished is because of the disturbing ReDead that infest its hallways. These characters are remarked as some of the most disturbing and freakish characters in the whole Zelda franchise. The boss of the temple, Bongo Bongo, is a fitting end to the temple and is a neat boss to fight in of itself.1. Ancient Cistern (Skyward Sword)
Skyward Sword, in my opinion, had the best overall dungeons, and the peak of the dungeons in the Zelda series for me is Ancient Cistern. Everything about this place is incredibly well done. The entry floor is a beautiful Buddhist-inspired level. A large head sits in the middle of the room and several lily pads are scattered throughout the water. After solving the top floors puzzles, you descend into the bottom of the Ancient Cistern. This is where the dungeon receives its praise. The lower floor is a stark contrast to the upper floor, with nasty water flowing through the floor and cursed bokoblinks roaming around, this contrast is so well done that the two appear to be of two completely separate dungeons. And, to wrap it all up, the boss of Ancient Cistern is oft the receiver of high praise as well: Koloktos. But you'll hear more about him next time.Dungeons in Breath of the Wild
SPOILERS AHEAD, OBVIOUSLY
Dungeons in Breath of the Wild are in two categories: dungeons and shrines. Shrines are the smaller puzzles scattered throughout the over world which will range in difficulty and time to complete. As for dungeons, it has been all but confirmed that the four Sheikah Divine Beasts will also be the only four dungeons in the game. Nintendo has confirmed that dungeons in Breath of the Wild will be shorter and more straightforward that recent games. This is a bit of a disappointment to me, but I'm sure they will turn out just fine.
Next time we'll go over my favorite bosses of the Legend of Zelda franchise, and spoiler, I've already mentioned one. Until next time, kcduckling out.
