Classic Zelda dungeons confirmed for Tears of the Kingdom

How do you top one of the greatest video games of all time, run on a system that is (surely) heading toward its twilight, and still come up with something new? That's the gargantuan challenge facing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom when it hits the Nintendo Switch in 2023.

2017's Breath of the Wild was another stroke of the Master Sword in Zelda's largely untarnished reputation. When it comes to Tears of the Kingdom, it turns out the recipe to success is a little more of the classic Zelda magic. That's right fans, Zelda dungeons are back. 

Nintendo confirms Zelda dungeons for Tears of the Kingdom

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While there's no denying the majesty of an open-world Hyrule to explore in Breath of the Wild, the search for shrines became a little monotonous. There were the Divine Beasts and a final battle with Ganon at Hyrule Castle, but one of the few complaints was the lack of a classic dungeon formula.

For those of a certain age, you'll remember the controller-smashing frustration of raising and lowering the water levels in the Water Temple for Ocarina of Time, but to be honest, it was all part of the fun. Thankfully, Part 3 of Nintendo's Ask the Developer series confirms Zelda dungeons have been reinstated for TotK. 

"The four Divine Beasts were the dungeons in the last game, and they shared similar designs," says Art Director Satoru Takizawa." This time, the dungeons are huge and each carries their own regional look and feel, just like traditional The Legend of Zelda games."

Technical Director Takuhiro Dohta promised, "We've made dungeons unique to their respective environments, so we think you’ll be able to enjoy the wide variety of regional characteristics." Similar to how the likes of Twilight Princess' Snowpeak Ruins have fit the snowy aesthetic, expect all dungeons to be different.  

Zelda dungeons will mix the best bits of older games

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As for how dungeons will work, Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi added, "There is a dungeon that connects directly from Hyrule's surface. If you dive from the sky straight into the dungeon, you'll trigger an event. We think this will be a new experience that wasn't possible in the previous game."

Explaining why it's out with the old and in with the older, Takizawa added, "We think they will provide a satisfying challenge for players. They were certainly a challenge to develop!" Well, considering you've had six years to make a new game and are reusing the old map, we should hope you've done something. 

From the first Tears of the Kingdom reviews, the new dungeons don't quite match up to Majora's Mask's Stone Temple, but to be honest, we'll take classic dungeons where we can.