The depth with which the dungeon integrated its theme into its design is especially commendable given its brevity. This is reflected in nearly every aspect of the dungeon’s design, from its slippery surfaces, to its enemies capable of freezing the player, to its wintry art.
Unsurprisingly, the Ice Cavern’s central theme is…ice. Replacing them with more contextually meaningful rewards or just removing them entirely could have either contributed to a sense of progression or cut some fat. It is also worth noting that the Ice Cavern’s small stature renders the map and compass meaningless. And the lack of doors makes for a more free-flowing experience that emphasizes the naturalistic cave setting. Since the dungeon is so small, however, this isn’t a terrible setback. One notable downside is that falling into a pit sends players back to the dungeon’s entrance, likely because there aren’t any doors to segment spawn points. Aesthetically, the 3DS version is heads and shoulders above the N64 version, featuring more intricate and diverse textures that make the dungeon feel more varied and palpable. Per usual, each small room contains an isolated challenge, usually incorporating the dungeon’s icy setting. The Ice Cavern is a brief, sleek, slick mini-dungeon comprised of small- and medium-sized rooms connected via narrow passages riddled with icicles. Depending on whether one counts the Ice Cavern as a dungeon or merely a pit stop on the way to the Water Temple, the path to the Ice Cavern could either seem nearly nonexistent or the start of a deeply developed dungeon prelude. Since the Ice Cavern is a mini-dungeon, and its official status still disputed amongst fans, I have written a mini-analysis to suit its stature.Īfter beating the Fire Temple, the player can proceed directly to Zora’s Fountain behind Zora’s Domain, jump across some spinning ice floats, and hop straight into the mouth of the Ice Cavern. In this entry, I will be examining Ocarina of Time’s fifth and a half dungeon, the Ice Cavern.
And since the 2011 3DS remaster makes a wide variety of changes to the original but remains equally masterful, I will be looking at that version alongside the 1998 Nintendo 64 release. This continuing series will take a look back at the entry that established the 3D dungeon template, in turn altering dungeon design in ways that would dominate and define the series for nearly twenty years. Although Breath of the Wild is utterly superb, its reimagining of the Zelda formula is noticeably lacking classic dungeon design. In commemoration of Goomba Stomp’s second anniversary staff list champion, our Level-by-Level feature will be diving into The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, dungeon-by-dungeon.
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