0:00:02.790,0:00:08.210 Hi. My name’s Mark and this is Boss Keys - a[br]series about the dungeon design in the Legend 0:00:08.210,0:00:09.420 of Zelda games. 0:00:09.420,0:00:11.930 We’re almost at the end of this journey. 0:00:11.930,0:00:16.470 But before we finish this series - I wanted[br]to go back to where it all began, and look 0:00:16.470,0:00:18.900 at the very first two Zelda games. 0:00:18.900,0:00:20.420 Well, actually I didn’t want to. 0:00:20.420,0:00:23.849 But, I got a lot of requests to include these[br]games, so here we are. 0:00:23.849,0:00:26.730 If this episode sucks, it’s your fault. 0:00:26.730,0:00:29.090 So let’s start with The Legend of Zelda. 0:00:29.090,0:00:33.710 This game was made as in attempt to capture[br]designer Shigeru Miyamoto’s childhood experiences 0:00:33.710,0:00:35.450 of exploring the Japanese countryside. 0:00:35.450,0:00:40.960 So the game is mysterious and surprising - it[br]begs you to simply wander off from the starting 0:00:40.960,0:00:44.150 screen and explore this strange, sprawling[br]landscape. 0:00:44.150,0:00:48.260 Oh, and hopefully find eight pieces of the[br]triforce and save princess Zelda. 0:00:48.260,0:00:50.920 You’ll get those pieces in the dungeons. 0:00:50.920,0:00:56.390 Yes, right back in the very first game, Zelda[br]was split between the overworld and the underworld, 0:00:56.390,0:01:00.460 and had you exploring a number of underground[br]mazes where you’d fight a boss and get a 0:01:00.460,0:01:02.420 new piece of the triforce. 0:01:02.420,0:01:06.630 And these labyrinths absolutely established[br]a lot of the ideas that would go on to define 0:01:06.630,0:01:08.790 a Zelda dungeon in future games. 0:01:08.790,0:01:14.890 Every one of these mazes has a boss, an item,[br]a map, a compass, and a bunch of small keys 0:01:14.890,0:01:16.430 and locks. 0:01:16.430,0:01:21.381 And while almost every room is a tricky combat[br]challenge, the real goal is just finding your 0:01:21.381,0:01:22.390 way to the exit. 0:01:22.390,0:01:26.950 You’ll notice that the rooms are not laid[br]out in a linear fashion, but are interconnected 0:01:26.950,0:01:30.670 and littered with locked doors and obstacles,[br]which means you’ll need to be careful to 0:01:30.670,0:01:35.000 not get lost, and must go on the hunt for[br]things like keys and items. 0:01:35.000,0:01:40.080 Unfortunately, pretty much everything Zelda[br]1 established in terms of dungeons, was quite... 0:01:40.080,0:01:41.080 unrefined. 0:01:41.080,0:01:44.729 And most of this stuff would get rethought[br]and fixed up in later games. 0:01:44.729,0:01:46.799 Take the keys. 0:01:46.799,0:01:48.830 Every Zelda game has small keys. 0:01:48.830,0:01:53.580 They can be used on any normal door, but they[br]disappear as soon as you use them. 0:01:53.580,0:01:58.220 In a typical Zelda game, these keys are restricted[br]to the dungeon where you find them - but that’s 0:01:58.220,0:02:03.640 not true in Zelda 1, where a key can be used[br]in any door in the entire game. 0:02:03.640,0:02:08.090 And, predictably, this leads to all kinds[br]of messy situations. 0:02:08.090,0:02:11.790 It most often means that you have more keys[br]than you need. 0:02:11.790,0:02:15.319 There are several dungeons with excess keys,[br]and plenty of locked rooms that you never 0:02:15.319,0:02:19.359 need to unlock because they just contain optional[br]items like the compass or a hint. 0:02:19.360,0:02:23.480 So that means you might saunter into a dungeon[br]with a handful of keys already in your pocket, 0:02:23.480,0:02:25.519 making the dungeon a bit of a cakewalk. 0:02:25.519,0:02:29.799 That’s not ideal, but it’s much better[br]than walking into a dungeon and finding yourself 0:02:29.799,0:02:35.129 with not enough keys - which can happen if[br]you unlock every door you come across, or 0:02:35.129,0:02:36.840 don’t explore every dungeon thoroughly. 0:02:36.840,0:02:40.909 And there are dungeons where there aren’t[br]enough keys in the dungeon itself to open 0:02:40.909,0:02:42.109 all the doors. 0:02:42.109,0:02:43.659 Take Level 6. 0:02:43.659,0:02:47.980 If you walk into the dungeon with no keys,[br]you’ll immediately pick up one key and be 0:02:47.980,0:02:49.620 faced with two locked doors. 0:02:49.620,0:02:54.310 The one on the right merely leads to a hint[br]room and then... well, you’re screwed. 0:02:54.310,0:02:57.709 It’s either back to an earlier dungeon to[br]hunt down a key. 0:02:57.709,0:02:58.709 Ugh. 0:02:58.709,0:03:00.200 Or you can buy one from the shop. 0:03:00.200,0:03:04.560 Which feels like a bit of a messy fix, and[br]these keys are super expensive, which sucks 0:03:04.560,0:03:06.799 when rupees are so quite hard to come by. 0:03:06.799,0:03:11.450 Ultimately, Zelda dungeons just work best[br]as self contained spaces - so the change to 0:03:11.450,0:03:15.609 restrict a small key to the dungeon where[br]you found it, was a good decision. 0:03:15.609,0:03:18.400 Here’s something else that later Zelda games[br]fixed. 0:03:18.400,0:03:23.590 In Zelda 1, many dungeons let you finish the[br]level without ever picking up the key item. 0:03:23.590,0:03:28.279 In Level 1, it’s really easy to just completely[br]miss the bow and arrow, and you might not 0:03:28.279,0:03:33.510 even realise you did until Level 6, where[br]you need the arrows to kill this spider boss. 0:03:33.510,0:03:37.150 Now, the solution to this problem can be found...[br]in the game itself. 0:03:37.150,0:03:41.169 In another dungeon, the fourth one, you can’t[br]get to the boss room because of this water. 0:03:41.169,0:03:44.859 So you need to find the stepladder, elsewhere[br]in the dungeon, to advance. 0:03:44.859,0:03:50.409 It’s a simple solution to ensure that everyone[br]who finished level 4 has found the stepladder. 0:03:50.409,0:03:53.919 But this still wasn’t fully implemented[br]even in Link to the Past where you can finish 0:03:53.919,0:03:56.709 the Tower of Hera without picking up the Moon[br]Pearl. 0:03:56.709,0:04:00.089 It wasn’t until Link’s Awakening that[br]Nintendo established that you’d need to 0:04:00.089,0:04:02.779 get the dungeon’s item to reach the boss[br]room. 0:04:02.779,0:04:03.959 Which makes a lot of sense. 0:04:03.959,0:04:09.409 By all means, let less observant players go[br]straight past optional items, like the magic 0:04:09.409,0:04:13.469 rod, upgraded candle, power ring, bible, and[br]magical key. 0:04:13.469,0:04:17.290 But if the player needs to get an item to[br]finish the game, then don’t let them leave 0:04:17.290,0:04:20.030 dungeon three without the raft. 0:04:20.030,0:04:21.480 This brings us onto bombs. 0:04:21.480,0:04:24.440 And this is where things start getting really[br]messy. 0:04:24.440,0:04:28.040 One complaint that’s often levelled at Zelda[br]1 is that you need to burn every bush and 0:04:28.040,0:04:29.540 bomb every wall. 0:04:29.540,0:04:34.240 Unlike later Zelda games where you can clearly[br]see which walls can be blown up, in Zelda 0:04:34.240,0:04:37.260 1, destructible walls just look like normal[br]walls. 0:04:37.260,0:04:41.810 And yes, it’s true that pretty much every[br]screen on the overworld hides some kind of 0:04:41.810,0:04:42.810 secret room. 0:04:42.810,0:04:47.480 But there’s only one bush you HAVE to burn[br]- the entrance to dungeon 8 - and one wall 0:04:47.480,0:04:52.250 you HAVE to blow up - the entrance to dungeon[br]9 - and they are both hinted at. 0:04:52.250,0:04:54.310 Everything else, though, is optional. 0:04:54.310,0:04:58.570 You do want the goodies because things like[br]heart containers and extra rupees are tremendously 0:04:58.570,0:05:00.540 helpful - but they’re not critical. 0:05:00.540,0:05:03.090 In the dungeons, though, it’s a different[br]story. 0:05:03.090,0:05:07.250 So in the first four dungeons, there are walls[br]you can blow up to make shortcuts, bypass 0:05:07.250,0:05:11.080 locked doors, and even discover secret rooms[br]like this hidden stash of rupees. 0:05:11.080,0:05:12.080 That’s cool. 0:05:12.080,0:05:13.970 But, again, they’re optional. 0:05:13.970,0:05:18.610 But in the later dungeons, you have to blow[br]up random walls just to get to the boss. 0:05:18.610,0:05:23.190 And this can be a maddening experience of[br]wasting bombs, and grinding for extra ones, 0:05:23.190,0:05:27.140 and basically having to draw out a map just[br]to mark down which walls you have and have 0:05:27.140,0:05:28.560 not tried to blow up. 0:05:28.560,0:05:31.890 Now, okay, let me give Nintendo a small bit[br]of credit. 0:05:31.890,0:05:34.200 In the fifth dungeon, you get locked in this[br]room. 0:05:34.200,0:05:35.690 You get given some bombs. 0:05:35.690,0:05:39.040 And you can see from the map, if you’ve[br]picked it up, that there’s a room to your left. 0:05:39.080,0:05:43.840 So the only way to advance is to figure out[br]that you need to blow up a hole in the left wall. 0:05:43.920,0:05:48.700 This is basically your tutorial - a way for[br]Nintendo to say “hey, from now on, you might 0:05:48.710,0:05:51.030 have to blow up walls just to get through[br]the dungeon”. 0:05:51.030,0:05:52.500 So at least you are warned. 0:05:52.500,0:05:54.640 But it’s not much of a consolation, really. 0:05:54.640,0:05:58.420 In dungeon 7, you need to blow holes in four[br]different walls to get to the boss. 0:05:58.420,0:06:01.750 And the first room you blow your way into[br]isn’t even shown on the map - it’s just 0:06:01.750,0:06:02.860 a hole! 0:06:02.860,0:06:06.080 This is a tremendously bad bit of design,[br]if you ask me. 0:06:06.080,0:06:09.740 And couple this with Zelda’s 1’s clumsy[br]“puzzle” design, and I’m using like 0:06:09.740,0:06:14.200 19 pairs of quotes around puzzle - where you[br]have to push one random block in the room, 0:06:14.200,0:06:17.550 but only after all the enemies are dead, and[br]you’ve got a recipe for a dungeon that goes 0:06:17.550,0:06:20.830 beyond challenging, to just unfair, and silly. 0:06:20.830,0:06:26.770 Look, I’ll defend the overworld design of[br]Zelda 1 forever, but some of these later dungeons 0:06:26.770,0:06:27.770 just suck. 0:06:27.770,0:06:31.310 I can appreciate this game for laying the[br]ground work for how dungeons would work in 0:06:31.310,0:06:35.520 the Zelda series - but I’m glad to see that[br]Nintendo changed and fixed pretty much everything 0:06:35.520,0:06:38.400 about them in later games. 0:06:39.500,0:06:42.060 Right. Zelda 2. (Epilepsy Warning: Footage Contains Some Flashing Images) 0:06:42.060,0:06:43.890 Zelda 2 is a weird game. 0:06:43.890,0:06:48.610 It’s now a side scrolling platformer, with[br]a dedicated jump button no less. 0:06:48.610,0:06:53.240 Except when you’re on the top-down overworld[br]- which has random battles, like Final Fantasy. 0:06:53.240,0:06:57.340 It’s got intensely precise sword fighting[br]combat, and magic spells. 0:06:57.340,0:07:01.110 There’s experience points and levelling[br]- which inevitably means grinding. 0:07:01.110,0:07:02.870 And it’s punishingly difficult. 0:07:02.870,0:07:04.700 Just... brutally hard. 0:07:04.700,0:07:09.280 But while pretty much everything it did would[br]be forgotten by later games - it’s not totally 0:07:09.280,0:07:11.320 unrecognisable as a Zelda game. 0:07:11.320,0:07:16.180 In fact, the move towards a more linear structure[br]and the inclusion of small quests you must 0:07:16.180,0:07:19.610 complete between dungeons would filter into[br]future games. 0:07:19.610,0:07:24.680 And the dungeons are still non-linear, interconnected,[br]and have series staples like a boss, small 0:07:24.680,0:07:26.830 keys and locked doors, and a key item. 0:07:26.830,0:07:28.260 No map or compass though. 0:07:28.260,0:07:32.360 So if we look at the first dungeon, Parapa[br]Palace, we can see that the path to the boss 0:07:32.360,0:07:37.510 room, and the path and the key item - a candle[br]- are locked behind various doors and so we’ll 0:07:37.510,0:07:40.510 need to explore other rooms to find keys. 0:07:40.510,0:07:44.580 Annoyingly, Zelda 2 has a habit of putting[br]keys off at the end of a long hallway, and 0:07:44.580,0:07:47.889 then - once you get it - you just have to[br]walk all the way back. 0:07:47.889,0:07:52.740 This is the worst kind of backtracking - and[br]would later be solved by loops in the level design. 0:07:52.760,0:07:56.520 Now, Zelda 2 did try to fix a few issues from[br]Zelda 1. 0:07:56.520,0:08:00.040 Each dungeon now has the right number of keys[br]and locks. 0:08:00.040,0:08:03.740 Which means dungeons are now self contained[br]sections, with no intention for you to carry 0:08:03.740,0:08:06.101 keys from one dungeon to the next. 0:08:06.101,0:08:09.460 Hey, I could even make graphs for these dungeons[br]if I wanted to, and they’d almost look like 0:08:09.460,0:08:11.070 normal Zelda dungeons. 0:08:11.070,0:08:14.380 Zelda 1 on the other hand is like "what is going on..." 0:08:14.380,0:08:19.190 But you can still use keys in different dungeons[br]so if you start sequence breaking you could 0:08:19.190,0:08:21.310 potentially screw things up? 0:08:21.310,0:08:22.310 Maybe? I dunno. 0:08:22.310,0:08:26.100 Either way, it’s still a half step towards[br]the proper solution. 0:08:26.100,0:08:30.889 Also, you can still leave the dungeon without[br]the item in most cases. 0:08:30.889,0:08:34.909 Only one dungeon, the second one, puts an[br]obstacle in your way that forces you to get 0:08:34.909,0:08:36.860 the item before facing the boss. 0:08:36.860,0:08:41.089 But at least the dungeons turn to ruins on[br]the overworld if you have both found the item 0:08:41.089,0:08:45.140 and killed the boss, so you won’t backtrack[br]into old areas unnecessarily. 0:08:45.140,0:08:47.110 Again, it’s a half step. 0:08:47.110,0:08:51.220 Also, Zelda 2 still lets you go into dungeons[br]without the necessary gear. 0:08:51.220,0:08:55.820 I hope you found the somewhat secret upward[br]thrust move from Darunia Town, otherwise you’ll 0:08:55.820,0:08:57.910 be screwed when you get to this room. 0:08:57.910,0:09:01.649 And I hope you have the reflect spell and[br]the thunder spell before fighting the bosses 0:09:01.649,0:09:05.629 of dungeons four and seven, respectively,[br]or it’s game over. 0:09:05.629,0:09:09.890 Finally, the game has no bombs at all - so[br]you don’t have to worry about that - but 0:09:09.890,0:09:13.870 there’s still a secret wall you have to[br]walk through because, why not, eh? 0:09:13.870,0:09:17.930 Really, though, the dungeons in Zelda 2 are[br]not all that difficult to navigate. 0:09:17.930,0:09:22.499 They’re mostly quite small, and the only[br]thing to worry about is keys and locks - there 0:09:22.499,0:09:25.139 are basically no other puzzles or obstacles. 0:09:25.139,0:09:29.220 And as soon as the dungeons get much bigger,[br]you unlock a magic key which means that you 0:09:29.220,0:09:31.730 don’t even need to look for keys in the[br]last two dungeons. 0:09:31.730,0:09:34.990 You may lose your bearings, simply because[br]everything looks so damn similar. 0:09:34.990,0:09:36.540 Zelda 1 had that problem too. 0:09:36.540,0:09:40.519 But as long as you keep a quick map of the[br]dungeon - mental or otherwise - I think you’ll 0:09:40.519,0:09:41.540 be fine. 0:09:41.540,0:09:46.100 But it’s the demanding combat, the invisible[br]pits, getting knocked back into lava, going 0:09:46.100,0:09:49.339 into pointless dead ends, and so on, that[br]will truly challenge you. 0:09:49.339,0:09:53.279 And if you die too many times, you’ve got[br]to go all the way back to the very first screen, 0:09:53.279,0:09:55.029 because screw you. 0:09:55.029,0:09:59.160 All of which makes you not want to explore[br]because it’s so fraught with danger and 0:09:59.160,0:10:00.160 frustration. 0:10:00.160,0:10:04.329 Zelda games would eventually learn that more[br]linear dungeons can have difficult fights, 0:10:04.329,0:10:08.769 but more open and exploratory levels would[br]have fewer enemies so as to not frustrate 0:10:08.769,0:10:10.899 you during the backtracking. 0:10:10.899,0:10:12.569 So, there we have it. 0:10:12.569,0:10:15.990 Zelda 1 and 2 both set the groundwork for[br]the franchise. 0:10:15.990,0:10:19.720 But it’s clear that Nintendo made some mistakes[br]when designing the dungeons for these early 0:10:19.720,0:10:23.309 games - and it wasn’t until A Link to the[br]Past and Link’s Awakening that these issues 0:10:23.309,0:10:24.509 were fixed. 0:10:24.509,0:10:26.370 Those games added actual puzzles. 0:10:26.370,0:10:29.810 They made the dungeons much more distinct[br]from one another, and the individual rooms 0:10:29.810,0:10:31.190 more unique also. 0:10:31.190,0:10:35.379 And they introduced more elements to keep[br]track of, like a big key or more obstacles 0:10:35.379,0:10:38.269 that could only be overcome with the dungeon’s[br]new item. 0:10:38.269,0:10:43.100 Then, Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask[br]brought those ideas into the third dimension. 0:10:43.100,0:10:47.740 Suddenly, dungeons weren’t just sprawling[br]mazes but intricate 3D spaces that unlocked 0:10:47.740,0:10:49.430 like a puzzle box. 0:10:49.430,0:10:53.970 On handheld, another developer, Capcom, confidently[br]explored different dungeon designs in the 0:10:53.970,0:10:55.999 Oracle games and Minish Cap. 0:10:55.999,0:11:00.209 Meanwhile, on console, Nintendo decided to[br]make the dungeons easier to navigate in Wind 0:11:00.209,0:11:05.579 Waker and Twilight Princess, as they focused[br]more on individual puzzles, combat, and memorable 0:11:05.579,0:11:06.579 moments. 0:11:06.579,0:11:11.129 The DS games followed suit, but the Temple[br]of the Ocean King in Phantom Hourglass and 0:11:11.129,0:11:15.509 the Tower of Spirits in Spirit Tracks gave[br]Zelda players something new, with dungeons 0:11:15.509,0:11:18.329 that you’d revisit over the course of the[br]adventure. 0:11:18.329,0:11:22.710 And Skyward Sword helped Nintendo return to[br]brain-busting architectural puzzles, with 0:11:22.710,0:11:27.350 places like the time-travelling Sandship and[br]the shifting rooms of Sky Keep. 0:11:27.350,0:11:31.999 On 3DS, Nintendo would start to rethink the[br]Zelda formula entirely, with the non-linear 0:11:31.999,0:11:33.190 A Link Between Worlds. 0:11:33.190,0:11:37.269 Which, in retrospect, was a dress rehearsal[br]for the most radically different Zelda game 0:11:37.269,0:11:38.529 ever made. 0:11:38.529,0:11:43.879 Part retro throwback, part modern masterpiece,[br]Breath of the Wild is a complete reinvention 0:11:43.879,0:11:48.820 of the Zelda formula and it will be the focus[br]of the final episode, of Boss Keys.