A midterm generally occurs just before or after you’ve gained whatever dungeon item this specific place revolves around. Daily lessons come in the form of the map layout, puzzle design, and enemy patterns. You enter with an equal mix of wide-eyed wonder and trepidation, not knowing exactly what’s in store for you. This is a game about a lot of things, including our bond with nature and a loss of innocence, (For more on those themes, check out Good Blood’s excellent video essay) and while the opening title screen has that in spades, this is really highlighted in Link’s first dungeon challenge as an adult.Īs I mentioned before, the best Zelda dungeons unfold like you’re taking a class throughout the course of a semester. The melancholy music laid over sweeping shots of Hyrule Field giving way to a solitary adult Link riding Epona was a beautiful thing in 1998, and it remained every bit as impactful during my recent replay. Right from the opening title screen, which remains a stone-cold classic, Ocarina of Time plants its flag in a very specific mood.
