Zelda U might have only four dungeons?

  • This is a rumour, but it does have support from some people with industry insider connections too.

    Either way, the rumour goes that the new Zelda title will have four main dungeons, a hundred plus mini dungeons, a dynamic weather system and a technology vs fantasy theme. I wrote an article about it here:

    https://gamingreinvented.com/nintendoarticl…-four-dungeons/

    And GameXplain made a video here:

    But what do you think? Is there any truth behind this rumour? Will the game really have this sort of structure? Cause honestly, I very much doubt it. Zelda games in the past almost always had more than four main dungeons (Majora's Mask being the exception), and open world games often had much more than that. But that's just my opinion...

    • Official Post

    To be honest, everything but the "4 Mega" sounds like assumptions made out of what we got already.
    Technology versus Fantasy: The first trailer showed ancient relic/creature and an arrow that looked infused. I mean it is not as if the whole series have shown a balance of them: Trains, color cameras mixed with medieval weapons. It is also conveniently vague. I am sure many of us were reminded of SS and the third zone.
    Dynamic weather: Look gusts of wind! Maybe the weather will be more important for this game.
    100 mini dungeons: Aonuma said in the past something to the effect of he wanting the dungeons to be gradual instead and not direct locations. Then you have people thinking the size of the map reminds them of "The Elder Scrolls". I am sure is not that much of a stretch to fantasise withs ome mini dungeons or puzzles. I suppose similar to some TP puzzles.

    It really is just that 4 dungeons one I don't really find easy to assume from the trailers and imagery we already got. If this rumour has something to go to, I suppose there will only be 4 bog structure like obvious dungeons, maybe four point locations. Reading your note though, I do agree it really sounds like something that makes you strongly think of Majora's Mask. It does detract more credibility. If you think it is false, then the other points would exist only to give more credibility to the '4 dungeon' one, as the dummy ones, like the fantasy versus technology theme, become 'confirmed'.

    The most I am willing to concede for the benefit of doubt would be information taken out of context and not meant to mean that those are the only 4 dungeons of the game as much as that within the game 4 dungeons are going to have some special meaning or connection, most likely to find the main McGuffins or something.

    • Official Post

    Well, it seems like this rumour might be getting more plausible. We've got the 100 mini dungeons confirmed, there's a definite technology vs fantasy theme, dynamic weather seems to be included...

    Zelda rumours are always a funny business. I think what you say here ^ tags right into what @Kaynil said - that these confirmed rumours could easily have been figured out from the trailers, and designed to put the '4 dungeons' rumour in a more plausible light. Still, it's hard to know either way.

    Here's a question - do you like the idea of only 4 main dungeons? At first, I didn't like the sound of it, but I loved MM. Having only 4 dungeons meant each compass point area could be expanded into an epic quest of its own, and reaching the dungeon felt like so much more of a climax. In games with many dungeons, it's a bit like "Oh, it's another dungeon. Whatever."

    • Official Post

    Well, it seems like this rumour might be getting more plausible. We've got the 100 mini dungeons confirmed, there's a definite technology vs fantasy theme, dynamic weather seems to be included...


    Yeah, when they mentioned exactly 100 mini dungeons, it made me think back on this thread.

    do you like the idea of only 4 main dungeons? At first, I didn't like the sound of it, but I loved MM. Having only 4 dungeons meant each compass point area could be expanded into an epic quest of its own, and reaching the dungeon felt like so much more of a climax. In games with many dungeons, it's a bit like "Oh, it's another dungeon. Whatever."


    I never really thought of that.

    In BotW, just 4 main dungeons is still too vague of a thing. The first impulse to me is to link the number of dungeons with the story, which might be a completely wrong assumption. MM was short story but the side quests and reliving the same 3 days is what padded it out. BotW doesn't have the urgent vibe, it feels like the game wants you to take as long as you want around. We also know that is plausible to run from beginning straight to the final boss. I think these 4 dungeons are actual key landmarks of Hyrule. If Aonuma kept the idea of dissolving the line where the dungeon starts and ends, I think there will be some main zone that will serve as these 4 'dungeons', but that they won't have a traditional dungeon look, probably more like SS kind of areas.