Let’s make a new Zelda game dungeon ► Ludology Now!

I miss dungeons in The Legend of Zelda. Echoes of Wisdom got us a little closer to what I remember, but it’s honestly been over a decade since Nintendo has served real, true Zelda dungeons in the classic fashion. So let’s brainstorm one.

When talking about pre-Breath of the Wild Zelda games, in multiple interviews Nintendo executives have stated that the first thing they decide when creating dungeons is whether it should be puzzle-focused or action-focused. The second thing they decide is what special item could be included in the dungeon, and how that item should impact and change the gameplay. Only then do they move on to fleshing out the dungeon itself. Let’s follow those steps.

New Zelda game setting

Of course, this notion assumes there is a plot, a setting, a theme of a game surrounding the dungeon that is being created, so we should probably think of that too. Since this is clearly a self-indulgent project, the answer to that is simple – this is a game set in the N64 era of Zelda, following the same timeline that saw Link defeat Ganon, become a child, lose Navi, and travel to Termina in both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. Our game will be the third in that trilogy, where Link has left Termina and continues (and completes) his quest to understand what happened to Navi.

With that in mind, our theme is ‘truth and resolution’ and our setting is The Endless Coast, an archipelago on the edge of the known world. Link, as a Hylian, has aged to his 17-year-old form naturally through time by now, not imprisoned in a crystal. He has had other adventures, but continues to hear rumors that Navi was alive. Whispers of the fairy continued to reach him over the years, and he followed those whispers to the end of the earth.

With its oceanic setting, this Zelda game also previews some elements that will later become prominent in Wind Waker. To travel between the islands of the archipelago, Link purchases a rowboat painted red with white trim. Instead of a hookshot or a grappling hook, now Link utilizes a ‘Dragon’s Whip’ (a long, red, elastic rope with multiple sharp spikes that extend once the rope is fully snapped) that he uses for both traversal and combat.

New Zelda game items and weapons

Link also retains a few items from his previous adventures, much like previous games. The Ocarina of Time returns with a new selection of powerful songs, and the Gilded Sword from Majora’s Mask (now called the Gilded Knife) is no longer a weapon, but a special item that unlocks certain secrets in Goron lands. Link also carries a new shield, the Star Shield, which contains a depiction of the Constellation of the Hero, from a previous adventure we do not see.

With all that in mind, we are ready to create our dungeon. For simplicity’s sake we will say this is the first dungeon players will encounter in the game’s story, and for that reason we will want to offer both a balance of action and puzzles, leaning more towards puzzles, so as not to make things too difficult for newcomers. There will be one mini-boss and one dungeon boss.

When considering which item and powers we should give the player early on, in conjunction with the story of the game outlined so far, a thematic possibility emerges. Link has been traveling the lands in search of Navi, following hints, rumors, and other kinds of gossip. What if the whole reason he came to The Endless Coast in the first place is to reach this dungeon, this shrine on the Island of the Gossip Stones?

A dungeon entirely based around the Gossip Stones, which appeared in both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask with little explanation of origin, and then continued to appear in future games, feels like too good of an opportunity to pass up. It also offers many possibilities for puzzles and a re-exploration of the dungeon, once Link has obtained the item that lets him interact with the stones properly. But which item?

Traditionally, Link has used the Mask of Truth to interact with the Gossip Stones. However, after his adventures in the land of Termina it’s easy to imagine Link as being adverse to using magical masks. In this Zelda game, there will be no masks. I would also like to avoid using the Lens of Truth, although our new item may retain some of the abilities of both of those.

Therefore, locked in the center of the Shrine of the Gossip Stones is the Stonecutter’s Pendant, which appears as a miniaturized crystal Gossip Stone brooch Link pins to his tunic. The Stonecutter’s Pendant both allows Link to interact with Gossip Stones and will flash to alert him when hidden items or secret areas are near. This allows us another subtle link to the world of Wind Waker, possibly giving greater context to the Pirate’s Charm, which was said to be an enhanced version of those Gossip Stones.

New Zelda game bosses and enemies

What mini-boss must guard such a treasure? Something Link can defeat with only his Dragon’s Whip and a tertiary item like Deku Nuts, surely. A traversal-focused boss, then, with an arena designed and laid out as to make it easy for Link to swing around from platform to platform. That indicates the boss should be quite large, perhaps a colossus, which Link can nimbly swing around and attack when it’s safe to do so. But what form should it take?

If we are not to use the Mask of Truth as an item at all, surely it must appear here. The Colossus of Truth, then, an animated giant guarding the last known method of communication with the ancient stones, its face matching the Mask of Truth nearly perfectly. What better foe for Link to face here?

Of course, there must also be a final boss, which upon defeating Link must gain the option to obtain a Heart Piece. But surely the Colossus is the largest force in the Shrine, yes? That means the final boss must be some sort of intruder, some sort of outsider, some sort of preview to the conflicts of this world or the main antagonist Link will face.

Who, apart from Link, has infiltrated this place of truth of knowledge? Someone with evil intent, someone who hopes to destroy the records of truth and knowledge stored there. Not the main villain, not out here on the edge of nowhere, but an acolyte of them. Someone they trusted with a small job in an abandoned shrine. Someone who doesn’t need a name right now.

But how does our Key Item, the Stonecutter’s Pendant, help us defeat this boss? By showing Link the truth of the situation, which the acolyte cannot see. The flashing pendant warns Link of environmental hazards, such as floors falling away or spike traps triggering, and Link must use that knowledge to bait the acolyte into the dangerous area. In this way, this first dungeon boss echoes the theme of the game, ‘truth and resolution’, with Link emerging victorious using the power of knowledge over ignorance.

What we have so far

Link enters the Shrine of the Gossip Stones and makes his way to the center, solving what puzzles he can understand but clearly noticing there are things he cannot interact with. He battles the Colossus of Truth and gains the Stonecutter’s Pendant, and using it he makes his way back out from the center in a much more spiraling pattern, solving puzzles and moving through previously unreachable areas. This brings him to the final room of the temple, the repository of knowledge, where a surprise acolyte of evil is encountered and defeated.

Thus ends the first dungeon in The Legend of Zelda: Pendant of Truth. Where will Link go next in his adventure, and why? Stay tuned to future issues of Ludology Now! to find out, because surely there will be another week where I really don’t have anything topical to say, probably sooner rather than later.

Happy Holidays, everyone. The Ludology Now! Best Games of 2025 Awards are next week.