Although they’re now seen as a relic of “Classic” Zelda, dungeons were once the defining characteristic of any Legend of Zelda game. While the 3D entries (specifically, Ocarina of Time) completely revolutionize the context of what elements a dungeon in a Zelda game includes, the foundation for these challenging and labyrinthine structures dates back to the original Legend of Zelda on NES. Beginning with the first game, each title features a series of challenging temples for Link to enter, collect items, and eventually fight a boss, representing the bulk of the gameplay outside his wanderings around Hyrule. Tears of the Kingdom thankfully brings back these locations after their absence from Breath of the Wild, but few of the newest Zelda dungeons capture the magic of their forebears.
The 2D Zelda titles are actually fewer in number than the 3D titles at this point, emphasizing how far the series has come in its almost 38 years of existence. That said, many of the mechanics that players associate with the Zelda series as a whole trace their origins back to these classic games, highlighting their importance and relevance in the series moving forward. To see what makes the best Zelda dungeons tick and earns them their place in the memories of fans, we’ll be taking a look at the 10 best dungeons for players to traverse in the 2D Legend of Zelda games.
10. Great Palace (The Adventure of Link)
Although it’s often seen as one of the lesser entries in the entire series, Zelda II isn’t entirely without merit. A strange experiment and not what players were expecting after the original, sure, but certainly not a bad game by any means. As a testament to this defense, all it takes is looking at some of the incredible dungeons that the game includes. Zelda II is a hard game, no bones about it. The Great Palace is arguably the hardest dungeon in an already challenging game, pushing players to their absolute limit as they near the completion of their adventure to save Princess Zelda I. Thanks to the ability to grind out enemy encounters and enter this dungeon at a high level, some of the more challenging parts can become trivial, but its clever puzzles, interesting layout, and music rank among the best that Zelda games have to offer.
9. Misery Mire (A Link to the Past)
By the time players enter The Dark World in A Link to the Past, they’re on their way to several of the series’ absolute best dungeons. Any one of the 8 temples in the Dark World can end up on a top 10 list depending on who you ask (and, as proof, this isn’t the only one from A Link to the Past that we’re including) but Misery Mire is a special location for several reasons. For one, players need to acquire the Ether magic before even being able to enter. The dungeon is full to the brim with challenging combat encounters, devious puzzles, and an excellent boss that ranks among the game’s best. The cinematic quality of the endless rain in the swamp stopping once Link gains entrance only serves to add to this iconic location’s legend.
8. Death Mountain (The Legend of Zelda)
It is virtually impossible to have a list of the best 2D Zelda dungeons without including the final dungeon from the original Legend of Zelda. By the time players make their way to the game’s final dungeon and Ganon’s lair inside Death Mountain, they have essentially obtained mastery of all the game’s systems. Even with that preparation, what lies within Death Mountain is one of the most labyrinthine and complex dungeon layouts in the entire series’ history. Quite an impressive feat considering that it appears in the original game in the franchise. The map of the entire dungeon resembles a skull, only adding to the intimidation factor, and the need to memorize and successfully complete several teleportation steps to actually arrive at the final boss adds an extreme challenge that few other Zelda games require.
7. Color Dungeon (Link’s Awakening)
Interestingly, the Color Dungeon is an addition that comes to players as part of the release of Link’s Awakening DX. This incredible location was not an inclusion in the original version of the title on Game Boy, and thankfully it makes a reappearance in the Nintendo Switch remake of the title from 2019. The great thing about this dungeon is the way that both the enemies and the puzzles within require the player to use color in unique and novel ways. The reward players get for completing the dungeon is worthwhile and represented by Link wearing a new, different colored tunic adds to the thematic relevance of this excellent location. Ultimately, the best part about the Color Dungeon is that it’s not too taxing on players and emphasizes one of the key aspects inherent in the Zelda series: fun.
6. Desert Palace (A Link Between Worlds)
It fits perfectly that A Link Between Worlds would be able to count multiple of its dungeons on this list thanks to it sharing several gameplay mechanics with A Link to the Past, arguably the best 2D Zelda title. Still, the Desert Palace is a special dungeon and quite honestly the best 2D sand dungeon among several. Thanks to the Sand Rod’s unique utility in this dungeon, Link can make quick work of the puzzles and use this incredibly helpful item to raise and lower platforms in the floor thanks to it being covered in sand. Beyond the unique implementation of its puzzles, though, the Desert Palace has incredible atmosphere and music as well as a fantastic final boss that makes use of the dungeon’s new key item.
5. Skull Woods (A Link to the Past)
The twisted Dark World version of Hyrule’s Lost Woods, the Skull Woods is one of the absolute best dungeons in the game that features some of the best 2D Zelda gameplay across the entire series. Players are technically supposed to tackle this as the third dungeon after entering the Dark World, but thanks to some clever routing, it’s posisble to have this dungeon be the fourth location players visit, instead tackling the Thieves Den first. As a result, players can enter the Skull Woods with an upgraded Master Sword, rendering many of the dungeon’s enemies toothless. Still, the great puzzles and separate entry points for Link to bounce back and forth to as he makes his way to the final boss help to give this dungeon a unique interior/exterior flow and its key item is an absolute essential against the boss.
4. Palace of Winds (The Minish Cap)
The Minish Cap is a tragically overlooked title in the series, mostly because it’s just so good and perfectly captures what fans love about classic 2D Zelda. In terms of dungeons, the game is also no slouch and provides players with one of the best in the entire series in the Palace of Winds. As the second-to-last dungeon in the game, the Palace of Winds is an adequate challenge that tests everything players have learned up until that point, requiring observation and reflexes in solving its puzzles and combat encounters, respectively. Notably, this is one of the few Zelda dungeons whose puzzles require traversal and platforming rather than manipulating objects or flipping switches. The Palace of Winds also has a unique mechanic in requiring players to memorize floor layouts and practice spatial awareness, thanks to some of its puzzle solutions requiring dropping to previously visited floors.
3. Eagle’s Tower (Link’s Awakening)
When simply getting to the dungeon is a challenge in and of itself, you know you’re in for something special. Such is the case with Link’s Awakening‘s Eagle’s Tower, easily the most challenging dungeon in the game. While the puzzles and combat aren’t too challenging individually, it’s traversing the actual dungeon that represents the lion’s share of the challenge. Making one false step can reset a large amount of progress, dropping Link back down to the tower’s entrance and requiring players to start all over. Once players have actually made it to the top, they have one of the most difficult bosses in any 2D Zelda game waiting for them. A fitting capstone to one of the best Zelda game’s ultimate challenges.
2. Lorule Castle (A Link Between Worlds)
The final dungeon of A Link Between Worlds takes all of the excellent mechanics that the game uses and throws them at you in one final, challenging location that puts Link’s skills and combat prowess to the test. Link needs to use every mechanic from past dungeons in solving several of Lorule Castle’s challenging puzzles, and the enemy encounters bring Link face-to-face with some of the more challenging regular enemies in the game. Aside from the excellent implementation of the Zelda series’ fundamentals, Lorule Castle is thematically brilliant and a perfect climactic ending to one of the best Zelda games and a worthy sequel to one of the best games ever made.
1. Ganon’s Tower (A Link to the Past)
In what will likely come as no surprise to any longtime Zelda fan, Ganon’s Tower from A Link to the Past earns the top spot on our list of the best 2D Zelda dungeons. This location houses everything that you typically want to see in a final dungeon. There are challenging puzzles that make Link put every single one of his key items to use. There are several stressful combat encounters, including needing to face off agains the evil wizard Agahnim once and for all. And the music. Ganon’s Tower features the full rendition of one of Link to the Past‘s best compositions in all its glory, highlighting the brilliance of the game’s score. This dungeon is the culmination of one of the best journeys in any game, and it stands tall as a perfect example of 2D dungeon design.