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00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we are ranking the wonderful return of classic dungeons as
00:10seen in The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom.
00:13Obviously, spoilers fly ahead.
00:21But before we begin, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and
00:26ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:308.
00:31Southern Ruins
00:39After escaping from Hyrule at the start and meeting Link's neighbors, Zelda makes her
00:43way to the first dungeon, the Southern Ruins.
00:47This serves as your tutorial dungeon, and as such, doesn't have nearly as much personality
00:52in its design as all the rest.
00:54That doesn't mean it's a bad dungeon, it's just the least impressive.
00:58There are still some great intro Echoes to learn, like the Hardy Darknut and the Strantula,
01:05useful for climbing.
01:06There's also a mini boss fight against a Link Echo, which is a fun early challenge.
01:10The dungeon's main purpose, though, is to get you comfortable with the bind ability.
01:15There are some neat puzzles where Zelda must move objects on the other side of bars, as
01:19well as side-scrolling obstacle courses with enemies and objects blocking your path.
01:24Still, the dungeon and its boss, the Seismic Talus, aren't as memorable as everything
01:29that would come later.
01:307.
01:41Null's Body
01:48In terms of size and potential, the final dungeon is a bit of a letdown.
01:53Its aesthetic is great.
01:55Taking place inside the villain gives it a very fleshy appearance, and there are broken
02:00chunks of Hyrule littered around the rooms.
02:03However, it's much shorter than all the other dungeons.
02:06It's nice to see Zelda and Link fight alongside each other, and it's pretty fun making your
02:11way through with an extra companion.
02:13However, it's mostly combat with barely any puzzling.
02:17Helping Link traverse environments with Echoes could have been a wonderful twist on what
02:21we'd grown used to.
02:23But there's only one room of that, and Link's AI isn't even that good, before it's time
02:28to head to the boss.
02:29Null, while not very difficult, is a ton of fun.
02:33The fight uses Link as the main hitter with Zelda's Echoes and Bind ability to assist,
02:38and the villain summons Echoes of previous bosses to keep things fresh.
02:42All in all though, Null's Body just left us wanting a bit more.
02:45Number 6
02:55Jabul Ruins
03:03The water-themed dungeon of Echoes of Wisdom thankfully doesn't bring the headache of
03:07past installments.
03:08It mostly revolves around a central geyser mechanism that Zelda must use to reach the
03:13boss.
03:14In order for it to be at the proper level, you have to go through several individual
03:18trials with their own hurdles and puzzles.
03:21Because mostly everything is neatly divided, there isn't much room for exploration or
03:26sussing out what you're meant to do next.
03:28This makes the dungeon a fair bit easier and more quick-paced than most others.
03:33Don't get us wrong, each room is still quite fun to overcome.
03:37The section of moving platforms on a quick current, followed by a room of scattered switches,
03:42makes for a great 1-2 obstacle course.
03:45But something is lost when a dungeon is broken up so succinctly.
03:49Additionally, its underwater boss fight against Vokavor is one of the weaker in the game,
03:54as it severely limits your Echoes and doesn't have a very unique moveset.
04:06Number 5, Hyrule Castle
04:17At the midway point of Echoes of Wisdom, Zelda returns home to free the castle and her people
04:22from a massive void.
04:24Inside Hyrule Castle, it feels like danger lies around every corner.
04:27That's primarily thanks to the use of stealth sections where Zelda must sneak past Echoes
04:32of Guards.
04:34While stealth can be annoying in some action-adventure games, it isn't here.
04:39Because Zelda has so many options on how to tackle any situation, you've got a lot of
04:43variety to choose from.
04:44This dungeon doesn't offer many puzzles, which loses it a few points for balancing,
04:49but it does have some tense obstacles and enemies to challenge you, which of course
04:53leads to very useful Echoes like the Gustmaster and the Ball and Chain Trooper.
04:58The final boss is a great refresh on Ganon's classic appearances, and is the longest fight
05:04up to this point in the story, making it feel appropriately climactic.
05:16Number 4, Elden Temple
05:27If we were ranking dungeon themes, Elden Temple would come out on top.
05:32Those strings burrowed into my brain and stayed there for the rest of my playthrough, which
05:36certainly adds to its personality.
05:39The fire dungeon uses a lot of rising lava pools and hot spots across the floor that
05:44deal damage, which prioritize patience and can be a tad annoying when faced with enemies.
05:50But for puzzle solving and obstacle navigating, the rising and lowering lava gives each room
05:55a nice layer of tension.
05:57This is especially the case in the room where you earn the big key, and must make a harrowing
06:02climb as lava begins rising beneath you.
06:05In other traversal feats, there are several fun sections where Zelda has to use a flyable
06:10Echo with gusts of air to get through dangerous rooms.
06:13Elden Temple ends with the welcome return of Volvagia as the boss, which is one of the
06:19most fun fights in the game, and dare I say it, even better than his fight in Ocarina
06:24of Time.
06:32Number 3, Lanayru Temple
06:40When encountering an ice dungeon in The Legend of Zelda, better be prepared to slide all
06:45over the place.
06:47This is still true in Lanayru Temple, yet the dungeon manages to not be hindered by
06:52it through fantastic puzzles.
06:54Many of these revolve around using bind to move fire orbs to different spots, powering
06:59heated fans to thaw ice that's stopping your progression, or use icy gusts to cleverly
07:05freeze the orbs, and therefore other rooms.
07:08The final one of these is a long stretch of powering different fans across several rooms
07:13in order to get the boss room key, and there's a distinct feeling of satisfaction when it
07:18all comes together.
07:19The dungeon also has some pretty stellar climbing sections with icy traps, where Zelda must
07:24properly time her movement, or use something to block the damage.
07:28The boss, Scorch Hill, doesn't do much different from other element swapping bosses in the
07:33series, but is still undeniably fun.
07:42Number 2, Gerudo Sanctum
07:49Although it's one of the first dungeons you'll come across in Echoes of Wisdom,
07:53the Gerudo Sanctum is still one of its strongest.
07:56The atmosphere is well defined, and you can feel the importance of this ancient place
08:00to the Gerudo in every room.
08:03There are classic adventure traps to be found throughout, like quicksand, flame pillars,
08:09and conveyor belts leading to the abyss.
08:11There's a central puzzle that involves choosing two correct statues out of four to make it
08:16to the boss, tasking you with hunting each down.
08:19It also makes great use of the space outside the dungeon, being a part of the overall design
08:25rather than just the path leading up to it.
08:27Magriff, the dungeon's boss, was also enjoyable thanks to dodging his mighty wind attacks
08:32and using the statues you had hunted down as part of his pattern.
08:36The Gerudo Sanctum was a great puzzle box to piece together.
08:46Number 1 – Farron Temple
08:54The Farron Temple feels like an ancient, historic place, one that's been reclaimed by nature
08:59and is more complex than the other dungeons in the game, and therefore more treacherous.
09:05With multiple entrances and several rooms clouded in shadow, it is the peak of exploration
09:11that Echoes of Wisdom has to offer.
09:13Yes, its atmosphere is superb, along with its music, but it has more than that going
09:18for it.
09:19Puzzles are delightful brain teasers, whether they revolve around crystals you must electrify,
09:24sunken pathways with different flowing currents, weighted platforms, or switches that require
09:29being pressed together, necessitating proper timing.
09:32Since the dungeon is so big and features a wide variety of puzzles, it feels like a proper
09:38challenge and is all the more fulfilling to conquer.
09:41Both the mini-boss, Manhandla, and the actual boss, Goma, also add new layers to fights
09:47we've faced numerous times, and are just plain fun.
09:50Simply put, Farron Temple is Echoes of Wisdom at its best.
10:06Do you think the dungeons of Echoes of Wisdom were a return to form?
10:09Which was your favorite and least favorite?
10:11Share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to Mojo Plays for more great
10:15gaming videos every day.