Catfish's Maw & Item Integration - Dungeon Design in Zelda (LANS/DX)

[@s.clohossey4240]

The Ghost in the original GB version does give you hints, the same ones as the remake but, if I'm remembering correctly, only if you try to enter Catfish's Maw with him following you. Then after his house he tells you about his grave.

[@CaptBurgerson]

Ah, I was not able to get the "take me to the house" dialogue to trigger AT ALL, but the grave one did. But I did remember that I couldn't do the dungeon with the ghost in tow, so I didn't even try entering Catfish's Maw. Thanks for clarifying that

[@s.clohossey4240]

@@CaptBurgerson Yeah, still on a first play through it leaves it a bit too cryptic.

[@hist150project5]

@@CaptBurgerson I was looking at Chuggaaconroy's Link's Awakening Let's Play, and the ghost gives him the hint after he exits Crazy Tracy's shop. This is in Episode 13.

[@CaptBurgerson]

I did actually visit Tracy’s shop with the ghost in tow. No dialogue for some reason, until reaching the house of course. Here is my raw footage for reference: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJzEfqyan9-naacsi=Pb5QUrr-KCGN9Iz4 I believe y’all that there is a way to get that line to trigger, I just am not sure what it is- for whatever reason it didn’t for me despite parading this poor ghost around for a while lol

[@eeveestar6826]

The house dialogue isn't triggered by trying to go to Catfish's Maw, it triggered while I was near Angler's Tunnel where I met the ghost.

[@ojhat]

Catfish's Maw is incredibly amazing in a multitude of ways symbolically. In definition, The maw of a fish is right where prey will find themselves before being swallowed; or alternatively, right where you would desire to hook a fish such that it cannot escape once grappled. I like to think the choice of putting the hookshot as the dungeon item was intentional, as it literally acts as a hook to draw things in towards the user, able to strike down the enemies forcibly dragged into melee reach. And well, that's exactly the goal with the boss, Slime Eel. But the Catfish's Maw is symbolic in other ways. In the dungeon, the music and level design really pushes the atmosphere that danger is possible to be around every corner, and making missteps could lead to being ambushed. With all the blade traps right next to screen transitions, it can be easy ti get caught up and thrashed by them, clinking together rapidly as they are the fast-moving variety. The underlying bass in the music of course has a rather obvious Jaws theme motif going on adding to that watery thrill of being pursued, even though there's not alot of water here in these sandy corridors. There's never really any stability or moment of calmness in the music, and the small sounds jump out with unexpectancy Furthermore, the Miniboss, Master Skull (or The Stalfos Knight as I prefer to refer to) is able to essentially ambush you the first time you meet him. He aims to take you out, having already taken the dungeon item, and stop you prematurely before you even get to the boss. Yet, he finds Link to be too difficult, and rather than fight to the death, he flees, knowing he at least has the dungeon item. Perhaps with enough traps and dangers Link might take damage from going after him, his taunting Link that he has the item will lead to Link being hurt and weak enough to take out. Essentially, drawing Link into the "maw" of his plan to take him out. But Link isn't weakened, and Link is strong. The Stalfos Knight starts getting panicked, and takes fewer hits before deciding to flee in their next encounters. The cat-and-mouse chase gets turned around. Now, Link is the one pursuing his prey, and seeks to bring The Stalfos Knight down for good, teeth bared as the prey became the predator. Lastly, once more, "The Catfish's Maw" is great symbolism of the storytelling of Link's Awakening. Story-wise, Link is given the forced opportunity to help out another denizen of the island, thr bay house ghost, and also optional opportunities to further interact with more denizens. All is well; Link is becoming a part of this wonderful island and familiar to the residents that live here, getting to know them and even develop some good friendships... ...but unknown to Link, like the name of the dungeon, he is on a path to being captured by the insescapable truth about the island. This is strengthened by the dialogue made by the dungeon boss, hinting at how Link is completely unaware of what he is walking right into that he can no longer escape, having become attached to Marin and the other island inhabitants. And of course, the jaws of the fish of truth snap shut at the following location Link goes to next; The southern shrine. I just think this dungeon and the next are really the highlight of Link's Awakening. Everyone typically knows the smybolism of the Face Shrine, but I love all the hidden detail in Catfish's Maw that sets it apart from the drippy watery floors of the Angler's Tunnel, despite the expectation to be going into 2 water dungeons back to back due to dungeon 5 being in a lake.

[@thomaszeh2577]

Great analysis! I agree yet did not think about the symbolism of the Catfish’s Maw and hook shot before, yet I always considered the lead up to the Yarna desert (Marin), Catfish’s Maw, Southern and Face Shrine to be the most important portions or the moments with the most weight (besides the ending). Please explain what you mean by the symbolism of the Face Shrine, I would like to know what you think about this, since I am a Link‘s Awakening fan since 1993.

[@Brockbuiltmore]

every time i play through a Zelda game, i always see the 3 extremes of players in the community: those that want to find things out for themselves with little to no handholding (like Breath of the wild/tears of the kingdom) and those that dont mind being told where to go and being handheld throughout the game along a linear path (like ocarina of time, twilight princess) and those that like being led along through the story but given freedom to explore for themselves (like wind waker). we just live in a community nowadays where theres no way to make everyone happy. for every water temple theres a stone tower temple. for every MM remake boss theres a Koloktos. thats simply how it is with a 38 year old franchise with almost 20 games in its arsenal. in my mind, its such a weird experience playing zelda games back to back. like its weird to go from twilight princess to tears of the kingdom. its weird to go from ocarina of time to links awakening. its weird going from majoras mask to wind waker. at the same time, every game and every release to continues to prove this franchises staying power.

[@Milestheotherguy]

I honestly think you deserve WAY more subscribers than you actually have.I am always excited to see your video in my recommended!

[@CaptBurgerson]

Thank you so much!!

[@lordnaarghul]

You know, listening to this, I never picked up on how similar the radio signal in the Ruins of Alph in Pokémon GSC is to the musical theme of the game boy version of this dungeon. That being said, this is my favorite dungeon in this game and it's all because of Master Stalfos.

[@bransrubar]

I agreed with you at first about the "square water" in the remake but then I had a thought. The unnatural shape of the puddles might be another sign that the island is a dream. Things like that can happen in dreams

[@CaptBurgerson]

That’s fair. I’m okay with them leaning into surrealism tbh, I’d say it’s even a good thing haha

[@PetiteKero]

As I already wrote in your announcment, I just wanted to mention that I always thought the entry to Catfish's Maw together with the stone circle around it is a nice hint to the catfish in A Link to the Past: the derpy face and also the stone circle. The remake makes it look kinda aggressive. :D Since Link processes everything happened before like the Ganon and Agahnim fight (later in the Windfish Egg), I think it's plausible that this deliberate. Kinda interesting that you're mentioning the odd square shape of the water tiles in the remake - which I agree on. That's what I was thinking when I saw the Minecraft water blocks in Echoes of Wisdom. :D

[@ojhat]

I like to headcanon that alot of what exists in Link's Awakening is the result of Link's past adventures resurfacing as dreamt moments, locations, and nightmares of the monstrosities he faced before going sailing. I like to imagine that the reason Master Skull/Stalfos Knight is here is because he gave Link a horrible time in the Ice Palace, and this is both his nightmare returned but also his way of getting back at his own past fears.

[@wolfsong4720]

This is genuinely my favorite dungeon so far. It felt like every room had something new for me to do, which was great fun!

[@thecjgameworld4013]

I actually looked at that ghost for a bit & it gave me the info I needed on the 1st screen I saw him on. A house on the bay, with me already passing by said house cloaked in darkness, slowly falling apart, and detailed as a house on the bay. Though by that point I was already in the know about who he was and what to do but putting the 2 hints about the house's name and what he says together gave me an immediate solution. Though he did say that there was something back at his place but I couldn't figure out what he meant

[@tossingturnips]

The video didn't start playing once it premiered for me. Luckily, I was able to clue in by looking at the chat and refresh my browser, so I didn't end up missing too much.

[@nicholaskling2425]

In my experience fighting the boss, the little random hesitations in the tail movement is what caught me a lot. I kept jumping trying to time it and landing on the tail when it stopped moving instead

[@jj48]

There's an article by Jason M. Yu analyzing the dungeon themes in this game, and he points out that the Catfish' Maw theme still incorporates elements of the Cave theme, though it's getting less and less obvious. It's a fascinating read, and I think it helped all the dungeon themes have a common feel to them, while remaining distinct (particularly important in the original version, which couldn't differentiate the dungeons with colors).

[@dudujencarelli]

14:35 - I'm pretty sure the Gohma green color in the GBC version was a result of color and programming limitations, since that version was based off of even more limited monochrome palettes from the 1993 original. Worth noticing that the use of colors in the Oracle games is a lot more distinctive and expressive. Link's Awakening DX was much more limited in what it could do, being directly based from the original's source code.

[@thomaszeh2577]

This is my most favorite dungeon of all times. I absolutely love the amount of thinking one needs to find the proper ways through it. Including the underground passageways: They are delightful and add to the complexity wonderfully. The entire dungeon is SO distinct in every way possible that I wholeheartedly disagree with the thought that we hear in the video above that it would feel disconnected. That’s to me an impossible thought since the look, the gameplay elements, enemies, music etc. make it incredibly distinct from every other dungeon in the entire game. I respect that one can think otherwise, I just write about my perception and find it important to be careful with wording an opinion as „a fact“ - that’s an issue that I see with some of this video series‘ wordings within the videos.

[@averyak4015]

the best way to kill slime eel is to hide in a corner (avoiding the tail entirely) and waiting until his head pokes out of the corner opposite to you to grab him. also, i noticed that you walk around his head to hit him in DX, but i'm pretty sure you don't need to do that. collision in the gb/gbc games is wonky and you can just start swinging once you pull him out. anyway, great vid! this dungeon was always my favorite because i love the enemy design of these guys so much. this is my favorite zelda game so i'm really enjoying the series!

[@JessyBunnyyy]

that tunic music fading in gave me fucking whiplash, it really is the best game ever made.

[@CaptBurgerson]

Tunic is an absolute masterpiece through and through

[@elsiebartlett6808]

Another great video Capt.

[@Luigi-jr1ji]

This dungeon is honestly my favorite in the game, at least in the DX Version. The Midboss, the only Midboss in the dungeon that matters, is such a fun concept that I wish they'd do at least one more time, the puzzles are also really great and it's unfortunate that they don't use them in other games or in 3D, the music and atmosphere is great, the dungeon boss is great, the only real thing I hate is that the other midboss, Ghoma, can entirely be skipped thanks to a push block in the area with the boss door. There are unfortunately a few gripes I have about the Remake, which is why I specify that the DX Version is my favorite. Because they remade this game in a semi-3D scale, you can very easily cheese the dungeon at points with the hookshot, not requiring one to two keys to get to the boss door, and the dungeon boss uses the "Fake-Out" attack way too often, at least every time I've played the game. If you ignore the cheese factor, I still think the dungeon in the remake is great, still can skip the Ghoma fight, but still great nonetheless.

[@Scholar57.0]

Through the entire dungeon, the music made me feel like things were getting more and more serious the further Link goes in. And, in truth, they do. Not just in terms of the dungeon's dangers, but also in what Link, himself, is unknowingly doing in his quest to wake the Wind Fish. For the first half of the game, our adventure seemed straightforward and innocent. But now, in the second half, the veil begins to part and the horrible truth starts to let itself be known. In addition to being a fairly challenging boss, the Slime Eel, was actually a bit more brash than all the other bosses. Even as he's dying, he openly mocks Link for his obliviousness to the island's true nature. Also, I find the title "Catfish's Maw" to be an interesting yet fitting name for this dungeon. Think about it: you have to travel into what is presumed to be a catfish to find something in order to wake up another fish. That puts a spin on the phrase, "belly of the beast." As for the passages, I think it makes sense for them to be split up, considering that the dungeon, being located in a bay, is essentially an underwater cavern. Still, I don't want to imagine what the dungeon's architects had to go through in designing and building that place. Then again, I'm not sure whether Koholint Island ever had any architects. . . . 😉

[@SteveMorris-c2r]

I honestly feel that the lay out being intentionally obtuse and confusing is part of the dungeons charm. The ghost quest acts as a sort of intermission between act one and act two of the game. Catfishes Maw signifies the start of act 2. When you compare dungeon 4 and 5 the anglers tunnel feels wide open and spacious. The catfishes maw is cluttered and claustrophobic. The lay out, the enemies, the music, the fact that you get catfished by master stalfos. The hunt for master stalfos, the ghomas and the slime eel are all designed to raise the tension. The dungeon was designed to be confusing because getting lost adds to that tension. The question though is why the tension? Because the game is working towards its narrative climax. The catfishes Maw is designed to show the player that the nightmare is a threat. Both Master stalfos and the slime eel are a huge threat because they are strong and intelligent creatures. Up until this point the dungeons have been fairly easy and their bosses either mindless monsters or babbling idiots. The angler fish, the ghost intermission and even the fact that Dungeon 5 is not guarded by a key or anything really is all designed to lull you into a false sense of security. If you could sum up the Catfishes Maw in one word its deception. It lies to you and it gets you to lie to yourself. The dungeon catfishes you by getting you to make assumptions about it before you enter and catfishes you by being deceptive when you do enter. It is a dungeon in the water and named after a fish. Your first thought is water dungeon right? Yet out side of one under water section and entering the dungeon you don't need the flippers at all. There is actually very little water in the dungeon at all. Your lied to about where the dungeon item is. Master stalfos tries to trick you by playing dead. Even slime eel tries to trick you with decoys and then gets you to second guess your motives for clearing dungeons. The catfishes maw acts as a microcosm for the whole island. The ironic thing is nestled deep with in the catfishes maw lie the ugly truth. That the whole island is little more than a lie.

[@ojhat]

I love how you expressed even more ways this dungeon's name so expertly is represented by the "catfish" part, like my main comment I wrote here about the "maw" part. Both parts of the name really play off each other in so many layers it's an unbelievable mastery of game design and symbolism in naming.

[@craziscoth]

Another great video. Keep em coming

[@RickRaptor105]

Every blind playthrough I have watched always gets lost in this dungeon for a while. Even though there's only two rooms between Stalfos 1 and 2, those two rooms contain a staircase and a four-way crossroad, so players are likely to sway from what would be the shortest direct path. By the time they've fought Stalfos 3, they've also often forgotten that the isolated Stalfos 4 room is only reachable through the staircase near the entrance to the dungeon. And by the time they've gone back and finally obtained the hookshot, they've forgotten the path to the boss key (the diving spot is not marked with a staircase icon on the map, so players will count that there's only 7 instead of 8 staircases and get confused). As a fan of navigation dungeons, I don't mind it, but watching Let's Plays it's interesting to see how good (or bad) other people do with these. The disconnected stairways that you mentioned seem to be the main hurdle. One guy even said Eagle's Tower wasn't as difficult as he was led to believe because the verticality of the rooms and staircases in that one made more sense to him than the other dungeons.

[@CaptBurgerson]

Honestly that’s part of why Eagle’s Tower maybe doesn’t trip me up as much as well. The disjointed nature of those passageways is definitely a hurdle. I think people overlook those map pins in the remake though. Having a way to track how those connections are made is an enormous benefit

[@Snarwin]

There actually is a reference to the cave music, in the melody line that plays just after 3:26.

[@zeaferjones1404]

I like the side quests before this dungeon because you aren't forced to do a bunch of stuff before the dungeon. This dungeon reminds me a lot of Key Cavern. The underground passages aren't bad in this dungeon. However they get pretty confusing in the next dungeon and Turtle Rock.

[@Dragynn999]

When I was a kid, I used the ocarina's second song every now and then to flee from midboss battles when they got risky, I accidentally played Marin's song for the Ghoma Twins and they stopped moving to open their eyes and shoot at me. Figured this was but another way to get them to open their eyes consistently.

[@CaptBurgerson]

I'll have to test that out next time I play (aka tomorrow lol) Though playing Ballad of the Wind Fish does kill Pol's Voice in this game as well

[@Dragynn999]

@@CaptBurgerson yep, back then I never have played the OG legend of Zelda, therefore I wouldn't have known. If I remember correctly, Oracle of Seasons had one npc that would tell the player about little things like that. Since I played OOS before the GBA port of the first game I actually made use of that information before the old men in that game could tell me about that method to get rid of Pol's Voice. It is completely backwards but at least I got the information when it was actually coming in handy.

[@ClawedNyasu]

As someone who played the GB version obsessively as a kid, I’m certain that the ghost asks to be taken to his house! (Note that I haven’t played DX but it’d be really weird if it was removed…?)

[@CaptBurgerson]

I couldn’t get it to trigger for the life of me, but another comment pointed out that it only does IF you attempt to enter the dungeon. Since I remembered that I couldn’t do the dungeon before helping the ghost, I just didn’t try entering it at all. So that’s probably why

[@thomaszeh2577]

@CaptBurgerson Catfish‘s Maw is when Link and the player are at the deepest point of this mysterious world, both figuratively and literally. You literally have to dive to get in, and the dungeon is a fish, Link has to be getting swallowed whole and to survive the belly of the beast. Plus, the main mini boss pulls you further into the belly, he has a real feud with Link, pulling him deeper into the beast - a first in the game and fittingly, he guards the hook shot. The music is also special, the tense atmosphere adds to being totally hooked, absorbed by the adventure and is giving an unsettling vibe, hinting at that a grave danger is around the corner, yet not yet seen, until Catfish’s Maw boss the Slime Eel destroys the walls and ground and - while dying - speaks to Link - the first time that a boss speaks while dying and the first time that a boss hints at Link that his quest, this island, are not what Link believes… The unsettling feeling continues and no player could ever drop the game after this boss fight: This whole dungeon is already the (subconscious) beginning of the turning point that continues in the next two shrines - this turning point started in Catfish‘s Maw, right when Link was at the deepest point of this world, a unsettling change is underway… I hope you appreciate these thoughts.

[@godzillahomer]

Slime Eel does have one major weakness that can make it about as easy as the Angler boss. Heck, I had more trouble with the Angler than the Slime Eel. That weakness is that the tail can't hit you if you're in a corner. Chill in the bottom left corner and wait for a chance to Hookshot the upper left opening. I did it this way and beat the Slime Eel in 2 cycles, but I did have the Red Tunic for x2 attack. I didn't have the other attack boost yet. Only way I can think of for the Slime Eel to hurt you when you do this is if you pull out one of the decoy eels. danielllb on the comments for the Zelda Dungeon guide for Catfish's Maw is where I got this strategy from.

[@SamJulesGillians]

This is my second favorite dungeon in this game, pretty sure you know what my favorite would be

[@XX-sp3tt]

Next dungeon. THE twist. Also, notice how the dungeon is shaped like Link's head?

[@BillyTBum]

Having watched through these, I'm noticing that a very common point of criticism is aimed at the underground passageways connecting different parts of the dungeons. While I am 100% certain that your assumption about them existing solely to help the devs adhere to the themes layouts is correct, I don't really think that's the whole story. They do end up complicating dungeon navigation by existing, but I sort of feel that's part of the point. I think back to the final dungeon(s) of the original game and the many, many underground paths and wonder how much simpler they would have been without those paths. There's really only so much navigational complexity that can exist with a flat grid, and Link's Awakening does a lot with what it has to work with. Having multiple paths through each room (noting that the original game was limited to room transitions only at the four cardinal directions) is a good start, but I may be in the minority for also appreciating the extra layer of complication added by what are essentially warp points. The other, and probably more important aspect of these passageways is that they act as a way to change up the pace of the action by switching to a pseudo side-scroller mode... at least in theory. In practice, Link's Awakening doesn't really do much with them, and I consider it a huge missed opportunity. The Oracle games at least did a much better job of making these segments a little more substantial, which I feel was to their benefit.

[@StuartSimon]

Item integration in the backdrop of another double-traversed dungeon (like the Ice Palace) and better execution as a result?

[@CaptBurgerson]

Good item integration can really elevate the dungeon experience

[@nfenestrate]

Was not expecting to see Goombas here 🤔

[@SiliconSlyWolf]

I don't know if I missed it before somehow, or if this is the first you've used Tunic music in the background, but now I have to go listen to that sound track again

[@CaptBurgerson]

I include the Tunic OST into so many of my videos hahaha

[@hist150project5]

The lyrics to the dungeon music: I'm inside a fish I'm inside a fish I'm inside a fish repeat

[@Shade1453]

@@hist150project5 I am NEVER going to unhear this. I hope you're proud of yourself.

[@benvictim]

Can't wait till you get to jabu jabu in oracle of ages

[@CaptBurgerson]

I love that dungeon

[@SquidInkPizza]

Personally, I wasn't too fond of Catfish's Maw. I love a good exploration focused dungeon, but I found this one a bit too confusing with the stalfos boss being really freaking annoying.

[@Castle4473]

Are you preparing for the hauntingly good dungeon theme of the Face Shrine?

[@CaptBurgerson]

Nothing can prepare anybody for how good that theme is

[@OmegaFox09]

To this day I still don’t know what the dungeon shape is supposed to be lol.

[@CaptBurgerson]

I think it’s a catfish’s face, from the side, and mouth open. I THINK

[@eeveestar6826]

I played Link's Awakening DX on Nintendo Switch Online and that ghost wouldn't shut up. It started talking a few screen after Angler's Tunnel. I never went anywhere near Catfish's Maw yet. It was the kind of annoying text box that you have to mash A to get rid of. The remake looks less intrusive.

[@CaptBurgerson]

So strange, I couldn't get it to talk at all! I wonder what made the difference 🤔

[@zfreak1234]

May I ask where the OST at 0:36 is from? Thanks :)

[@CaptBurgerson]

Of course. That is the "Piklopedia" music from Pikmin 2 kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3u0f3-mr699eqMsi=jry5Kx6p47_bprVB

[@zfreak1234]

@@CaptBurgerson Oh, I was actually expecting to be from a spin off Pokémon game or anything of that sorts :') But that also explains why I didn't know it xD: I yet have to start the quadrilogy haha. Thanks for letting me know! And now that I finished it: Great video as always :) Am always looking forward to learn new things about the dungeons and hear other people's experiences of them^^ Have a nice weekend Capt✌🏼

[@SquidInkPizza]

Quick question: what are your thoughts on A Link Between Worlds? I just played throught it recently, and I was curious how you felt about it with ALttP being a favorite of yours, since ALBW is super easy in comparison.

[@CaptBurgerson]

Overall I think ALBW is fantastic. In some ways the dungeons suffer from the difficulty curve being too flat / plateauing due to the nature of the lack-of-dungeon-order, but otherwise it's a brilliant Zelda game. (and that lack of difficulty doesn't make them any less fun usually lol) We'll get to examining its dungeons eventually too lol

[@SquidInkPizza]

@@CaptBurgerson I have to agree fully here. While it's absurdly easy, I don't think it's a drawback like it was in MM3D. The game feels like a perfect balance of nostalgia for people who actually played ALttP as a kid, as well as being easy enough to pick up and understand for newcomers.

[@vincentwerts4724]

Just curious. Did you play the two versions back to back or side by side?

[@CaptBurgerson]

I play one version up to a certain point (end of dungeon) then switch to the other version, play up to the same point, switch back, etc

[@vincentwerts4724]

@@CaptBurgerson I'd likely do the same.

[@jaredwalley5692]

I couldn't grasp the layout of this on emulator. This is where I had stopped, until very recently.

[@CaptBurgerson]

Those map pins really make a huge difference with that

[@jaredwalley5692]

@@CaptBurgerson same with Turtle Rock.

[@zeaferjones1404]

@@jaredwalley5692 That is why I didn't struggle with Key Cavern and actually found Eagles Tower pretty fun. However in hindsight I think 1 floor dungeons would be too easy without the underground passages. The next dungeon and Turtle Rock I struggle with. However Catfish Maw didn't bother me too much.

[@zeaferjones1404]

@@jaredwalley5692 I don't think a dungeon map should be a strategy guide. It shouldn't have every piece of info on there.

[@jaredwalley5692]

@@zeaferjones1404 see, I know my spatial reasoning is a bit crap, so it definitely helps. Makes things feel like a manageable puzzle.

[@Gabeora]

Hype

[@hist150project5]

0:35 Did you just use the Pikmin 2 Piklopedia music?

[@CaptBurgerson]

Hell yeah

[@hist150project5]

@@CaptBurgerson Pikmin 2 is one of the best games of all time

[@clarkside4493]

I'm still mad the Hook Shot wasn't in both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

[@lcding8349]

why should it be lmao

[@clarkside4493]

@@lcding8349 because it's a classic item that's a lot of fun to use.

[@joserosa5259]

​@@clarkside4493 Open world Zelda was about to do New things and playing with new toys. I am happy with both ways. Hookshot or not.

[@clarkside4493]

@@joserosa5259 I'm just saying, I like when my toys don't break and I like playing with my favorites.

[@tonywalters7298]

It seems LA has a shortage of multi level dungeons

[@SquidInkPizza]

Eagle Tower will make up for that, partially. It's got 4 floors, if memory serves.

[@CaptBurgerson]

Indeed. It's only Key Cavern and Eagle's Tower that have multiple floors

[@ojhat]

One particular reason is that it was a bit complex to try and show multi-floor dungeon layouts on the GB menu screen. If i recall correctly, it only showed the floor you were on, and so it was difficult to navigate too many floors (Eagle's Tower still does it and it's remarkable, but still confusing just from the map)

[@CaptBurgerson]

This was something of a fault of LA more than the GB. The oracle games handled it fine by having a dedicated map screen- something LA should have done tbh

[@ojhat]

@@CaptBurgerson true, i should have clarified it as "the LA menu screen on the GB" as yes, they absolutely could have created ways to show dungeon layout more efficiently

[@eeveestar6826]

Me, about to enter: I wonder what the gimmick of this dungeon is going to be. The dungeon gimmick: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3WvdHV3gMxlqLssi=rrPvICoyGfczdCW4

[@N12015]

1/10 They removed the bowsers busts.

[@Cainb23]

ok the connecting stairs thing was fine just as a little mention and nitpick but bro has been talking about it for like 5 mins now and is legitimately docking point for it lmao something that has nothing to do with gameplay. that it is so dumb its unreal... but thats just me

[@CaptBurgerson]

The video is about level design, you know that right? How rooms connect to each other has everything to do with the subject matter. Level design and gameplay are also intrinsically connected. It's all relevant