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Helios on 27 July 2011
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Mr Khan said:
Helios said:
Just about at the end of Twilight Princess. I've been thinking more about the conceptual themes associated with each dungeon. The Arbiter's Grounds, for example, could be summed up as 'unearthing what is hidden.' The theme is applicable, on some level, to just about everything which happens in that temple; design, puzzle and story. The Temple of Time, on the other hand, communicates thoughts of balance, symmetry and a sense of recursion - perfectly in line with what we have been told about the way the goddesses judge merit, yes?

What then of the others? I like to categorize things based on themes or attributes

I would say the Forest Temple is about Link's relation to nature. The dungeon centers around elements which can be hostile and/or impeding (apes, wind) before being made useful.

The Goron Mines are a test, as Cor Goron says. They are literally about mastering oneself and one's (inanimate) environment. Fire is an old symbol of that kind of tribulation, of course.

The Lakebed Temple is mechanistic, even more so than the Goron Mines. There is very little you can do without its water-powered machinery. In a sense it is about control, but it is about being at the mercy of an alien force/construct. Also, water tends to be considered a passive element, but here it's power is truly made evident.

The Snowpeak Ruins are about relationships and trust in others. The "warmth" of the Yeti's friendship/love is contrasted with the "cold" hostility of the ruined mansion.

The City in the Sky is, I think, above all subversive of expectations. The contrast of the farcical Oocca - based on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_World_(M._C._Escher) - the dilapidated state of their city, and the archetypal high-fantasy symbol, the dragon (technically a wyvern), is not coincidental, I think.

The Twilight Palace is relates the respective qualities of light and darkness, and illustrates that shadow is not diametrically opposed to either of them.

Hyrule Castle, as a dungeon, is a symbol of death and decadence. The melancholia of the place relates the game's overall theme of regret (the ghosts, King Bullblin).

tolu619: That's nice. I might post there later.