The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy_ I Link Therefore I Am - Luke Cuddy [73]
We’ve seen how objects, characters and items are organized inside a screen. Let’s go to the level. Now the bricks for building space aren’t objects, characters, items, but each unitary screen built previously with objects, characters and items. How are these screens organized?
The Level
Like parts of a puzzle, some screens fit with others. There are two ways of fitting: in the underworld, the door, and in the overworld, the path (in some cases, the dock and the stairs). So we have four-way screens (four doors, one at each side; or three paths at south, east, and west, and a dock to the north …). And we have three-way screens, or two-way screens. But we need at least one way, because a screen with no ways at all—well, how can we enter it? It’s sort of like thinking about a square puzzle piece: it won’t fit with the other pieces and it can’t be part of the puzzle.
We are talking about puzzles, and not by chance. In fact, in Zelda all the screens in a level form a layout: an eagle (first level) or a skull (ninth level). We don’t realize it when we are exploring the dungeons—we are busy avoiding enemies and trying to get the next door. But if we manage to obtain a map (or we draw it patiently on some paper as we move from one screen to the next), we’ll notice that underworld levels take on the shapes of wizard hats, spirals, helixes, snakes, or letters.
In order to be connected, two screens must share at least one access (if Link goes out of a room through a door on the left, he will come in the next room through a door on the right of the screen). This rule seems obvious. A four-ways screen can be connected with four screens. A three-ways screen, with other three … A lot of different levels can be built by combining four-ways, three-ways, two-ways, and single-way screens using this simple rule.
The second rule says that enemies we have killed or items we have picked up in a screen never appear again in that screen. It seems like a rule for constructing a screen, but in fact it’s a rule for constructing a level since it’s a restriction regarding the things we find when we return to a screen previously visited. And every rule concerning links between screens also concerns level building (going from one screen to another). This rule achieves some sort of permanence in space.
According to the third rule, a level is completed only when a boss is defeated. In the dungeons of Zelda are hidden Aquamentus (first level), Manhandla (third level), Gohma (sixth level), or Ganon himself (ninth, last level). Each boss has different movements and attacks patterns. Unlike tektikes, oktoroks, ghinis, zolas, and leevers, the bosses are unique. By defeating a level boss we get a Triforce fragment. When we join all the Triforce fragments the game ends. So, when we get a fragment from a boss, we have nothing else to do in that level. We have passed the dungeon. That space is no longer a challenge; now it is conquered. This rule allows us to feel a sense of achievement.
By applying only a handful of rules, levels of many variations can be constructed.
Because of these rules the space in The Legend of Zelda is coherent, and we can act with consistency in this space, foreseeing the consequences of our actions.46
This representation was produced by Daniel Engel (The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, 1986).
The Map of Hyrule
How are the levels themselves organized? One behind the other. First level, then second level, then third level. We can’t reach a level if we haven’t completed the previous levels. It’s that simple. The nine levels are underworld dungeons. We need to return to the overworld when we complete a dungeon. So, in total, there are ten levels: the overworld is the main level and the nine dungeons are levels linked one-to-one