How Long Does It Take To Get To The First Dungeon in EVERY Zelda Game?

Sometimes #zelda games like to throw you right into the action and some Legend of Zelda games like to take their sweet time. In this video I time how long it takes to get to the first dungeon in every Zelda game. #breathofthewild

Music:
by Mikel

Produced by German beat-maker Mikel and mastered by Philadelphia based Dj Cutman

[JeyBerg]

Maybe a hot take but I love Twilight Princess’ intro. I could do without goat herding but I like everything else. Its sets up a good contrast between the mundane everyday life Link lives and when all of the sudden shit hits the fan.

[rneryverwatch]

This is the most "here's a video to watch between 1-4am" content that I think I've ever stumbled upon. That said, great work and great video.

[tylerc]

Honestly I like Twilight Princess' intro, the same way I like Red Dead Redemptions final act (the period after the showdown with Dutch and the final confrontation with the law). It's a mundane, mellow atmosphere that makes you feel like Link is finally resting and getting to live normally, only to be dragged back into the conflict dramatically. TP is actually my favorite Zelda game, it has a charm and aesthetic I can't get over.

[grimai]

I feel like most Zelda fans hate the DS titles for the exact reasons you mentioned (the microphone stuff, the stealth, the general gimmick-y stuff). But I've always loved both of them. I grew up playing them religiously on my DSi with my sibling, so I'm immune to their stupidity.

[TheBreadPirate]

It's crazy how fast your could get to the first dungeon in the original games!

[Dave-ogui]

I really thought MM was much closer to TP! You progress so much in MM until the first dungeon, can't believe that's still shorter than TPs tutorial

[Magloyr]

9:24 that transition made it look like after link saw his sister get taken away, he was just like “ENJOY YOUR TRAVELS!!”

[azer]

I decided to check speedrun times of the various glitchless speedruns for the 3D zeldas, to see how long it takes to enter a dungeon as fast as possible with high optimization (so cutscene skips included for example). This is what I got:
- OoT3D: 5:35
- OoT (N64): 6:00
- TWWHD (Forsaken Fortress 1): 17:18
- TWW (Forsaken Fortress 1): 21:42
- SSHD: 23:24*
- SS: 29:44*
- TPHD: 30:42
- TP (GC): 33:25
- MM (N64): 35:34
- MM3D: 36:54
- BotW (Vah Medoh): 38:18
- TWWHD (Dragon Roost Cavern): 38:43
- TWW (GC, Dragon Roost Cavern): 43:24

*Skyward Sword doesn't have a glitchless speedrun, but the No BiT category only contains one glitch before skyview and it saves one minute at most.

SS and TP take so long to get to the first dungeon solely because of cutscenes. If you can skip cutscenes, they're suddenly not as bad. TWW is the most hurt from unskippable cutscenes. These speedruns don't necessarely all try to enter their first dungeon as fast as possible though, since they may do some detours to make the overall route faster (I would guess MM and BotW could be faster in that regard).

[BooksDoneQuick]

I forgot just how long Wind Waker was because it all felt so natural and fun vs the other games with such long intros.

[Zeldahol]

Dang Essay. I knew it was Twilight Princess... Everyone did. Good stuff dude. Close to 5K subs!

[Cattsith]

I'd argue that in Link to the Past, the palace IS the first dungeon. It has a map, a major treasure, a boss, and a Big Key. The eastern palace is the second dungeon.

[mud]

I REALLY don't understand why people hate Twilight Princess' intro.
I always find it fun and it sets up the normal life that Link has to protect.

[zacharypopp]

This is a very cool idea for a video, and well executed. I definitely laughed hearing how much you had to do in Twilight Princess. The Breath of the Wild results are kind of fascinating.

[Jsolo]

I cant believe you did the TP intro TWICE… anyone who watches this should subscribe out of sympathy lmao

[amandaslough]

I'm curious how much TP would go down if you removed the center Ordon section with the kids. Orignally, the beginning was supposed to be talking with Rusl, getting the assignment to go to the castle, Link going to bed, and then the village gets attacked the next morning (I guess horseback training would still be there because you need the fence hopping drama to be there at the spring). The entire slingshot segment with the kids and such was entirely added becaue the game was delayed to become a Wii launch title and they wanted to make sure players could understand motion controls.

[JacobDragyn]

Great to see a video on this topic. What interested me most is how comparable the opening times for "Skyward Sword" "Twilight Princess" and "Breath of the Wild" are, as the first two introductions are generally reviled and the latter generally revered. Of course, that defines the opening as the time before reaching the first dungeon, which isn't always fair.

Personally, I like it when gameplay feels intertwined with progressing a story, so I don't necessarily mind when it takes a while to reach the first proper dungeon on an initial playthrough. Having said that, I feel that "Ocarina" has the best template for the series to follow. You can talk to NPC's, explore the Lost Woods, and follow the tutorials if you want to. But if you know what you're doing you can skip most of that, acquire the sword and shield and start the first dungeon within ten minutes. The flaw with "Twilight Princess'" introduction isn't that you can herd goats, it's that you must herd goats.

[fluffycritter]

I had a feeling it was Twilight Princess, and I had a feeling that the first dungeon would be where you're imprisoned in the sewers which are *literally* a dungeon, but you took the extra credit approach.

[arcanine_enjoyer]

19:20 Believe me, as a kid I struggled with this section of the game. Anything that really required control of Zelda was always so annoying but rewarding. This game is a gem that needs more love. Also, the Lokomos having names based on parts of a train was such a cool detail that I missed as a kid.

[Coreisus]

My favorite part of the series is seeing the changes and similarities of the topography between games.

Like how TP's water dungeon is OoT's Zora's Domain (but a few decades built-up before then being abandoned)

[thesuperthingymabob]

I genuinely never knew about those yellow rupees at the start of tp I just always picked up rocks until I could save enough lolll