Legend of Zelda - Dunkelschwamm

  


    Hyrule is once again under attack by the evil Ganon! Fight classic Legend of Zelda and Half-Life enemies and find crystals in dungeons to beat Ganon and save the land once again!

SCMapDB page

Authors: IceShaft

Date of release: 2004

Maps in package: 1

Map review of Legend of Zelda

(originally posted on SCMapDB)

by dunkelschwamm | May 3, 2026 | 2692 characters

    Legend of Zelda is a walkthrough map full of the jank gimmicks that I love to find in Sven Co-op. You spend most of the map with only a crowbar to defend yourself, so enemies like barnacles or vortigaunts wading in lava create devastating and frustrating hazards. Thankfully, the map keeps these interesting by making the major bulk of the map simple platforming puzzles and zombie-bludgeoning.

    The whole map has an incredibly jank appearance to it. Outdoor areas are full of big unconvincing geometry, the lighting is mostly very flat and bright, and the custom models are really wonky when the map deigns to use any.

    Where the map shines is in its ingenuity and variety of settings: you avoid crushers in the great Jabuu's belly, climb a mountain while dodging falling boulders, time platforming in a volcanic cave, memorize the directions in a lost woods maze, and assault Ganon's castle in one map. Each is executed very simply and, I would argue, effectively.

    I also think it's nice the way the map handles unlockables: finding chests in the wild gives the players HEV, ammo, or weapons. Back at spawn there's a little castle courtyard in the middle of the map where Zelda and Link hang out. More importantly, the unlocks appear at this courtyard when you find them. This is a great quality of life feature that feels ahead of its time for a 2004 map.

    Things take a turn for the tedious toward the end when we're fighting a baby garg, and then a garg, using only crossbows, grenades, and crowbars.

    It's worth mentioning we almost got blocked and couldn't find the way forward if I hadn't decided to attack a completely nonassuming stone wall with my sword. It's up to you whether you consider this part of the Zelda problem-solving charm.

    I would recommend this map despite its jank. There's puzzles, platforming, and combat and all done in such a jank and gimmicky way that it's very memorable.

Pros:

  • Lots of variety in setpieces and locales
  • The falling boulder in particular was hilarious to watch
  • The gimmicks to the melee gameplay have merit
  • Very memorable overall

Cons:

  • Really amateurish brushwork and textures and visuals overall
  • The melee-only combat falls apart often- an earlier crossbow unlock would have been welcomed
  • The garg fights are boring and tedious
  • Often the path forward is very unintuitive to the point that it feels like dumb luck that we got through some of it
  • This map features a maze
  • The barnacles are a terrible nuissance

Score: 6.3 / 10

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