Top 7 Horror Moments in the Legend of Zelda Series
In the most recent entry of The Legend Of Zelda series, Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo gets weird. But more importantly, they embrace the horror element prevalent in most entries to the series. Instead, they just elevate it to a new level.
So it got me thinking of some of the more horrific moments in the series. While some of them might not be scary by today’s standards, as someone experiencing the moments for the first time, there was something so deeply frightening about them that I still think about them to this day.
ReDeads
Seen In: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Wind Waker
The scream that haunts every Nintendo 64 player’s dreams. While first encountered in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, these enemies are a staple throughout some of the series. In the Nintendo 64 outings, they appear as undead creatures wearing haunting brown masks. They make their presence known by letting out this low guttural moan. What makes these enemies so terrifying is not only do they have a genuinely creepy design, but if you cross their gaze, Link becomes temporarily paralyzed, opening himself to have precious hearts drained by them. Like most enemies in the series, they get redesigned every iteration. So when Wind Waker was released, we got to see their new appearance. With some added features, like as they get close to Link, their eyes will start to glow this deep red, and the deep maw they present when they scream is something I won’t easily forget.
The Shadow Temple
Seen In: Ocarina of Time
This whole temple just has a creepy vibe to it. It is the temple of death, set in a graveyard, and complete with torture devices strewn throughout the temple, death traps waiting around every corner, and a soundscape that makes the dread sink deeper. There are motifs of skulls, and Grim Reapers abound in this haunting temple. While Ocarina of Time is generally a darker-toned game, I didn’t expect a whole temple based around death.
Wall Masters/Floor Masters
Seen In: Almost the entire series
The fear of the unknown is prevalent in a lot of horror gaming, but it is unsettling the first time you walk into a room and see these monstrous hands reaching out of the wall grasping fervently for whatever they can get. That was only their first appearance in the original Legend of Zelda. They have evolved into this terrifying being, coming out of seemingly nowhere with only a haunting sound of something coming from the ceiling to take hold of Link. Further iterations have introduced the Floor Master. It crawls around, almost spider-like. Once hit, it multiplies into smaller hands that, if not destroyed, will grow back into the larger version. These enemies are always a threat and always haunting, no matter how many times we face them.
The Dark World
Seen In: Link to the Past
In The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past, we spend a lot of time chasing Agahnim around Hyrule, attempting to foil his plans. Throughout this time, you’ll get used to the bright overworld. Even the woods have animals frolicking around. But eventually, we catch up to Agahnim, and his plan works. He unleashes Ganon and brings about the apocalypse. Everything we know is destroyed and rotten to the core. This always stood out to me outside a significant shift in gameplay knowledge required to overcome even the simplest foes.
The most notable change is the woods that once held the Master Sword. It used to be filled with a sense of adventure, with bunnies jumping around. But in the Dark World, all has turned rotten, with skull-like roots taking the place of trees while giving off this sense of dread. Not to mention that the once-happy Kakarioke village is now a ghost town, with literal ghosts wandering around.
Mask Transformations
Seen In: Majora’s Mask
Majora’s Mask is by far the weirdest entry in The Legend of Zelda series, with a story centered around death, accepting fate, and the apocalypse. Before Tears of the Kingdom, Majora’s Mask was easily the series’s darkest, most horror-inspired entry. Just look at the main mask mechanic. As you come across these dying heroes from the Zora and Gorons, you will aid them in crossing over, being left with a mask that holds their essence. As you put these masks on, Link undergoes a horrific transformation turning into these characters as you put these masks on. But Link’s turmoil during this transformation is haunting and will stay with you for a long time.
Bottom of the Well
Seen In: Ocarina of Time
While this whole section mixes well with the Shadow Temple, there is something in here that anyone who went through this will easily remain one of the scariest moments in the series: the Boss, Dead Hand.
When you first enter the room, it’s just a bare room. Then, as you go to leave, Dead Hand shows up. Not only is he a giant creep himself, but he also has four to six hands outstretched out of the ground. If you get close to the hands, they will hold you in place for Dead Hand to close the distance. With his head held high, you can only damage Dead Hand by escaping from a hand or getting close enough for them to lower their head. From the design to the music, there is nothing not terrifying about Dead Hand.
Gloom Hands
Seen In: Tears of the Kingdom
There is a lot to be scared of in Tears of the Kingdom. But Gloom Hands are easily the thing that, even when I entered my final hours of the game, still had me feeling horrified. You can run into these hands not only in caves, dungeons, and The Depths but also in the overworld, and it’s there that they are the biggest threat.
While outside, the sky will turn blood red, and gloom will start forming and out spawns these hands. Each is decorated with a singular eye at the center. When they spot you, the way it screams and shakes gets me to my core. If these hands catch you, they will infect you with gloom as they shake the life out of Link. The biggest surprise comes once you defeat the Gloom Hands, which is a big-time spoiler, so I’ll leave it out. Just be ready for something. There are many of these moments in Tears of the Kingdom, but most of those are best experienced when they take you by surprise.
Overall, there are a few more significant horror moments in The Legend of Zelda series, more so in the later entries once we hit the 3D generations. We have never seen a Zelda game lean so far into the horror as Tears of the Kingdom has, so let’s hope Nintendo keeps peppering in these moments because they are easily the most memorable.
Categorized:Editorials
