The Legend of Zelda as a series holds a nostalgic place in the hearts of many gamers. Known for adventure and the recurring characters of Link and Zelda, this series has a lot of charm and adorable art elements, especially in the cute 2D entries like Echoes of Wisdom. However, if you look closer at the details of many Zelda games, there are quite a few elements that are darker than you might expect. While the eerie touches of games like Majora’s Mask tend to be more obvious, it’s shocking how well a horror game would fit into the Zelda universe with the foundation of lore and creatures that’s already been established.
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From creatures to background stories for specific factions and temples, we see the makings of what could be an incredible horror game in the Zelda series. Termina introduces doppelgangers, the Shadow Temple usually hides the dark history of Hyrule, and the Gloom in Tears of the Kingdom is honestly terrifying. As you start to pick apart the elements that are even a tiny bit unsettling in various games, you can see how Hyrule and other locations from the Zelda universe build the foundation for a potential horror game.
The Ideal Timeline Path for a Zelda Horror Game
Even in the updated Zelda timeline that includes a placement for Echoes of Wisdom, it’s clear that the path the splits from Ocarina of Time, when Link failed to defeat Ganondorf, would be the most logical place for a game that capitalizes on the horror elements already found in the series. However, it could be adjusted to fit on any of the three timeline splits. The important part is that we have the Shadow Temple from Ocarina of Time, as well as features from the game like the Lost Woods, redeads, and dead hands for optimal horror.
Locations That Need to be in a Zelda Horror
The first place that comes to mind when thinking about the creepy locations of Zelda is the Shadow Temple from Ocarina of Time, a game that might get a new release. This version of the Shadow Temple was used by the Sheikah as a place where they imprisoned, interrogated, and tortured enemies of Hyrule’s royal family, which is why it’s described as a place that hides the dark history of Hyrule. When you go through this temple, you find more blood splatter than you see anywhere else in the game, and there are various torture instruments here. It also includes some rather creepy enemies, like the dead hand and wallmasters.
Then, you have locations that appear innocuous at first, until you realize that they’ve been designed to be traps like the Lost Woods. The purpose and design of the Lost Woods changes from game to game, but it tends to be both a cursed and sacred place. On one hand, you have it as a location that usually guards the Master Sword or the Forest Temple. On the other hand, the Lost Woods tends to be designed in a way that traps people who shouldn’t be wandering there. As a result, the trapped people tend to die or turn into monsters, like a Stalfos or Skull Kid.
Creepy Zelda Enemies That Belong in a Horror Game
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Dead hands, wallmasters, and redeads have already been mentioned, but they’re far from being the only enemies that are at least unsettling. We also have enemies like the Gloom Spawns in Tears of the Kingdom, which are extra scary after seeing the Gloom eat away Link’s arm at the start of the game. There are also the Gibdos, which are designed to resemble mummies, and shadow beasts, who were Twili corrupted by Zant. When your standard enemies are this creepy, creating a horror game feels like the natural path of progression.
You can also look at multiple bosses and see how their background is often as disturbing as their appearance. The Divine Beasts in Breath of the Wild might be the best example, as these machines were created for a good purpose and meant to fight Calamity Ganon. However, their pilots were killed by Blight Ganons, and the Divine Beasts fell into Ganon’s control. It’s terrifying that the beasts are under Ganon’s control, but also disturbing that the pilots died in the beasts, and their bodies were likely left there.
Bongo Bongo is similarly eerie, as he has the design of a dismembered body. Since he’s the boss of the Shadow Temple, we could assume that he may have been a victim of the Sheikah there, waiting until Ganondorf took control and he could retaliate against the people that hurt him. However, this case is purely speculation based on the temple and Bongo Bongo’s design, since we never discover details about Bongo Bongo’s identity or creation.
Will There Ever be a Zelda Horror Game?
It’s definitely unlikely for Nintendo to ever include more than creepy details in a Zelda title, meaning that the series won’t be capitalizing on the perfect foundation for a horror game any time soon. Even seeing blood in the Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time was surprising, as Zelda tends to keep its content relatively clean. But if Zelda ever decided to dabble in horror, it wouldn’t be too surprising, given how eerie a lot of content in the series already is.
