(NOTICE: All rights to pictures and videos go to their respective owners. I am only using these to illustrate my countdown)
The Legend of Zelda is an amazing franchise that a lot of
game developers and gamers alike owe a lot to. Shigeru Miyamoto is a true
legend in game design, and this series is the biggest reason why. It just seems
to always surprise us with every new game. Every game feels pretty different
from another and they each have their own type of beauty or shine to it.
Throughout the 28 years of this wonderful series, there have been moments in
the games that have just been epic, beautiful, emotional, or all 3. Today I am
here to count down the top 15 greatest moments spanning all games in the
series. Yes, you will see more than one from the same game. I didn’t put in any
rules restricting that, so let’s go!
15. It’s dangerous to go
alone! (Legend of Zelda)
The original Legend of Zelda game really does show that the
series has come a very long way. The only thing that the other games haven’t
really done yet except for the newest one A Link Between Worlds that this game
has done is the feel of non-linearity and the open world for you to explore to
your heart’s desire. The very first
thing you ever do in that game is going up to the opening in a cave and
entering it to be greeted by an old man. This old man helps you constantly
throughout the game, but the most helpful thing he does is give you your very
first weapon while telling you that it’s dangerous to go alone. This has gone
on to become a popular meme. The thing that’s so great about this part is that
it’s the first time in Zelda history (not the official timeline, the history o
he franchise) that you ever get a sword, one of if not the most important item
in any Zelda game. It was the start of many great moments to come.
14. Lifting the giant rock (Ocarina of Time)
So after getting the Golden Gauntlets, you head back to
Ganon’s Castle and lift a HUMUNGOUS rock and throw it at least 10 feet in the
air! It’s just a cool little sequence. Too bad that was like the only use for
the Golden Gauntlets in the game.
13. Skull Kid’s backstory (Majora’s Mask)
Majora’s Mask is a generally emotionally empowering game
with plenty of moments that are just unmatched with in any games from both the
Zelda series and video games in general. Basically what I’m saying is that this
is only the first of quite a few Majora’s Mask moments that are on this list.
Anyway, so you come across Skull Kid at the very beginning of the game-well, a
corrupted Skull Kid. By the time you get your Ocarina back from him and talk to
the people who live in Termina, you’ll know that Skull Kid is one hell of a
troublemaker. However, when you come across a little carving in the woods,
Tatl, your companion that got stuck with you, gives you a backstory of Skull
Kid showing you that he wasn’t always such a bad guy. He used to be friends with
the 4 giants of Termina and was very playful. One day, in order to protect
Termina, the giants had to split the land into 4 pieces, leaving Skull Kid in
the process. Being upset and feeling neglected, Skull Kid started causing
trouble around Termina and was forced to leave. According to Anju’s
grandmother, he “departed to the heavens” but according to Zelda Wiki, this
might’ve just been a hyperbole. One day he returned to Termina on a stormy
night, finding shelter with Tatl and Tael, who me meets and befriends.
Eventually Skull Kid is in the crossroad between Hyrule and Termina and finds
the Happy Mask Salesman. He steals Majora’s Mask from him and is corrupted by
the evil powers of the mask. What puts this story on here is how it’s so
emotionally deep due to Skull Kid being abandoned by the giants, who weren’t
leaving him for any personal reasons, but to protect their land. It comes to
show that Skull Kid really isn’t that bad and he was just corrupted by neglect,
emptiness, and of course the mask itself.
12. Midna in trouble/
getting the master sword (Twilight
Princess)
Poor Midna...
So, you’ve cleared the Lakebed temple and have gathered all
3 of the Fused Shadows. You’re sitting there wondering just what is going to
happen next and then all of a sudden Zant appears. Midna had already talked
about Zant beforehand and you know that he’s up to no good. Zant severely
injures Midna and puts a curse on you that makes it so you are permanently
stuck as a wolf. Midna tells you to go to Princess Zelda since she can heal you.
At that point it seemed like Midna wanted to die and let you live so he can rid
Hyrule of its twilight. You rush to the castle while a beautiful theme
accommodates your journey there, known as Midna’s Lament. Too bad the theme
goes away when you have to fight monsters. Oh well. You get there and Zelda
tells Midna that she has to live and sacrifices her physical appearance and
powers to heal Midna. She tells you that the only way to break Zant’s curse is
to find the Master Sword, as it is the blade of evil’s bane and since curses
are evil, the Master Sword will be the thing to cure you. You make your way to
the sacred realm and in an epic cutscene, you turn back into a human and claim
the Master Sword. This is probably my favorite Master Sword pulling scene in
the entire series due to the epic presentation and build-up. A very similar
cutscene is seen in the Subspace Emissary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
11. Forming the Triforce (Skyward Sword)
After some ridiculous padding to the story, you finally
obtain all 3 pieces of the Triforce. What I really like about this moment is
the epic and beautiful presentation of Skyward Sword showing its beautiful self
and that it’s the first time in the official timeline that the Triforce is
formed on camera. As much as I hate the built-in instruction bookl- I mean Fi,
she accompanies the scene very well as she tells you what you must do, which is
to make a wish for the Trifroce to grant you. All seems well and it looks like
peace has been restored, but then Ghirahim all of a sudden captures Zelda as
she wakes up from her deep slumber. I mean, most people who would’ve played
Zelda by now could’ve guessed that the game wasn’t over yet as there wasn’t a
proper final battle yet, but this plot twist was handled very well as the game
treated you like you had saved the day when you haven’t.
10. Restoring Lorule’s
Triforce (A Link Between Worlds)
After an epic boss fight with Yuga-Ganon, you and Zelda have
found the Triforce and are ready to make a wish. However, seeing that Lorule is
still in pain without a Triforce of their own, you decide to make the wish to
restore peace to both Hyrule and Lorule. The thing I like so much about this
part is that it really feels like you and Zelda are being generous and want
what’s truly best for everyone, which is what a true hero should strive for.
9. Vs. Dark Link (Zelda II: Adventure of Link)
I personally haven’t gotten this far in Zelda II (I haven’t
even beaten the first dungeon!), but I know about the final battle of the game.
It’s very simple yet very epic. It’s you vs. your own shadow. The theme that
accompanies this battle is epic and really puts you in the right kind of mode
for the fight you’re in. It’s an epic sword-and-shield-to-sword-and-shield
battle that doesn’t rely on a certain item or spell for you to use, but just
pure skill. I chose this one over the Dark Link battle from Ocarina of Time
because while it was pretty cool, I just feel that this one is more epic.
Whether or not it’s less forgiving is beyond me as I have yet to get to this
part but knowing Dark Link in Ocarina of Time and how hard he was (well, in the
original version. He’s fine in the 3DS version) and taking the fact that Zelda
II is one HARD ass game, I’d say it’s safe to assume that this Dark Link is a
lot harder.
8. Receiving transformation
masks (Majora’s Mask)
What I’m talking about here are the parts when you first get
the Goron and Zora mask, not so much the Deku mask. When you play the Song of
Healing at the time you need to, you activate a cutscene that shows the pain
and misery the characters you’re getting the transformation masks for have
suffered. The thing that really hits the spot in these scenes is the Song of
Healing, a song that I can describe as a song that understands your pain and is
there to comfort you while telling you to stay strong. It’s just how I
interpret it. After you see the depressing cutscenes, you get their mask and
you can now assume their roles. The more emotional one is definitely the one
with Mikau in it as he dies right after you play the Song of Healing and his
remains are left behind via a mask. Truly powerful moments that come to show
how deep of a game Majora’s Mask is.
7. Getting the Triforce (A Link to the Past)
After a long and hard journey, you’ve finally defeated the
big bad Ganon once again and you are finally able to see the Triforce with
nothing standing in your way. The thing I like the most about this moment that
puts it up here is the epic and empowering theme that fits perfectly with the
situation and how you make a wish to restore peace to Hyrule. You then see
everything rebuilt. It’s a truly great feeling of accomplishment and that’s all
that really needs to be said.
6. Tetra turns into Zelda (Wind Waker)
You return to Hyrule castle after rescuing your sister and
witnessing Tetra being CHOKED. When Tetra regains consciousness, you’re at the
saem castle you got the Master Sword from and the king himself, Daphne Nohansen
Hyrule, it is revealed that Tetra really is Princess Zelda as Ganondorf
suspected back at the Forsaken Fortress. The thing that puts this moment on the
list is the epic animation for the king reuniting the piece of the Triforce of
Wisdom on Tetra’s neck with the other half of it. An epic remix of the title
theme of A Link to the Past accompanies this scene, which is just awesome.
Sadly, this pushes Tetra/Zelda out of the story for a little while because if
she returns to the surface Ganondorf can find her, but the epicness of the
transformation is what makes this such a great moment in the Zelda series.
5. Revisiting the Forsaken
Fortress (Wind Waker)
So the moment where Tetra turned into Zelda was epic, wasn’t
it? Well what if I told you the events that lead up to that were ven more epic?
After pulling the Master Sword, you go back to the Forsaken Fortress, which you
had to sneak around the last time you were there. You can now beat the living
shit outta the guards and even get a cool new hammer! You find your sister
there and Tetra and her crew. They take care of your sister while you defeat
the Helmarock Kin gin an epic boss fight. Then you’re about to go and confront
Ganondorf and just when you think you’re almost done with the game, Ganondorf
tells you that the Master Sword isn’t powerful enough yet and that he must
reforge it in order to face Ganondorf. He finds out that Tetra is the one who
has the Triforce of Wisdom, which was who he was looking for, and Tetra is
unaware of this. He then picks her up and chokes her (which is a big fuck you
to whoever thought Wind Waker was a “kiddy game”). Luckily you’re both rescued
in time for Tetra to survive. She did pass out, but she ended up fine. Truly
epic.
4. Final Battle (Twilight Princess)
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When I mean the final battle, I don’t only mean the final
part, I mean the entire 4-part final battle of Twilight Princess and man is it
epic. The epic presentation of Twilight Princess really shines here as the
cutscene in which you make it to Ganondorf’s throne is dark, atmospheric, and
exciting. You’ve made it to the top of a tower that had you fighting 2 Darknuts
at once and now you’re ready to bring light back to Hyrule. Ganondorf takes
Zelda’s body and possesses it to make Puppet Zelda, whose fight is very similar
to the first part of the final battle in Ocarina of Time. After playing some
dead man’s volley, Zelda is back to normal. However, Ganondorf turns into
Ganon, whom you have to have a battle full of pure strength with. It’s an epic
fight that makes you transform into a wolf halfway through. Afterwards, you
take it outside into Hyrule field with you and Zelda on Epona and Ganondorf on
his horse. Zelda asks the spirits to give her Light Arrows in an epic cutscene
with a great remix of Zelda’s lullaby before the battle. You have to wait for
Zelda to charge her Light Arrows to shoot at Ganondorf. After that, you must
hit him with your sword. He sends out an army of ghost-like things as an
offense. After that, the real epic shit happens. Remember that Gamecube tech
demo from way back when? You know how it showed Link and Ganondorf dueling it
out sword-to-sword? Well, we finally have a boss battle like that and it’s
AWESOME. The theme and atmosphere are PERFECT for the situation and even though
it’s really easy, the atmosphere and buildup and fact that it’s just Link vs.
Ganondorf with nothing but swords more than makes up for it. It’s just pure
skill. It’s like playing Smash Bros. on Final Destination with no items, except
with more atmosphere. Holy crap this fight is awesome. After delivering the
final blow, you’re done with the main story of the game and get to watch Zant
cracking his neck and Ganondorf dying. This 4-part boss battle is just plain
awesome and probably my favorite final battle in the Zelda series.
3. Waking up after 7 years (Ocarina of Time)
The reason why I put this moment so high on the list is not
only because it’s epic and everything, but also for personal reasons. So after
Zelda throws you the Ocarina of time and you plant the 3 Spiritual Stones and
open the Door of Time and there lays the Master Sword. You pull it, with epic
music the accompany the moment, not sure of what is to come of pulling it, and
then Ganondorf reveals to you that he was waiting for you to open the Door of
Time so he could enter the Sacrd Realm and steal the Triforce, making him king
of Hyrule. Rauru, the sage of light, then awakens you. He gives you a bit of a
backstory and then tells you that you’ve traveled 7 years into the future and
are no longer a child, but rather a young adult. You were too young to be the
Hero of Time, so when you pulled the Master Sword, your spirit was locked away
for 7 years. Rauru gives you your first medallion and tells you to find the
other sages to save Hyrule. A mysterious character named Sheik tells you where
you can find the sages and to look for the Forest Temple first. After taking a
step outside and walking into Castle Town, or what used to be it, you look at
all the damage Ganondorf has caused and that the Hyrule you used to know is no
longer. The personal impact this moment has on me is that I was playing Ocarina
of Time and enjoying it, sure, but after that one cutscene where I found out
that time travel was in the game and just everything that was going on, I was
shocked. It kept me wanting to play the game even more and it really did make
me fall in love with the game, which lead me to playing other Zelda games and
immersing myself in one of if not the best gaming franchise of all time.
2. Wind Waker ending (Wind Waker)
So for this one I’m putting the ensing of the game on here.
Why? Because it was awesome! After collecting the Triforce shards, you go back
to Hyrule and can finally break the barrier that was surrounding the castle.
The scene in which you do this is just plain epic. Then you reach the final
dungeon of the game, where in order to proceed, you must re-battle 4 bosses you
encountered in your travels. After opening the door with the symbols of the
bosses you had to face, you face off against Phantom Ganon one more time in a
rather atmospheric battles where his sword drops and points to the door you
need to go through to proceed, which I think was a slight touch of genius.
After defeating him, you get the Light Arrows, which can take anything out in
one hit besides bosses. You then face Ganon’s 3 puppets and a rope is let down
for you. You climb all the way up and make your way to the final battle. This
takes you outside to where Ganondorf with Zelda unconscious. He explains his
motives, which actually make you feel a little sorry for the guy since he’s
been corrupted by greed and isn’t just evil because of his bloodline. He then
actually attacks both you and Zelda as he tries to take your Triforce piece
away. He has already obtained the other 2. He succeeds and when he’s about to
make his wish, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule all of a sudden blocks him from
getting to the Triforce and makes a wish of his own; to flood Hyrule away with
Ganondorf. The goddesses go right to work, but you still must fight Ganondorf.
He starts laughing like a maniac before the battle begins. The first part of
the fight is about having Zelda stun him with Light Arrows and getting in a
parry attack on him. The second part is a little harder as Ganondorf starts
dodging the arrows, but once you successfully reflect a Light Arrow onto him,
you deliver an absolutely epic final blow to him where you stab him in the
forehead and he turns to stone. This battle is just plain epic as everyone is
about to drown in water as the fight is going on. After Ganondorf is gone for
good, the king tells you and Zelda that you must rebuild a new Hyrule and
sacrifices himself for you, which is a very sad moment as you watch you and
Zelda drift away from the Master Sword, Ganondorf, and the king. However, once
you surface you find everyone to be ok. This includes your sister, Zelda’s
pirates, Medli, and Makar. You and Zelda simply wave at them and like that the
game is over. This moment is captured so well and this is one of the many
reasons why Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda game of all time. It just does
everything so damn well. When the credits rolled, I thought to myself, “man this
game was absolutely amazing”. The only question left is what can POSSIBLY top
this extraordinarily well delivered moment? I think you might be able to guess
just by knowing your Zelda games.
Before I reveal what moment I picked for number 1, I want to
start off with a little…hint if you will. We all know that one Zelda game in
particular is very emotionally deep and many because of this love it. This game
wasn’t very popular when it first came out, but over time people saw it for the
truly beautiful game it is. This has happened with just about every Zelda game
after Ocarina of Time, but the moment from this particular game just pretty
much tops any experience you could possibly feel in any video game out there.
What game is this? Majora’s Mask.
No need for a video, this drawing sums it all up.
1.
Final hours (Majora’s Mask)
I don’t even know if I have to
defend this one. It’s so emotionally powerful and beautiful that it takes this
game to a completely different level beyond just being a great game. This
moment right here just comes to prove how great of a series The Legend of Zelda
truly is and makes the games feel like so much more than games, but rather
experiences. The final hours of the final day of Majora’s Mask are on a
completely different level than any other Zelda moment on this list. The moon that
has been up there in the sky, all creepy looking and everything, is almost
ready to crash into Termina and destroy everything around it. You have 2
options: the first is to wait for it to happen and follow the creepy cutscene
afterwards that has the Happy Mask Salesman creepily laughing at you while
saying, “you’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?” And the second option
is to play the Song of Time, which takes you back to the first day and erases
all of your good deeds that you might’ve done for Termina’s citizens in just a
few seconds. The theme that plays during the final hours is probably the
saddest theme I have ever heard in video games period. I always get chills from
it and I have sometimes cried from listening to this song. Everyone is going
insane and you really feel for the world around you as they’re all about to
die. Some people are doing what they can to stop it, some people are panicking
and hiding in corners, and others are still in denial. Talking to the people
around you has some real emotional weight to it and really makes the world
around you feel more real than ever. It’s very rare for a game to make its
world feel so real and to make you feel so bad for everyone around you.
Everything about this moment from the atmosphere, the experience, the emotion
all just blends in perfectly and is really something you have to experience for
yourself. My words about this moment barely serve it justice as I can barely
explain the beauty of it. So if you haven’t already, please go get Majora’s
Mask and experience this for yourself. You can get it on Wii virtual console or
you can dwnoload an emulator and rom, I don’t care what you do, just play the
game up to at least this moment. This one moment right here questions my
verdict of Wind Waker being my favorite Zelda game. The reason why it still is
is because in my honest opinion, Wind Waker is just more perfect and does more
things right than Majora’s Mask, but I would be lying if I said that Majora’s
Mask wasn’t damn close to being my favorite Zelda game. Have a nice day everyone,
and while you’re at it maybe play some Zelda. It’s good for your soul.
