At the Mountains of Madness: How The Legend of Zelda Could Incorporate Elements of Lovecraftrian Horror

For the past few months, I have been absolutely obsessed with From Software’s Bloodborne. This PlayStation 4 action RPG takes players on a nightmarish journey through a Victorian-inspired, gothic horror setting, as they investigate the emergence of a mysterious plague and uncover a network of otherworldly secrets.

Among the various folkloric and literary sources that the game draws on to build its world, Bloodborne is heavily influenced by the works of H.P. Lovecraft and the resulting Cthulhu Mythos. Players will encounter eldritch horrors, cosmic phenomena, and themes of sanity vs. madness, common elements of Lovecraftian canon, as they dive deeper and deeper into the game’s twisted world. And, even after the journey is concluded, players may find themselves contemplating what they’ve found lying deep under Bloodborne‘s surface.

After spending so much time in Bloodborne, I’ve developed a strong fascination with the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Beyond reading his most well-known stories, I’ve also thought about the ways in which those Lovecraftian tales may have influenced, whether directly or indirectly, my other favorite video game series. The Legend of Zelda, for example, has carried some Lovecraft DNA over the past several decades, whether through the dream-world setting of Link’s Awakening or the psychological themes of Majora’s Mask.

Still, I believe that there are many more elements from H.P. Lovecraft’s stories from which the Zelda series could draw inspiration. So, in honor of Blood Moon Week, I’m going present a few potential ways that The Legend of Zelda could draw upon Lovecraftian ideas to expand its own worlds, characters, and themes in the same ways Bloodborne has.

 

Enemies Inspired By Lovecraft’s Stories

“It represented a monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind.”

-“The Call of Cthulhu”

H.P. Lovecraft’s most well-known creation is inarguably Cthulhu. This “Great Old One,” from which the larger Lovecraft-inspired universe is named, is a god-like cosmic entity most commonly depicted as a vaguely humanoid monster with an octopus-like head.

The pantheon of cosmic beings to which Cthulhu belongs has become the central focus of the Lovecraft-created mythos, with derivative works by other authors, artists, and creators drawing on the relationships, motives, and actions of the Great Old Ones, the Elder Gods, and other cosmic entities in the Cthulhu Mythos. Dungeons & Dragons‘ Mind Flayers, Magic: The Gathering‘s Eldrazi, and Warcraft‘s Old Gods all carry that Cthulhu DNA.

Fans have even found potential Lovecraftian influence in The Legend of Zelda. Concept art featured in the Breath of the Wild — Creating a Champion art book depicts a few early Guardian designs that, to some, look better suited for the pages of Lovecraft stories than for the latest 3D Zelda game. And I’d argue that the Shadow Beasts of Twilight Princess also exude a Lovecraftian influence.

But save for these minor connections, I believe the Zelda series can do more to draw from the Cthulhu Mythos when introducing new monsters for Link to face. Moving beyond just traditional fantasy monsters long ago, The Legend of Zelda has continued to expand its bestiary with a bevy of influences, from Buddhism to Mayan myth. The Guardians of Breath of the Wild alone prove that the Zelda series can look just about anywhere for inspiration for monsters / enemies in future games. Lovecraftian tales can be one of those sources for inspiration.

If the Zelda series, or Breath of the Wild 2 specifically, was to embrace a darker approach to its story and game world, monsters that bear a resemblance to Lovecraft’s cosmic beings would be a great fit. I can just picture Link and Zelda exploring the dangerous catacombs beneath Hyrule, only to stumble upon a race of eldritch beasts. The tentacles, mandibles, and claws alone would make for fearsome, intimidating enemies, but, as common with Lovecraftian horrors, more unnatural and uncanny bodily features would really sell a dark, oppressive, and unsettling atmosphere.

Such monsters, in true Lovecraftian fashion, could even attack Link on a psychological level. They could be capable freezing our hero in fear, causing status ailments like poison, inducing hallucinations, or inflicting damage telepathically when provoked. The dangers associated with such eldritch horrors could truly create some fresh and unique encounters for our legendary hero to face. And as the Zelda team continues to draw from a variety to sources to build interesting new enemy encounters, a Lovecraftian-inspired boss or miniboss seems to me like a strong idea.

 

An Increased Focus on the Stars

“No watcher can ever forget that sight, and Ammi stared blankly at the stars of Cygnus, Deneb twinkling above the others, where the unknown colour had melted into the Milky Way.”

-“The Colour Out of Space”

A key tenet of Lovecraft’s work is a fascination with the worlds beyond the stars. The author’s stories are frequently set in locations yet uncharted by the human race — such as Antarctica or the ocean’s depths — illustrating his desire to explore the places that have yet to be explored by anyone. And no other destination in all of existence is as unexplored as the cosmos, as outer space.

The worlds and creatures crafted by Lovecraft routinely find their basis in outer space, as cosmic beings like the Great Old Ones and Elder Things descended to Earth from the stars millennia before the rise of man. Many of the spooky and strange occurrences in the author’s stories find their origins in the celestial bodies that exist amongst the stars. And many of his protagonists look to the stars for answers, for comfort, or for signs of an encroaching evil.

The Zelda series has likewise explored elements of astronomy and cosmicism over the years. Majora’s Mask‘s Romani Ranch sidequest features ghost-like invaders from the reaches of space, The Wind Waker‘s mysterious Ghost Ship moves across the Great Sea as based on the phases of moon, and Breath of the Wild often asks players to keep their eyes toward the cosmos, with falling stars, aurorae, and the dreaded Blood Moon appearing periodically in the night sky.

Just as Breath of the Wild built an expansive and dense open world on the terrestrial plane, its sequel could certainly do the same on the celestial plane. By expanding upon its predecessor’s cosmic occurrences, such as those mentioned above, Breath of the Wild 2 could deliver new and unique experiences within the game’s open-world environment.

I can imagine the night sky above Hyrule featuring more pronounced and recognizable constellations, both adding to the lore of the world and providing clues for Link’s many quests. Perhaps our hero could find star charts hidden around Hyrule, which he must use to identify certain celestial forms in the sky, at certain locations, on specific nights; deciphering a certain star’s or constellation’s location could lead Link to a hidden treasure, a concealed Shrine, or any number of interesting phenomena. Or perhaps astronomer characters across the land could reward Link if he provides pictures of such celestial novelties.

I can even imagine our hero discovering — much like Star Fragments from Breath of the Wild — otherworldly materials that fall to earth, with which he can craft and cook cosmic concoctions. Maybe a celestially imbued tunic could glow in the dark and provide Link a way to explore dark caves without a torch. Or maybe some Moon Food made of fallen space dust and other ingredients could loosen gravity’s grip on our hero, allowing him to jump higher than he ever could before.

The next Zelda game could also expand on the idea of the Blood Moon — and its moon phases in general — by introducing more cosmic events that occur on special nights. Full moons could affect water levels and tides around Hyrule or trigger a transformation for a returning Wolf Link. Full lunar eclipses could drastically darken the game world for a particular evening or spawn all manner of dark beasts. And rare equinoxes and planetary alignments could alter the world’s geography or summon visitors from outer space.

Speaking on that last point, Lovecraft’s Great Old Ones, once-great invaders from space, are said to be waiting for the right configuration of stars before they descend upon our world and perhaps rule over it once again. The threat, or perhaps promise, of extraterrestrial visitation could be another theme explored in future Zelda games.

While I certainly don’t think Link should have to fight off a full-on alien invasion, I do think that it’s time for The Legend of Zelda to once again feature interstellar threats in some way. We’ve already seen the series approach the prospect of extraterrestrial happenings with “Them” from Majora’s Mask, so it is no stretch of the imagination for such happenings to be explored again, and on a bigger scale. Alien creatures, crop circles, UFO’s, and spaces travel — as long as they are implemented effectively and gracefully by the Zelda team — could make for some really cool moments in future games.

 

The Thrill of Being Hunted

“And yet, as I have said, vague new fears hovered menacingly over us; as if giant bat-winged gryphons squatted invisibly on the mountain-tops and leered with Abaddon-eyes that had looked on trans-cosmic gulfs.”

-“The Lurking Fear”

The threat of unseen evils lurking just beyond the periphery is a near-constant in H.P. Lovecraft’s stories, as his heroes constantly feel that they are being watched, studied, or hunted by things they can’t perceive themselves. These characters only receive small hints — split-second glimpses, foul smells, or gnawing dread — that something dangerous is never too far away.

This sensation of being hunted by something unseen, or by something unfathomably powerful, has not been fully realized in a Zelda game. While the series has featured its fair share of stealth sequences, I personally don’t think such moments have captured the true sense of excitement and anxiety that comes with being the prey, not the predator. The Guardians of Breath of the Wild were certainly a step in the right direction, but more can be done to accomplish this thrill of being hunted.

Taking a cue from recent horror games like Alien: Isolation and Resident Evil 2, future Zelda games could introduce powerful boss-like enemies that actively stalk Link; some could even be invincible to Link’s traditional arsenal of attacks. Players would need to keep on their toes if they sense such an enemy nearby, and they would need to carve out a swift retreat if they find themselves caught off guard.

Making even more out of Breath of the Wild‘s advanced stealth mechanics, encounters with these enemies could involve an increased focus on the noises Link makes or the tracks he leaves behind. Perhaps moving too quickly over crumpled leaves or pools of water would make a lot of noise and alert a stalker; and perhaps treading through mud or snow would leave tracks that a stalker would persistently follow.

But what if, in true Lovecraft fashion, Link and the player could not see these stalkers? Some monsters in the Cthulhu Mythos are completely formless, that is, they are, other than in very specific circumstances, completely invisible to the naked eye. What could our hero Link do to avoid that type of threat?

I can imagine scenarios — perhaps within certain dungeons or within isolated parts of a game’s overworld — in which Link must slowly and stealthily get from Point A to Point B while avoiding a formless monster that is actively searching for him. Such moments would require the player to pay close attention to the world around them, as they seek out signs of the unseen stalker’s movements and positions.

The sights — like tracks in mud, bent tree branches, claw marks on walls, or displaced smoke — and the sounds — like nearby stomping, growling, or splashing — of the world around Link would become invaluable sources of information as our hero fights to stay hidden while moving toward his goal. And, if the Zelda team can figure out a way to make it work, the stench of such formless enemies could provide clues toward their positions. If Lovecraftian monsters are anything, they’re smelly.

As the stealth systems of the Zelda series continue to become more sophisticated and more robust, the best way to capitalize on these advancements is by making Link the hunted, not the hunter.

 

The Introduction of a Sanity Meter

“…but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.”

-“The Call of Cthulhu”

Surprisingly, video games — more than even television or film — have been one of the mediums most impacted by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, as the author’s focus on the psychological has inspired a longstanding gameplay mechanic seen in several high-profile series: the sanity meter.

A mechanic introduced in the Call of Cthulhu tabletop RPG series, the sanity meter measured a player character’s psyche as they came in contact with various cosmic horrors and happenings; players would run the risk of becoming more and more insane as they encountered forces beyond their understanding. The implication of this system is of course that the cosmic worlds conceived by Lovecraft — eldritch beings, their actions, and their motives — are too complex for humanity to recognize or understand.

The sanity mechanic has since been adopted by several video games series, chiefly in the survival horror genre. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and Don’t Starve are just a few games to feature a sanity stat that must be monitored and managed by players. Letting a character’s sanity deplete too much may result in unexpected changes to the game world, the emergence of new dangers, or outright death.

So, as the Zelda series continues to implement more survival-focused mechanics — such as the weather and food systems seen in Breath of the Wild — a sanity meter may be an interesting addition to the formula. Likewise, with Breath of the Wild 2‘s debut trailer implying a horror-like atmosphere, a focus on Link’s psychological well-being could help introduce survival-horror elements into the established Breath of the Wild formula.

As Link and Zelda explore deeper and deeper into the caves beneath Hyrule in Breath of the Wild 2, for example, they could confront revelations and secret truths about their kingdom’s history or about the very nature of their existence. I’d imagine such moments would mirror revelatory moments in Link’s Awakening, where Link learns that Koholint Island exists only as a dream. But, in confronting these truths, their psyches are put at risk due to the truths’ sheer complexities. Every encounter with otherworldly information — every encounter with an otherworldly object, creature, or situation — would deplete Link’s sanity meter and thus affect the way he views the world around.

In games past, depletion of the sanity meter would distort the game world in strange and unexpected ways. In Don’t Starve, low sanity would negatively affect the in-game camera and spawn fearsome enemies. In Amnesia, low sanity would result in hallucinatory occurrences and would attract enemies to the player. And in Eternal Darkness, which took a more meta approach, low sanity would cause events meant to throw off the player, such as fake television and GameCube error screens.

Future Zelda titles could introduce their own interesting “sanity effects” as Link’s sanity runs low. Nintendo has patented the concept after all.

 

Exploration of the Dreamlands

“If in our dreamland, it might conceivably be reached; but only three fully human souls since time began had ever crossed and recrossed the black impious gulfs to other dreamlands, and of that three two had come back quite mad.”

-The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath

An element of Lovecraft’s work already represented in The Legend of Zelda is the emphasis of subterranean labyrinths and the secrets that lie within. Since his very first adventure, our hero Link has ventured deep into dungeons, confronted horrifying beasts, and discovered all matter of ancient relics. It would therefore not be out of the ordinary for Link to explore Lovecraft’s sunken city of R’lyeh or the antarctic city of the Shoggoths.

However, a destination from Lovecraft’s work that is yet to be fully explored in a Zelda title is the dimension known as the Dreamlands.

The Dreamlands exist on a plane of existence independent of our own waking world. In some places, the Dreamlands mirror our own universe; and in others, they are a distortion of, if not a complete departure from, our universe. Humans beings in Lovecraft lore can only access the Dreamlands through, appropriately enough, their dreams.

So, in essence, we all visit the Dreamlands when we dream, as this dimension links our consciousnesses together by some existential bond. Crossing over into another person’s Dreamland is possible, though doing so is both difficult and dangerous.

While exploration of the Dreamlands, journeying into the realms of a dream, is a strange proposition, the Zelda has in fact laid the foundation for such a concept with Link’s Awakening. Koholint Island and its inhabitants are revealed to be part of a dream of the mystical Wind Fish, and Link can only return home once he has woken the Wind Fish from its slumber.

Our hero was basically pulled into, in Lovecraftian parlance, the Wind Fish’s Dreamland; and his adventure therein would fit right at home in H.P Lovecraft’s Dream Cycle canon, the collection of stories relating to the Dreamlands. Link explores a world much like his own, meets characters that seem vaguely familiar, and battles fearsome Nightmares trying to keep the Wind Fish asleep. In fact, those Nightmares remind me a lot of the Great Ones, moon-beasts, and other creatures that inhabit Lovecraft’s Dreamlands.

With this in mind, future Zelda games could certainly build on Link’s Awakening‘s foundation and let us return to the series’ version of the Dreamlands.

For one, a return to the realm of dreams would shed more light on the nature of the Wind Fish, its Nightmares, and the mysterious circumstances that made Link’s adventure on Koholint possible. Can only the Wind Fish dream up realities that people can visit? Can similar Zelda deities — like Lord Jabu Jabu from Ocarina of Time, Jabun from The Wind Waker, or Levias from Skyward Sword — dream up something like Koholint? What would those dreams even look like? Bringing Dreamlands back into Zelda could help answer these questions.

Allowing Link to explore the dreams of other characters could also develop certain psychological themes in the Zelda series.

Majora’s Mask is often celebrated for its mature, emotional story. Link encounters many distressed and broken characters over the course of his adventure, and one of his primary goals is to heal their suffering. Imagine if, rather than simply playing a song on an ocarina, our hero had to journey into the dreams or minds of these troubled people in order to heal them emotionally. If Majora’s Mask had operated this way, Link would have entered the dreams of Darmani, Mikau, and others, experiencing the Dreamlands as shaped by their trauma and helping them find closure by battling the Nightmares manifested in their dreams.

I can imagine an entire Zelda game devoted to this Dreamlands concept, as Link enters the dreams of multiple characters to help address their psychological issues. Rather than dungeons in the traditional sense, this game could treat each Dreamland as its own dungeon, with unique layouts, puzzles, and monsters based on the mind of the character dreaming it. This idea admittedly sounds a lot like something out of Psychonauts, but I truly think it could work within the Zelda formula.

 

Conclusion

Like so many literary sources from across the ages, the works of H.P Lovecraft hold many creative and unique ideas that The Legend of Zelda can incorporate down the road, especially as Breath of the Wild 2 appears to feature Link and Zelda venturing deeper and deeper into an unknown, forbidden world in the name of scientific discovery. That scenario is fitting of any Lovecraft story, so introducing these concepts into Zelda would make a lot of sense.

Lovecraft frequently blurred the lines between the realistic and the fantastical, so in forming this list, I tried to propose ideas that ranged from reasonably possible to utterly farfetched. In any case, I hope you enjoyed this journey into madness. And I hope you’ll share some stories, Lovecraft or otherwise, from which you’d like The Legend of Zelda pull inspiration in the comments below.

 

“In the whole spectacle there was a persistent, pervasive hint of stupendous secrecy and potential revelation; as if these stark, nightmare spires marked the pylons of a frightful gateway into forbidden spheres of dream, and complex gulfs of remote time, space, and ultra-dimensionality. I could not help feeling that they were evil things—mountains of madness whose farther slopes looked out over some accursed ultimate abyss.”

-At The Mountains of Madness

Featured Art:
Beast and Kargarok / Shadow Kargarok Rider by Raiden-chino
Shadow Beast by Junedays

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Rod Lloyd is the managing editor at Zelda Dungeon, primarily overseeing the news and feature content of the site. The Zelda Dungeon Caption Contest and Zelda Dungeon themed weeks are both Rod’s babies. You can find Rod on Twitter right here.