Daily Debate: What is the Most Frightening Encounter in a Zelda Game?

You are five years old, playing your favorite Zelda game. You are the hero of Hyrule, roaming a beautiful world full of life and glory to be found. Your adventure leads you to go into the Well in Kakariko village. How bad could it be? One encounter with the Dead Hand later and you are running back to your mommy!

Zelda games often contain moments like these, jarring and frightening moments in an otherwise charming adventure game. Some games lean harder into a darker tone, like Twilight Princess and Majora’s Mask. Others take the opposite approach and are very pastel and light-hearted like the The Wind Waker or the Four Swords games. No matter what the overall tone of a game, each one contains at least one unsettling moment.

Which moment of a Zelda game chilled you to the bone? For me it was the Ganondorf reveal after pulling the master sword in Ocarina of Time. I was so scared when his music roared and he appeared right up next to the screen. I would often look away until the cutscene passed. Other moments of fright I can recall include discovering the mysteries of the Snowpeak Ruins, and exploring Hyrule Castle in Breath of the Wild. Both of these locations come ripe with tension between curiosity and fear of what lay ahead.

What encounter scared you the most in a Zelda game? Let us know down in the comments below!