Gossip Stone: Should Trials Like The Silent Realm Make A Comeback?

Every Zelda game has its own interesting way of progressing through the journey- be it obtaining Spiritual Stones, obtaining instruments, and so forth. For Skyward Sword, it became an extremely nerve-wracking experience due to the trials known as the Silent Realm. There were a few in there, but even though it may only be a few, that doesn’t make them any less terrifying (if you don’t know what you’re doing from the get-go). It makes me wonder; would Nintendo ever think of implementing a similar trial series into future Zelda games, possibly even Zelda U? I’ll explain how it goes further on, so be sure to hit the jump for more info!

The Silent Realm was introduced to the player around the mid-way point of the game, where Link’s spirit would be separated from his body in order to face these trials in an alternate dimension. Defenseless, the player is required to obtain 15 Sacred Tears while the timer is ticking, and then will need to make their way back to the entrance without alerting the Silent Realm’s Guardians. The Guardians can be alerted in a few ways, like for example, letting the timer hit 0 seconds. Grabbing a Sacred Tear brings it back up to the maximum of 90 seconds. The Guardians can also be awoken by stepping in dangerous water (it’s red water, it looks dangerous enough), or stepping in the spotlight of another guardian. If the player alerts the guardians, any time remaining on the clock will instantly be depleted and the player will need to scramble for another Sacred Tear- and if they have all tears, get to the exit before it’s too late. The Silent Realms are located in the three primary locations of the game -Faron Woods, Eldin Valcano, or Lanayru Desert-, and is required to progress through the game for the rewards they offer.

Personally, as stressful and terrifying as it was, I enjoyed the trials it offered. It was the kind of thing where you want to play it, but you were also pretty scared to do it. Not to mention the themes they play during these portions. The regular Silent Realm themes are different depending on the area the Silent Realm is located, and are typically very calm and “spiritual” you could say. Though as the clock slowly gets to the point of running out of time, things start to get a bit more eerie, enough to definitely create suspension. And then, once time runs out, you’re greeted with this lovely theme. At this point, all you can do is… well, run.

So then, what are your thoughts on the Silent Realm (or any trials similar)?  Would you like to see them return to future installments, or do you have a different opinion on them?  Let us know by sounding off in the comments!