Twilight Princess was the second of the Gamecube Zeldas, and the series had started to settle on a regular structure Link would be tasked with collecting three magical objects, use them to defeat the supposedly final boss and only then be made aware of the true scale of his quest. Even though theyd just collected the Fused Shadows needed to defeat the shadowy sorcerer, Zant, few players expected the game to be nearing its end. What nobody expected was for Zant to be lying in ambush, assaulting Link and Midna the second they emerged from the Lakebed Temple. Zant swiftly undoes all of your accomplishments; stealing the Fused Shadows, skewering Link with wolf-Kryptonite that leaves him permanently transformed and beating Midna to within an inch of her life. What follows is a frantic charge through a thunderstorm, a lifeless imp clinging limply to your neck as you race through the night looking for help in a world that has few friendly faces. Theres no Sage to guide you, no helpful fairy to point you on your way youre cold, youre cursed and your only friend is dying on your back. Things dont remain this hopeless for long, of course. Still, the combination of a clever plot twist from an unusually pro-active villain, coupled with Nintendos sudden refusal to offer guidance, make for a shocking and memorable scene that remains one of the bleakest in Zeldas history.
