10 Most Shocking Zelda Moments

If Link could talk, he'd have just dropped the mic.

By Chris Allcock /

There were several surprising Nintendo moments at E3 2014, ranging from unexpected new titles like Splatoon to quirky experiments with old favourites like Mario and Star Fox. While some form of teaser for a new Zelda was widely anticipated, producer Eiji Aonuma surpassed the audience€™s expectations with a snap of his fingers, unveiling a vast overworld to be explored at the player€™s leisure. Fans had often wondered about the impact that a Skyrim-styled open-world would have on the series€™ core mechanics, and now Nintendo had risen to the challenge of making it work. The Legend of Zelda games are perhaps the best way to embody Nintendo€™s love of surprise; the pleasure that comes from finding something where you expected nothing to be. The franchise has given us many shocking moments over the years - the games themselves have offered up plenty of plot twists and unusual weapons - but the series has also used debuts at trade shows and press events to wow the audience and generate buzz in a way that Mario and his chums just can€™t quite seem to match. Sometimes these plot twists and surprise reveals work in Nintendo€™s favour. Just occasionally, they backfire horribly. Here, covering both the games themselves and the world of buzz and anticipation that surrounds them, are ten Zelda moments that stunned the audience and set the internet alight€