10 Most Shocking Zelda Moments

1. Leaving Kokiri Forest

The team behind Ocarina of Time were no strangers to risk. On the way to bringing their five-year epic to completion they€™d had to redefine third-person combat, merge together multiple camera perspectives and evoke vast landscapes with the fledgling 3D engine at their disposal. Even so, they played a dangerous game with Ocarina of Time€™s opening hours. Kokiri Forest, Link€™s home and the game€™s starting location, is a fake-out. Its colours are muted and muddy, the villagers fade in only when Link approaches them and the entire area is drenched in a thick fog that€™s closer to Victorian London than idyllic Hyrule. You don€™t have time to feel disappointed, however - because Link controls like an absolute dream and there€™s still fun to be had slicing up signs and scavenging for rupees. By the time you€™ve finished the Deku Tree dungeon you€™ve pretty much acclimatised to your surroundings. Nintendo uses the Deku Tree and its surrounding woods to set your expectations, and then blows them out of the water the minute you step onto Hyrule Field. The sky overhead starts as a deep cerulean blue, the landscape stretches on forever with no sign of fog and the sun leaps into motion, shadows lengthening as you approach Hyrule Castle. It€™s a moment planned to perfection, delivering shock after shock. Time€™s passing, the castle gate is closing just as you approach and skeletons are erupting from the ground around you. As one of the series€™ most memorable locations, it€™s fitting that Hyrule Field weaves together multiple, rapid-fire astonishments and sends the player tumbling from one to the next €“ all without a single word being spoken. It€™s true that the new Zelda has a lot work to do if it€™s to live up to its E3 reveal. Fortunately, Nintendo have repeatedly proven that while they may not always work as planned, they€™ll never stop delivering surprises.