Spoiler Darkest Zelda Game?

[Gannon]

Which Zelda game do you believe to be the darkest?

I know many believe that Majora's Mask is the darkest Zelda game. However, I disagree with this. In my opinion, MM is the creepiest Zelda game, but not the darkest because it has a happy ending. Since Link's Awakening has a more sad and depressing ending (Link wakes the Wind Fish and destroys the entire island and everything on it, including his friend Marin) plus some parts of the game that are quite creepy, I consider LA to be the darkest Zelda game. However, that's just my opinion.

 

[wedge47]

Sure MM has a happy ending... but the whole game has a dark, depressing feel to it. Everyone knows of their impending doom, and it shows throughout the game. Especially the scene on the final night where Cremia asks Romani to sleep in her bed with her. It doesn't get any darker than that...

 

[Ventus]

Majora's Mask is easily the darkest. Not through the art style, but the story. I mean, it features death on so many levels with just the right mood. I believe GaroXicon has a WIP article about MM being dark which I'd love to pull up, but the point is I htink MM is the darkest.

 

[theoathtoorder]

Which Zelda game do you believe to be the darkest?

I know many believe that Majora's Mask is the darkest Zelda game. However, I disagree with this. In my opinion, MM is the creepiest Zelda game, but not the darkest because it has a happy ending. Since Link's Awakening has a more sad and depressing ending (Link wakes the Wind Fish and destroys the entire island and everything on it, including his friend Marin) plus some parts of the game that are quite creepy, I consider LA to be the darkest Zelda game. However, that's just my opinion.

I always found LA to be quite sad as well. Especially when Marin says "don't ever forget this song or me, if you do I will never forgive you Link!"

I agree with Vanitas though- the theme of death is so heavy in Majora's Mask it is hard not to say it isn't the darkest. I do agree that LA is darker than Twilight Princess though.

 

[JuicieJ]

Twilight Princess, no contest. The events in the game are constantly slightly frightening/disturbing, and the overall tone of the game is somewhat depressing (in a good way). I know a lot of people say the same thing about Majora's Mask, but I honestly don't see why. Sure, it has dark themes to it, but the game's more about helping people and solving their problems, making them happy in the process, not death and destruction. Those are only minor themes of the game. At the end of the game, everyone (save the Deku Butler) is happy, having all of their problems solved. The Happy Mask Salesman even directly says this with one of his final quotes. The same things don't happen in TP. After all's said and done, there are still scars left on the land and in people's lives. Decay and Destruction are the names of the game in TP, whereas they're only at the very beginning of MM. You fix these things in the game. In TP, more and more of these events happen throughout the game, and there's nothing you can do about it. If we'd been able to stop them, then TP wouldn't have been as dark. If we hadn't been able to stop these events in MM, the game would have been very dark. But these aren't the cases. TP is dark, MM isn't. That's just how it is.

 

[Earthtemple]

I think people who find Twilight Princess darker than Majora's Mask are missing the point. Majora's mask is both creepy and dark. There is death everywhere in that game. The creepy parts like Pamela and her father and the moonchildren just add to that. Twilight princess has a darker art style, but it lacks the true sense of death that Majora's Mask has. I also feel that Nintendo was trying a bit too hard to make a more "mature" Zelda game. A lot in Twilight Princess in terms of its creepiness felt forced to me. That weird cutscene is one of the main examples.

 

[JuicieJ]

I think people who find Twilight Princess darker than Majora's Mask are missing the point. Majora's mask is both creepy and dark. There is death everywhere in that game. The creepy parts like Pamela and her father and the moonchildren just add to that. Twilight princess has a darker art style, but it lacks the true sense of death that Majora's Mask has. I also feel that Nintendo was trying a bit too hard to make a more "mature" Zelda game. A lot in Twilight Princess in terms of its creepiness felt forced to me. That weird cutscene is one of the main examples.

Things in TP were forced, yes, but I covered MM not being dark in my post. It's actually the other way around from what you said imo. I'd say those that call it dark are the ones missing the point. :/

 

[Pen]

I think MM and TP are the two darkest Zelda games. I cannot say which one is darker though, because they are both dark in different ways. MM has this dark feeling in the background almost all the time, with the Moon crashing down and all. While TP has a more concrete darkness in the Twilight Realm and on a couple of other occasions. So I can't really declare one to be darker than the other, but these two titles are without a doubt the two darkest games in the series in my opinion.

For an upcoming Zelda game I would very much like to see something that is dark in both ways. I want it to have the same dark atmosphere as MM, yet the same amount of dark surroundings as in TP. That'd be spectacular!

 

[r2d93]

Hmmmm. In terms of game content and feel id say MM.

However I think TP has a darker story.

MM scares the **** out of me, its constantly creepy (especially the music) it's depressing, there is a massive loomingmoon about to crash, it's scary. However the story is about helping people with their problems like JucieJ said.

TP however, doesn't quite have the dark feel (minus the graphics), but the story involves kidnapping, death, and other things i'm too lazy to list

 

[Dio]

Majoras mask is the darkest, it is creepy, there is impending doom and now we know link probably died in the woods after it, his deeds in Termina will never be known.

 

[PhantomTriforce]

I cannot decide between Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess, simply because they are dark in their own ways. Majora's Mask does have death and sad moments, but the entire theme between Twilight Princess was shadow and darkness. So I'd say both equally, in different ways.

 

[hylianordonlink]

I think MM and TP are the two darkest Zelda games. I cannot say which one is darker though, because they are both dark in different ways. MM has this dark feeling in the background almost all the time, with the Moon crashing down and all. While TP has a more concrete darkness in the Twilight Realm and on a couple of other occasions. So I can't really declare one to be darker than the other, but these two titles are without a doubt the two darkest games in the series in my opinion.

For an upcoming Zelda game I would very much like to see something that is dark in both ways. I want it to have the same dark atmosphere as MM, yet the same amount of dark surroundings as in TP. That'd be spectacular!

Id like to say your wrong because I was never scared in mm but tp was frightening but I see everyones reasons on why both are darker so you have the right idea and if you don't like that cry a river and swim in it and have fun before you realize that your angry again.

 

[PokaLink]

Twilight Princess, it has a dark feeling dark texture, ominus clouds, MM is just sometimes creepy.

 

[A Link In Time]

Aesthetically Twilight Princess is the darkest story by far but it's the emotionally charged story of Majora's Mask that takes the cake for me. The sidequests do such an excellent job of intertwining even the most minor NPCs into the story and forging a coherent narrative the player cares about. It's saddening to see the inhabitants of Termina ignorant of the fate that awaits them in three shorts days. Seeing the moon loom overhead with its ominous smile only adds greater urgency to this world in despair. The reason why I say Twilight Princess isn't the darkest Zelda game is due to the darkness enshrouding Hyrule being less permanent and the threat from Zant and the Twili not embracing the entire world.

The same things don't happen in TP. After all's said and done, there are still scars left on the land and in people's lives. Decay and Destruction are the names of the game in TP, whereas they're only at the very beginning of MM. You fix these things in the game. In TP, more and more of these events happen throughout the game, and there's nothing you can do about it. If we'd been able to stop them, then TP wouldn't have been as dark. If we hadn't been able to stop these events in MM, the game would have been very dark. But these aren't the cases. TP is dark, MM isn't.

I disagree. The characters in Twilight Princess were some of the weakest in franchise history because they didn't care about what was being done to their land. Most seemed rather placid to be frank. At the end of the day, only Midna left a larger mark but even that was too little. The Wolf Link segments certainly justified the Teen rating but did they make Twilight Princess the darkest Zelda game yet? Certainly not. Twilight Princess may have boasted the darkest presentation of any game in the franchise but when it came to presenting its people in distress, it was sorely lacking.

 

[Skywaker]

Though Majora's Mask had somewhat a 'creepy' feel to it, I believe that it is not the darkest game. The darkest game (in my opinion) is Twilight Princess, with the addition of the Twilight Realm. ^^