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General Modern More Horror in Zelda?

bunny

birb overlord
Joined
Sep 16, 2011
Location
Indiana
Gender
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I would love to see more horror in the Zelda series, but I doubt it will ever happen. You know, there is a saying, "too much of a good thing." I think some jumpscares and creepy monsters would add some excitement, but anything more would be overkill. I'm sure there will always be the occasional scary dungeon like the Shadow Temple and the Arbiter's Grounds (honestly, I don't see either as frightening anymore...) but other than that, I suspect Nintendo plans to keep Zelda around the rated E area as far as horror goes, which personally, I think is a wise decision. Some people just aren't into creepy stuff, and too much could literally scare a lot of players away. Plus, I'm sure it would get old after awhile...
 

BoxTar

i got bored and posted something
Joined
Apr 13, 2009
Location
Pacific Northwest
This

DeadHand.jpg


This

redead.bmp_thumb.jpg


And This

wallmaster.png


Were all enough for me, thank you very much.

But in all seriousness, I do love it when Zelda has some very creepy aspects to it. It has some of the darkest and moodiest dungeons I have ever played. That being said, I don't think it should lower itself down to cheap jumpscares. I KNOW they can do better than that. Creating an atmosphere is the basis of horror, and Nintendo does that CONSTANTLY.
 

The Jade Fist

Kung Fu Master
Joined
Jul 17, 2012
It would be interesting to see another horror themed dungeon in an upcoming Zelda. I don't know about jump scares (those should stay in actual horror games), but an eerie atmosphere really made the Shadow Temple and the bottom of the well a perfect balance of fun and paranoia.
Paranoia creepy atmosphere, maybe some instantly lethal traps with in the dungeon itself, make the player paranoid + plus atmosphere = good horror , jump scares are usually just annoying.

Imagine if you had the sound of a Link stepping on a trip wire, partially mixed in with the bgm, and had a bunch of traps in your dungeon, even if the player didnt' really just step on one, they'd stop for a moment, if they get too comfortable ignoring the sound when its real, is when it'll kill them.

Hey throw in a few zombies and dark imagery, maybe some invisible enemies and fake walls for setting the atmosphere, and you have legitimately unnerved even the most hard core of players, at least for the the first run through of the game. They can't trust their eyes, or their ears, and their gut tells them to leave. But there is that drive, of pushing thru it.

When a whole game is based on the theme, the player is already desensitized to the atmosphere/ dangers by part way thru the game, thats why it works best in chunks, surrounded by game play that entirely different, so that'll have a more lasting and effective impression apon the player.
 

Skittles

Rainbows!
Joined
May 22, 2013
Location
Skyloft
For me Skull Woods from aLttP will always remain more frightening than the Shadow Temple because there's no warning for the fricken hands other than them dropping on you and throwing you out. The dungeon just has an overall frightening atmosphere anyway, and I usually leave it until last in that game because I'd rather avoid until I must complete it...:/

Really, I kind of like the Shadow Temple because it gives a more gruesome and realistic picture to Hyrule in general by giving it a darker past like that. It's frightening, it actually frighten me more going through it on the 3DS because I understood it a lot better than when I was 13 or 14. It's the history and what the dungeon's history implies that scares the heck out of me, not the dungeon...

BUT, the most scary thing in the Zelda series is Wind Waker. Especially the floormasters that instantly take you like in the "mini-dungeon" before you obtain the ghost ship map. The ghost ship in general scared me because of its dark and foreboding atmosphere (especially before you can go on the thing). It isn't hard to beat, but the music is...dark and it just scares the heck out of me so much that I avoid the places it sails at night like the plague. I could name some more examples, but you probably get the point...>_>
 
Joined
Jun 5, 2013
Location
In another castle
I think what won me over in Majora's Mask was its atmosphere. It was dark in an eerie and psychological kind of way. It would be nice to see some of that come back for a little bit in a game, as well as a touch of the more common horror themes in dungeons and an overworld area or two, like a horror themed temple or a large, spooky graveyard. More creepy areas/dungeons, please! The last intimidating dungeon the series has seen was Arbiter's Grounds in Twilight Princess. The concept of a half and half dungeon is great, SS just didn't -or rather couldn't- do it too well as far as a scary atmosphere...
 

ThrawnTheater

Hylian Grand Admiral
Joined
Apr 10, 2012
Location
Kent, Washington
Yes. I absolutely love the Shadow Temple, and feel that it was executed incredibly well. I'd love to see more creepy things in the series. I don't think that Zelda needs to bump things up necessarily in terms of the horror factor, just do more of what they did before.

I did enjoy the Arbiter's Grounds, but I didn't find it nearly as scary as the Shadow Temple. Something that the Shadow Temple inspired in me was fear. Fear that I was going to die, and I did. On my first play-through of OoT, I must have died like ten times there, as I didn't know the Sun's Song froze the ReDeads/Gibdos, and they literally ate me alive. Arbiter's Grounds, didn't give me that feeling of constant dread. It, like most of TP, just wasn't difficult enough to do so.
 

The Jade Fist

Kung Fu Master
Joined
Jul 17, 2012
Want to add in, the shadow temple was still very well done. It did alot of things right, its just that Bottom of the Well, did too and the bgm having some of the sound effects in it, just really succeeded at making me uneasy..
 

ILU

i luv u
Joined
Dec 17, 2011
Horror is best when it feels out of the ordinary... not so much out of place, but when it takes away from normalcy and familiarity. The Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time was just perfect because it played on mystery previously planted in the game's secrets and dialog. Before we got to the Shadow Temple, we had already become aware of the fact that the Sheikah once dwelled in Kakariko and that something evil was sealed there. We obtained an item that seemed to be of Sheikah creation, and Navi even told us that she could hear the spirits-DEAD PEOPLE, GUYS!- whispering to us, telling us to find it. We even find out that there is a dark history in the past.... So, by the time we reach this horrific place, we're already well aware of its sinister atmosphere. That made actually exploring the temple all the more nerve-wracking.

The same could be said the beneath the Ancient Cistern in Skyward Sword, though many people just weren't scared by it. I can't say I was scared, but the atmosphere was still unsettling because of how much the creepiness factor contrasted with the lighter feel of the game.

If either levels were in a game that focused on darkness for the majority or even entirety of the game, I can't imagine they'd be that great. As it's already been mentioned, you'd become desensitized to it, and it'd eventually feel bland and boring. However, adding one or two more horror levels in a new Zelda game now that technology is better could be great. I can only imagine just how much more terrified I would have been if I could have been the one to hear the demonic whispers inside the tombs instead of Navi just telling me she heard them.
 

Musicfan

the shadow mage
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Location
insanity
I would say yes but not like Im goignto chop your head of horror but more of a creepy atmosphere like the shadow temple and the forest temple.
 
Joined
Aug 3, 2012
Location
California
I think that part of what made OoT great was the wide range of atmospheres - this range added to the overall epic feel. And I think a big part of that is the creepiness in areas like the Forest Temple, Bottom of the Well, and the Shadow Temple. I don't necessarily think it would make sense for Legend of Zelda to go so far in the horror direction that it became the main atmosphere of the game, but I think that it definitely has a place and adds to the overall impact of a game.
 

Mercedes

つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
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Nov 12, 2007
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In bed
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Female
Well, Zelda has a very young audience. Nintendo couldn't really pile more horror into the game without risking alienating them by it being too scary. So, I might like to see more horror but, I wouldn't want it to go too far. We don't need an Amnesia-level Zelda game, though that would be fun. ;)
 

Link-of-Lylat

It's me!
Joined
Mar 20, 2012
Location
Michigan
To make Zelda more scarier to me, all we need is more deep oceans/lakes that you can't see the bottom from the surface like in TP, and it's like what the Big Octo did to many from WW.
 

Sydney

The Good Samaritan
Joined
Mar 20, 2012
Location
Canberra, Australia
I'm strongly against horror genres and themes in general, however, having a few terrifying monsters or bosses here and there couldn't hurt. But there needs to be a limit. I simply refuse to play a Zelda game that's heavily based on horror concepts and aesthetics. In all honesty, game's that I feel executed these concepts appropriately were Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. This may just be from my own personal experiences from playing these games, but I found the Bottom of the Well, Shadow Temple, and Arbiter's Grounds all terrifying, yet thrilling experiences. If a future Zelda game wants to follow in their footsteps, fine by me. Just so long as they know their limits, let them create as they please.
 
Joined
Jun 16, 2013
Location
Desert Wastlands
I like the creepy parts of the Zelda Games. My favorite creepy parts were from Majora's Mask, especially the Ikana area. The bottom of the Well was creepy to me also. I think they do need more of this in future games and not the whole games (like Twilight Princess tried to do.) I wished there were more creepy/horror reigns/areas in more Zelda games.
 

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