The Most Visually Striking Elements

[Azure Sage]

Zelda has a lot of visually impressive things in the series, but what has blown you away the most? What do you think is the most impressive?

For me, I'd have to say that nothing stunned me and left me in awe as much as seeing the Divine Beasts for the first time, because damn. Even now I'm still blown away by them. I'd also give a shout out to the final battle of Wind Waker, because of that awesome sword fight surrounded by flooding water and rain. It's still one of my favorite final battles in the series.

What about the rest of you? What was the most visually striking element for you?

 

[Spirit]

The Great Sea in WW <3

 

[Vanessa28]

To me it's the fight against Beast Ganon in OoT. The castle collapsed, the sky is dark and threatening, and then this giant beast shows up. and intimidates you (or at least he tries to do that). It has all elements for an apocalypse.
The rising of the Tower of the Gods in WW was stunning as well.

 

[DeletedUser8]

The Great Sea in WW <3

How did I know you were going to say that?

 

[Dio]

For a world which generally doesn't bring much new to the table in terms of landscapes, featuring a generic desert, field and snowy mountain. BoTW is full of sights which you can see in other games. However it has one standout area which I'd say is the most visually stunning location in the series. And is even standout when thinking about locations across all games. That location is Zoras Domain. I remember arriving there for the first time and being treated to the sight of those beautiful blue rocks. The place is stunning and kind of alien looking. Its definitely my favourite part of that game.

 

[LegendOfMeesh]

I’d have to agree about loving BOTW’s version of Zora’s Domain. It’s absolutely stunning.

I also love when TP’s Kakariko Village goes from dark and dreary, to being more bright and lively once you save the town. I love the music there, which is a large part of why I’m such a big fan of its transformation.

 

[Castle]

Ocarina of Time's enigmatic Forest Temple always astounds me with its visual ambiance.

The view of the Great Deku Tree in Ocarina of Time is amazing. Being a small child in the presence of such a massive and ancient act of nature is mind boggling.

The sight of Death Mountain in Twilight Princess is intimidating no matter where you look at it. So is the sight of Hyrule Castle through the curtain of twilight or encased in its barrier pyramid.

The fight against Stal Lord is visually impressive. And the ruins of the Temple of Time in Twilight Princess are impressive enough, but the interior of the Beyond the Temple of Time dungeon is stately and architecturally amazing.

Twilight Princess's Lake Hylia is a 360 panorama of gorgeous sights. Nowhere else in the series is looking up so astounding. The Great Bridge of Hylia is a massive construct. The waters are pristine. The falls are majestic. The natural rock formations are neat. The sight of the tops of the stately columns of the Arbiters Grounds over the ridge to the desert is cool. Even the view of the little amphitheater on the cliffs above the lake is nifty as is the sight of the wooden house awkwardly clinging to the edge of the cliff face. Of course, it's once you dive under water that things take on a whole new perspective. Being able to dive down to such depths is like entering a whole nother dimension, and it's worth it even if just for the experience of being submerged in such a vast lake bed alone - though I still wish there was more to discover by diving the lake.

 

[TheGreatCthulhu]

The impressive physics engine of BotW.

Link stabbing Ganondorf in the head in WW.

 

[Pennycan1800]

Basically everything in BOTW. Especially the Akkala Region.

 

[Sheikah_Witch]

As much as I'd like to mention like everything in BotW, I have to give this thread to City in the Sky. just when you didn't think that TP's dungeons could get more epic, the entire damn game just outdoes itself. I still have my mouth wide open during that part of the game

 

[Kerest]

Zora's Domain in Breath of the Wild, by far. The Great Plateau, when you got up the tower, also counts.

 

[thePlinko]

Literally everything in WW.
Also the huge Hylian crest in lanayru desert in SS.

 

[AncientPoe]

There are tons of moments that took my breath away in Zelda games:

So many moments in Breath of the Wild have done it. Sunrise from the very top of Mt. Lanayru on a rare clear morning, watching a dragon come slowly winding towards me, a Hinox drawing itself up to full height in the pitch-black depths of the Typhlo Ruins, and that first panoramic of Hyrule Kingdom after stepping out of the Shrine of Resurrection.

Twilight Princess has Lake Hylia and the Great Bridge that spans it, whose worked-stone grandeur stands in stark contrast to the silent and murky depths of Faron Woods.

Outset Island always felt like home, I could always practically feel the breeze on my face and the sand beneath my toes. And wandering the Great Sea itself was always a joy, with the waves rolling endlessly on... that is until an enormous Octorok rose from its depths! Those glowing eyes!

And then who could forget my first foray into the world of Zelda, Ocarina of Time? The first time I stepped out into Hyrule Field and got a look at how open and vast the overworld was, I was completely floored. Sure, it may not be much now but sometimes I still get twinges of that first rush of excitement when I play through that game again, racing across Hyrule Field as I hunt down Big Poes on horseback. That experience has started my longest and strongest love of video game worlds, a bond that will never die.

 

[Deleted member 88720]

If I had to pick one out of all of them, I'd have to choose the Silent Realms.
Visually to me, it is like no other concept I've seen in the games. The closest they come are the warped realms of Twilight Princess when a Light Beast is subdued.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

I think the whole of Ocarina of Time had me dazzled back in the day. But I remember certain scenes sticking out to me. The first time I saw Ganondorf I was legitimately scared and intimidated, I remember running as far away from the TV as the controller would allow me too. I was 4 years old afterall! Pulling the Master Sword out of the Pedastal of Time remains so iconic imo. And the whole of the final battle segments with Ganondorf/Ganon made my heart race at every moment.

Seeing the Moon collide into Termina also was very visually stunning, it has to be one of the most intense Game Overs in the history of gaming!