ZD Top 5 – Graveyards

 
For having so few people, the Zelda games sure do feature a lot of graveyards. I don’t know if a case of plague swept through recently, but there seem to be as many headstones as there are denizens of Hyrule. Regardless of these seemingly unsustainable demographic trends, Graveyards have provided some neat things to do as well as a unique spooky aura in a number of Zelda games, and in today’s ZD Top; our staffers recount five of their favorites.

Jon Lett – View Profile

5. Graveyard (The Legend of Zelda)
4. Karariko Graveyard (Twilight Princess)
3. Ikana Graveyard (Majora’s Mask)
2. Royal Valley (The Minish Cap)
1. Karariko Graveyard (Ocarina of Time)

I was really close to choosing The Royal Valley, out of sheer creepiness and really sweet atmosphere, but Karariko Graveyard really captures an atmosphere of sadness rather than typical uneasiness. The spirits all over the Graveyard have a never ending sense of regret and ill will towards those that walk on their territory. The outside looks simple enough, but as you approach the backmost grave and the rain starts falling, you begin to feel the creepiness ensue – especially at night. And going down into the various graves and finding the horrifying Redeads (the best reason that this graveyard got number one), horror just piles on. The entrance to the Shadow Temple up on the ledge is always just out of reach, until you one day return as an adult, and head into the depths of this deceptively simple-looking cemetery. There are so many secrets to discover in this place, and it is one of my favorite parts of Ocarina of Time’s Hyrule.

Alexis Anderson – View Profile

5. Kakariko Village Graveyard (Twilight Princess)
4. Castle Graveyard (Twilight Princess)
3. Kakariko Village Graveyard (Ocarina of Time)
2. Graveyard in The Swamp (Four Swords Adventures)
1. Ikana Graveyard (Majora’s Mask)

Ghosts and spirits are always really cool to see in Zelda games, but sometimes their resting places are even more intriguing! Ikana Graveyard is by-and-by one of the creepiest graveyards from the series; from its music, to its populace, to its significance of theme in relation to the rest of Majora’s Mask, it really is a perfect storm of fright. Four Swords Adventures was my first Zelda game, so it’s cemetery was also my first, and I loved the eerie tone of it all. And oh my stars, the Castle Graveyard in Twilight Princess is the creepiest place in Hyrule! I had totally forgotten about it, so the second time I played Twilight Princess I was very shocked and unnerved at seeing ghostly soldiers all mindlessly pointing at things and standing around in circles. My goodness, what a strange place that was.

Mark Olson – View Profile

5. Royal Graveyard (The Minish Cap)
4. Graveyard (The Legend of Zelda)
3. Kakariko Village Graveyard (Ocarina of Time)
2. Kakariko Village Graveyard (Twilight Princess)
1. Ikana Graveyard (Majora’s Mask)

I feel like my top two were in the games most suited to pulling off a good Graveyard. Twilight Princess and Majora’s Mask are universally seen as the two darkest entries in the series and, as such, the Graveyards fit the tone of the game very well. Though your first visit to the Zora tomb in Twilight Princess is eerie, I couldn’t justify putting it over Ikana Graveyard from Majora’s Mask. The whole area is very somber and integral to the theme of Majora’s Mask. The designers used the graveyard setting to its full effect, priming players not only for the emotional baggage of the conclusion of the main narrative, but also for a heck of an experience in the rest of the region.