Zelda references in new Deadpool game

As some of you may know, at the end of last month, the Deadpool video game came out, starring the famous wise-cracking, 4th wall-breaking comic book mercenary. I haven’t gotten the game yet, but while watching some gameplay footage I noticed moments that were clear references to the Zelda series. The first happens while Deadpool navigates some sewers, where at one point he enters a series of rooms reminiscent of an 8-bit Zelda game, and the game switches to top-down view as Deadpool fights skeletons and the music becomes chiptuned and sounds quite a lot like a certain classic Zelda tune. The second is a later cutscene which — though it’s labeled as a JRPG reference — is clearly a spoof of 3D Zelda games and their chest-opening sequences. I’ve embedded videos of these moments below for your viewing.

Be warned, though: There is a lot of swearing and crude humor.

I’m a big Deadpool fan alongside being a Zelda fan, so it’s awesome for me to see them come together in this game. It’s not exactly surprising for Deadpool to reference the Zelda series, though; Deadpool has long been known to break the fourth wall — he spends this entire video game completely aware that he’s in one, for example — and has referenced video games in the past, like performing iconic moves from Street Fighter during actual fights in the comics. So him referencing one of the most beloved and influential game series isn’t a surprise, but cool nonetheless! I wouldn’t be surprised if there are other moments that reference Zelda in Deadpool, but these are the only two I’m aware of.

What do you think about these references? Did you think they were funny and cool to see in the game? Are you a fan of Deadpool and do you intend to get the game? Or, have you played it already and are there any more references? Tell us in the comments!