3. Ocarina of Time

Having finished the compulsory leafy-village-training-section (LVTS) synonymous with Zelda games, a young link sets out across the plains in search of Hyrule Castle, on his epic quest to have a bit of a natter with the princess. Before you know it you’ve collected three magic gem things and been sealed away for seven years, suddenly transforming you from a child into a young man.

Zelda Fact: Originally billed as Jimmy Cranky and the Ocarina of Time, the project was reworked when programmers ran out of polygons whilst trying to perfect the protagonist’s hat.

Emerging from your previous haven into the now shattered landscape for the first time was a truly shocking experience: Lively colours and jaunty music replaced suddenly with grim dull tones and post-apocalyptic flavour winds. The stark contrast put you suddenly on edge; despite being clearly much more powerful than you were prior to being sealed away for seven years, this new landscape felt rough and unfamiliar, the safety net provided by green grass and blue skies suddenly fading away indefinitely.

Your first encounter within this unknown new world was with creatures known as ReDeads. These strange mummified masked skeletal figures stood hunched around what was previously a fountain at the centre of a bustling marketplace. Almost static and silent these ominous figures appeared to be uninterested in Link, at first. The fear however would soon jump sharply from 0 to 60 when one of these skeletal figures was to lock their eyes upon poor old link. Suddenly the sound of a short piercing scream is unforgivingly pumped through the TV’s speakers and Link is frozen solid as the figure creeps slowly towards him, leaving you as the player unable to do anything to protect link from the impending harm this masked monster would undoubtedly soon cause.

Try to forget the cheery Smash Bros backdrop. These guys were pure evil, honest.

Upon completing its slow shambolic march, it would wrap itself around him and begin frantically biting his neck as you button-mashed to try and fend the horror off. This harsh first introduction to ReDeads provided a terrifying welcome to the new future you now inhabited, as these fiends blasted you with ethereal screeches and perhaps more frighteningly took away your ability to simply run away. A dark vision which has since left many fans crying out for a more adult-themed Zelda (curb your imagination, son), Link’s initiation into this brave new world was both unfamiliar and unpleasant.