Considering ‘LoZ Tears of the Kingdom with Zelda turning into a mindless dragon’ was among Josh’s ‘Top 10 Disturbing Moments in Video Games’, I’m gonna call it; it’s gonna be on this list.
@@TwilightLink77 I say more that it's sentient, but it's a seperate mind. Zelda is trapped in her own mind while the dragon's mind flies through hyrule for 10000s of years and she can't do anything about it
I know not many will agree, but the backstory for Wind Waker is pretty dark and tragic when you think about it for a second. After Zelda in that timeline sends Link back to his timeline, some years later, Ganondorf breaks free from his imprisonment in the Dark Realm and wreaks his vengeance on Hyrule. And the worst part is that the Child Timeline Link is long dead and mentoring Twilight Princess’s Link by that point. So the gods were left with no choice but to flood Hyrule and leave the mountain tops as the only means of shelter for the Hylians. Basically, Wind Waker had the most brightly colored post-apocalyptic setting I’ve ever seen.
it’s weirdly hopeful by proxy. Think about it… The Hero of Winds was naught but a normal boy from a normal island, not a chosen hero. He was wiling to sail the vast ocean and face impossible odds time and time again, becoming recognized by the gods themselves as the next hero through his heroic feats, restoring the Master Sword to its full power, reclaiming the pieces of the Triforce of Courage… *just to save his sister.* Even though his grandmother became (literally) sick with worry, he returned home just fine and cured her, giving her hope at the same time. Those nightmares where she imagines what horrors could happen to her grandchildren? All dispelled when she saw her grandson home, safe and sound, giving her the cure to her own sickness. This one I really like the most, honestly.
@@basketbomberslackingson4417wind waker was my first ever Zelda game and that was when it first came out to GameCube. I still pop it in from time to time just to replay the story and watch it all unfold again.
Another really grim note about the Breath of the Wild apocalypse is the music in the Divine Beasts. This is something I learned from Zeltik: if you listen closely, you can hear a sequence of three short notes, followed by three long notes, followed by three more short notes. Guess what? Three short notes is “S” in morse code, and three long notes is “O”. It was “SOS”, the champions sending out a distress signal
Another thing is that Medoh's SOS is later than the others, meaning either Revali latest the longest against Windblight, or his pride prevented him from sending out the signal until it was too late
@@pokedude720it's the latter. I know we can't use age of calamity as a full comparison but the champions actions and dialogue when facing the blights are reflected. Mipha was first to speak in the first scene "so this is how it all ends?" and is terrified. Daruk and Urbosa are next in the second scene with Daruk saying "no way monster" but we can tell he's desperate and hanging to his last will to survive and Urbosa says "I'm in trouble" and summing her situation. And then revali spoke at the thrid scene, despite getting hit by a laser to the wing but he says "just a scratch" and still confident that he can win. But they all died at the same time
A countdown within a countdown, within a countdown? I'd make an inception joke, but I'm worried Leonardo Dicaprio would come to my front door personally with a cease and desist order. Lol
19:59 Ooh! Ooh! I got one! A timeline where Midna doesn't break the Mirror of Twilight and the Twili and Hylians co-exist in... relative harmony, becoming a race akin to the Zora, Rito, Gorons, etc.
It would be interesting to see the Twili as another race - maybe making a village under an underpass of a cliff or under some other area with a lot of shade.
You can actually find Romani on Day 2 if you fail to stop 'Them'. She walks a fixed, looping route, shambling about in a daze and occasionally stopping and looking around. Approaching her does have a 'Speak' action, but the resulting text box just contains an ellipsis. The route is large, covering about half of the ranch. She basically walks in a circle around the entire left half of the map, her route even takes her between the fence that divides the ranch in half and the house and barn. One of the times she stops and looks around is while she's basically facing her house, albeit from a distance. And unlike on Day 3, she still carries her bow while she's wandering like that. So Cremia probably finds her sometime at night, and takes her bow from her for her own safety. I don't know which is a more upsetting image of Cremia in her final moments, her hugging Romani after basically letting her get drunk, her faced with Romani probably not recognizize her and just staring into space.
The darkest BOTW moment to me was learning about the S.O.S messages that play during the Blight boss fights music themes, and that the champions were desperately calling for help when they knew they couldn’t win and that ultimately each died.
I feel like, for the MM segment, one could alternatively point to how the residents of Termina deal with the impending doom. There's the stoic swordmaster who is reduced to a cowering, whimpering baby when he realizes just how close his demise is and how powerless he is to stop it, the committee head who completely denies and rejects the notion of dying, the milk bar owner who stays open and does his thing for the sake of his customers including the mayor's wife, and of course my favorite, Cremia's giving the heavily-implied-to-be-inebriating Lon Lon Milk to her younger sister both to fulfill her dream of growing up which would never come to pass, and spare her the terror of the impending destruction of everything. Yeah Ikana Canyon has a very haunting history, but all of that is in the past and its effects on the present are easily hookshotted and stabbed. The present day human condition is something that cannot be fixed so simply; it requires A LOT of work and for you to destroy the moon once and for all. Even after that, you know the effects of The Final Day would still be felt for a long time afterwards.
Man I remember playing Minish Cap and failing to defeat the Darknuts in time and being completely shocked that it actually gave me a game over because I wasn't fast enough.
The moon landing in real life: "Truly, a great step forward for humanity broadening our horizons to the final frontier" The moon landing in Legend of Zelda: "AH HYLIA, EVERYONE PRAY FOR MERCY, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"
I'm honestly surprised that the Ancient Cistern basement didn't make it on here. It freaked me out as a kid and even thinking back on it now, that part where you're trying to escape by climbing the rope to freedom as the undead are trying to drag you down is still really unnerving.
While I agree Zelda's transformation in ToTK is grim, I feel what she goes through in BoTW is worse. Firstly she spends most of her life considering herself a failure for not being able to use her sacred power, then she sacrifices herself to contain the Calamity within Hyrule Castle, and has to hold it at bay for 100 years lest it break her will at complete the destruction of Hyrule. Yes, she spend more time as a dragon, but the cost of failure is much lower as she just has to power up the Master Sword.
Considering that in one of joshscorcher's countdowns that centered on surprisingly dark moments, I wouldn't be surprised if one of the entries will be Zelda turning into the Light Dragon. (Edit: Called it!)
For #4: Nintendo playing Zelda's Lullaby and warping it as the scene plays out just adds to the chill/ sad factor. The way the music shifts...it's both beautiful and haunting...
23:49 Context: After the King sacrifices himself to save Zelda from a rift, an imposter from the Still World takes his place, frames Zelda for creating the rifts, and has her locked up in the dungeon. Thankfully, Zelda is eventually able to rescue her real father and clear her name, but for the first half of the game, she was basically framed for a crime she didn't commit. Seriously, there were wanted posters of her and everything. I can imagine something like that happening to Link, but not to Zelda, the literal princess of Hyrule.
Might I recommend you do Top 10 Darkest Sonic moments for a future countdown? Because while the franchise may be targeted at younger audiences, it does NOT hold back on its dark moments.
I feel like the soldier in the back alley of Castle Town in OoT should’ve made the list. It’s an optional but incredibly chilling moment where you watch a man die. On screen!
While the Zelda series has had many dark moments over the years there are some moments in particular that I think will appear. First that creepy history lesson cutscene from Twilight Princess. It almost feels like it was designed specifically to creep the player out and it succeeded at that. Second the Happy Mask Salesman. Just the way his mood swings and how aggressive he gets with young Link is really unsettling. Lastly Blizzettas Transformation. It just really works well as a jump scare and a lead in to a creative boss fight.
Number 9 isn't quite so impactful after you beat the game and learn that Uncle didn't actually die. (Or maybe he did, but it got reversed after Link wished everything back to the way it was before. I dunno) I appreciate 7's inclusion on this list, but not because of Bellum. Bellum's cool, but Linebeck's possession was my favorite scene in the game because it demonstrates Linebeck's development.
Let’s see: Bottom of the well (OoT) Dropping the moon (MM) Links Deku transformation (MM) Anything involving Majorca’s Mask (MM) Creation Story (TP) Zelda’s Light Dragon transformation (TotK) Blizzetas Transformation (TP) The reveal that the Island is a dream. (LA) Other ideas?
5: If you think that moment is bad, read the Link's Awakening manga. Link spends the early manga thinking that his quest is going to save the island, then he learns what he is doing will destroy it. He is devastated and tries to flee the island to abandon his quest, just to find that he can't leave the island and learns it is a dream. Link decides the island will live on his heart, regardless, this leads to a bittersweet ending since he develops romantic feelings for Marin and they can't be together. Creators love to yank the chains of shippers.
Something to think about with _BotW:_ Even if you buy the DLC, you can’t get two rows of hearts and three stamina wheels. Link’s body _can’t_ be restored to its former strength. And we see the reason _for_ this. He was nearly slaughtered protecting Zelda, and neither the Shrine nor any magic can fix him. This little fact is essentially a gameplay metaphor for the sort of body trauma veterans experience *_in real life._*
I'm surprised you didn't mention anything about how the mask from Majora's mask was created but for those who are interested read the manga it will provide context
Countdownceptionception. Talk about commitment, you must have really liked this one. Oracle of Ages struck me with a few unexpectedly dark moments when I first played it, taking full advantage of the past/present mechanic to directly SHOW you the dire consequences of not fixing whatever went wrong in the past because of Veran's meddling. To wit: -If you don't bring the Tuni Nut back to Symmetry City, it will be destroyed by volcanic eruptions and left a lifeless ruin in the present day. -If you don't cure King Zora after he inhaled some of the poison sludge Veran contaminated the ocean with (and that stuff is EVERYWHERE until you clean it up), the king WILL die and the Zora Kingdom of Labrynna will scatter, leaving just a few survivors lamenting an empty palace and throne. -400 years after Queen Ambi decided to build the Black Tower to show her 'magnificence' (and call her dead pirate husband back to her), her castle is a crumbling ruin. -Veran accomplishes all this and much more by possessing Nayru, the titular Oracle, and using her time powers... and later possessing Queen Ambi when kicked out of Nayru's body. Two possession squicks for the price of one! And your comedic rival Ralph decides the only way to finally stop Veran is to kill Ambi, despite the fact that he is descended from her, so him doing that will cause a TIME PARADOX and probably complete Veran's mission for her.
Josh, I remember watching your content decades ago. I was probably in middle school. I'm glad you're still keeping at it and getting views. Sounds like you cultivated a nice fanbase too. I'm happy the algorithm decided to throw me back to your channel. Keep up the great work, man
28:07 I’m actually suprised that bobs og design comes from majora mask and smg4’s character got a spot on the list speaking of which you have to make a top 10 countdown of anything regarding smg4
Am I the only one who thinks the fate of the Postman in MM should've been given a mention? Poor guy can't even bring himself to grab his things and run, because all he has is his duty and pride as a mail carrier. He's not denying what's coming, but he's not accepting it, either. In the face of conflict, society acknowledged 2 options a person would take, in the past: Fight or Flight. Since then, however, we've acknowledged that sometimes, people _can't_ make a choice, and that doing so, itself, is a choice. Its third choice. "Freeze". To hope for the best, but be utterly paralyzed, unable to contribute to any outcome. You can't bring yourself to look at what's coming, you can't bring yourself to break a self-imposed cycle that felt safe and you had come to rely on. That's the fate of the Postman. He tells himself he needs to stay and deliver mail in a ghost town about to be destroyed. All he can do is talk to himself, and _shake in despair._
Thank you so much for the lovely birthday gift, Josh! My favorite Dark Zelda moment would be Lanaryu's story in Twilight Princess. The visuals are just... _holy shit_ ...
Why did that very last remind of this? “Ya. I been told my voice gets higher with time. My mom even agrees.” Not sure if that quote is told correctly since I been sooooo long. But it fits.
The one silver lining of Link’s Awakening’s ending is that if you wake the wind fish without dying once, you end up getting the true ending. And it adds an extra scene that implies Marin got reincarnated as a seagull, meaning that she at least still got her wish to see the world beyond her humble hone.
To my understanding, Stone tower Temple is supposed to be a sort of tower to the gods, trying to reach them. However, when you invert it, its an endless pit down to the underworld
Thank you so much for going into detail with the mini countdowns for Majora's Mask. As someone who hasn't played the game but heard it discussed and especially heard it placed at the top of lists like this, I got the general vibe but wanted to understand more. It's like how you introduced me to some obscure Disney movies and taught me that starship troopers and criminal minds are technically Disney works even before their IP Kirbying lol.
16:45 - This is the LAST skit I expected to show up on the Joshscorcher channel, considering old Smosh’s… sense of humor. So when I saw this, I not only was surprised… but the silly situation made me laugh so dang hard.
Gotta say, the Light Dragon memory haunted me for a few days after watching it. But then I noticed while I was re-watching the memory again from other playthroughs, that you could sort of hear Zelda's scream mixed in with the Light Dragon's roar when flying upward after the transformation. Idk if anyone else noticed it, but it definitely adds to that moment .3.
I just finished TotK today, it was amazing! Spoilers: Zelda transforming into the light dragon, the opening, or Ganondorf offing Sonia, has to be on here. Those 3 moments deserve to be mentioned as the darkest moments of the game in my opinion.
9:56 an Ad popped up and ruined this moment, imagine the worst that could happen, and then see a girl take her jeans off to wash them pop up. Jeans Ad ruined the original whiplash build up.
I might have said this the last time though the zelda dragon transformation implies the other 3 dragons were just like her swallowing their sacred stones as a last act of noble desperation.
The battle at Turtle Rock is my favourite part of my least favourite tome of the Akira Himekawa manga. Reducing the entirety of A Link to the Past to 4 chapters seriously hurt the pacing, especially since most of the Dark World got reduced to punchlines about how the inhabitants got turned into monsters. Then Trinexx's manga counterpart takes the unnerving implications of being turned into a monster and runs with them. The snake seems unusually prone to disobeying Agahnim's orders and goes down surprisingly quickly... because the plan wasn't to overpower Link, but to torment him with the idea that he cut down a former companion. And it works! Since manga!Link never found the Moon Pearl, all that was letting him stay human was his pure heart. As soon as he starts getting blinded by rage towards the dark wizard, he becomes a monstrous wolf that is no longer worthy of the Master Sword.
Nice choices on this list, Ikana Canyon always struck me as the darkest part in majora’s mask along with Majora and the skull kid’s origin in the final page of the majora mask manga, the music in the ikana castle is really catchy though.
I love the aliens in Majora’s mask because I find it funny that this fantasy series has had aliens as a part of it’s lore for decades and no one acknowledges it
Here are some Spooky Top Tens for the Possible future Top Ten Jumpscares in Games Top Ten Creepypastas Top Ten Horror Game Classics Top Ten Unsolved Gaming Mysteries Top Ten Horror Bosses Top Ten Best Okami Moments
A litte bit of a minor example, but one thing I found a little dark was in Twilight Princess: Yeta's transformation into Blizzetta. We don't see NPCs, let alone friendly NPCs, actively transforming into the boss, very often, but seeing it happen to a character we'd been fetching ingredients for because she's, you know, SICK and someone who's been nothing but sweet to Link the entire time we've seen her was just unsettling. But, at the same time, I appreciate it happening because it gives more character to Yeta and is a better explanation than just having the castle be haunted by a random ice monster; having the boss be an NPC that you actually SEE getting possessed and corrupted makes the boss fight more-interesting for me because it shows that no one is safe from evil's corruption in this franchise and all it takes is one instance to turn a friend into a foe. Kind of makes me wish this concept was used more-often...
Opinions on each entry. Intro: Makes ya wonder if you’ll remake that one like the Annoying Bosses list. No. 10: I’m.. honestly not sure what to say here! No. 9: Either they were scared of you or they were trying to protect Zelda.. No. 8: Sometimes, it’s best to let the past die.. even if it comes back to haunt you! No. 7: The Hyrule variant of Dark Matter everyone. No. 6: Private says it better than I do.. No. 5: At least Marin returned in Hyrule Warriors! No. 4: I’m actually shocked to see Wilkins in this video! No. 3: At the very least, THAT ending is non-canon.. No. 2: If I wanted to play as Midna, I’d play Hyrule Warriors on Switch! No. 1: I’m just glad I never played that game when I was younger.. (shudders) In conclusion: I wasn’t sure how you knew about Jim Henson’s early years, probably because of that Snack Attack Keyblade I drew on DeviantArt.. or a coincidence.
So we've already gotten a video on the Darkest Mario Moments, now it's Darkest Zelda Moments. What's next? Kirby? Pokémon? Metroid? Other Nintendo games? The possibilities are nearly endless!
8:33 Josh this is an actual warning, depending on HOW "ick" it is, if you EVER decide to get into warhammer... Don't look up/avoid a character named Tamurkhan, cause ik you're NOT going to like him as a concept, character maybe, but you'll *DESPISE* him as just for the idea of him floating around your grey matter (to anyone that DOES know who he is, hello! I am also a level 3 warhammer nerd)
15:24 Imagine if they for some reason showed the body horror, it's both fascinating how a human body would transform into a dragon (horns, two extras sets of arms and back spikes with elongating spine) but also downright terrifying to think about the implication, plus highly unlikely due to mass cannot just gain more mass THAT quickly, etc. 19:50 Oh god you're gonna give Zelda timeline theorists a headache if you start adding ANOTHER timeline split where Zelda dies. lol Majora's Mask will always be the most emotionally dark game to boot, BotW/TotK come close, but they suffer from not putting the player into the middle of the action instead you're cleaning up the aftermath.
I never played Phantom Hourglass, but with what u gathered is that Bellum reminds me of a similar entity to Jean Jacket from Jordan Peele’s Nope. Appearing as something else, like a ship or a flying saucer, before a dramatic reveal that it’s a huge scary predator
Paused to give Josh kudos for using an MJF gif...as if I wasn't going absolutely bonkers because I'm seeing an AEW show live on the 3rd of October (which people at home won't see until Saturday), and have ringside seats with a friend of mine in range of the cameras.
If I had to add something, perhaps as an honorable mention, it would be the scene that takes place between phases two and three of the fight against Ganondorf in Twilight Princess. She tries to take on Ganondorf, most likely knowing that she will fail. She warps Link and Zelda away before transforming herself with the Fused Shadows. Cut to Link and Zelda appearing in Hyrule Field. You don’t know what happens, but then the castle explodes. While this may not be a bad thing, those hopes are dashed as soon as you see Ganondorf in the field. Not only is he unharmed, but he lifts the last Fused Shadow, the one Midna had for the whole game, into the air. As soon as realization sets in, both for you and for Link, he crushes it in a single moment. The meaning behind this is clear. It’s like in End of Evangelion where Asuka tries and fails to fight the MPEs, and Shinji sees her remains. The scene where she first uses the Fused Shadows is also pretty messed up.
Pleasantly surprised with #7, Bellumbeck genuinely gave me nightmares as a kid (plus the same possession ick lmao) but nobody ever seems to want to acknowledge PH in these kinds of lists.
It’s been on last year’s Surprisingly Dark Moments, but we can’t talk about Zelda’s Darkest Moments without Zelda’s Light Dragon form a la Tears of the Kingdom…
The best theory I have heard for the Elegy of Empiness comes from a specific detail with the fact Links statue is the only one that has real eyes while all others don’t and don’t take on the appearance of Link. The theory on the statues says they represent the soul of the body used with it and since most of those souls are dead it is likely copying what they look like in the afterlife meaning the song is possibly reaching from beyond the world of the living to do what it does.
I think it's heavily implied that Ikana fell to ruin because of their blasphemy against the Three Goddesses. Numerous pieces of iconography around the Stone Tower Temple could be interpreted as them mocking the Triforce and the tower itself could have been a sort of "Tower of Babel" situation. They attempted to breach heaven and steal/defile the power of the gods, so they were cursed to *never* be able to enter the worlds. Neither heaven nor hell would be open to them, so they are forever cursed to linger in torment and agony. The best outcome for Link ending the curse is them ceasing to exist.
Yeah, Zelda is one of those franchises that’s not afraid to step into the dark side. For me, the Darkest Zelda Moment was Creation Story in Twilight Princess, everything about it just sends chills down my spine.
I did not know that Minish Cap even had a bad ending. I manage to make it on my first try the first time I played Minish Cap. Yeah, the final dungeon was frustrating at times, but navigating it was still somewhat manageable.
“Is this a Zelda game, or an allegory for mental health?” Sir, with all due respect, I’ve watched this countdown, and I can confidently say that this whole SERIES is an allegory for mental health.
I mentioned it in the short but I figured I would ask it here, but do you think you could redo Darkest Mario Moments if you can only do one Super Paper Mario choice? Number 7: Eyyyyyyy I am one of them
I remember when my dad played Majora's Mask when I was really young, like REALLY YOUNG! He got to Romani Ranch on day 1, and of course, he did the "minigame" of Them. As a child, I was TERRIFIED. To the point I dare not play Ocarina because I thought they were ALSO in Ocarina.
Support Blaze VS Starfire HERE: ko-fi.com/starfirevsblaze
did you realize that death battle is back....... so how you can call this new series?
Why? You want this to be an actual Death Battle?
PLEASE do Top 10 Bad Endings in Video Games!!
It depends on how you do it, because if you are realizing, Blaze vs Starfire may possibly fall into that category.
“Is this a Nintendo game, or an allegory for mental health?”
… *Could it be both?*
Maybe it is both :)
Both is good
Cue the meme.
I would, but I don’t speak spanish.
@@tahjkuemmerleGood?
10:49 XD
from "Well, this sucks" to "This well sucks!" XD
CLEVER
And then went to "F*ck this well" too.
Who wants to bet that this list having the “one per game” rule is because of Super Paper Mario dominating the Darkest Mario moments list?
“In a few hours, going to the moon is gonna be as easy as taking a walk!” -Chuggaaconroy
Please give a link to the original video then a Time stamp please
Because I don't feel like hunting for it.
Considering ‘LoZ Tears of the Kingdom with Zelda turning into a mindless dragon’ was among Josh’s ‘Top 10 Disturbing Moments in Video Games’, I’m gonna call it; it’s gonna be on this list.
I wouldn’t consider Zelda’s dragon form mindless since she kept the master sword with her, and restore it to its true form for centuries.
It's more animal than mindless.
@@JacksontheSwordsman Ganondorf on the other hand became mindless due to his rage against Link.
You called it
@@TwilightLink77 I say more that it's sentient, but it's a seperate mind. Zelda is trapped in her own mind while the dragon's mind flies through hyrule for 10000s of years and she can't do anything about it
I know not many will agree, but the backstory for Wind Waker is pretty dark and tragic when you think about it for a second. After Zelda in that timeline sends Link back to his timeline, some years later, Ganondorf breaks free from his imprisonment in the Dark Realm and wreaks his vengeance on Hyrule. And the worst part is that the Child Timeline Link is long dead and mentoring Twilight Princess’s Link by that point. So the gods were left with no choice but to flood Hyrule and leave the mountain tops as the only means of shelter for the Hylians. Basically, Wind Waker had the most brightly colored post-apocalyptic setting I’ve ever seen.
Sick! 😎
Even more bright and colourful than the world of Splatoon?
@@knightofarkronia9968 Surprisingly? Kinda...
it’s weirdly hopeful by proxy. Think about it…
The Hero of Winds was naught but a normal boy from a normal island, not a chosen hero. He was wiling to sail the vast ocean and face impossible odds time and time again, becoming recognized by the gods themselves as the next hero through his heroic feats, restoring the Master Sword to its full power, reclaiming the pieces of the Triforce of Courage… *just to save his sister.*
Even though his grandmother became (literally) sick with worry, he returned home just fine and cured her, giving her hope at the same time. Those nightmares where she imagines what horrors could happen to her grandchildren? All dispelled when she saw her grandson home, safe and sound, giving her the cure to her own sickness. This one I really like the most, honestly.
@@basketbomberslackingson4417wind waker was my first ever Zelda game and that was when it first came out to GameCube. I still pop it in from time to time just to replay the story and watch it all unfold again.
Another really grim note about the Breath of the Wild apocalypse is the music in the Divine Beasts. This is something I learned from Zeltik: if you listen closely, you can hear a sequence of three short notes, followed by three long notes, followed by three more short notes. Guess what? Three short notes is “S” in morse code, and three long notes is “O”. It was “SOS”, the champions sending out a distress signal
Another thing is that Medoh's SOS is later than the others, meaning either Revali latest the longest against Windblight, or his pride prevented him from sending out the signal until it was too late
@@pokedude720it's the latter. I know we can't use age of calamity as a full comparison but the champions actions and dialogue when facing the blights are reflected.
Mipha was first to speak in the first scene "so this is how it all ends?" and is terrified.
Daruk and Urbosa are next in the second scene with Daruk saying "no way monster" but we can tell he's desperate and hanging to his last will to survive and Urbosa says "I'm in trouble" and summing her situation.
And then revali spoke at the thrid scene, despite getting hit by a laser to the wing but he says "just a scratch" and still confident that he can win.
But they all died at the same time
@@pokedude720That's Revali for ya. Stubborn and prideful till the bitter end.
Number 1 entry in a nutshell: Countdowns within Countdowns await you, Link.
A countdown within a countdown, within a countdown? I'd make an inception joke, but I'm worried Leonardo Dicaprio would come to my front door personally with a cease and desist order. Lol
19:59 Ooh! Ooh! I got one! A timeline where Midna doesn't break the Mirror of Twilight and the Twili and Hylians co-exist in... relative harmony, becoming a race akin to the Zora, Rito, Gorons, etc.
Love it!
It would be interesting to see the Twili as another race - maybe making a village under an underpass of a cliff or under some other area with a lot of shade.
I love the use and reuse of the Private saying, "Well this sucks," so much! It's one of my favorite gags that Josh/Josh's editors have ever used!
You can actually find Romani on Day 2 if you fail to stop 'Them'. She walks a fixed, looping route, shambling about in a daze and occasionally stopping and looking around. Approaching her does have a 'Speak' action, but the resulting text box just contains an ellipsis. The route is large, covering about half of the ranch. She basically walks in a circle around the entire left half of the map, her route even takes her between the fence that divides the ranch in half and the house and barn. One of the times she stops and looks around is while she's basically facing her house, albeit from a distance. And unlike on Day 3, she still carries her bow while she's wandering like that. So Cremia probably finds her sometime at night, and takes her bow from her for her own safety. I don't know which is a more upsetting image of Cremia in her final moments, her hugging Romani after basically letting her get drunk, her faced with Romani probably not recognizize her and just staring into space.
The darkest BOTW moment to me was learning about the S.O.S messages that play during the Blight boss fights music themes, and that the champions were desperately calling for help when they knew they couldn’t win and that ultimately each died.
I feel like, for the MM segment, one could alternatively point to how the residents of Termina deal with the impending doom. There's the stoic swordmaster who is reduced to a cowering, whimpering baby when he realizes just how close his demise is and how powerless he is to stop it, the committee head who completely denies and rejects the notion of dying, the milk bar owner who stays open and does his thing for the sake of his customers including the mayor's wife, and of course my favorite, Cremia's giving the heavily-implied-to-be-inebriating Lon Lon Milk to her younger sister both to fulfill her dream of growing up which would never come to pass, and spare her the terror of the impending destruction of everything. Yeah Ikana Canyon has a very haunting history, but all of that is in the past and its effects on the present are easily hookshotted and stabbed. The present day human condition is something that cannot be fixed so simply; it requires A LOT of work and for you to destroy the moon once and for all. Even after that, you know the effects of The Final Day would still be felt for a long time afterwards.
Man I remember playing Minish Cap and failing to defeat the Darknuts in time and being completely shocked that it actually gave me a game over because I wasn't fast enough.
Me after #2: Wait, where's the honorary mentions?
Also me seeing #1: Ohhh, that's why. XD
Thanks! Also 0:30 nice VeggieTales clip there. I’ve watched that show a lot of times growing up.
The funny veggies were my childhood too!
Someone at Nintendo read the story of Azathoth and thought, "Hey! Let's turn this into a Zelda game!"
The moon landing in real life: "Truly, a great step forward for humanity broadening our horizons to the final frontier"
The moon landing in Legend of Zelda: "AH HYLIA, EVERYONE PRAY FOR MERCY, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"
When you refer to the moon landing, you must specify if it is you landing on the moon or the moon landing on you
Listen Here You Little-
On Earth, you land on the moon. In Termina, the moon lands on you!
Fun fact: the residents of Termina actually despise the Goddess Hylia.
Hard to tell if that would be better or worse than the moon secretly being the prison for a primordial god of darkness
I'm honestly surprised that the Ancient Cistern basement didn't make it on here. It freaked me out as a kid and even thinking back on it now, that part where you're trying to escape by climbing the rope to freedom as the undead are trying to drag you down is still really unnerving.
While I agree Zelda's transformation in ToTK is grim, I feel what she goes through in BoTW is worse. Firstly she spends most of her life considering herself a failure for not being able to use her sacred power, then she sacrifices herself to contain the Calamity within Hyrule Castle, and has to hold it at bay for 100 years lest it break her will at complete the destruction of Hyrule. Yes, she spend more time as a dragon, but the cost of failure is much lower as she just has to power up the Master Sword.
Considering that in one of joshscorcher's countdowns that centered on surprisingly dark moments, I wouldn't be surprised if one of the entries will be Zelda turning into the Light Dragon.
(Edit: Called it!)
For #4: Nintendo playing Zelda's Lullaby and warping it as the scene plays out just adds to the chill/ sad factor. The way the music shifts...it's both beautiful and haunting...
23:49
Context:
After the King sacrifices himself to save Zelda from a rift, an imposter from the Still World takes his place, frames Zelda for creating the rifts, and has her locked up in the dungeon. Thankfully, Zelda is eventually able to rescue her real father and clear her name, but for the first half of the game, she was basically framed for a crime she didn't commit. Seriously, there were wanted posters of her and everything. I can imagine something like that happening to Link, but not to Zelda, the literal princess of Hyrule.
Might I recommend you do Top 10 Darkest Sonic moments for a future countdown?
Because while the franchise may be targeted at younger audiences, it does NOT hold back on its dark moments.
I already know Sonic's death is gonna be one of them
28:00 Hey, It’s Bob from SMG4!!!
28:10 was not expecting that kind of backstory from Bob here…
I feel like the soldier in the back alley of Castle Town in OoT should’ve made the list. It’s an optional but incredibly chilling moment where you watch a man die. On screen!
While the Zelda series has had many dark moments over the years there are some moments in particular that I think will appear.
First that creepy history lesson cutscene from Twilight Princess. It almost feels like it was designed specifically to creep the player out and it succeeded at that.
Second the Happy Mask Salesman. Just the way his mood swings and how aggressive he gets with young Link is really unsettling.
Lastly Blizzettas Transformation. It just really works well as a jump scare and a lead in to a creative boss fight.
Number 9 isn't quite so impactful after you beat the game and learn that Uncle didn't actually die. (Or maybe he did, but it got reversed after Link wished everything back to the way it was before. I dunno)
I appreciate 7's inclusion on this list, but not because of Bellum. Bellum's cool, but Linebeck's possession was my favorite scene in the game because it demonstrates Linebeck's development.
It’s always dark moments in games. I wonder what it would be like to have the top ten light-hearted moments in a game series like Resident Evil.
Let’s see:
Bottom of the well (OoT)
Dropping the moon (MM)
Links Deku transformation (MM)
Anything involving Majorca’s Mask (MM)
Creation Story (TP)
Zelda’s Light Dragon transformation (TotK)
Blizzetas Transformation (TP)
The reveal that the Island is a dream. (LA)
Other ideas?
The short preview he uploaded says it's only one per game.
Josh: Zelda needs to get stronger, and there is one way to do so...
BK Ad playing just at that moment: ♪The BK burgers and the firey menu ♫
When Zelda turns in the Light Dragon in TotK...we find out that the other 4 Sages were watching the whole thing!
5: If you think that moment is bad, read the Link's Awakening manga. Link spends the early manga thinking that his quest is going to save the island, then he learns what he is doing will destroy it. He is devastated and tries to flee the island to abandon his quest, just to find that he can't leave the island and learns it is a dream.
Link decides the island will live on his heart, regardless, this leads to a bittersweet ending since he develops romantic feelings for Marin and they can't be together. Creators love to yank the chains of shippers.
Something to think about with _BotW:_
Even if you buy the DLC, you can’t get two rows of hearts and three stamina wheels. Link’s body _can’t_ be restored to its former strength. And we see the reason _for_ this. He was nearly slaughtered protecting Zelda, and neither the Shrine nor any magic can fix him. This little fact is essentially a gameplay metaphor for the sort of body trauma veterans experience *_in real life._*
Bro that Link face still creeps me out sometimes, LMAO
Will Josh return to Astro Bot soon?
@@centurynerdbrI think so, after he finishes Echoes of Wisdom
@@silverflight01 I see, understood.
I'm surprised you didn't mention anything about how the mask from Majora's mask was created but for those who are interested read the manga it will provide context
I love the fact that Majora’s Mask needs two entire mini countdowns just to explain how freaking dark the game is!
28:01 THAT'S BOB FROM SMG4
oW mY oVaRiEs!!
I was honestly expecting an "I slept too long" from Army of Darkness in the Ocorina of Time entry. It is the vibe I got from it.
Countdownceptionception. Talk about commitment, you must have really liked this one.
Oracle of Ages struck me with a few unexpectedly dark moments when I first played it, taking full advantage of the past/present mechanic to directly SHOW you the dire consequences of not fixing whatever went wrong in the past because of Veran's meddling. To wit:
-If you don't bring the Tuni Nut back to Symmetry City, it will be destroyed by volcanic eruptions and left a lifeless ruin in the present day.
-If you don't cure King Zora after he inhaled some of the poison sludge Veran contaminated the ocean with (and that stuff is EVERYWHERE until you clean it up), the king WILL die and the Zora Kingdom of Labrynna will scatter, leaving just a few survivors lamenting an empty palace and throne.
-400 years after Queen Ambi decided to build the Black Tower to show her 'magnificence' (and call her dead pirate husband back to her), her castle is a crumbling ruin.
-Veran accomplishes all this and much more by possessing Nayru, the titular Oracle, and using her time powers... and later possessing Queen Ambi when kicked out of Nayru's body. Two possession squicks for the price of one! And your comedic rival Ralph decides the only way to finally stop Veran is to kill Ambi, despite the fact that he is descended from her, so him doing that will cause a TIME PARADOX and probably complete Veran's mission for her.
Josh, I remember watching your content decades ago. I was probably in middle school. I'm glad you're still keeping at it and getting views. Sounds like you cultivated a nice fanbase too. I'm happy the algorithm decided to throw me back to your channel. Keep up the great work, man
He pulls the master sword from dragon Zeldas skull..... Only to plunge it into ganondorfs
Well not the first time Ganondorf got the master sword plunged into him.
@@shadowlinkbds yeah but most of those times he was still human not as a dragon
28:07 I’m actually suprised that bobs og design comes from majora mask and smg4’s character got a spot on the list speaking of which you have to make a top 10 countdown of anything regarding smg4
Am I the only one who thinks the fate of the Postman in MM should've been given a mention? Poor guy can't even bring himself to grab his things and run, because all he has is his duty and pride as a mail carrier. He's not denying what's coming, but he's not accepting it, either.
In the face of conflict, society acknowledged 2 options a person would take, in the past: Fight or Flight. Since then, however, we've acknowledged that sometimes, people _can't_ make a choice, and that doing so, itself, is a choice. Its third choice. "Freeze".
To hope for the best, but be utterly paralyzed, unable to contribute to any outcome. You can't bring yourself to look at what's coming, you can't bring yourself to break a self-imposed cycle that felt safe and you had come to rely on. That's the fate of the Postman. He tells himself he needs to stay and deliver mail in a ghost town about to be destroyed. All he can do is talk to himself, and _shake in despair._
Thank you so much for the lovely birthday gift, Josh!
My favorite Dark Zelda moment would be Lanaryu's story in Twilight Princess.
The visuals are just... _holy shit_ ...
Why did that very last remind of this?
“Ya. I been told my voice gets higher with time. My mom even agrees.”
Not sure if that quote is told correctly since I been sooooo long. But it fits.
I wonder if the well section was inspired by the real life catacombs under Paris which have their own gruesome backstory as to how they came to be.
You get extra points for using a clip from Atlantis : The Lost Empire !
Maybe you should do Castlevania's top 10 list someday. it would be interesting and spooky. Looking forward tot his Zelda video.
Got to love how Link’s Awakening just casually makes the whole game into a love letter to H.P. Lovecraft with the premise.
The one silver lining of Link’s Awakening’s ending is that if you wake the wind fish without dying once, you end up getting the true ending. And it adds an extra scene that implies Marin got reincarnated as a seagull, meaning that she at least still got her wish to see the world beyond her humble hone.
To my understanding, Stone tower Temple is supposed to be a sort of tower to the gods, trying to reach them.
However, when you invert it, its an endless pit down to the underworld
Great count down. Hope we'll get top ten eldritch bosses this year.
24:08 I'm sorry. I cannot look at a Garo without expecting a certain text to speech voice to accompany it. Stupid SMG4 hyperfixation.
Bob is an underrated character.
Literally did an impression of Bob’s text to speech voice first Garo I saw
Well it's better said that the Calamity Saga is put so much later in the timeline that the events of Ocarina are mere myths
Thank you so much for going into detail with the mini countdowns for Majora's Mask. As someone who hasn't played the game but heard it discussed and especially heard it placed at the top of lists like this, I got the general vibe but wanted to understand more. It's like how you introduced me to some obscure Disney movies and taught me that starship troopers and criminal minds are technically Disney works even before their IP Kirbying lol.
Not related to the video, but I just realized that Joshscorcher is the longest YT channel I've been subbed to and still watch.
I knew #1 would involve Majora's Mask, but frankly, I'm not surprised the ENTIRE GAME is #1.
16:45 - This is the LAST skit I expected to show up on the Joshscorcher channel, considering old Smosh’s… sense of humor. So when I saw this, I not only was surprised… but the silly situation made me laugh so dang hard.
Gotta say, the Light Dragon memory haunted me for a few days after watching it.
But then I noticed while I was re-watching the memory again from other playthroughs, that you could sort of hear Zelda's scream mixed in with the Light Dragon's roar when flying upward after the transformation. Idk if anyone else noticed it, but it definitely adds to that moment .3.
I just finished TotK today, it was amazing!
Spoilers: Zelda transforming into the light dragon, the opening, or Ganondorf offing Sonia, has to be on here. Those 3 moments deserve to be mentioned as the darkest moments of the game in my opinion.
I probably should do that soon, and other games I haven’t finished yet like Xenoblade 3 or Elden Ring
9:56 an Ad popped up and ruined this moment, imagine the worst that could happen, and then see a girl take her jeans off to wash them pop up. Jeans Ad ruined the original whiplash build up.
I might have said this the last time though the zelda dragon transformation implies the other 3 dragons were just like her swallowing their sacred stones as a last act of noble desperation.
The battle at Turtle Rock is my favourite part of my least favourite tome of the Akira Himekawa manga.
Reducing the entirety of A Link to the Past to 4 chapters seriously hurt the pacing, especially since most of the Dark World got reduced to punchlines about how the inhabitants got turned into monsters.
Then Trinexx's manga counterpart takes the unnerving implications of being turned into a monster and runs with them.
The snake seems unusually prone to disobeying Agahnim's orders and goes down surprisingly quickly... because the plan wasn't to overpower Link, but to torment him with the idea that he cut down a former companion.
And it works! Since manga!Link never found the Moon Pearl, all that was letting him stay human was his pure heart. As soon as he starts getting blinded by rage towards the dark wizard, he becomes a monstrous wolf that is no longer worthy of the Master Sword.
Nice choices on this list, Ikana Canyon always struck me as the darkest part in majora’s mask along with Majora and the skull kid’s origin in the final page of the majora mask manga, the music in the ikana castle is really catchy though.
I love the aliens in Majora’s mask because I find it funny that this fantasy series has had aliens as a part of it’s lore for decades and no one acknowledges it
Here are some Spooky Top Tens for the Possible future
Top Ten Jumpscares in Games
Top Ten Creepypastas
Top Ten Horror Game Classics
Top Ten Unsolved Gaming Mysteries
Top Ten Horror Bosses
Top Ten Best Okami Moments
Is that last one a horror themed topic are you just trolling Josh?
@@greatsageclok-roo9013 Josh hates Ōkami, so it’s most likely a troll lmao.
How do you judge jumpscares?
@@WarmLusaminemaybe on how creative or effective the jumpscare is.
How about a musical top 10? Top 10 Most Unnerving/Unsettling/Scary music in gaming?
A litte bit of a minor example, but one thing I found a little dark was in Twilight Princess: Yeta's transformation into Blizzetta. We don't see NPCs, let alone friendly NPCs, actively transforming into the boss, very often, but seeing it happen to a character we'd been fetching ingredients for because she's, you know, SICK and someone who's been nothing but sweet to Link the entire time we've seen her was just unsettling. But, at the same time, I appreciate it happening because it gives more character to Yeta and is a better explanation than just having the castle be haunted by a random ice monster; having the boss be an NPC that you actually SEE getting possessed and corrupted makes the boss fight more-interesting for me because it shows that no one is safe from evil's corruption in this franchise and all it takes is one instance to turn a friend into a foe. Kind of makes me wish this concept was used more-often...
Opinions on each entry.
Intro: Makes ya wonder if you’ll remake that one like the Annoying Bosses list.
No. 10: I’m.. honestly not sure what to say here!
No. 9: Either they were scared of you or they were trying to protect Zelda..
No. 8: Sometimes, it’s best to let the past die.. even if it comes back to haunt you!
No. 7: The Hyrule variant of Dark Matter everyone.
No. 6: Private says it better than I do..
No. 5: At least Marin returned in Hyrule Warriors!
No. 4: I’m actually shocked to see Wilkins in this video!
No. 3: At the very least, THAT ending is non-canon..
No. 2: If I wanted to play as Midna, I’d play Hyrule Warriors on Switch!
No. 1: I’m just glad I never played that game when I was younger.. (shudders)
In conclusion: I wasn’t sure how you knew about Jim Henson’s early years, probably because of that Snack Attack Keyblade I drew on DeviantArt.. or a coincidence.
Yeah, I don't think Majoras mask should be on the list. Not because it isn't dark, but because it's too dark to make the number one spot too obvious
The light dragon was insane. I had a feeling about is as I worked my way through the memories, but seeing the final memory was still heartbreaking.
Nothing will be more fear inducing or anxiety driven than the default iPhone alarm.
So we've already gotten a video on the Darkest Mario Moments, now it's Darkest Zelda Moments. What's next? Kirby? Pokémon? Metroid? Other Nintendo games? The possibilities are nearly endless!
8:33 Josh this is an actual warning, depending on HOW "ick" it is, if you EVER decide to get into warhammer... Don't look up/avoid a character named Tamurkhan, cause ik you're NOT going to like him as a concept, character maybe, but you'll *DESPISE* him as just for the idea of him floating around your grey matter (to anyone that DOES know who he is, hello! I am also a level 3 warhammer nerd)
So Josh where would the Still World in Echoes of Wisdom rank in this Countdown
Bellum being an especially strong monster could lead to it becoming even more terrifying if we ever get the revelation it's actually A Bellum
15:24 Imagine if they for some reason showed the body horror, it's both fascinating how a human body would transform into a dragon (horns, two extras sets of arms and back spikes with elongating spine) but also downright terrifying to think about the implication, plus highly unlikely due to mass cannot just gain more mass THAT quickly, etc.
19:50 Oh god you're gonna give Zelda timeline theorists a headache if you start adding ANOTHER timeline split where Zelda dies. lol
Majora's Mask will always be the most emotionally dark game to boot, BotW/TotK come close, but they suffer from not putting the player into the middle of the action instead you're cleaning up the aftermath.
I surprised you didn’t go for a top 20 but then again that’s too much but this is a very good list of the darkest moment of the legend of Zelda
I never played Phantom Hourglass, but with what u gathered is that Bellum reminds me of a similar entity to Jean Jacket from Jordan Peele’s Nope. Appearing as something else, like a ship or a flying saucer, before a dramatic reveal that it’s a huge scary predator
Adventure Time also has some trippy, symbolic dream sequences.
Paused to give Josh kudos for using an MJF gif...as if I wasn't going absolutely bonkers because I'm seeing an AEW show live on the 3rd of October (which people at home won't see until Saturday), and have ringside seats with a friend of mine in range of the cameras.
If I had to add something, perhaps as an honorable mention, it would be the scene that takes place between phases two and three of the fight against Ganondorf in Twilight Princess.
She tries to take on Ganondorf, most likely knowing that she will fail. She warps Link and Zelda away before transforming herself with the Fused Shadows. Cut to Link and Zelda appearing in Hyrule Field. You don’t know what happens, but then the castle explodes. While this may not be a bad thing, those hopes are dashed as soon as you see Ganondorf in the field. Not only is he unharmed, but he lifts the last Fused Shadow, the one Midna had for the whole game, into the air. As soon as realization sets in, both for you and for Link, he crushes it in a single moment. The meaning behind this is clear. It’s like in End of Evangelion where Asuka tries and fails to fight the MPEs, and Shinji sees her remains.
The scene where she first uses the Fused Shadows is also pretty messed up.
Maybe there's a time line where I get to finally burn down the Swamp Spider House, god i hate ever thing about it
Bro walking in there and hearing all the scratching sounds made me nope the heck out of there for the longest time.
"Is this a Nintendo game or an allegory for mental health?"
Hello MatPat, I didn't know you snuck into Josh's recording closet.😂
Pleasantly surprised with #7, Bellumbeck genuinely gave me nightmares as a kid (plus the same possession ick lmao) but nobody ever seems to want to acknowledge PH in these kinds of lists.
We had dark Mario moments...
It’s been on last year’s Surprisingly Dark Moments, but we can’t talk about Zelda’s Darkest Moments without Zelda’s Light Dragon form a la Tears of the Kingdom…
The Franchise may not be from Nintendo, but i wonder if there;'ll be a Top Darkest Sonic moments in the future
I can already see Sonic's death being one of them
The best theory I have heard for the Elegy of Empiness comes from a specific detail with the fact Links statue is the only one that has real eyes while all others don’t and don’t take on the appearance of Link. The theory on the statues says they represent the soul of the body used with it and since most of those souls are dead it is likely copying what they look like in the afterlife meaning the song is possibly reaching from beyond the world of the living to do what it does.
I like that theory. We know Darmani and Mikau are dead, and there's some heavy implication that Deku Link is based on the Deku Butler's son.
This is the first I’ve heard of Minish Cap having a bad ending
Surprised you didn’t mention Wind Waker’s Great Flood
7:18 clearly, you have not played enough Xenoblade games
I won't be surprised if the moon of Termina crashing into Clock Town ends up on the list.
I think it's heavily implied that Ikana fell to ruin because of their blasphemy against the Three Goddesses. Numerous pieces of iconography around the Stone Tower Temple could be interpreted as them mocking the Triforce and the tower itself could have been a sort of "Tower of Babel" situation. They attempted to breach heaven and steal/defile the power of the gods, so they were cursed to *never* be able to enter the worlds. Neither heaven nor hell would be open to them, so they are forever cursed to linger in torment and agony. The best outcome for Link ending the curse is them ceasing to exist.
Yeah, Zelda is one of those franchises that’s not afraid to step into the dark side. For me, the Darkest Zelda Moment was Creation Story in Twilight Princess, everything about it just sends chills down my spine.
Final hours in MM is mine. Don't need to say why.
@@shadowlinkbdsI’d think *_EVERYTHING_* in Majora’s Mask would be it.
I did not know that Minish Cap even had a bad ending. I manage to make it on my first try the first time I played Minish Cap. Yeah, the final dungeon was frustrating at times, but navigating it was still somewhat manageable.
“Is this a Zelda game, or an allegory for mental health?” Sir, with all due respect, I’ve watched this countdown, and I can confidently say that this whole SERIES is an allegory for mental health.
A Top 10 remake I see
I mentioned it in the short but I figured I would ask it here, but do you think you could redo Darkest Mario Moments if you can only do one Super Paper Mario choice?
Number 7: Eyyyyyyy I am one of them
I remember when my dad played Majora's Mask when I was really young, like REALLY YOUNG! He got to Romani Ranch on day 1, and of course, he did the "minigame" of Them. As a child, I was TERRIFIED. To the point I dare not play Ocarina because I thought they were ALSO in Ocarina.