The Legend of Zelda series has hooked gamers since its first release in 1986. One of the reasons the franchise has such a dedicated fanbase is due to its extensive attention to detail. The games contain tiny secrets, hidden Easter eggs, and lore that can impress players.
Over the years, the Zelda games have become famous for having some of the most interesting hidden secrets in the gaming world. From a secret “Minus World” to a hidden save screen, these secrets have been keeping gamers entertained for years.
Minus Worlds
Just like the classic game Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda also has its own version of the “Minus World.” This secret world was discovered by a YouTuber named SKELUX, who demonstrated how Link could be spawned in a hidden world that the game developers didn’t intend for players to see.
The “Minus World” levels include mangled designs, weird paths, bugged enemy positions, and other visual artifacts. While the experience can be glitchy and even frustrating at times, it’s exciting for players to explore a part of the game that they were never meant to see.
Zelda’s Lullaby
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been known for its stunning visuals and ambient environments; its exploration track, Hyrule Fields, is no exception. However, it holds a secret that not many players know about.
If players speed up the music, they can hear the iconic soundtrack Zelda’s Lullaby within it. This is just one of the many secrets that make Zelda games so special.
Loto’s gravestone
One of the more obscure secrets in the series can be found in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link on the Famicom Disk System. When Link visits the village of Saria, he can find a gravestone with markings that read, “Here lies the hero Loto,” in Japanese. This refers to the character from the popular RPG series Dragon Quest, known as Loto in Japan and Erdrick in the West.
This secret was exclusive to the Japanese version of the game and was removed from the US release, as Dragon Quest had not yet been introduced to American audiences at that time. Interested players can check out the easter egg in the above video at 12:20.
Hidden room of Chris Houlihan
The Legend of Zelda’s 1991 game, A Link to the Past, features a hidden room dedicated to a young boy named Chris Houlihan. In 1990, Nintendo Power magazine held a contest, and Chris was the lucky winner. As a reward, Nintendo created a secret room within the game, accessible only through a glitch. The room is a tribute to Chris and features a message saying, “My name is Chris Houlihan. This is my top-secret room. Keep it between us, OK?”.
While the room was once a well-kept secret, it has since been discovered, and players can easily access it by performing the correct glitch.
Hidden kittens
Nintendo has a thing for cats and has featured them in many of their games, including The Legend of Zelda series.
In The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, gamers can discover a secret area beyond the wall of the Goddess Statue in Skyloft. By using the Clawshot to climb the wall, players can land in a field where they will find Remlits, cute little kitten-like creatures. These adorable creatures can be seen frolicking and playing in the area, providing a heartwarming moment for players who discover this hidden secret.
Breath of the Wild teasers
The Legend of Zelda: BOTW was a highly anticipated game, and Nintendo teased it in a clever way. Players were treated to a surprise when they discovered that the HD remaster of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess contained images from Breath of The Wild, which was previously popular as Zelda Wii U.
Nintendo added screenshots from the then-unreleased game as picture frames throughout the game, hinting at what was to come. This clever move excited fans and got them talking about the highly anticipated game. It was a creative way for Nintendo to build hype around the game.
Secret save screen
The Legend of Zelda was a game that required a lot of exploration and hard work to complete. The developers knew this and wanted to give players a way to save their progress without having to start from the beginning every time they died. Thus, they included a secret save screen that players could access if they had two controllers.
To access this secret screen, players must press the Start button on controller one to bring up the status screen. Then, they needed to use the second controller to press Up and A simultaneously, which would bring up the secret save screen. This little-known secret was incredibly useful for players who didn’t want to lose all their progress after dying. It was a feature that was ahead of its time and helped make The Legend of Zelda a timeless classic that is still enjoyed by gamers today.
