10 unbelievably frustrating ways to die in Legend of Zelda games

Getting well acquainted with a Legend of Zelda title’s “game over” screen after death is a big part of the player’s journey into any game from the franchise. Obstacles are strategically placed to give Link trouble, creating teaching moments that will often cost him his life. For many players, these deaths create memories that linger long after the game is shelved. There are many moments, traps, and enemies that will make gears grind and hands ball into fists, and despite the enormity of frustrating deaths the franchise subjects the player, some stand out more than others.

10. By Link’s own bomb

Bombs are one of the more versatile tools in Link’s arsenal, but also one of the few that can cause him harm. Detonation occurs only a handful of seconds after being brandished and they’ll be used against enemies, the environment, and puzzles. Taking damage from Link’s own bomb is particularly frustrating because there’s nobody for the player to blame but themselves. Needing to use a bomb while Link is gravely injured makes one mistimed throw or misjudged explosion radius all it takes to fall to his own weapon.

9. Smacked in the face by Keese

These bat-like creatures have appeared in nearly every game in the franchise, so they’ve had plenty of time to make themselves known as being annoying to deal with. Although they can be dispatched in one hit, they often come in numbers, at inconvenient times, or totally unexpectedly.

In the 2D games, they’ll often attack near bottomless pits, increasing the risk of Link falling if he gets hit. They like to hide in dark places, blending into the environment almost perfectly, which can make their attacks unexpected. In the 3D games, their frustrating nature is compounded by the fact that they can fly upward and out of sword range, as well as the introduction of Ice, Fire, and Electric Keese.

8. Vaporized by a Beamos

There are many variations of Beamos throughout the franchise, but they’re most known as a statue with a rotating eye that will fire lasers at Link when he gets close. Exclusively found within dungeons, Beamos will have Link running across the room with a laser beam hot on his heels, rushing him to complete tasks that need to be done. What’s worse is in most of the games they’re entirely indestructible or can only be temporarily decommissioned. Walking into a room featuring Beamos means Link is stuck in there with them and not the other way around.

7. Redead giving Link a hug

These zombie-like enemies are slow-moving, but hold Link in place with their petrifying gaze. Their appearance in Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask are their most frustrating iteration. After letting out a terrifying screech upon paralyzing Link, they will walk slowly toward him until they’re in range to grab him with all four limbs and suck the life out of him.

It’s a chilling experience, especially because they’re typically found near graves and other dark, morbid areas. Link dispatches them quickly if he can get the jump on them, but if he finds himself in the middle of a cluster, they can chain their paralyzing gaze and render him immobile over and over again. Dying in this way is slow and subjects Link to hearing their chilling screeches repetitively.

6. By the many dangers of Death Mountain

Death Mountain is a perilous location that appears across the franchise where falling boulders and tumbling Gorons are the typical dangers. In Twilight Princess, a Goron prevents Link from entering the area by barreling into him, causing damage. Later, scaling the mountain means contending with more Gorons and a plethora of traps that are designed to throw Link off the mountain, subjecting him to fall damage and starting the process over. In A Link to the Past, boulders constantly fall on the way up the mountain and their erratic movement makes them frustrating to avoid.

5. Meeting a terrible fate

Unique to Majora’s Mask, Link has three days to save Termina from the Moon crashing down. Running out of time subjects the player to a cutscene depicting the Moon crashing into Clock Town and watching Link get caught in the explosion, followed by the famous words “You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”

It’s brutal and hammers home the weight that is on Link’s shoulders should he fail. The time limit is the crux of the game’s difficulty, unlike most Legend of Zelda games. Time expired within a dungeon means redoing puzzles and reacquiring keys, maps, and compasses. The Happy Mask Salesman’s condescending chuckle adds salt to the wound of losing hours of progress.

4. Cut down by a Darknut

Though a recurring enemy in the franchise, their iteration in Twilight Princess is particularly imposing. Darknuts are knights with a mastery of the sword who tower over Link, are clad in dark armor, and wield a large sword and shield. Landing blows will break off pieces of armor until it enters its second phase where it throws its sword at Link, draws a smaller sword, and resumes the fight as a more agile adversary.

Darknuts have a more complex move-set than most enemies in the franchise and are one of the most difficult in Twilight Princess, but engaging in single combat with one feels fair and satisfying to overcome. This gets thrown out the window in one of the most maddening fights in the game, where Link is expected to engage three simultaneously in a small room.

3. Mugged by Takkuri

Birds in the franchise are annoying to deal with, despite not taking many strikes to slay. They’re fast, hard to hit, and often will not stop until Link leaves the area. The Takkuri from Majora’s Mask takes this annoying and aggressive behavior to another level. Takkuri resides outside the entrance to Milk Road in Termina Field. It’s big, ugly, and, worst of all, will steal items when they hit you.

Early on, it will only take bombs, arrows, and Rupees, but later it’s capable of stealing important items like the sword. It’ll fly back into town with the stolen item, forcing Link to buy it back from the Curiosity Shop. Naturally, encountering this bird again will induce Link to take revenge, but unlike most birds in the franchise, Takkuri is not easy to kill. Death at the hands of this bird is rare considering they retreat after successful theft, but it’ll be difficult not to want to throw the controller across the room if it kills Link.

2. Things not being what they seem

The Legend of Zelda franchise is no stranger to laying traps in dungeons for Link to fall for, but some traps are more sinister than others. Cutting grass for Rupees and other items has become a staple in the franchise, so when bombs and enemies are hidden within them as they are in A Link to the Past, it feels dirty. Similarly, in various games, skulls that often provide loot are also disguised as enemies at times.

Flying pots also threaten Link by smashing themselves upon him, though from afar they appear as the ordinary pots he is accustomed to breaking. When desperate for health, dying this way is particularly frustrating and leaves the player on edge when looting in the future.

1. Sent to the pit by Moldorm

The number of dungeon rooms and other areas that are designed around a great fall is innumerable. In fact, many enemies are specifically designed to knock Link into a pitfall. The most frustrating iteration of this concept is from a boss fight in A Link to the Past. Moldorm is a worm-like enemy that is encountered in an arena that is surrounded by pitfalls, including an additional pitfall toward the middle of it.

It moves unpredictably and the only way to deal damage is to strike its tail. Taking a hit from it will knock Link back and there are few safe places to stand without falling into the pit. The worst part is that falling will send Link to a lower floor, forcing him to return to Moldorm to find that its health had been reset.