Hyrule Rewards Anyone Who Pays Attention
It’s no surprise to any lifelong fan that The Legend of Zelda series is packed with secrets. The thing is, some of its best touches don't involve hidden dungeons or rewards. Nintendo has done what any good developer does—it spent decades slipping strange reactions, jokes, hardware tricks, and bits of continuity into places most casual gamers never notice. But even if you've saved Hyrule more than once, there's a good chance that these 20 details escaped your attention.
1. Ocarina of Time Hid Mario Characters
When young Link meets Zelda in Ocarina of Time, you can actually peek through a courtyard window and spot portraits of all your favorite Mario characters: Mario (obviously), Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, and Bowser. They were already easy enough to miss, but interestingly, Ocarina of Time 3D replaced the portraits with scenery inspired by New Super Mario Bros. instead.
2. Butterflies Become Fairies
Those butterflies fluttering around Ocarina of Time aren't just for show. If Link approaches one while holding a Deku Stick, he can let one land on its tip, where it then transforms into a Fairy. Next thing you know, you have a surprisingly useful source of health.
3. Gossip Stones React to Link's Weapons
Most of us learned that Gossip Stones love a good rumor, but Nintendo gave the strange statues a whole collection of unnecessary reactions. If you smack one with the Megaton Hammer, it flattens. If you expose it to Din's Fire, it spins. Place a bomb beside it and the stone launches into the sky.
4. Zelda's Lullaby Can Repair Broken Signs
Link has never shown much respect for public signage, especially since you can chop them into pieces. That said, what the game barely advertises is that playing "Zelda's Lullaby" beside a damaged sign magically puts it back together. If you can’t help but take a swing at the wood, at least you have a wonderfully specific use for one of the game's most important songs.
5. Link's Awakening Permanently Renames You
The shopkeeper in Link's Awakening can be tricked by carrying merchandise around him until his back is turned and slipping out without paying. But you don’t just walk away from the scene of the crime. Get away with it, and the game replaces your chosen name with "THIEF," which characters will use for the rest of the adventure. Returning to the shop is even worse—the shopkeeper recognizes Link and kills him.
6. Marin Can Grab the Shopkeeper With the Crane
The Switch remake of Link's Awakening gives Marin more room to show her playful side, and you’ll spot her quirks as she follows Link around Koholint Island. Take her into the Trendy Game, and she can actually operate the crane and pick up the shop owner himself, something Link isn't allowed to do. It's a completely optional gag tucked inside an already optional sequence, so it’s easy to miss entirely.
7. Dogs Really Don't Like Deku Link
We’ll have you know that transforming in Majora's Mask changes more than Link's abilities. Some animals notice that he isn't exactly human, dogs especially. Though they’re normally harmless, they actually attack Link while he's wearing the Deku Mask.
8. The Bremen Mask Makes Baby Cuccos Grow Up
Wearing the Bremen Mask causes Link to march while playing music, and, funnily enough, nearby animals may fall into some kind of conga line behind him. At Romani Ranch, getting all 10 Cucco chicks to join the parade causes them to mature into adult Cuccos right in front of you.
9. Wind Waker Enemies Look For New Weapons
Combat in The Wind Waker has a small improvisational element that can disappear beneath all the sword swinging. Disarm a Bokoblin, Moblin, or Darknut, and Link can grab its weapon, but an unarmed enemy may also try to arm itself again. The last thing we need is an unscripted scramble during fights, but here we are.
10. Outset Island's Giant Pig Can Dig Up a Heart Piece
The pigs wandering Outset Island aren't just there to make Link's hometown busier. One eventually gets enormous, and after Link earns the Power Bracelets, he can carry the animal to a patch of dark soil and tempt it with All-Purpose Bait. Your new friend will then start digging and uncover a Piece of Heart!
11. Link Can Wrestle Goats
Early in Twilight Princess, an escaped Ordon Goat comes charging down the road toward Link, leaving you to think on your feet. Rather than running in fear, you can grab its horns at the exact right moment and throw the animal over. Other goats get angry and charge too, making Ordon Ranch slightly more hazardous than its appearance suggests.
12. You Can Use a Love Letter as Toilet Paper
Cawlin's romantic troubles in Skyward Sword get considerably worse depending on what Link decides to do with his written letter. A ghostly hand named Phoeni asks for paper from inside the Knight Academy restroom, and Cawlin panics if Link even looks toward the bathroom while carrying his love letter. You can ultimately give the letter to the hand instead of delivering it to Karane, but that just turns a teen's confession into one of Zelda's strangest jokes.
13. Phantom Hourglass Makes You Physically Close the DS
One puzzle in Phantom Hourglass asks Link to transfer the symbol displayed on one map onto another, but rubbing, tapping, and drawing won't solve it. Well, here’s the answer: physically close the Nintendo DS; pressing the system's two screens together transfers the mark when you reopen it. Who would’ve thought?
14. There's an Island Shaped Like a Nintendo DS
Nintendo took the handheld jokes even further with Dee Ess Island in Phantom Hourglass. Its geography resembles an open Nintendo DS, complete with areas corresponding to the directional pad, face buttons, dual screens, speakers, and even your microphone.
15. Breath of the Wild's Lightning Cares What You're Holding
Thunderstorms in Breath of the Wild don't simply choose Link as a random target. Metallic swords, bows, and shields that Link has equipped attract lightning, while switching to nonmetal equipment removes that particular danger. The same rule applies elsewhere too, including a Lakeside Stable side quest where repeated lightning strikes are eventually traced to a metal weapon stuck atop the building.
Francisco Gonzalez Romanelli on Unsplash
16. Dogs Guide You to Treasure
It’s criminal that we can’t pet the dogs, but if you feed certain canines enough good food, they can warm up to Link and lead him toward a hidden treasure chest nearby. Nintendo even highlighted the mechanic in its old "Tips from the Wild" material, but it's still easy to miss. Let’s be honest, there’s no real reason to start handing your groceries to random dogs.
17. Tears of the Kingdom Remembers Your Old Horses
Starting Tears of the Kingdom looks like a fresh start until you discover that Hyrule hasn't forgotten Breath of the Wild. Registered horses from compatible Breath of the Wild save data can carry over, including special mounts such as the White Horse and Giant Horse!
18. Link Hums Classic Zelda Music
Hey, we all like singing a little in the kitchen, and it would appear that Link does, too. In Tears of the Kingdom, he hums different melodies while ingredients bounce around the cooking pot, including recognizable tunes such as "Saria's Song" and "Kass's Theme." It’s not the biggest easter egg, but it’s cute nonetheless.
Francisco Gonzalez Romanelli on Unsplash
19. An Enemy Was Based on the Famicom's Microphone
The rabbit-like Pols Voice has been associated with sound since the original Legend of Zelda, but the idea worked differently depending on which console you had. Japan's Famicom actually had a mic on its second controller, and the Japanese version allowed players to exploit sound against Pols Voice, a feature the NES hardware couldn't reproduce in the same way. Phantom Hourglass eventually brought the concept back by letting you blow into the Nintendo DS mic to stun the enemy.
20. Hidden Graffiti
Turning Link into a flat painting is a part of our heritage in A Link Between Worlds, but Nintendo didn't completely abandon the idea afterward. Tri Force Heroes hides images of wall-merged Link throughout stages in The Dunes, turning his previous ability into artwork. You might’ve walked right past the references before, so keep your eyes peeled in the future.
