20 Zelda Easter Eggs You Totally Missed

20 Zelda Easter Eggs You Totally Missed

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at 20 “Zelda” Easter Eggs You Totally Missed.

From the original “Legend of Zelda” to the new “Tears of the Kingdom”, there are all kinds of nods and references to find in the franchise. But which one is your favorite? Did it make the list? Let us know down in the comments.

Lurelin Village

“The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” (2023)
Though most folks will only point to Sebasto for this (for some reason), Lurelin Village is pretty much entirely dedicated to “Wind Waker”. Most of the locals will mention something about pirates raiding their territory, and much of the town’s layout is almost exactly the same as Outset Island. What’s really odd about this village, though, is that while you’re exploring it, the music might play various tunes not from “Wind Waker”, but “Ocarina of Time” instead.

The Resistance

“The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” (2011)
“Skyward Sword” featured such a vibrant range of new towns and taverns to visit. The coziest one, in our opinion, was the Lumpy Pumpkin. It was warm and inviting, but not just because of the color palette. No, look around at some of the patrons. You might spot a few faces that look familiar. At least they might if you played through “Twilight Princess”. Are these patrons secretly descendants or ancestors of your former Resistance allies? Let the theories commence!

Fishing Hole Management

“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess”
In “Ocarina of Time,” players could visit the Lake Hylia Fishing Pond for a respite from monster-infested dungeons. Here, players could relax by catching some fish or terrorizing the owner by stealing his hat. The fishing hole made a return in “Twilight Princess,” owned by a woman named Hena. Along the wall are photos of notable fishers and their catches, including the owner from “Ocarina” holding that game’s famously rare Hylian Loach. Hena will gush over the photo, saying he may be one of her ancestors, although she can’t prove it. It turns out she doesn’t need to though as both characters have the same animation where they scratch their back.

Fishing With Ganondorf

“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (2006)
Just in case you wanted more time to fish but found yourself stuck in “Twilight Princess’s” final moments, well, you can still squeeze in some time for casting. Sort of. As you’re fighting Ganondorf, you can use your fishing rod to cast a line on him. This will confuse him long enough for you to throw a sucker punch in before he realizes what you’re doing. Hey, it’s a legitimate method!

Breath of the Wild Preview

“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD”
When Nintendo released “Twilight Princess HD” for the Wii U, it came with a nice reference to the series’ future. Chudley’s Fine Goods and Fancy Trinkets Emporium is an overpriced shop found in Hyrule. Seriously, its cheapest item is still 10,000 rupees. But inside the shop hangs pieces of art that are really screenshots from the 2014 “Breath of the Wild” teaser. If you had played the original game and steered clear of the shop until you could afford it, you may have missed this Easter Egg. When it changes to the much more affordable Malo Mart, the artwork will be gone. This wasn’t the first instance of Nintendo doing this as it also hid “Skyward Sword” art in “Ocarina of Time 3D”.

It’s Dangerous to Go Alone

“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017)
“Breath of the Wild” is packed with more Easter Eggs than any other game in the series. And one of its coolest sits in plain sight, staring you right in the face. The Sheikah Slate offers Link a variety of features, one of which places beacons at faraway locations. There are five different colored beacons to place, but they all have the same Sheikah message constantly scrolling upward. When translating the ancient language, the message reads, “It’s dangerous to go alone.” This references one of gaming’s most famous quotes and first line of dialogue seen in the original “The Legend of Zelda,” spoken by a kindly old man in a cave who gives Link his first sword.

Tingle Doll

“The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” (2011)
Because we simply cannot have a single “Zelda” game without Tingle showing up. Thankfully, he isn’t around in “Skyward Sword” to be screaming “Kooloo-limpah” at us. If anything, we prefer him in his doll form! Where do you find Doll Tingle? All you have to do is head to the Knight Academy and find Zelda’s room. The Tingle doll will be sitting right on her desk. No squishing allowed - don’t want to risk triggering some kind of voice box.

Majora’s Masks

“The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker” (2003)
One of the coolest aspects of “The Legend of Zelda” is finding so many ways the games reference each other, just like the whole thing with Lurelin Village. But years before we got “Tears of the Kingdom”, “Wind Waker” had a special easter egg for “Majora’s Mask” fans. Head into the Nintendo Gallery near Forest Haven. Yes, yes, all those trinkets look very nice, but hanging on the wall to the left of Carlov, you’ll notice five of the masks featured in “Majora’s Mask”. There is also a drum that appears to have been taken from Tijo as well as several Lon Lon Milk bottles.

The Hidden Remlits

“The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword”
During the game’s tutorial, Link will be asked to find Mia, the Skyloft Academy’s headmaster’s kitten-like Remlit. You can always come back to visit Mia, who will lovingly meow as soon as you get near. Or at least she will during the day. Because at night, Remlits turn vicious. A pack of them roams the area after the sun goes down. But you may have been wondering where they are during the day. To the left of the Statue of the Goddess is an area you can reach with the Clawshots, a late game item. You’ll find the pack of remlits just over the wall, relaxing in a flower garden. And for extra cuteness, make sure you play your harp for them.

Spirit Tracks’ Recipe

“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017)
“Breath of the Wild’s” Hyrule Castle is one the franchise’s most deadly as it’s teeming with high-level enemies. But it also gives you access to more sidequests and lore. In the library, you can find two new recipes, one of which is for a Monster Cake. The old book you find the recipe in lists it as an unnamed Chancellor’s favorite, but warns that it may motivate someone to plan evil schemes. This note, along with the cake’s appearance, is a reference to Chancellor Cole, a backstabbing antagonist from “Spirit Tracks.” The DS title is far from the most popular, so it’s likely many players didn’t pick up on the reference if they found it.

Saria’s Song

“The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” (2023)
Lurelin Village plays some familiar tunes from “Ocarina of Time” as you’re exploring the village. In fact, all of “Tears of the Kingdom’s” music will send you on a massive nostalgia trip! But parts of the game’s audio design is within our Hero of Hyrule himself. Sometimes, you might catch Link humming to himself as you journey to your next destination, and some of the tunes he hums are iconic pieces of “Zelda” music! One of our favorites, of course, is the iconic Saria’s Song. What have you heard him hum?

“It’s A Secret to Everybody”

Various
It is simply not a “Zelda” game without this frequently uttered phrase! For those who never experienced it, the original “Legend of Zelda” featured a Moblin hidden in a cave who would reward Link with Rupees if found. Since 1986, the phrase has been used across the franchise in one form or another whether that be through coded text or an NPC uttering it after giving a tip. However, it does make us wonder if it is indeed a secret to everybody if half of the world knows it…

Marin’s Crane Game

“The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening”
At a certain point in this handheld adventure, Link will need to lead his new friend Marin to a specific point on Koholint Island. While you can just follow the story, there are all kinds of fun things you can do with her first. Many of these are small, like getting her to fall on Link after jumping down a hole. But by far the best activity you can do with her is at the Trendy Game shop. Normally a place for Link to win prizes via a crane game, Marin will ask to play if she’s with him. Instead of going for the prizes, she’ll pick up the store owner. He’ll get so upset that he’ll kick you out for being pros. Worth it.

Controlling A Cucco

“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess”
Beginning with “A Link to the Past,” players learned to never attack Cuccos, chicken-like animals that swarm Link if he hits them too many times. The barrage of feathers and talons will only end if Link exits the area. By the time “Twilight Princess” was released, Nintendo decided to have a little fun with them. While many of us took one look at them and kept our sword safely in its sheath, those who didn’t were greeted with a surprise. Because attacking them here does not call in a deadly flock but rather lets the player control the Cucco for a few seconds. You can’t do much or go too far, but it’s still a clever way to play against expectations.

Relics of Nintendo’s Past

“The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D”
“Majora’s Mask 3D” features a plethora of Easter Eggs that are references to Nintendo’s past. Some are fairly obvious, like the massive GameCube in the Clock Town Bomb Shop or Romani’s toy of Ganondorf’s horse. But others are more obscure and well-hidden. Hanging in the Bomb Shop near the GameCube is an Ultra Hand, a Nintendo toy from the 1960s. Hidden in the Curiosity Shop, though only visible when peaking in at Kafei’s hideout, is the NES’s R.O.B. There’s also a Wiimote in Goron Village hidden among the other toys belonging to the Village Elder’s son.

Chris Houlihan Room

“The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past” (1992)
One incredible secret hidden within “Link to the Past” is this very room. There was no way to access this at your own leisure. The only way to discover it for yourself was if the game encountered an error while loading. Of course, with Nintendo’s reputation for polish, this rarely happened. Nevertheless, in such an event, the player would be thrown into a room of Rupees and greeted by one Chris Houlihan. Houlihan was a fan who won a contest held by Nintendo Power magazine in 1990, and for his prize, he was placed in a Nintendo game. Both Houlihan and the room remain in the ports that have come years later, but his name has been erased possibly due to legal reasons.

Orca’s Meta Reference

“The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker”
Outset Island’s Orca mainly serves as a tutorial for the game’s swordplay, but he does offer a couple of sidequests later in the game. One of these quests involves hitting Orca as many times as you can before he lands 3 blows on Link. It takes a whopping 500 hits before he’ll give up his Piece of Heart. But for players who want to prove themselves the best, the limit goes to 999 hits. After that, Orca will stop you, raising your rank to ‘Master’ and stating there’s nothing more he can teach you. But he’ll also ask if your left index finger hurts, a fun meta nod towards the finger used to hold down the lock-on button.

The Original Map

“Zelda II: The Adventures of Link”
Speaking of “Zelda” games that are far from popular, “Zelda II” was quite different from its predecessor. But it still included an incredible Easter Egg reference to the first game that went unnoticed for a long time. Just below Spectacle Rock is an area with a graveyard and some water that doesn’t serve much of a purpose outside of grinding. However, looking at the full picture reveals that it highly resembles the layout of the overworld map from “The Legend of Zelda.” Hiding an entire map is impressive, though Nintendo would similarly reference “Wind Waker’s” Outset Island in “Breath of the Wild’s” Lurelin Village. Any time Nintendo references landscape features of past Hyrules is delightful to stumble upon.

Botrick

“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017)
As many Nintendo fans already know, we lost a legend in the 2015. Satoru Iwata, known for his remarkable work throughout Nintendo history across titles like “Smash Bros”, “Pokemon”, and the developments of the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS, had passed away. He has long been gone now, but he will never be forgotten, and he has been somewhat immortalized in “Breath of the Wild”. A character known as “Botrick” bears a striking resemblance to Iwata and will tell you about a mystical place called Satori Mountain. At the top of this mountain resides a mystical creature named “the Lord of the Mountain”. The Lord and Satori Mountain both return in “Tears of the Kingdom”, the Lord only appearing if you offer fruit to one of the cherry blossom trees that can be found in Hyrule.

Show of Fealty

“The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” (2023)
To see this for yourself, you will need to have obtained the Dragon Tear that unlocks the memory, “A Show of Fealty”. In this unlockable cutscene, Ganondorf kneels before Rauru along with four female Gerudo. At first, this doesn’t seem like anything, until you look closer at two of them. Yes, that is, without a doubt, Kotake and Koume, the two witches you fight in “Ocarina of Time” who would form the notorious boss, Twinrova. On top of that, their names are etched into all of the Gloom weapons, including the one Ganondorf wields.