Dark Souls and the Legend of Zelda are both gaming icons, but the two franchises are so radically different in tone, mechanics, and style that a crossover between them seems impossible. Twitter artist @Gazedsoul is unwilling to let words like 'impossible' stop them from creating fanart of a theoretical Dark Souls-style Legend of Zelda game.
In this stunning faux screenshot, long-time Legend of Zelda protagonist Link is shown standing in front of the Temple of Time, a recurring location throughout the series, this time reimagined as a towering gothic cathedral. An enormous, circular stained glass window leers down like a huge, black eye while the darkened maw of the door dares Link to open it. Dark Souls is a franchise known for its foreboding tone and grim fantasy, at least when players haven't installed a variety of more light-hearted Dark Souls mods, so these visuals make for an excellent bridge between it and the adventurous and fantastical tone of Legend of Zelda.
Link himself is shown wearing his most iconic outfit, but he's cast in shadow and seems more than a little worse for wear. His green tunic, white sleeves, and white leggings are all stained with old blood--a look Link would never pull off in his home games, even in the dark timeline. The fanart suggests that this time, Link's adventure has left a mark on him, and the Triforce of Courage may not be enough to see him through.
Though the Legend of Zelda is a much lighter style of fantasy than the Dark Souls games, the two games do have some things in common. They both feature plenty of interesting weapons, complex architecture, intricate lore, and a focus on teaching players to problem-solve. Through that lens, the main difference is that the Legend of Zelda tends to be much more forgiving than Dark Souls, a series whose difficulty and game over screen have been memes ever since it came out. This piece of fanart dares to imagine the two franchises merging into a single image of wondrous terror, and the result speaks for itself. Even the floating "Temple of Time" title and the theoretical game's UI look as though they could start moving at any second as Link moves carefully toward the building.
@Gazedsoul has created a truly fascinating concept in this piece of fanart and it's captured Twitter's imagination. The reception for this picture has been overwhelmingly positive, with commentators either expressing a desire to play the game or mourning the fact that it doesn't exist. A real Zelda/Dark Souls crossover is unlikely, but both franchises have changed the face of gaming and inspired their share of imitators over the years, so it's very possible that a new title drawing on aspects of each could arrive in the future.