Game Over

A Game Over is an event which occurs whenever Link is killed; this can occur if his Heart Containers are fully depleted, if he is exposed to extreme heat or if he stays underwater for too long, along with some other, rarer cases of death. Typically, a cut scene that presents Link collapsing to the ground precedes the Game Over text itself. Some of the Zelda games in the franchise, such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time keep track of the number of times the player has encountered a Game Over. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening places a special emphasis on maintaining a minimal number: a secret ending sequence is shown depending on whether the player has encountered a Game Over screen or not. Occasionally, saving a Game Over is optional.

The Legend of Zelda
Whenever Link's Heart Containers are fully depleted, Link begins to spin around in circles before fading away completely. The Game Over screen then appears, giving the player the choice to continue playing (starting from the Origin if Link was killed in the Overworld or at the beginning of a dungeon if he was killed inside one) or to save the game and return to the title screen. The game counts the number of Game Overs that have occurred, but this has no real significance.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Whenever Link runs out of lives, the screen begins flashing colors and Link blinks before fading away. Afterwards, a screen depicting the silhouette of Ganon appears; since Link failed in his quest to stop the resurrection of Ganon, the evil monster sees his chance to conquer the land. Link can begin his quest over again from the North Castle or save and return to the title screen.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
When all his Heart Containers are depleted, Link begins spinning in circles before collapsing face-first. If Link has a Fairy handy, it will appear and restore some of his Heart Containers. If there are no Fairies handy, a menu will appear asking players to either continue their quest, continue without saving or saving and returning to the title screen.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
When all his Heart Containers are depleted, Link begins spinning in circles before collapsing. The player is then given the choice to save and continue, continue without saving or saving and returning to the title screen.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
When all his Heart Containers are depleted, Link begins to collapse while the camera slowly revolves around him. The player is then given the choice to save and continue, continue without saving or save and return to the title screen. If Link stays underwater for too long or is exposed to extreme heat, Game Overs also occur, in much the same fashion.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
There are two Game Over scenarios: one is of the normal one, which is very similar to that of Ocarina of Time. A second Game Over occurs should Link fail to turn back time before the Moon crashes into Termina. A scene depicting the Destruction of Termina then occurs, in which the entire land as well as Link himself are engulfed in flames. Apparently, Link is saved by the Happy Mask Salesman, who resets the three-day cycle as well, although he will not save Link's progress.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons
The Game Over screen is virtually identical to that of Link's Awakening, featuring the same animation, although a small graphic change is made to the save menu.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
When all of his Heart Containers are depleted, Link will stumble and collapse; if he dies while swimming, his body will float limply in the water. If his Heart Containers are depleted as a result of sinking into lava or quicksand, or from falling into a pit, the Game Over screen will appear after the usual animation.