- This refers to the location of the Demon Train in Spirit Tracks. You may be looking for the Dark World, the prison of Ganon in A Link to the Past.
The Dark Realm is a location in Spirit Tracks.[1] It is a dimension of darkness that is connected to New Hyrule. It is the realm where the Demon Train is situated, which Chancellor Cole locates and later uses it to free the Demon King Malladus from his prison.[2][3]
Features and Overview
The entrance to the Dark Realm is found in the Forest Realm, on a small island to the west of Aboda Village. The Spirit Tracks extend even into the Dark Realm through a portal found on the island and extend all throughout the realm, providing a means for Armored Trains to roam its seemingly infinite depths, in addition to the Demon Train that serves as the primary source of transportation for Malladus and Cole in the Dark Realm.[4][3] If Link blows the train whistle when in possession of a Tear of Light, the Spirit Train will travel nearly three times faster.
The only way to gain access to the Dark Realm is by obtaining the Compass of Light from beneath the altar of the Tower of Spirits. The compass was made by Byrne using the power of the Spirits of Good[2], and once Link and Princess Zelda obtain it, it will reveal the Spirit Tracks which connect to the entrance of the Dark Realm.[5] Link and Princess Zelda journey to the Dark Realm toward the end of the game to reclaim her body and defeat the two villains once and for all.
The island that acts as the portal to the Dark Realm from Hyrule.
The Dark Realm is the home to the Demon Train and later the hiding place of the Demon King Malladus and his minion Chancellor Cole.[2] After reviving Malladus by infusing his imprisoned spirit into the vacant body of Princess Zelda using the altar located at the very top of the Tower of Spirits, Cole flees with Malladus aboard the Demon Train, retreating back into the Dark Realm to await the time when Malladus will be fully in control of Zelda's body and ready to once again attempt conquest of Hyrule. Byrne, betrayed by the evil duo, reveals that the Spirit Tracks extend even into the Dark Realm and that the only way to locate the entrance to the Dark Realm and locate Malladus aboard the Demon Train within it is to find the Compass of Light hidden in the upper floors of the Tower of Spirits.[6] After Link and Zelda recover both the Bow of Light and the compass, they see that a previously unknown set of tracks have appeared in the Forest Realm, leading to a small island just off Hyrule's southwestern coast, where the portal leading down into the Dark Realm is located. Taking the Spirit Train through the portal, they enter the Dark Realm to purge the evil hiding in it and restore Zelda to her rightful body.
Link battles the Demon Train in the Dark Realm
Armored Trains fill the realm and roam its tracks, forcing Link to dispose of them using the Tears of Light scattered throughout the tracks to successfully locate the Demon Train. Here, the Spirit Train gives chase to the Demon Train, with Link pursuing it across the Dark Realm while firing away at the Demon Train with his cannon in an attempt to stop it and allow Zelda and himself the chance to climb aboard it.
After succeeding in stopping the Demon Train in its tracks for a brief time, the duo climb aboard to face Cole and Malladus. Malladus, now in full control of Zelda's body, awaits at the head of the train's roof while Cole floats around in the air above the train's roof. Protecting Zelda's Phantom body from Cole's demonic rats while helping her move toward her possessed body at the head of the train, Link is able to help Zelda reach the head of the train where she seizes Malladus and floats into the air above the train. Link then shoots Malladus with the Bow of Light, purging Zelda's body of his presence and causing the Demon Train to crash, throwing everyone out of the Dark Realm and back into Hyrule, where Link and Zelda would face the Demon King in a final, decisive battle for the fate of Hyrule.
Trivia
- In Japanese, Spanish, German, and French, the Dark Realm and Dark World have the same name: they are both referred to as the "World of Darkness".[citation needed]
- In a normal Oracle of Seasons game, Onox claims that Twinrova called him forth from the Dark Realm,[7] while in Oracle of Ages, Twinrova claims that Veran "extended" the Dark Realm.[8] It is unclear if this was the realm they were referring to, or if the location they mention merely shares its name with this one.
- In The Wind Waker, the King of Red Lions called Ganondorf the "emperor of the dark realm."[9] Like the mention in Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, it is unclear whether this is the same Dark Realm that is being referred to.
Nomenclature
 Names in other regions  | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | ||
 | FrenchCA | Monde des ténèbres[10] | |
 | FrenchEU | Monde des ténèbres[11] | |
 | German | Welt der Finsternis[12] | |
 | Italian | Mondo delle Tenebre[13] | |
 | SpanishEU | Mundo de las Tinieblas[14] | |
 | SpanishLA | Mundo de las Tinieblas[15] | |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | |||
References
- ↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 290
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "The Demon Train comes from the Dark Realm. But even Cole didn't know its exact location at first. He had me build a compass using the spirits' power to find the Demon Train in the Dark Realm." — Byrne (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "I have been searching for the Demon Train. That's the train that Malladus used to escape." — Anjean (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "This is the nest of evil, the Dark Realm. Cole is lurking here...somewhere." — Princess Zelda (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "You got the Compass of Light! It shines light upon the world, revealing places linked to the Dark Realm." — N/A (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "Somewhere down there is the Compass of Light. Only it can lead you to the Demon Train." — Byrne (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "Gwah hah hah! I was summoned from the Dark Realm by Twinrova. See my true form! Feel the might of a dark dragon!" — Onox (Oracle of Seasons)
- ↑ "By extending the reach of the Dark Realm, Veran has spread sorrow across the land. Soon, the Flame of Sorrow will ignite!" — Twinrova (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "His name is...Ganon... ...He who obtained the power of the gods, attempted to cover the land in darkness, and was ultimately sealed away by the very power he hoped to command. He is the very same Ganon... The emperor of the dark realm the ancient legends speak of..." — King of Red Lions (The Wind Waker HD)
- ↑ "Vous avez obtenu la boussole sacrée! Inondant le monde de sa lumière, elle pointe vers le monde des ténèbres." — N/A (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "Vous obtenez la boussole de lumière! Inondant le monde de sa lumière, elle pointe vers le monde des ténèbres." — N/A (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "Du hast den Licht-Kompass erhalten! Damit findest du den Weg in die Welt der Finsternis, die das Land bedroht." — N/A (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "Hai ottenuto la Bussola di Luce! Illumina la terre e guida verso il Mondo delle Tenebre." — N/A (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "¡Has conseguido la Brújula de Luz! Su brillo desvela lugares vinculados con el Mundo de las Tinieblas." — N/A (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "¡Has conseguido la Brújula de Luz! Su brillo desvela lugares vinculados con el Mundo de las Tinieblas." — N/A (Spirit Tracks)
| Stations in Spirit Tracks | |
|---|---|
 Click on a station | |