In the last couple of days there has been a lot of talk about the new Legend of Zelda for Wii-U. After more than a year without any substantial gameplay and information one can hardly blame the fans. So what's the deal?
Emily Rogers, an anonymous source, has released three pieces of information about the upcoming game. This person proved to be a rather trustworthy source in the past, so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.
Firstly she confirmed a double release of the newest Zelda for Wii-U and NX, which is hardly surprising. Next she announced that the new Zelda would offer Voice acting for all characters except Link, which is something the fanbase wished for since Twilight Princess. And lastly she told us that the players will be able to choose the gender of their avatar. And that's where it get's interesting.
Now she didn't specifically call the player Avatar Link, but I think it's safe to assume that this will be the case. And I have to admit, that I'm not the biggest fan of this idea.
Now before you get your internet pitchforks and send me down misogyny lane please hear me out.
Rule 63 shouldn't be the solution:
Let me get this out right away. I'm not a huge fan of gender swapping established characters. And by not a huge fan I actually mean that I think it's a cheap cop out. It's all too often done very poorly without thinking about the character, it's history and meaning. Most of the time they just slap some boobs on and call it a day. This, of course, only counts for established characters. I don't have a problem if they add the possibilities for player Avatars to be female, like they did in Pokemon Crystal back in the days. And of course I also don't like when female characters are turned into men.
But if I don't have problem with choose able genders for your Avatar, like in Skyrim or Xenoblade Chronicles X, why don't I like the idea of a female Link. After all Link is just a link for the player into the game world.
Yes that is, and has always been, the case, but over the span of 30 Years Link has become more. He is a gaming icon. That separates him from the player Avatar in Xenoblade Chronicles X. Through the sheer load of 30 years of franchise history, Link has become a character, that, to me, is unchangeable. He is a blonde, young man wearing a green tunic.
And while some may argue that this iconic state is exactly the point of turning him into a women, I don't agree with that trail of thought. Not when there are better alternatives.
Give her the spotlight:
So that's it? Link should stay a man? Yes, but that doesn't mean that the Legend of Zelda couldn't have a female protagonist, if the developers so desire. Like I said I'm not a fan of turning established characters into the opposite gender for diversitys sake. Not when there are much better alternatives, which won't feel cheap. And to illustrate what I mean by that, I'm going to give you two examples. Both feature a strong, capable female protagonist in the form of Zelda, but with a different approach.
The Legend of Zelda: The Sheikah Chronicles
Picture Source: Hyrule Warriors (Wii-U)
This one is pretty simple. It's a Zelda game that features Sheik as protagonist. To elaborate on this idea further let me use Ocarina of Time as an example. You simply experience the story from Zeldas perspective and it starts after you escaped from Ganondorf. You experience Zeldas Training by Impa outside of Hyrule. You watch the princess grow into a capable Sheikah Warrior. And finally you return to Hyrule. And here you experience the Story from a new point of view. Zelda realised that Link, after awakening from his seven year banishment, would not be up to the task of stopping Ganon. Not yet. She knew that the Spirit of a Hero dwelled inside him, but it still needed time to grow. The adventure of Zelda would mirror Links. Helping him from the shadows and finally letting herself get captured so that Links Triforce of Courage could fully awaken.
I think this could provide an interesting point of view, as you won't play the main hero of the story, but the supporting pillar that allowed him to become exactly that. Maybe this idea is more suited for a spinoff, but I think it has a lot of potential.
The Legend of Zelda: Edge of Destiny
Picture Source: Hyrule Warriors (Wii-U)
Once again I'm sorry for the corny title, but bear with me. This idea probably fits better into the idea of an open-world Zelda.
Here you can choose between Zelda or Link as your playable protagonist. The starting point of the story is that both, Link and Zelda, grow up in the same place. Just like it was handled in Skyward Sword. In the start you could get the chance to play as both. Maybe experience a day in the life of both. You could even go as far as making Link better with the sword and more damage resistant and Zelda quicker and superior with the bow. That way you'd have the choice between the two even affect the gameplay later on.
The starting point of the Story would then be, that Ganondorf sends one of his henchmen to kidnap the bearer of the Triforce, that lives int that village. It's a cliché opening I know, but it's effective. Now if you did choose Zelda as your character the henchmen would encounter Link, detect the slumbering Triforce inside of him, and then abduct him. If you did choose Link the same happens with Zelda.
These two scenarios would allow the game to have a female protagonist all the while building on the strong foundation of 30 years of franchise history. You don't have to artificially change things, if you have perfectly fine opportunities directly in front of you.
Of course I won't boycott the game or something like that, if the rumor of a female Link proves to be true. In the end I won't care and I'll simply play as male, but I will feel sorry for the missed opportunity of giving Zelda the spotlight.
So let me summarize my thoughts on this subject. I don't care if the protagonist of a game is female or male, but I will always prefer an established female character given the spotlight, instead of artificially changing the gender of a male one.
And as always
thanks for reading
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