Daily Debate: Should the Main Characters Have Larger Families?

Every hero’s journey begins with their first wild step into the unknown. This often means leaving behind a quiet life with their families to face life-threatening dangers. Zelda games are no stranger to this trope either. At a crucial moment, Link will always decide to leave his found family—or what few living relatives he has.

Speaking of tropes, if you’re related to a main character in the Zelda franchise, things don’t look so good. With the exception of Link’s grandmother in The Wind Waker, relatives aren’t known for making it to their twilight years. So, what if that were to change?

Without a doubt, a person’s family is influential on their growth and development. From a story perspective, families can add a well of depth to a character. Meeting family members in-game could be a unique opportunity to connect with the Triforce Trio on a deeper, more meaningful level. Maybe you do some mini-quests for Zelda’s siblings, or scour the desert looking for an image of Ganondorf’s mother. What if Link had a couple more aunts and uncles that were shop keeps? Families can also influence the larger scope of the world. The Wind Waker is a wonderful example of the kind of storytelling that can take place in a family centric tale.

What do you think? Would meeting Ganondorf’s family change his role as a villain? Would larger families connect you more to the story and the world, or would it detract from the overall storyline? How would you like to see family members added to future games? Sound off in the comments!