Daily Debate: What Zelda Game Has The Best Version Of The Hero, The Princess, And The Villain?
Posted on December 05 2020 by Alexandria Weber
Ever since A Link to the Past, Zelda games have come to be known for a certain formula when it comes to structure. Each game primarily consists of Link plundering dungeons to progress through different parts of the adventure and yet each Zelda game has a unique take on this tried and true formula, varying the equation so that different results come out of it. A similar phenomenon has occurred with the story, only the tradition is one that didn’t start with A Link to the Past, or even with the original The Legend of Zelda on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The story structure of a hero saving a princess from a villain has been around for thousands of years of storytelling.
What makes the Zelda franchise so special for me, however, is that Nintendo keeps this basic formula and yet likes to switch it up or add variables to make it more interesting and less predictable. Sometimes the person you thought was the villian actually becomes a hero like in Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. Sometimes the villain sees himself as the hero like in The Wind Waker, or the villain was misunderstood like in A Link Between Worlds. Sometimes the hero becomes a villain, like in Majora’s Mask, and in a lot of instances, the princess is the hero. Sometimes there are a lot of villains, sometimes there are a lot of heroes, and sometimes there aren’t even any princesses.
I think my favorite version of the concept of a hero, a princess, and a villain is in A Link Between Worlds, because Hilda ends up as all three and the way those are melded and cohesive was done really well. A Link Between Worlds is a lot about the relationship between perspective and morality and I really appreciate how well they executed that in the story and the visuals.
What do you think? What is the best instance of this narrative tradition in Zelda games? Who is your favorite hero, princess, and villain individually? Let us know in the comments below!
Alexandria Weber is a Senior Editor and an aspiring creative writer. Her favorite food is apple pie and she loves her cat Galadriel. Ask her for pictures!
