Daily Debate: Which Opening of a Zelda Game Affected You the Most in Terms of Narrative Direction?
Posted on June 06 2025 by Kristen G. Rosario
A lot of the games in the Zelda series have truly memorable openings. Whether it’s Link having a nightmare of what’s to come when encountering Ganondorf or venturing out into a massive thunderstorm as our hero’s uncle wakes him up to tell him that Princess Zelda is in danger. Nearly every single title in the franchise has openings that define what’s to be expected in the rest of the game from a narrative perspective.
More recent titles in the series like Breath of the Wild wake you up into a world that has already been ravaged by Ganon, with no recollection as to how anything got this way. Speaking of no recollection, Link’s Awakening has Link washed up on shore with no idea as to where he is or why there’s a giant egg sitting atop a mountain. It’s Zelda games like this that get your mind ready for the mystery of whatever awaits you on this adventure.
Then there’s the completely unexpected openings (for the most part). The biggest example of this is Echoes of Wisdom where even though Link is looked upon as the hero of this Hyrule, he’s actually bested by Ganon without realizing it and sent into a different realm. It’s up to Princess Zelda to take the reins and help save the kingdom. In The Wind Waker, Link is met with a sudden change in his life as his sister is kidnapped and is now thrust into a hero’s role by his own grandmother.
Whichever Zelda game you’ve played in your lifetime, the opening has affected you from a narrative standpoint as to the direction the creators are taking you next. You are either excited by the prospect of playing Princess Zelda on her own journey or frightened by the fact that you appear to be the only one left standing after a cataclysmic battle. Whatever the case may be, never forget that Link’s journey started smack dab into the middle of the unknown and the rest has been nearly 40 years expecting the unexpected.
Which opening of a Zelda game affected you the most in terms of narrative direction? Let us know in the comments below!
Kristen G. Rosario is an Editor who joined Zelda Dungeon back in September of 2015. His current goal is to become a full-time video game journalist, hoping to eventually gain a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. While he pursues that dream, he not only takes care of his adorable dachshund Angel, but also helps run a YouTube channel with his brother. The Zelda series is a quest he hasn’t fully completed yet, but hopes to get there one day.
