Daily Debate: Would You Like to See the Hyrule Warriors Character Models Used in a Mainline Zelda Title?

I would like to start by saying that I think Hyrule Warriors is an amazing, if a little repetitive, Zelda experience. When Hyrule Warriors first released in 2014, I was looking for a good reason to actually use the Wii U that was more or less just collecting dust in my bedroom. I was only vaguely familiar with the Dynasty Warriors franchise and my experience with Gundam was lackluster to say the least.

“This will be different,” I mentally assured myself and to my delight, it was. As repetitive as it may have been, Hyrule Warriors kept me engaged. The combat was fun, it had a decent and unique story and most importantly, what I consider to be top notch character designs. Now this is a sentiment that might not be shared by everyone, and that’s okay! Differing opinions are what help our community thrive, however I do want to state that I urge those who oppose to take a second look. Link, for instance, has only a slightly altered take on what we are used to, but the small amounts of change, in addition to his “voice” via Proxi, makes this a totally unique interpretation of the courageous protagonist.

Ganondorf, on the other end of that spectrum, is a wholly original design, giving him long and imposing red hair which helps make him look far more menacing. This version gives him a far more brutal and physical looking incarnation, and man do I love it! Of course, we also have Zelda herself, who retains a very royal inspiration in her design choice, although looking far more queenly and in charge than what were used to.

My final point however, is Impa. I think she has the absolute best model in this game, as well as over any other time we see her in mainline titles. She’s strong, very strong, (seriously, did you see the size of the sword she is just casually flipping around?!) but she’s also agile and graceful and all of those qualities are seen in her design. We’ve seen a bulkier Impa in Ocarina of Time, and a much more sleek Impa in Skyward Sword. But Impa from Hyrule Warriors takes the qualities of both and manages to make a character that I would love to see in a future, main series Zelda title.

What do you guys think? Which design in Hyrule Warriors is the best and would you like to see them carried over? Let us know in the comments below!