How Could a Spinoff Featuring Lorule Work?

With the reveal of Hyrule Warriors, it seems that Nintendo is fully willing to expand on the Zelda series’ success outside of the main series. This could mean more spinoffs in the future, but of course, spinoffs have to based on something. In terms of characters, venue, and possibilities of brand new material, A Link Between Worlds seems like the prime candidate for a great side-story.

Read more after the jump.

I suppose the first question here should be who the main characters of such a spinoff would be. The hero is the obvious issue, as there is no Link. Many, including myself, would love to see Ravio as a hero. He gives off a certain level of cowardly soft-heartedness that reminds me a lot of Luigi of the Super Mario series. That being said, he actually speaks, and his physical actions say a lot about his personality, making him much deeper of a character than Link in most cases. We could actually have a playable character who reacts to the things around him, rather than… well, hasn’t it always seemed weird when Link sees several giant, hulking monsters in front of him, and proceeds to nonchalantly beat the life out of them like it’s just another day at the office? Perhaps this is Nintendo’s chance to add some life to a character while in the field of battle.

Of course, as the possible damsel, Hilda would work just fine. Honestly, she interested me much more than certain iterations of Zelda. She was the tragic princess only trying to help her kingdom, ending up as one of the few Zelda villains we actually have a chance to level with. Also, I feel as though she showed quite potent magical abilities. She could very well be used as an assisting character in the main adventure, rather than just being rescued and helping out a little at the last minute.

Speaking of needing rescuing, what about the imminent danger that would befall Lorule? In games like The Wind Waker, The Minish Cap, and Skyward Sword, a good chunk of the game seems heavily based on saving someone specific, for at least half the game. Zelda, most of the time. I feel as though this potential game would be about saving the whole world right from the start, rather than one person, like in Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask. Again, Hilda seems the type to not get kidnapped, but rather to help out along the way as a partner of sorts. She would also have have no inherent value to anyone, as she does not possess the Triforce. The villains always go where the power is, and the Triforce is out and in the open, so there is no reason to expect the bad guys to kidnap anyone.

As for the world you would be saving, Lorule definitely seems worth revisiting. And I know, it was practically a direct remake of the Dark World from A Link to the Past, but Hyrule never stays the same throughout the series, so why should Lorule? It will be very different now that their Triforce is back and the world can stop crumbling, and Lorule must have completely different landmarks than Hyrule. Plus, it is definitely not just the Dark World itself, which opens up some possibilities. To clarify, the Dark World was the Sacred Realm, a mirror image of Hyrule, after being twisted and destroyed. Lorule had its own Triforce, and was once, as Hilda put it, “just like Hyrule. So very beautiful.” It even had its own Sacred Realm. It is an alternative to Hyrule, and as some alternate universe theories state, things are the same as in its counterpart, to a point, but slight differences in historical events cause the world to change more and more over time.

“Long ago, Lorule possessed a sacred golden treasure. It could grant the wish of anyone who touched it. It was known as the Triforce in our world, as it is in yours. Many sought to control the Triforce, plunging Lorule into endless war.”

As Hilda states in this quote, the Triforce in Lorule started a massive war, just as in Hyrule. This means that Lorule probably had a past much like that of Hyrule, but the eventual changes left differences that were still radical enough for players to know that it was not just a copy of the kingdom we’re used to. Perhaps this dark kingdom never had its own hero in the past, as it never had need of one. Wars were fought over Lorule’s Triforce, sure, but wars were never the reason for Hyrule’s heroes. The never-ending cycle of hatred called for a specific evil to rise up and take over Hyrule, and another reincarnation of Link would appear. Lorule most likely never had an event like the attack from Demise, and was never cursed to have recurring evil.

If this is the case, one might wonder who a villain in Lorule might be, and one would be right to wonder. Since there would be no recurring curse, there would be no Ganon or anyone else we are familiar with. That leaves the villain slot open for totally new characters, like Yuga. With the Triforce back in the world and powerful enough to influence someone as good as Hilda in the way it did, who’s to say others will not be pushed even further over the edge?

This potential game could certainly help Nintendo out. Being part of the Zelda franchise alone would get sales, but the potential for new content is endless. Considering nearly every game takes place in Hyrule with the same main characters, I believe “The Legend of Hilda” would be a nice change of pace.

Do you think that Lorule contrasts enough with Hyrule to warrant a separate game? Would this make a better spinoff than something like Hyrule Warriors? Leave a comment!