Why Customization in Zelda Won’t Ruin Your Experience

One of the biggest debates in the Zelda community is if Link should be a female or not. I understand that this is a touchy subject as some people view this as a lazy way to insert a strong female character in order to appease fans, while others maintain that the spirit of the hero needs to remain a man throughout the franchise. On the flip side, a large portion of fans assert that having Link be a female would be a refreshing change to a series that relies on reincarnation as a way to have similar gameplay and characters in every addition, but with characteristics that are unique to each game. Then you have the fans like me who just drool at the thought of a new installment of Zelda and do not care what sex the main character is. However, there is a sensible compromise to both sides of the argument that in theory could make everyone happy.

Imagine if you will, a character customization screen at the beginning of the game that would allow everyone to set up their Link to fit their specifications. Not only would this allow a more personable gameplay experience, but this would allow those who are actively pushing for a female or customizable Link to satisfy their desires without stepping on toes. Why not take it a few steps further and allow for people to play as a sword wielding Goron? No? Okay. I’ll admit that scenario might be a bit much. There is the counter argument that Link is intended to be an avatar, or “link,” between the player and game universe, but the optional ability to customize your character is just that: optional. It’s like a fatality at the end of a match in Mortal Kombat: you have the option to go through all that trouble it you want, but I’m content with just mashing buttons until I get to continue playing the game. Consider the extremely popular game franchise Mass Effect. There were diehard fans who went with the default Shepard and saved the world as the male model Mark Vanderloo or FemShep, while others used the character customization interface to create a Shepard who resonated with them more than the default. I personally did not experience any troubles with my Mass Effect play through because one of my friends chose to customize their character.

Oh, God… Why?!

I will admit that I did cringe a few times when I saw his monstrosity of a main character, but I was fortunate to not have his botched Shepard impose itself into my game. I cannot imagine anyone having issues if Link were also customizable. If you are a fan who prefers the default Link and considers him your avatar, you would be able to go with the default look and enjoy your game. If you were not content with the default look, however, this optional customization feature would be an added bonus to the game.

One of the hardest things for people to accept is that not everyone enjoys something in the exact same way as you. I personally love Chinese food, while I have friends who cannot stand it. Remember that variety is the spice of life. If everyone enjoyed life in the exact same capacity, it would be a boring journey indeed. My message to you is to relish in the fact that some people might not enjoy the Zelda franchise in the same way as you, but we are all fans of the same series. You prefer your avatar to be a three feet tall, four hundred pound lump or a character? Great! You prefer your Link to look similar to the previous versions? Perfect! I welcome the idea of having a character creation screen in the future installments of The Legend of Zelda, but I highly doubt I would ever use it. Instead of calling someone ignorant because they want customization for Link, support their decision to want something more than a barebones character.

What are your thoughts on having customization in future installments of the Zelda franchise? Would this be something you would like to see in Zelda U? Let us know in the comments below!