Zelda Dungeon Talks: Do We Want Link To Have More of an Emotional Range?
Posted on March 16 2016 by Jon Lett
It is widely known at this point that Link got his name from his position as the player’s “link” to the world each game takes place in. To many fans, his position as the series’ avatar means he should not have much cahracter to him, as it would take away from the immersion. Others say the the developers ought to personalize him more, for a number of reasons, often regarding the advancement of the games’ various plots.
In this week’s edition of Zelda Dungeon Talks, our staff takes a look at whether Link should be characterized with a wider set of clear emotions. Make sure to leave your own responses in the comments below!
Jon Lett – View Profile
I have always believed this to be one of the more pressing issues with the series. With Nintendo’s wish to “change the conventions of Zelda”, I think it is time for them to do the same with Link himself, giving him more characterization than that of a cardboard cutout, as is the usual case. I know that games like Skyward Sword, and especially The Wind Waker have certainly characterized him more, but that isn’t much. Beyond childish exclamations and smiling with a friend, I would like to see some more detailed interaction with friends and family, thereby adding some more reasoning for emotional response. Twilight Princess I believe did this a bit better, with apparent relationships between Link and the other Ordonians, and later emotional responses to things like Colin’s capture and Ilia’s loss of memory of him. I felt like he was more of a relatable character due to his emotional connection to these people, and I was just as immersed, if not more, as I would be were he to be a simple emotionless avatar. Even if it put fans off and they avoided doing it again, I think they should take at least one game as a chance to expand on Link’s character more in this way.
Thomas Jacobs – View Profile
Every time a new Zelda game is released there are a number of fans complaining specifically about Link not being voice acted and having no personality, and that Nintendo should get with the times. I agree with the first part, but disagree with the second part. To both give him more personality yet keep him silent the best way to do this is to make him more expressive. Link from The Wind Waker is a good example of this; with all of his goofy facial expressions he has quite a bit of character to him. When going with a style more detailed than the Toon style the faces of the various characters become more complex, allowing to confer more complex and lifelike expressions. I would love to see a Zelda game where Link, Zelda and all the rest of the cast have their dialogue supported by expressions, movements and other such mannerisms to make them feel more alive than ever before.
Alexis Anderson – View Profile
Personally, yeah I do. Link shows emotion often, especially in more recent games where his facial expressions have been able to be more detailed. However, I rarely get the sense that he’s as emotionally invested in his journey as I or the characters around him are. The games try to make a connection, usually through “family”– Aryll in Wind Waker, the Ordon kids in Twilight Princess (which is the game I think did the best job of showing Link’s emotional range), or Zelda in Skyward Sword– so that Link’s quest becomes a personal one. But, I really want to see Link break down from stress or worry, get so ecstatic that he leaps into the air with triumph, or seriously take offense to something! I suppose Link’s emotions are hard to show given he doesn’t speak, and essentially he’s just our vessel so we might assume his emotions mirror our own. But with a series so plot driven, I’d like to see Link struggle and develop in a starkly visible way. I just want him to appear as human as possible, so that the amazing things he does seem all the more impressive and inspiring.
Kira Koneko – View Profile
This is such a difficult question, while initially I want to say of course, I do wonder if that would impact the overall feel of the Zelda series in a negative way. Why do we all have this insane attachment to a series that for some began before they were even born, and if not, were too small to properly hold a controller in your hand. For me, the love affair for this series has a lot to do with the personal connection I feel to the character that I am playing along with the world and characters around me, not too mention in essence I have grown up with all of them. For the most part I feel the inclusion of a more emotional range for the characters would be great, but there is would be a line that I wouldn’t want crossed, for example in many cases when voice actors are brought in they don’t always made the characters they are portraying. From emotional expressions to influxes of their breath or gasps, what if it doesn’t connect with what we have created in our minds that Link and the rest of the characters should sound like, could it ruin the series?
