He's selfless, courageous, and willing to sacrifice anything to save the kingdom from evil. Without uttering a single word, he expresses all the righteous qualities of a hero. Have him be a mighty swordsman and leader of a great Hyrule army, not unlike what's on display in Hyrule Warriors, and with that will come the temptation to give him a silver tongue.īut then, it wouldn't be Link, would it? One of the hero's defining characteristics is that he doesn't speak.
THE SILENT SWORDSMAN ZELDA SERIES
If the producers of the new series do go the original route, hopefully they'll remember to include Ganon in a way that honors his legacy.īecause it's television and because it's live action, there's going to be temptation to give Link a voice. While Link has been haunted by other antagonists in the past, like the sorceror Vaati and the dark king Zant, it wouldn't feel right if the main baddie was anyone other than the King of Evil himself. One of the few constants of the storyline is Ganon, who haunts the hero's bloodline throughout the ages, yearning to be released once more. As long as the plot touches on the basic elements (kingdom is in peril, destiny chooses a hero, a princess, and an evil villain), the extras lore should be icing on the cake. A series can still explore the Lost Woods, introduce races like the Goron and the Zora, and even go into the origins of places like Kokiri Forest or Gerudo Valley without being based on a particular game's plot. The Legend of Zelda lore is rich enough that it shouldn't be dependent on a single game's narrative. It can even touch upon the curse from Twilight Princess. The Temple of Time can serve as a flashback device for time travel sequences. The Dark World can be acknowledged as an alternate plane. So why should this Netflix series deviate from that path for an adaptation that will almost surely pale in comparison to the source material? That's not to say it can't touch upon elements of the games. Many of the franchise's installments start the same way and that's with a new hero being born. But Nintendo has also let it be known that the series spans over generations with new heroes inheriting the spirit of the Triforce of Courage. Even the more offbeat games (Minnish Cap, Spirit Tracks) experimented with the narrative formula, finding new ways to tell Link's story.
Ocarina of Time told the story of a hero going across time to save a kingdom at its darkest moment. A Link to the Past told the story of a hero questing for peace across both light and dark dimensions. Nintendo has proven capable of finding ways to retell the franchise's basic story in fresh ways over the past two decades. But it's precisely because of that timeline that a Legend of Zelda live-action series should stand on its own and not be based on any of the previous games. Was it Ocarina of Time? A Link to the Past? Link's Awakening? Wind Waker? Skyward Sword? The franchise has a rich history with a lengthy, if slightly convoluted, timeline. All of the games told the story of a great hero named Link who saved the kingdom of Hyrule from the forces of evil, with fans all divided over which of those stories was the best. One of the first questions that come to mind when thinking about a Legend of Zelda series is what game it should be based on.