A lot of what I know about the game is settled by the opening burst of story, but here it is anyway:
- This game has a more cartoony animation style than the N64 titles. It’s the source of Toon Link from Hyrule Warriors.
- Link has family in this game: a sister and a grandmother.
- There’s sailing, and possibly a mechanic centered on controlling wind.
This is but one of the legends of which the people speak…
Long ago, there existed a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden. It was a prosperous land blessed with green forests, tall mountains, and peace. But one day a man of great evil found the golden power and took it for himself. With its strength at his command, he spread darkness across the kingdom. But then, when all hope had died, and the hour of doom seemed at hand… a young boy clothed in green appeared as if from nowhere. Wielding the blade of evil’s bane, he sealed the dark one away and gave the land light. This boy, who traveled through time to save the land, was known as the Hero of Time. The boy’s tale was passed down through generations until it became legend.
But then… a day came when a fell wind began to blow across the kingdom. The great evil that all thought had been forever sealed away by the hero once again crept forth from the depths of the earth, eager to resume its dark designs. The people believed that the Hero of Time would again come to save them… but the hero did not appear. Faced by an onslaught of evil, the people could do nothing but appeal to the gods. In their last hour, as doom drew nigh, they left their future in the hands of fate.
What became of the kingdom? None remain who know. The memory of the kingdom vanished, but its legend survived on the wind’s breath. On a certain island, it became customary to garb boys in green when they came of age. Clothed in the green of fields, they aspired to find heroic blades and cut down evil. The elders wished only for the youths to know courage like the hero of legend…
I like this a lot. I mean, I’d have been happy just to have a story scroll back in the game, but this nicely lays out the backstory and its relation to other games (as noted above, a sequel to Ocarina following on from Zelda sending Link back to their first meeting). I think it strikes a nice balance between being exposition for a hypothetical new player without drowning them in names. Very nice. Oh, and the music’s beautiful, too, particularly when the overworld theme kicks in as the story introduces Link.
I don’t think I would have noticed the trend of Zelda games since A Link to the Past to start with Link either being awakened or getting knocked out then recovering if it hadn’t been pointed out, but it’s there [3]. This falls into the former category, as Link’s sister Aryll searches the island for him and finds him sleeping in a lookout tower. She wakes him up, and reminds him that it’s his birthday, and their grandmother is waiting for him back home. Link returns home, and it turns out it’s not just any birthday; he’s reached the age the Hero of Time [4] was when his adventure started, so Link is tradition-bound to ritualistically cosplay as him for the day. Grandma also makes sure to highlight the family’s heirloom shield on the wall and mention the one man on the island who still cares about swordsmanship, not that Link or anyone else is going to need those things in this era of peace, she’s sure.
Grandma says she’s hosting the village for his birthday party tonight and there’s lots to do to get ready, so she sends Link to retrieve his sister.
Next: AGH BIRD BIRD kill it it’s evil!
[1] The period between Majora’s Mask and Twilight Princess where I was completely out of touch and have trouble remembering the games that came out. No judgment on the quality of these games should be inferred [2].
[2] At least until I play them. And the Oracle games were solid. Four Swords was okay.
[3] Oracle of Ages is an exception.
[4] So much easier to say than “Ocarina of Time Link.”
