What I know about Tri Force Heroes:
- Obviously, it’s multiplayer. Only, as indicated by the title, it takes three players instead of four. Sorry, Purple Link, you don’t have a place here.
- It’s officially set in the Downfall timeline, after A Link Between Worlds with the same Link (as one of the three).
- It’s not set in Hyrule, and Zelda doesn’t have a big role, if any.
- The core plot has a princess in distress because she’s been cursed to wear an unflattering outfit and no, I did not make that up.
- Tying into the last point, this game is a lot more wacky than normal for the series.
- Someone makes a doge meme joke. I’d make a joke about relevance, but… I still quote Zero Wing (for great justice).
- Crafting outfits for adjustable bonuses is the main collectible, and speaking of which…
Story
“Hey, you! Listen up, and I’ll tell you how our story begins…
“Once upon a time there was a kingdom called Hytopia. At the heart of this fashion-obsessed land was the lovely Princess Styla. The people adored their fair princess… but the Drablands witch despised the girl’s unbearably cute fashion sense.
“One fateful day, a beautifully wrapped gift arrived at the castle. The sender was unknown, and the box was brimming with an aura of mystery. The princess simply had to open it! Naturally, this was a HUGE mistake.
“When the smoke cleared, Styla was met with a terrible sight, followed by the witch’s voice in her pretty head: ‘A perfect outfit for a perfect princess.’
“This cursed outfit of ultimate ugliness could not be removed no matter how the princess tried. Humiliated, she fell into misery and isolation. The people of Hytopia wept for her terrible fate.
“The king, too, was in agony. As only chosen heroes may enter the witch’s domain, the despicable Drablands, King Tuft issued a call to kingdoms near and far for a hero to save the day. Luckily, it wasn’t long before this courageous young fella came passing through…”
On the first watch through the story reel I was laughing at it, and admittedly the illustrations don’t help, but reading the story by itself, it’s kind of got a fairy tale charm to it. Snow White has a queen’s talking mirror tell her her stepdaughter has surpassed her as the fairest of them all and her reaction is totally one a normal person would have. I can’t say this is too much different.
So, anyway, our courageous young fella – walks up to a sign advertising that King Tuft is looking for “pointy ears, truly epic sideburns, and side-parted hair” to be the Tri Force Heroes to break the curse on Princess Styla. As Link walks away from the sign, someone comes up to him and says he must be the one who’s going to break the curse. He segues from talking about Styla’s cursed unstylish outfit to… well, Link’s not in a green tunic yet, so, you know. He works at Madame Couture’s and invites Link to stop by to upgrade his look.
A little way into town, Link finds the Bearded Baron, who tells him the story of the Tri Force Heroes: “When the Kingdom of Hytopia falls into despair, three courageous heroes shall ever arrive to save the day… This statue is in recognition of their struggles and triumphs, both past and future. Three heroes working together to save the day… In a way, this here statue represents love!” (The statue in question has three stacked heroes, the top one with his sword raised, and the Baron says Link looks like the figures in the statue.)
Link’s next stop is Madame Couture, but despite her employee’s opinion, she’s dismissive of Link, saying his ears are fake and used for “le ‘cosplaying.’” The employee explains that with Styla cursed and residents of Hytopia fearing if they dress to stylishly, they’re next, they haven’t had a lot of customers, leaving Madame Couture in a bad mood. Madame Couture relents, saying if Link’s the one to break the curse, she’ll lend her talents to help. For now, Link is directed to see Sir Combsly, the captain of the guard.
Next: It’s dangerous to go alone! Take these.
