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Link: The Life Of A Legend

8-Dec-2009 The greatest gaming hero of all time?

31 Comments

We continue Zelda week by taking a look at the hero of the series. The legendary Link...

What does it take to be a true hero? Courage? Strength? A snazzy lycra outfit? Whatever characteristics you'd expect to see in someone who sets out to save the world, we suspect that being a teenage boy with no sword skills and little knowledge of the evil that lurks in the world isn't one of them. And yet that's exactly what the hero of the Legend Of Zelda games is: a youngster thrown into a battle he doesn't understand, left to fend for himself and somehow save the world along the way. A little unfair, perhaps? You don't even know the half of it.

Of course, what you'll probably have noticed is that, while Link is one of the most well-known of Nintendo's gaming mascots, we're doing our best to not call him by name. And why? Probably because while he's commonly known as Link, he's actually not. Unlike other Nintendo characters like Mario or Samus Aran, players have had the ability to call the hero of the Zelda games any name they chose since his very first appearance in the original Legend Of Zelda and thus bring themselves one step closer to actually 'being' the hero. Indeed, it's only in The Adventure Of Link that he's even referred to as such... the title's a bit of a giveaway, to be fair.

A Hero For All Ages
And then there's the fact that Link isn't just one person but, rather, a whole generation of heroes that pass through the ages. Clearly, with the Zelda series spanning such a wide range of worlds and eras, there can't just be one hero. Instead, we're given various iterations who, while still wearing the trademark green tunic and floppy hat that marks out the destroyer of evil, are clearly all different people. From the plagued kingdom of Hyrule and the distant worlds of Holodrum, Labrynna and Termina, to living a life atop the Great Sea, the legend of the hero lives on through his descendants... they just all seem to have the same taste in clothes.

A Man, Not A Boy
Semantics aside, however, Link's an impressive hero, despite his apparent shortcomings as a mere child at the start of each adventure. Chosen by the Triforce to be the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, he's got a thing for bravery, even in the face of real danger. From facing down Ganondorf near the beginning of Ocarina Of Time or going up against the evil sorcerer not once, but twice before he has the ability to do so, his determination to do the right thing almost borders on foolishness.

Legend Of Zelda

Indeed, his uncanny knack for being able to use weapons and items with absolutely no training is probably all that saves him from an untimely death. Certainly, we wouldn't know one end of a hook shot from the other, and as for being a crack shot with a bow... well, it's best we don't even try for fear of taking someone's eye out.

While he's appeared in many different forms over the years though, there's no getting over how a small boy in tights has managed to become one of gaming's most popular heroes, able to elicit huge levels of excitement from his fans whenever a new Zelda game is announced. The Hero of Time, the Hero of Winds... whatever you want to call him, the action adventure genre would be worse off without him.

Martin Mathers

Screenshots

Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link	A Link To The Past	Ocarina Of Time
Majoras Mask	Oracle Of Ages	Oracle Of Seasons
Wind Waker	Wind Waker	Four Swords Adventure
Minish Cap	Minish Cap	Twilight Princess
Twilight Princess	Phantom Hourglass	Phantom Hourglass
Smash Bros. Brawl	Spirit Tracks	Legend Of Zelda Wii