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How would you react if Link were a girl in a mainline Zelda game

Eric the Red said:
Initial reaction: Wow they actually caved on this. I hope they're genuinely inspired by the idea and not just sticking in a female skin.

Thinking for a minute: Zelda really is a unique institution. There's a thirst for a female prospective in an adventure game like this, and Zelda is still the only place we can get it. Does this make Nintendo stewards with a responsibility? Maybe this is why I was hoping they find inspiration from the idea and are not merely dutifully filling in boxes.
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This is exactly how I feel. I want it to come from a genuine, not shoe-horned in just because, place. Nintendo is pretty good with female representation as is.
 
I think a basic character creation with the usual gender and other cosmetic options would be great for zelda game. Let the player become Link by creating him or her.
 
There is literally no reason from a narrative/artistic perspective for Link to have to be male. None whatsoever. If he had been a girl from the very beginning, we'd be having this conversation but in reverse. Of course, he never would have been a girl in the first place because society is the way it is - Male dominated.

Bottom line: just give players the option to play as a girl. It won't affect the story one bit but mean a lot to a shit ton of people.
 
Somewhere along these lines I'd say.
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Nah, just kidding. It's pretty hard for any gaming company to upset me, unless they do something really, really stupid. If they did though, I'd prefer it to be because they have an idea for it, and not just because they feel pressured into it. There are times where Links gender has mattered, especially in Skyward Sword. I doubt we'd have the majestic Groose as a romantic "rival" for Link if he was a woman there.
 
Wask said:
There is literally no reason from a narrative/artistic perspective for Link to have to be male. None whatsoever. If he had been a girl from the very beginning, we'd be having this conversation but in reverse. Of course, he never would have been a girl in the first place because society is the way it is - Male dominated.
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Hyrule itself is far from male dominated though, being a land that venerates three goddesses, and having so many memorable ladies in it that Hyrule Warriors may as well have been called A Link Between Girls. Just because the protagonist is male doesn't mean the franchise is male dominated, on the contrary.

I also firmly believe that if Link had been a girl from the beginning, we wouldn't be having this convo in reverse...at all. When have you ever heard of people pushing for a 30 years' old *female* character to suddenly gender bend? It's always guys.
 
ChrisD said:
I'd think it neat.

Name them Linkle though and we have a problem
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Considering players are given the option to rename Link in every game, the fact that they felt they had to come up with a separate name for their female version of Link is just so dumb.

And not only that, but the name they came up with was somehow even fucking dumber.
 
I think I'd consider it awkward and lazy. I'd rather play as Zelda or Midna (BEST GIRL RIGHT?) or an entirely new character. Just changing Link into a girl is pointless and meh.
 
WadeitOut said:
I'd think it was dumb out of a personal dislike of pandering in general.

Just make it a LoZ game without Link as the primary protagonist of you want to go that route don't gender swap a historical character.
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This is probably closest to how I feel about it. I'm a huge Zelda fan and there's not a chance in hell I wouldn't still play the fuck out of it, but if it did happen, it would be because Aonuma and co feel like they need to incorporate these new demands from western fans, not because they want to shake it up.
Link's an iconic character, he is a character, regardless of how some of you claim he's nothing more than an avatar. As others have mentioned, Just use Zelda or Impa. That'd be badass.
 
There is no reason for Link to be a guy, anyway. Even if he was a colored block of pixels it would be OK in my book. Just give me my dungeons and weapons, mate.
 
I would be completely fine with that.
But i rather see Nintendo giving people the option.
Link isn't really ONE character. There are different links. So there is a possibility for a female Link. It would be very cool for girls, women and men who would like to play as a female Link.
 
If executed well, it'd be perfectly fine. It can't be an option, though. Whatever they pick, they should commit to it.

That said, having Zelda be the/a protagonist is definitely the better option for doing something like this.
 
The character "Link" doesn't exist as far as I am concerned. I've never named my character "Link" in any game. Actually, I've never considered the main character in a zelda game to be male either.
 
Persona7 said:
The character "Link" doesn't exist as far as I am concerned. I've never named my character "Link" in any game. Actually, I've never considered the main character in a zelda game to be male either.
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do you say the same about Cloud in Final Fantasy 7?

zon said:
I'd think it was really fucking stupid. Just like I think it'd be really fucking stupid if Lara was turned into a man all of a sudden.
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Nathan Drake
;P
 
I'd think it was really fucking stupid. Just like I think it'd be really fucking stupid if Lara was turned into a man all of a sudden.
 
Link became an established character and he happened to be male. So no I don't think it's a good idea. Do not want. Its not like the series started out with the option to be male or female.
 
I'd be better with it if Link had maybe a less masculine voice (like his voice in Wind Waker or ALBW) and referred to with gender-neutral pronouns. There's lots of needless uses of "boy", "son", and so on that could've been removed from ALTTP, as there's no other indication that Link is male.
 
Triscuitable said:
I'd be better with it if Link had maybe a less masculine voice (like his voice in Wind Waker or ALBW) and referred to with gender-neutral pronouns. There's lots of needless uses of "boy", "son", and so on that could've been removed from ALTTP, as there's no other indication that Link is male.
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He was shirtless in Twilight Princess...I assume those are video game pecs. Just saying.
 
I was initially under the impression that Link in Zelda WiiU was a girl. That and the rural, farming, village looking setting gave me some serious Ghibli vibes. It seemed like a good direction for the game at the time.
 
They could easily replace him by one in all his games. There is no real reason why he couldnt be one. For instance Nathan Drake is a Nathan to follow Indiana and counter Lara. The Gears dudes are dudes because of the ridiculous beefcake and target audience. At most, the relation with Zelda might be a problem in their mind but they never put a huge focus on it.
 
I think it would be great if you choose boy or girl link at the start of a new game from now on. Why not.


The character is a blank slate, has little to no personality other than plucky brave rescuer and is reset every game. I see why people would say 'no' and make a comparison to other game characters, but Link literally has no character - he is more a design and thus I don't think it would impact on the 'character' at all.
 
Never cared about Link and the games aren't really immersive, so it doesn't matter if Link is female or male to me in this case.
 
Joni said:
They could easily replace him by one in all his games. There is no real reason why he couldnt be one. For instance Nathan Drake is a Nathan to follow Indiana and counter Lara. The Gears dudes are dudes because of the ridiculous beefcake and target audience. At most, the relation with Zelda might be a problem in their mind but they never put a huge focus on it.
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And Link is Link because he's the archetype fairytale whiteknight that fights the evil overlord to save the princess. If you want to go down THAT road ...
 
Link is not a character. Characters have things like personality, and characterization. Link is a proxy. Also, Link is a different person in almost all Zelda games. Who's to say the Hero of Time of one generation couldn't have been female?

Anyway, just put the option in already, Nintendo. Let the player choose. It's not that hard, just record some female yelps.
 
I would still play it.

What about a Zelda game involving a main character other than Link/Link isn't in the game? The title is The Legend of Zelda so surely you could make a story of some other hero or heroine involving a person named Zelda.
 
There's no way I'd buy, absolutely no chance!

That's because I haven't bought a single zelda game since Twilight. Series went down the sh*tter in terms of quality. So yeah, female Link wouldn't change my position.
Would be curious to see female Link in the next Smash though.
 
Pizza con salsiccia said:
There's no way I'd buy, absolutely no chance!

That's because I haven't bought a single zelda game since Twilight. Series went down the sh*tter in terms of quality. So yeah, female Link wouldn't change my position.
Would be curious to see female Link in the next Smash though.
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At what point did A Link Between Worlds become shit? I was under the impression it was highly favored. Or did you just mean Skyward Sword?
 
Red Liquorice said:
The character is a blank slate, has little to no personality other than plucky brave rescuer and is reset every game. I see why people would say 'no' and make a comparison to other game characters, but Link literally has no character - he is more a design and thus I don't think it would impact on the 'character' at all.
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This.
 
Naturally, it makes sense to not care at all, but since it's Zelda I'll freak out just like I freak out over every little detail.
 
Its a franchise that because of its storytelling about the 3 chosen ones being similar people in all of hyrule's history but at the same time having differences, one of those differences could be that those 3 characters could be gender swapped and it would still work, like on doctor who and the like.

So yes, I wouldnt mind and would even like it. I also feel that even with no dialogue Link is a character and doesnt stand for the player as much as Miyamoto wanted that to be the thing, so making a do your own character in this franchise (even if I like them in other games) is a big no for me. He has a distinct personality since ocarina of time.


And im not someone who wants everyrhing genderseapped. For example I think that it would be amazingly stupid in games like Mario and that using Peach as the main character is more interesting.
 
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