Fans Want Dark Link… As a Playable Character?

With The Wind Waker HD quickly approaching and a mysterious Zelda Wii U title lurking on the horizon, this summer has seen its fair share of fan speculation.  This got me thinking; what surprises or major changes would the fans like to see in future Zelda titles?  You may remember a fan campaign on Facebook asking Nintendo to give Princess Zelda a stronger role in response to Aonuma’s statement at E3, saying he would entertain the idea of a playable Princess Zelda “if enough people had strong feelings about it.” This is encouraging news to fans, as it tells us our voices are being heard. So if Zelda developers would consider giving Zelda her own game,  what about other memorable characters from the series, say… Dark Link? Personally, the idea of playing as Dark Link sounds… just so…cool! But how could Nintendo possibly pull this off?

Hit the jump to read more!

Fans asking for Zelda as a playable character were met with resistance primarily due to the fact that other fans believed Link should remain the main character in future Zelda titles. Makes sense, right? If Dark Link were to become playable, we wouldn’t have that problem!  Now I know what you’re probably thinking; That wouldn’t work! Link is supposed to be the good guy! How would it fit on the timeline? How the heck would that work? Well, those are certainly questions Nintendo would have to figure out how to answer, but let’s try to get them started by first discussing a possible premise.

Story
The game would probably fall somewhere at the early end of the timeline, and could possibly provide a back story on the origin of Dark Link. Much like in games like Fable, the player could make vital decisions throughout the course of the game, which ultimately lead Link down one of two paths: The Hero or Dark Link. Just imagine being faced with the decision of either saving Princess Zelda, or striking at Ganondorf.  Does the player choose to rescue Zelda, allowing Ganondorf time to escape? Or does the player choose to strike at Ganondorf, leaving Zelda’s life hanging in the balance? Such an event could trigger alternate story lines. For example, if Link chooses to save Zelda, Ganon could escape unharmed, thus the story could proceed much like the Zelda games we are used to; where Link and Princess Zelda eventually team up to seal Ganon away… for a time.  Alternatively, if the player chooses to strike, Zelda could die, but Ganon would be significantly weakened. This story line could include a vengeance-driven path to reviving Zelda, leading Link to commit questionable acts along the way which slowly turn him to the power of darkness.

Again, the alternating story lines are something Nintendo developers would have to work out in more detail. In the meantime, let’s discuss some conceivable gameplay differences between Link and Dark Link!

Gameplay
Playing as Dark Link already sounds fun, but what would really put the icing on the cake? How about giving him his own set of abilities to reflect his shady nature? Making different skills (such as in Twilight Princess), or weapons available to Link and Dark Link would undoubtedly spice up the appeal of one or the other depending on the play style of the player. One idea floating around is giving Dark Link the ability to wield dual swords. Link is supposed to be a master swordsman after all, so why not? In my opinion, it would be the perfect setting to introduce exciting new weapons and tools that  Zelda players haven’t seen yet.

A Zelda title like this would likely have the same feel stylistically as a Twilight Princess, which brought a darker, more morbid ‘T’ rated game to the series. Personally, I think a game like this, if put into production, would have incredible potential. If executed well, it would give perennial Zelda fans something completely new and exciting; all while sticking to the defining characteristics and gameplay of the Zelda games we know and love so very much.

What do you all think? Could you get excited about a title like this? Do you think a game like this would fit well in the series? Share your input in the comments and let’s talk about it!