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Are you ok with making Link a customizable character?

Link&Midna

K-Dawg
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I wouldn't want Link changed too much or else it would feel weird. If they happened to make him female or another rather large cosmetic change in one game just for funsies I wouldn't have a problem with it cus it would still be the "Link" of that game, but a fully customizable player character every game would make them feel less like actual Zelda games imo. If they made him more customizable, I would want it to be in-game options like in BOTW, maybe have a hair salon clothing shops etc so you can switch things up later in the game like in Pokemon, but choosing at the beginning wouldnt feel right to me.
 

Bowsette Plus-Ultra

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Breath of the Wild did pretty much exactly what you described as set-in-stone, and it did it pretty well, I thought. Even Age of Calamity did a good job having Link express himself through his behavior and expressions during the cutscenes. I'm fine with mute protagonists, they don't have to talk to convey their intentions. If they continue this trend, I won't have any complaints about not being able to make him a custom character.

That said, I'd still like to be able to customize Link's appearance. The armor system in BotW, especially being able to dye the armors, was super nice for me. I need that to keep being a thing. (also let me make his hair pink.) I can be content with that instead of full customization if they keep characterizing him like they did in BotW.
It calls him Link, but falls short of actually characterizing him. It still largely relies on people explaining what Link just said to them. I mean go all in. Actually characterize Link in a way that isn't hampered by refusing to have him talk.
 
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Azure Sage

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It calls him Link, but falls short of actually characterizing him. It still largely relies on people explaining what Link just said to them. I mean go all in. Actually characterize Link in a way that isn't hampered by refusing to have him talk.
Link has more creative dialogue options in BotW than any other game. He's got plenty of characterization. I don't believe he needs his own spoken dialogue boxes to get that across. A mute character doesn't stop being a character just because they're mute. He doesn't have to talk in the traditional sense in order to be characterized.
 

Bowsette Plus-Ultra

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Link has more creative dialogue options in BotW than any other game. He's got plenty of characterization. I don't believe he needs his own spoken dialogue boxes to get that across. A mute character doesn't stop being a character just because they're mute. He doesn't have to talk in the traditional sense in order to be characterized.
Certainly more than other Zelda games, but still paltry compared to other protagonists. His personality is largely that he is a brave boy with no complex thoughts flowing between his ears. He's a cardboard cutout even when compared to other silent protagonists.
 

Uwu_Oocoo2

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Personally, I wouldn't be okay with him being customizable. Yeah it's a problem that his personality is pretty weak, if not nonexistent, but that doesn't mean the solution would be making it so he's not a character anymore. We need the opposite. That being said, I'm still down for outfit customization.
 
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It's quite hard to consider this especially when the games involve voice acting, such as the case with Breath of the Wild but yea... since Link is meant to be the player's apparation in the universe, it would make sense to give the player some degree of freedom with personalising their 'vision' of Link in some way.

I'd honestly love to be able to change up Link and be able to see more of a reflection of myself than the overall appearence he is well known for.
 
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Outfit and hairstyle customization I'm alright with, but I kinda like how Link is still Link in every game. He might not have much of a personality in some of the games, but he does have one-- especially when you read his dialogue options. For instance, WW Link is very polite and also kind of a dork ("I'm an ally of justice!"). I also love BotW Link's sense of humor (seal puns! Seal puns everywhere!).
 

Bowsette Plus-Ultra

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Personally, I wouldn't be okay with him being customizable. Yeah it's a problem that his personality is pretty weak, if not nonexistent, but that doesn't mean the solution would be making it so he's not a character anymore. We need the opposite. That being said, I'm still down for outfit customization.
Would you be opposed to a more overt characterization of Link?
 

Uwu_Oocoo2

Joy is in video games and colored pencils
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Would you be opposed to a more overt characterization of Link?

making him a fleshed out character, I guess he means like link talking and having a clear cut personality and stuff
Gotcha. I don't mind Link being the way he is, but I would be more okay with them making him a full character than with them making him a customizable standee. If having him in the sort of middle ground he's in now of not quite being a distinct character could be resolved by adding more dialouge or personality, I'm cool with that. They should try to mix things up.
 
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Only to the extent of what clothes/weapons/items you can equip him with. Link is Link, there's plenty other games that will suit the need for a customizable character you can make all your own. He is an established character and his minimal personality is a reflection of the age of gaming he was created in. Despite what some modern gamers think, he's proved to have lasting appeal.
 
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I thought of making this post on TotK sub forum. But from the trailer we saw that Link isn't customized.

So even though its less likely to happen, how would you take it if Link was a customisable character i.e you can not only change the armour but also his facial features build etc
I think it's an interesting concept! While there would have to be some restrictions so it still to some degree looks like Link, and the race would probably have to be the same for all Links so the game makes sense, I think that this would be super popular! Link is supposed to already not talk and look male or female(depending on how you think about it) because the player is supposed to see themselves in Link and put them in his shoes as a silent protagonist!
We could potentially even make changes while customizing that without us knowing it slightly alter the gameplay! Make Link darker skinned and have hair that's a different color and texture than that of your generic Hylian(for example, if you made Link a black guy), you might have different interactions with some hylian NPCs than if you made Link a white guy(cough rac!sms that lead to Link beating up an NPC cough.) If you make Link shorter there would be more subtle teasing about his height and more jokes about it than if he was average height, but he would be faster and more nimble+agile, but also a more hotheaded character because he's probably a younger teen if he's that short. If you make him super tall, you might get surprised comments from Gerudo Women, and Link might be a little faster because he has really long legs, but also he would be more lanky and awkward, possibly more bulky and rather than being nimble, just physically stronger, and may occasionally hit his head on branches because it's funny.
If you chose to play Link as a generqueer/gender fluid/trans/nonbinary character(in customizations and changeable ay any time, and especially if hes genderqueer, you can change what you want his current pronouns to be that hes using as you play), you can use it potentially to your advantage, being welcomed into Gerudo Town with open arms but it also failing when he needs to go undercover as a gender he currently isn't and is thus u comfortable, making it harder to succed those missions and easier tk fail. If you play a gay character, you can flirt with anyone(no matter the Links sexuality) but depending on your Links and the NPCs sexualitys and wat your Link and the NPCs types are, it is more or less likely to fail.

I have more ideas, but I don't want to take them all so I'll stop here.
 

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