Lord Carlisle
He Who Shall Not be Named
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2012
- Location
- Florida
Zelda games have a reputation for getting players connected to their characters. A lot of gamers feel the emotion emanating from some NPCs, myself included. Heck, I even felt sympathetic for the postman in MM! (THIS THREAD CONTAINS SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.)
Character development is one of the most important aspects in storytelling... whether that story be told through book, movie, or even a video game! I've played a lot of video games (admittedly, mostly Nintendo ones), and the best examples of character development I've seen are both in Zelda games! As if that's not enough, one is from arguably the BEST Zelda game... and the other is from arguably the WORST. If you haven't gathered who those two are from the title, I'm talking about Groose and Linebeck.
First up, Linebeck. He's from Phantom Hourglass, probably the worst game in the series. He is by far the most interesting character (or should I say... the ONLY interesting character) in the game. PH was actually my intro to the series... and I liked it a lot. Which really speaks to the quality of the Zelda series as a whole. But back on topic. Linebeck is pretty much the Jack Sparrow of Zelda. He does a lot of bragging and boasting and is famed as a great captain but in reality he's a greedy coward.
Second, we have Groose. He's from Skyward Sword, revered by many as the best Zelda game. At the beginning of the game you despise him... and by the end you forget all about your disliking him and he becomes one of your favorite characters (just like our other contender). Whether it be his goofy appearance or hilarious dialogue and actions, you love him. BOTH of these traits are also shared by Linebeck. Groose at first is like the Gaston of Nintendo... but he quickly changes from that.
When you first meet Linebeck, he gets you to save him, takes your treasure map, and runs off.
When you first meet Groose, he bullies you due to his jealousy of Link and Zelda. So far, they're not very similar.
Later on, after you do virtually all of the work, Linebeck follows you into the hull of the Ghost Ship and is confounded that there is no treasure. Old man Oshus appears and explains that the treasure is but a mere rumor, and Linebeck gets furious over this, temporarily refusing to help you anymore.
In SS, later in the game, Groose drops out of the sky, and eventually you explain to him what's going on. He then talks big-headed and believes he's going to save Zelda, but when old lady Impa tells him otherwise, he gets furious and refuses to believe it.
The similarities are a little subtle, but still there. So by this point, both characters are selfish jerks whom have so far been nothing but an annoyance. But that will change. There are lots of little points in which both characters develop, but now I'll skip to the big change.
At the climax of PH, Link is unable to save Tetra from Bellum. After being grabbed by the monster, his sword slides across the deck over to Linebeck. Linebeck hesitates, but grabs the sword and attacks Bellum, saving Link but sacrificing himself in the process.
SS has TWO similarities to the latter. At the climax of SS, when Zelda awakens, Link is unable to save Zelda due to exhaustion. Groose stands up and attempts to block Ghirahim, ultimately getting kicked aside. At this moment, you love Groose more than ever and praise him as the hero he is. Just like Linebeck.
The other similarity is at the point where Zelda is falling to her doom, Link unable to do anything. Groose appears and sprints towards her, saving her life.
So the question is... which character had the overall better development? Personally, I believe Linebeck did. But that's just my opinion. What do you guys think?
Character development is one of the most important aspects in storytelling... whether that story be told through book, movie, or even a video game! I've played a lot of video games (admittedly, mostly Nintendo ones), and the best examples of character development I've seen are both in Zelda games! As if that's not enough, one is from arguably the BEST Zelda game... and the other is from arguably the WORST. If you haven't gathered who those two are from the title, I'm talking about Groose and Linebeck.
First up, Linebeck. He's from Phantom Hourglass, probably the worst game in the series. He is by far the most interesting character (or should I say... the ONLY interesting character) in the game. PH was actually my intro to the series... and I liked it a lot. Which really speaks to the quality of the Zelda series as a whole. But back on topic. Linebeck is pretty much the Jack Sparrow of Zelda. He does a lot of bragging and boasting and is famed as a great captain but in reality he's a greedy coward.
Second, we have Groose. He's from Skyward Sword, revered by many as the best Zelda game. At the beginning of the game you despise him... and by the end you forget all about your disliking him and he becomes one of your favorite characters (just like our other contender). Whether it be his goofy appearance or hilarious dialogue and actions, you love him. BOTH of these traits are also shared by Linebeck. Groose at first is like the Gaston of Nintendo... but he quickly changes from that.
When you first meet Linebeck, he gets you to save him, takes your treasure map, and runs off.
When you first meet Groose, he bullies you due to his jealousy of Link and Zelda. So far, they're not very similar.
Later on, after you do virtually all of the work, Linebeck follows you into the hull of the Ghost Ship and is confounded that there is no treasure. Old man Oshus appears and explains that the treasure is but a mere rumor, and Linebeck gets furious over this, temporarily refusing to help you anymore.
In SS, later in the game, Groose drops out of the sky, and eventually you explain to him what's going on. He then talks big-headed and believes he's going to save Zelda, but when old lady Impa tells him otherwise, he gets furious and refuses to believe it.
The similarities are a little subtle, but still there. So by this point, both characters are selfish jerks whom have so far been nothing but an annoyance. But that will change. There are lots of little points in which both characters develop, but now I'll skip to the big change.
At the climax of PH, Link is unable to save Tetra from Bellum. After being grabbed by the monster, his sword slides across the deck over to Linebeck. Linebeck hesitates, but grabs the sword and attacks Bellum, saving Link but sacrificing himself in the process.
SS has TWO similarities to the latter. At the climax of SS, when Zelda awakens, Link is unable to save Zelda due to exhaustion. Groose stands up and attempts to block Ghirahim, ultimately getting kicked aside. At this moment, you love Groose more than ever and praise him as the hero he is. Just like Linebeck.
The other similarity is at the point where Zelda is falling to her doom, Link unable to do anything. Groose appears and sprints towards her, saving her life.
So the question is... which character had the overall better development? Personally, I believe Linebeck did. But that's just my opinion. What do you guys think?