General Zelda More Interaction With Previous Links?

[Ronin]

From time to time the series has taken a peek back at Links from recent games, almost like cameos or other special appearances of sorts. This has occurred most prominently in Wind Waker, its introduction movie partially denoting the journey that the Legendary Hero [or Hero of Time] took, and even has a huge statue of that Link within Hyrule Castle. Additionally Twilight Princess features the Hero's Shade, a warrior of old [confirmed to be the Hero of Time also] who teaches Link seven Hidden Skills as the game progresses. Majora's Mask also does this to a degree, except that we're actually starring as the a Link from the game before it on yet another adventure.

Do you think the Legend of Zelda should have more "references" like this or should we simply have one Link at a time?

 

[DekuPrincess]

I like having run-ins with previous Links in the form of cameos, especially the Hero's Shade where there is a bit of mystery if you don't know your lore (or haven't read HH). I think a Hero's Shade type appearance would be great to see again--I think the idea of an older, battle-weary Link trying to help out his spiritual descendent in the current quest against evil works well and could be implemented successfully again in the future. I don't think anything more substantial than that would be executed well, however, so I would prefer to keep it to a minimum.

 

[ihateghirahim]

I really want the Hero's Shade to return. Now that there's a timeline, I feel we can draw the connections between the Link's into the open. The Hero's Shade should be the Hero of Time. He can appear from time to time. He'll teach and guide the new hero.

He can be a teacher throughout the game like he was in TP. New moves and abilities are good things to learn, and it makes the whole series seem more connected if the techniques are passed down. I really wished they'd had a big reveal during the final lesson in TP. What if the Hero's Shade collapsed to reveal another Link, who winked at you and then faded. That would have awesome beyond belief.

I would also want a Link who held trials before giving up the Master Sword or the Ocarina of Time. Link would epically fail to defeat Ganondorf like he did in WW, and he'd have to flee out into the woods while Ganondorf destroyed everything. He would appear as a skeleton man like he did in TP. You'd be told he was a servant of the Royal family, and was once a great warrior. He could make you go through battles and puzzles. You'd duel him and learn his techniques. You'd get to know him. Eventually he'd tell you that it was time for you to claim your destiny and save Hyrule like he did. He'd tell you to show no mercy or hesitation to Ganondorf, for he (the Shade) had failed to kill him once. He'd open the gate to the grove where the sword, or he would hand you the Ocarina. Then the shade would collapse and a spirit version of you would appear, but he would the items and clothing from OoT. Then he'd wink at you before fading away.

At the end of the game, Link would return to the grove, put the sword back or keep the ocarina on him, and be seen living in the house the Shade once resided in.

Beautiful.

 

[Justac00lguy]

I think we have come to really want to see more and more connections between games and just generally creating the Zelda legend as not just a collection of legends but as one "Legend".

I think the Wind Waker mentioning the Hero of Time worked really well, straight away you felt a role of living up to arguably the greatest Link of all time and that role made you in a way feel special. It was also nice to see a reference to such a great tale and the fact that what you did was actually remembered, it gave that game a sense of importance among the grand scheme in the series. Saying that though giving a reference to a past hero might lessen the importance of that current Link.

Overall I think making morw connections between games is key, it would be nice to see that the legend still lives on in the future rather than just a new start and story. Sometimes it just seems as if we save the Princess and Hyrule but yet we are or Link is not remembered for his heroic actions.

 

[Starblast16]

I think the games should have more references so that it shows how the games are connected to each other.

 

[Ronin]

Sometimes it just seems as if we save the Princess and Hyrule but yet we are or Link is not remembered for his heroic actions.

Yeah, I'm in full agreement with this suggestion.

Just like the adulatory Hero of Time effigy in Wind Waker, I wish that Nintendo would implement more commemorative objects which hearken back to the deeds of the former Link. A tombstone with the analogical inscription "Here lies the reputed hero Link, most celebrated for____________" or a mausoleum that bears a majestic sepulcher for a past Link would be incredible. Perhaps the current Link could even read about the deeds of one of his predecessors, or even hear about them from a character who invests interest in Hyrule's valiant reincarnations. As others have said, it would make the series feel interconnected, and give a literal meaning to Link's name and the "Legend" of Zelda in general.

 

[DarkestLink]

Kind of a stupid idea that I know Nintendo would never use, but I'm always considered the idea of a younger Link meeting an older Link that has fallen from grace and taken a role as the main villain.

 

[Ventus]

Since Link is nothing but a concept and he isn't necessarily a character - he's literally a Nameless Hero - I figured we could have not references, not cameos, but actually ingame appearances by previous Links. This would be fantastic on Nintendo's part. Now, I know what you're saying: I shouldn't get too excited. Believe me, I'm not...it's just that I know there are minimalist manners in which multiple non-fourswords Links in one game can be implemented, and we know the Zelda story is a minimalist one no matter what game we're talking about.

I mean, think about it: a previous Link (in the flesh) teaching a next-generation Link how to swordfight, or even better - helping the younger on their "destiny" to fight evil? Just...braingasmic.

 

[Spirit]

I like just having one Link for that game and time within the mythos of the series, putting in another Link really diminishes the story of the Link you're playing as and makes that Link feel really unspectacular, this happened for me in WW. The opening scene bangs on about the Hero of Time, the introduction bangs on about the tradition that is in memory of the Hero of Time, the gods of Hyrule complain that WW Link is not the Hero of Time, and a little bit later KoRL dubs you (like it seems that every Link now needs a title) and bus him Hero of Winds, which just sounds crap when you've heard so much about the Hero of Time, i almost saw WW Link cringe at the title, poor kid.

TP i really didn't mind with Hero's Shade becuase at the time we could still theorise and it made it interesting, nothing explicitly told us that we were living in another Link's shadow.

So i'd prefer the Link we play as to have the story all his own.

 

[HylianHero]

I love it when they mention past heroes, like in the intro to TWW. It's always great when they acknowledge that the past games actually happened. And the Hero's Shade was awesome. That kind of interaction, between the spirit of a past hero and the current hero to pass on techniques would be cool to see in future games. But I don't really like the idea of a link meeting another link, it would just seem...I don't know....wrong.