Breath of the Wild Zelda Wii U Rumors

[DeactivatedUser2]

I still don't see the problem. Spirit put it rather nicely:



Even if it IS a female Link, you lose absolutely nothing by having that option. No one's forcing you to use it. Can you please explain to me what the big deal is? I'm not gonna convince you to change your mind, because why would I, but I'd love to understand where you're coming from. Link's staying the same as he ever was, unless you want him to be something else. What's wrong with having an option? Does it seriously bother you that much if someone else were to make him female? What does it have to do with you? Why would it lessen the enjoyment you're having with the game, when you might aswell just pick the Standard Male Link option?

*edit* Not trying to jump down your throat by the way. Anyone else is free to answer, I just happened to quote your post.

Because, honestly, it kind of interferes with things that have already been established. The argument I've seen is that, since Link is always reincarnated in a different body type, it's not impossible for him to be a girl. Call me crazy, but isn't it the Spirit of the Hero? And isn't Zelda a human reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia? They've already put the genders in clear terms, yeah? And, to be fair, the original Zelda was based off of Shigeru's experiences as a child exploring caves near where he lived, so he most likely based Link off of himself when he was exploring said caves.
Anyways, the reason it kind of messes with many people (including a number of people on here) is Link is already an established character. Imagine if a new Star Fox comes out after Star Fox Zero and it had its own female mode where you played as a female version of Fox. Nope, not playing as Krystal; just straight up playing as a genderbend Fox Mccloud. That doesn't sound desirable, does it? Well, why not simply make Krystal the playable character in the "female mode," instead of modifying an already established character? That's how I feel. There's already female characters in Zelda (eg; Impa, Linkle, or, how about ZELDA) to play as instead of giving Link a rack and a vag.

Also, Link clearly has some established relationships that go farther than friendship.
Tetra in WW, Zelda (or Malon) in OoT, Ilia in TP, ect ect. What if relations like these exist in the new Zelda game? Does everything need to be genderbent as well? Will we have prince Zelda and Dark Empress Ganonita? It introduces more problems than it does solutions.

 

[el :BeoWolf:]

Call me crazy, but isn't it the Spirit of the Hero? And isn't Zelda a human reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia? They've already put the genders in clear terms, yeah?

The word "hero" can apply to both men and women. Now of course Goddess can only apply to females. Honestly if they gave an option for a male, or female Link I'd stick with playing as male Link myself since that's the norm for me, but having the option is a great idea. No where does it say Link must be a male.
It also bothers me how people keep brining up Mario, or Samus, or other characters. Those are individuals, not reincarnations like Link is. Link can be male, or female because the spirit of the hero is just a spirit. Never said they had to be a guy. Mario, or Samus though? They have to be what they are since they're the same person everytime.

Also, Link clearly has some established relationships that go farther than friendship.
Tetra in WW, Zelda (or Malon) in OoT, Ilia in TP,

Each of those Links already exist. There relations are already established, be it romantic or not. Having Link possibly be a girl in Zelda U won't affect them, just Zelda U, and even then, when has romance been a serious thing in Zelda except possibly SS, and maybe TP?

 

[ZeldafreakCJM]

The word "hero" can apply to both men and women. Now of course Goddess can only apply to females. Honestly if they gave an option for a male, or female Link I'd stick with playing as male Link myself since that's the norm for me, but having the option is a great idea. No where does it say Link must be a male.
It also bothers me how people keep brining up Mario, or Samus, or other characters. Those are individuals, not reincarnations like Link is. Link can be male, or female because the spirit of the hero is just a spirit. Never said they had to be a guy. Mario, or Samus though? They have to be what they are since they're the same person everytime.

Each of those Links already exist. There relations are already established, be it romantic or not. Having Link possibly be a girl in Zelda U won't affect them, just Zelda U, and even then, when has romance been a serious thing in Zelda except possibly SS, and maybe TP?

Yeah, you know except for in Mario and Luigi Paper Jam, but that doesn't count for some reason.

 

[el :BeoWolf:]

Yeah, you know except for in Mario and Luigi Paper Jam, but that doesn't count for some reason.

I always figured the Mario universe, and Paper Mario universe were two different things, or something like that

 

[DeactivatedUser2]

The word "hero" can apply to both men and women. Now of course Goddess can only apply to females. Honestly if they gave an option for a male, or female Link I'd stick with playing as male Link myself since that's the norm for me, but having the option is a great idea. No where does it say Link must be a male.
It also bothers me how people keep brining up Mario, or Samus, or other characters. Those are individuals, not reincarnations like Link is. Link can be male, or female because the spirit of the hero is just a spirit. Never said they had to be a guy. Mario, or Samus though? They have to be what they are since they're the same person everytime.

Each of those Links already exist. There relations are already established, be it romantic or not. Having Link possibly be a girl in Zelda U won't affect them, just Zelda U, and even then, when has romance been a serious thing in Zelda except possibly SS, and maybe TP?

Spirit Tracks ring a bell? Twilight Princess definitely doesn't count with Zelda, they're hardly even acquaintances. Ilia is definitely his main love there. Skyward Sword, it's definitely hinted at. Nobody else really falls under Zelda's love radar besides Link, and the Royal Family has to be created somehow. Anyways, one thing I notice is that you say Mario and Samus are individuals and thus shouldn't be considered as characters that can have genderswaps. However, an important thing is to note is that Link, while going through different versions or appearances based on the reincarnations, is still, at his core, the same. The only noticeable difference between them all is the tunic, which has oddly changed in Zelda U (though it's likely that that's an optional costume and the green tunic and cap are still in the game.) Nothing says that Link must be male, but nothing says that Link needs to be a female either, so why bother trying to fix what isn't broken?

 

[el :BeoWolf:]

I forgot about Spirit Tracks.
That is true, game play wise that is one of Link's signature traits.
Now about the tunic, I'm thinking it's just his starting outfit, but we'll just have to wait and see.
I don't consider it fixing something that isn't broken, just giving it an addition just for those who do want it, but hey that's just me though.
But yes Link being male is the norm, nothing says he has to be male or female, but it is nice to have that option available imo.

 

[ZeldafreakCJM]

The word "hero" can apply to both men and women. Now of course Goddess can only apply to females. Honestly if they gave an option for a male, or female Link I'd stick with playing as male Link myself since that's the norm for me, but having the option is a great idea. No where does it say Link must be a male.
It also bothers me how people keep brining up Mario, or Samus, or other characters. Those are individuals, not reincarnations like Link is. Link can be male, or female because the spirit of the hero is just a spirit. Never said they had to be a guy. Mario, or Samus though? They have to be what they are since they're the same person everytime.

Each of those Links already exist. There relations are already established, be it romantic or not. Having Link possibly be a girl in Zelda U won't affect them, just Zelda U, and even then, when has romance been a serious thing in Zelda except possibly SS, and maybe TP?

I always figured the Mario universe, and Paper Mario universe were two different things, or something like that

They are, but how is that different than say WW vs TP, or Sonic Boom Universe vs regular Sonic universe, or the regular Metroid universe vs the Metroid Prime Universe? Better yet, how is Link different from Cranky Kong and Donkey Kong? Should we have a female Donkey Kong?

 

[el :BeoWolf:]

I'm don't think I'm understanding, but Paper Mario, and Mario are from two different universe, but they're the same individual in their respective universes, so they're not going to suddenly be female. Link however can because he isn't the same individual every time.
Link is similar to DK in that they have kids that follow in their footsteps. I guess we could have a female DK.
Wait the Samus from Metroid isn't the one from Metroid Prime, and same with sonic vs sonic boom?

 

[Farore's Chosen]

Well I hope we will get an announcement at E3

Link is an established, iconic videogame character, canonically male. Link is also a male name, Linca would be the female equivalent to said name, just as Roberta is the equivalent to Robert. I don't wanna see him ruined because a bunch of people can't understand that he's not an avatar in the sense of Pokemon or WoW or whatever else.

Changing his name? Yeah, that's actually a convenient way to keep someone from saving over or accidentally deleting your save file, he's not the only videogame hero who can get a name change, won't be the last either.

Switching tunics? Dude, thats to keep him from roasting and drowning, or to boost his defenses.

He's the link between the player and game, not the player themselves. Your supposed to feel like you are Link undertaking a grand adventure, not the other way around, you know, kinda like you do when you take on a grand adventure or action game with any other established character. You are the actor/actress stepping into the shoes of a time honored character. If there ever comes a day when the lazy ass concept that is Linkle overtakes Link for a main game, I'll be pissed. Spinoff? Sure I won't care then, but Link was never meant to be what Trainer is to Pokemon, or Headsmasher the Warrioress is to an MMORPG. Why some people can't understand that is beyond me.


I'm hoping we get a title at E3, and more footage. I really am excited for this game. Hope it'll still be on the WiiU even if it launches on the NX.

Voice Acting makes me hesitate, I'd rather just have dialogue choices, I can't help but notice that English voice acting is more often then not, cringeworthy. People say that Japanese voice acting is superior. I sometimes wonder if thats because some of us don't understand a word they say. I also wonder if gamers over in Japan cringe or laugh or groan about it the way we do? Or any other country really?

 

[ZeldafreakCJM]

I'm don't think I'm understanding, but Paper Mario, and Mario are from two different universe, but they're the same individual in their respective universes, so they're not going to suddenly be female. Link however can because he isn't the same individual every time.
Link is similar to DK in that they have kids that follow in their footsteps. I guess we could have a female DK.
Wait the Samus from Metroid isn't the one from Metroid Prime, and same with sonic vs sonic boom?

Samus in Metroid Prime exists in a universe that does not mesh history wise with games like Metroid Fusion and Other M, so most fans consider them seperate realities, Sonic Boom is confirmed to be a sepearte reality from the main universe.

With this in mind, let's break down what they are using Sonic Boom Vs. Sonic Prime.

Sonic Prime is a universe with a character named Sonic who lives a particular history. Sonic Boom is a universe with a character named Sonic who lives a particular history that while similar to Sonic Prime, it is also somewhat different which leads to a different present, and future. How is this different than any Zelda game vs any other Zelda game? Each game has a character named Link, and each character named Link has a similar, albeit slightly different, history. If your biggest argument of Link not being a singular character is that his different incarnations live different lives, then considering that the different universe parallels of Mario, Samus, and Sonic, all function in the same manner but through the lens of a different universe as opposed to the history of the same universe, Link really isn't all that different than either of them. Especially if we want to consider WW Link vs TP Link, which are games that are confirmed by Aonuma to happen at the same time on the timeline, but in a separate universe.

 

[Polychrome]

Each of those Links already exist. There relations are already established, be it romantic or not. Having Link possibly be a girl in Zelda U won't affect them, just Zelda U, and even then, when has romance been a serious thing in Zelda except possibly SS, and maybe TP?

It's not so much that... I think the real problem is that Nintendo, regardless of what they have or haven't said, has gone out of their way to characterize Link. He's typically a pretty loveable guy, the kind you'd want to fight for, be friends with, etc. He has likes and dislikes. He has a home, personal effects, clothes, job, and other things that give us insight as to who he is off-screen. Characters will talk about him and each other, giving you an idea of who Link is to each of them and vice versa. This is saying a lot for a character with very minimal lines.

Over the years many of us have fallen in love with that character, and his many incarnations. We fight and win the game because we want *him* to succeed, and not for anyone else. And we'd rather that any changes to him truly be for the sake of Nintendo and the fans, and not some media hacks claiming everyone "wants" this.

The problem with the whole "female Link", especially as a character creator, is that Link truly becomes an avatar at that point; there would be no point in further developing his character, and I don't think there's truly any going back, especially for future games. Link will essentially be dead. He won't return. Dressing up a character creator like the Link we remembered would be akin to trying to clone a dead man. Whatever people may think the series will gain, Link himself will be forever lost.

What I am hoping is that there is another character (and not something half-baked like Linkle either) with an alternate adventure. I think I've always played the games for Link. Getting rid of him would pretty much remove my reason for playing. If it were a "play as Zelda" option or something like that, I'd be all for it, but I'd still consider it an alternate "extra content" of sorts. So, yeah, if the rumors are real I'll probably be bowing out for good as well. *stares sadly at 3DS in a Zelda case* It's been fun.

 

[Dio]

Link is also a male name, Linca would be the female equivalent to said name, just as Roberta is the equivalent to Robert.

We could also have Linko. The Spanish link. Because if you add o to the end of a word it becomes Spanish.

 

[brittia]

Rumor #2: I heard from multiple sources that you can choose between a male or female as your playable character in Zelda.

I don't really want to bring this suddenly, and i know this is just a rumor, BUT ……

She said "playable character" so it is not necessarily Link. I mean, yes, we all saw the video with Miyamoto and Aonuma. I know Miyamoto "control" Link when he guide Epona, when he fight. But this is not the point.
I wonder if our "playable character" might be a spirit. Just like in Baten Kaitos. We are here with him all the time, help him, give him strength… Maybe this is the idea, and WE become the compagnon of Link ? (so, no Midona, no Fay, no Navi, no Red lion, etc. Just "me")

 

[the8thark]

Rumor #2: I heard from multiple sources that you can choose between a male or female as your playable character in Zelda.

I don't really want to bring this suddenly, and i know this is just a rumor, BUT ……

She said "playable character" so it is not necessarily Link. I mean, yes, we all saw the video with Miyamoto and Aonuma. I know Miyamoto "control" Link when he guide Epona, when he fight. But this is not the point.
I wonder if our "playable character" might be a spirit. Just like in Baten Kaitos. We are here with him all the time, help him, give him strength… Maybe this is the idea, and WE become the compagnon of Link ? (so, no Midona, no Fay, no Navi, no Red lion, etc. Just "me")

Nintendo have always referred to Link as a playable character and less of the hero. Miyamoto always wanted Link to be an avatar or sorts, the in game representation of yourself. Aonuma has kept this idea going. So technically playable character does not say we have a chocie of multiple characters. It really tells us not much at all based on how Nintendo have gone about it over the decades.

Nintendo is not being abstract to us on purpose with this information/rumour. It's just how they've always referred to Link as. If it's more than just Link, only time will tell.

 

[Polychrome]

She said "playable character" so it is not necessarily Link. I mean, yes, we all saw the video with Miyamoto and Aonuma. I know Miyamoto "control" Link when he guide Epona, when he fight. But this is not the point.
I wonder if our "playable character" might be a spirit. Just like in Baten Kaitos. We are here with him all the time, help him, give him strength… Maybe this is the idea, and WE become the compagnon of Link ? (so, no Midona, no Fay, no Navi, no Red lion, etc. Just "me")

To be honest, this is most likely the "real" answer to the whole thing. That you can "play" as whoever the companion is in the game, get their side of the story, or maybe do it like spirit tracks and switch between the two. Or maybe the game is from an entirely different character's viewpoint.

I've seen video game series do this before with success. Dark Forces, Phoenix Wright, Blue Dragon.... they didn't take a wrecking ball to their existing characters, they either brought in a new one or let you make the new one to join along with the existing characters. The logical side of me thinks that "Linkle" was a test of that of sorts. She wasn't Link. She was a fangirl with no sense of direction. But she *WAS* an "apprentice" character of sorts.