Tag: the resistance

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was a fantastic game, filled with epic battles, an enormous world, and a…horribly flawed storyline. Each week we’ll be looking at one of these flaws to determine what went wrong and why, as well as to discuss ideas of how the tale could have been rewritten to fix these problems and strengthen the story as a whole. …Preferably without drastically departing from the original storyline of the game, but I make no promises.

In the second half of the game, we meet a specific group of characters who each help Link locate the ancient dungeons that house the Mirror of Twilight Fragments. Referred to in

Hyrule Historia as “The Resistance,” Auru, Ashei, Rusl, and Shad are all a great help to the Hero, and if people complain about them, it’s usually just because we didn’t see them more.

But although they’ve escaped the heavy criticism that our previous subjects have each been hounded by, that doesn’t mean that the developers finally got everything right. Even the story arc of the Resistance has a problem that I think needs some fixing up. Let’s see to that, shall we?

In A Link to the Past, Link’s uncle goes to Hyrule Castle in search of answers, and when he doesn’t return, our young protagonist’s adventure begins. In the following game, Link’s Awakening, it is only thanks to Marin nursing Link back to health that allows him to uncover the secrets of Koholint Island and the Wind Fish. In both, a stormy night precedes the start of his quest.

A lot of importance is placed on Link’s first interactions. The fervour and excitement that comes with the first play of a new Zelda game form our initial opinions – the characters we meet are largely influential. Rusl plays that significant part in Twilight Princess when, with an unerring serenity, he says, “Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?”

Already, the start of the game is slower and quieter than in the aforementioned Zelda titles. Perhaps it’s because this game is longer and has the opportunity to spread the story out. We get given a chance to herd goats and fish, to help our fellow neighbours. Minutes in, we have already established connections with the people in Link’s life. But Rusl never gets his chance to shine, be it as a way to emotionally offset the storyline or as a physical presence in the heart of Link’s fight for Hyrule.

When Medli reawakened as the Earth Sage and accompanied Link into the temple on Headstone Island in The Wind Waker, she brought youthful exuberance and a pair of wings. Makar may have been vulnerable to Floor Masters, but he could plant seeds to grow Hookshot-able trees and propel himself about with his Deku Leaf. The quest to restore the Master Sword ultimately confirmed Link’s status as the Hero of Winds, but he didn’t, and couldn’t have walked the path alone. Friends had helped him, and he them. The union was strongest because we had experienced flight, light reflection and musical performances with each of them in turn.

In the characters making up the Resistance, Twilight Princess had opportunities to reform these ties between Link and his cohorts, and to allow the player that sense of togetherness in defeating evil once again. But Nintendo left an emotional void in Link’s journey with this alliance, one that could have brought with it the sensitivity and sensibility seen in previous Zelda games.

In this, the second in a series of explorative articles, I am going to delve deeper into the role of the Resistance and what opportunity they had to bring more to The Legend of Zelda.