#links awakening artstyle

[kate-m-art]

My friend suggested yesterday drawing our ocs in the Links Awakening remake art style and it sounded fun so gave it a try ♡ Did the Links and then the leading ladies of their stories (except poor pirate Link in the middle, I haven't drawn his Zelda yet TvT)

[tortilla-of-courage]

friendly reminder that you're completely allowed to have opinions of your own! but if you see a post talking positively about something and your first thought is "okay but i Need to let them know i hate [thing] about it so im going to write a comment about it on that post-" just don't. don't. go and make your own post instead. the person who made the post doesn't care.

[cinnaminstar]

The only thing to save me from artblock is zelda

[leaf-miner]

I have mixed feelings about the swordfighter form in the new Echoes of Wisdom footage. It felt like they were showing it like "Look, Zelda can fight with a sword! We're not being sexist!" But then it's a limited time transformation that essentially turns her into Link.

Worst thing is I do think playing as Zelda should feel distinct from Link, but it would be so easy to incorporate weapons too. Zelda has so often been associate with the bow of light, she really should be an archer. In addition, I think it would be cool to give her a dagger that she can use only if she's sneaky and gets a back strike. That would double as kind of a reference to her role as Shiek in OoT and emphasise the "Wisdom" bit with Zelda as more of a ranged/sneak attack fighter. It also wouldn't make echoes redundant since the weapons have obvious limits, and you could use them to distract enemies to get back strike etc. Maybe we'll get something along the lines of this in a future playable Zelda game (hopefully this is only the first of many).

Also other than making the gameplay different to other Zelda games there's really no reason she shouldn't be able to use a sword. She's used one multiple times in the past. You could even give her a different type of sword and have her use it differently to Link. It just feels a bit weird to force her to go around without a weapon or way of directly attacking outside of “throw rock” or “turn into Link”.

On the plus side though, this game does look really fun! I definitely want to play it, and I'm glad we are at long last getting playable Zelda.

[itti-the-mouse]

If you're allowed to Unironically Block people for thinking Ocarina of Time is a better choice than Majora's Mask, then i'm allowed to Unironically Block you for thinking Skyward Sword is anything other than the absolute worst the series has to offer. Bye.

[aparticularbandit]

FINALLY. A ZELDA GAME WHERE I CAN PLAY AS ZELDA! AH!

[faelapis]

okay here's my "never going to happen" nintendo direct wildcard prediction: new 2d zelda - but with playable zelda.

it's a soft launch of the idea by putting it in a 2d game. 2d zeldas are not the massive console seller juggernauts as 3d zeldas, so its a safer "test" AND more realistic to put at the end of the switch's life cycle.

the game itself would be somewhat lighthearted, but not condescendingly simple like the peach game. it has a similar artstyle/feel as the links awakening remake. there's a bigger focus on puzzles than fighting.

[evergreenalice]

the new Zelda game having the same artstyle as the Link's Awakening is making me thinking about LA again...

[build-a-zel]

Which style should Princess Zelda be in? There are a few artstyles that Nintendo sticks to in terms of continuity, and they shape a lot about what design options are available to her.

What are these polls for?

[onefey]

oh wait just realized... echoes of wisdom seems like a fallen hero timeline era game (zelda + link outfits, enemy designs, big pig ganon, same artstyle as link's awakening remake) so like..... there's a small teeny tiny chance of lorule being relevant or being mentioned right 🥺 guys listen to me

[spacemimz]

Calling it rn, The legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will take part in the fallen timeline (Ganon is there)

And I feel like it's gonna be somewhere between the Oracle games and A Link between Worlds. I have zero clues for that but I can feel it in my bones. The logical part of my brain tells me it shouldn't be before A Link to the Past and I donr think it's before or after Link's Awakening. Despite the artstyle similarities it just doesn't seem likely to me

Plus from what I've seen and heard the kingdom of hyrule is rather peaceful and vast. Therefore it can't be after TriForce Heroes since Hyrule is reduced to a regional power after that

Anyway watch me concoct more insane theories on my special interest 👍🏻

[arcadetheatre]

My Favourite Announcements from the Nintendo Direct (6/18/2024)

New M&L game is very exciting. The artstyle looks very good. I'm wondering which internal studio is making this. I also wonder if they absorbed AlphaDream staff for the project. (Also I keep calling it "Brotherhood" because I am FMA trash).

FANTASIAN is finally out of Apple Arcade jail. For those that don't know, this is a game by Hironobu Sakaguchi - the creator of the Final Fantasy Series. All of the environments in the game are real-world Dioramas and Models that were scanned-in, so it has a very unique artstyle. FANTASIAN has been an Apple Arcade exclusive for many years, so it is so good that its finally free.

This game was very interesting to me. The artstyle is very captivating. The artstyle is very similar to the FMVs from Final Fantasy Tactics, which was always very cool and unique. There is not a lot of info about this title, but it seems to be a pretty neat Action RPG.

Dragon Quest Trilogy HD-2D Remake is looking really good. This project was announced a while back, but went quiet for a while. Originally it was just going to be the Dragon Quest 3, but they have decided to go ahead and remake the entire original trilogy, which is cool.

This is the really big one for me. A new Zelda game where Zelda is the protagonist. This was rumoured to be in development, so it is cool that it is real. It looks like it strikes a nice balance between the oneness of the Wild-era games and the constraints of the classic-styled games. I'm guessing that this is being developed by Grezzo, since it is using the Link's Awakening 2019 engine. It seems there will be heavy-emphasis on puzzle-solving, which is really cool.

Then, of course, we have Metroid Prime 4. After SEVEN years since it's announcement, we finally have a gameplay trailer. I'm honestly surprised they decided to announce this game for the base Switch instead of waiting for the Switch 2. But, the game also doesn't release until next year, so it's possible it will be a launch-title for Switch 2 or something.

[twink-between-worlds]

someone complained about "of course the FIRST playable zelda game has unserious graphics :) i hate that :)" and

first of all. Spirit Tracks Zelda. enough said.

second....they used that art style on purpose to combat...you know. The discussion of Execution. The world literally on the verge of ending. The honest to god VOID being the one destroying it.

theres a reason the links awakening remake has the same artstyle, you know. to make the tragedy more...tragic to learn about.

[autumnoakes]

final eow review from me because i just beat the game: holy shit everyone go play it /not forced

no but in all seriousness? easy goty contender. even in the chibi/toy artstyle, it managed to be absolutely gorgeous, moreso than i think link's awakening was even. it was so charming too, what with all the character interactions and how much attention to detail went into this game. the characterizations were so so so good, and i do love how there wasn't much trust in zelda throughout the first half, when she was deliberately hiding her identity for her own safety. she had to prove herself in several instances, and demonstrate that no, she doesn't mean any harm and yes, she is telling the truth.

i really love how they handled the switch in protagonists as well. it felt like a trope inversion from the typical "hero saves princess" (even if link did very much save zelda at first). it's kinda funny how link ended up haunting the narrative so much, but i love how they went the route of giving him more characterization, even if we didn't see him very much.

most of all, i love the casual queerness that's on display here. tri, your companion, is genderless/nonbinary and doesn't use pronouns (aside from a singular "they" i saw). null as well, the antagonist, doesn't use pronouns. and the deku scrubs are also genderless/nonbinary and refer to each other using they/them pronouns. it's such a refreshing change of pace from previous games when it felt like every individual character had to have a binary gender, when it didn't make much sense for them to (*glares directly at the koroks*).

it's just so. AUGH it's so so so fucking good. absolutely fantastic game. i 100% believe they were working on it before totk was released, because there's no way that the devs managed to get that done in a year, even with time crunches (i mean it's not to the same scale as totk even remotely, or pokemon scarlet/violet, but there was a lot of care and passion put into the game). it's similar in basic map layout to alttp/albw, but there's so many new things that it feels entirely new. there are so many callbacks to other games, like alttp/albw, like ocarina of time and majora's mask, like twilight princess, and yes, like breath of the wild and tears of the kingdom. but it was also it's own thing with it's own lore and characters and setting and plot. the dungeons felt classic while also feeling new due to zelda's abilities and limited access to a sword.

and the BOSSES. ngl i struggled on the bosses quite a bit, and i did get frustrated at times, but i liked the way that the fights themselves were puzzles. i was worried that the combat would be clunky, and it was a bit at first, but as the game went on and i got more echoes, it became less and less so. i still think i didn't do it optimally considering most bosses took me like 10 minutes at least to get past, but it was rewarding when i did get past them.

[ordon-shield]

Animated Zelda Adaptions

With recent discussion of an animated Zelda film to follow the Mario movie, I got to thinking about ways to adapt different Zelda games into animation. While a Zelda movie wouldn’t necessarily need to be an adaption of a specific game, with the variety of styles the series has gone through over the years, they’d need to pick one to go with — so here’s my thoughts.

Zelda 1/Adventure of Link/A Link to the Past/Link’s Awakening

I’m putting these four together because I think they could all be adapted into animation the same way — based of the original official art, in the style of an 80s cartoon (just with a bit more of a budget). Each game could be a season of a TV show, expanding on the somewhat limited plot by making it episodic and using the extra time to expand on the characters and world within that format.

Ocarina of Time/Majora’s Mask

For these two, I think stopmotion in the style of Laika (known for Coraline & Kubo and the Two Strings) would work the best (or using 3D stylised to resemble stopmotion, like the Lego Movie). The OoT style doesn’t seem like one that would translate to 2D very well, and I think it would be fun to borrow some ideas from the Link’s Awakening remake for the Switch and have the character designs stylised so they look almost like action figures. While Ocarina of Time would have to be a movie, Majora’s Mask just wouldn’t work in that format, since the sidequests are so vital to the overall story, meaning a one season series would probably be the best way to adapt it.

Oracle of Ages/Seasons

I’ve never played these two myself, but I think going more ‘anime’ with them would work well, although it would be fun to work in the pixel art of the original games somehow. Like the other Downfall Timeline games, these ones would would work best as a TV series — maybe three seasons, one for Ages, one for Seasons, and one for the linked games ending but adding in extra story where Link travels between Holodrum and Labrynna. For an animation studio, someone suggested Toei Animation, who apparently did the animation for the LA remake.

Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks

Wind Waker, the one that got me thinking about animated Zelda in the first place! I think this is the only Zelda game that would work with Illumination due to its more cartoony style, although other studios like DreamWorks would also work. Although if it was done in 2D, based on the official art, Cartoon Saloon would definitely pull it off. Wind Waker would work pretty well as a movie with pretty minimal changes needed to the plot, and Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks could make up a Zelda trilogy.

Minish Cap/Four Swords Adventures

Leaving out the original Four Swords due to its complete lack of story — I think these two would work with a similar style to the Wind Waker trilogy, although I’d definitely prefer them to be 2D over 3D. Minish Cap would definitely work as a movie, but I’m not sure about FSA, it probably depends on how much is pulled from the manga.

Twilight Princess

Much like Ocarina of Time, I don’t think the Twilight Princess artstyle as it is would work in 2D. Based on their work like Wolfwalkers and Screecher’s Reach, I think Cartoon Saloon could definitely replicate the vibes of the original game in a more cartoony style. Alternatively, they could go full anime with this one — although it would definitely work better as something more inspired by 90s anime and its more realistic proportions.

Skyward Sword

Initially I was leaning towards Ghibli and while it would definitely work, just doesn’t feel right to me. Maybe Toei again? I’m not too familiar with Japanese animation studios, but Skyward Sword is definitely a good fit for the typical ‘anime’ look. Also I don’t think 3D would work here.

A Link Between Worlds

While technically a sequel/remake to A Link to the Past, the differences in art style make me feel that this one should have its own look — preferably 3D so the contrast with Link’s painting form is strengthened.

Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom

These ones have got to be Ghibli, there’s no question about it there. The big question is do you make them each a series, or a movie with a number of timeskips? Either one has benefits and downsides.