November 27, 2007 - With
Link's Crossbow Training hitting store shelves this month, we've got Link on the brain lately at IGN Stars. We sure do love us some Link here, you see, so a stroll down memory lane seems in order. The star of the
Legend of Zelda series has certainly seen a variety of incarnations over the years, and IGN Stars has grouped them all together for your reading and viewing pleasure. Read on then for a flashback to some of the major looks the character has had since his debut some 20 years ago. And then send this link to your friends! (Get it!?)
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<big>
The Legend of Zelda</big>
Release Date: Circa 1986-1987
System: Famicom Disk System, Nintendo Entertainment System
The Look: The title that introduced us to the one and only Link,
The Legend of Zelda's old-school graphics certainly didn't leave much room for intricate character design. As a result, our boy from Hyrule is mostly a teensy, bitmappy chunk of color here, though what would become his traditional hues of green and brown are clearly in evidence. Still, our best shot of Link from this era was actually from the game's promotional materials, where he struck an almost girlish appearance.
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<big>
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link</big>
Release Date: Circa 1987-1988
System: Famicom Disk System, Nintendo Entertainment System
The Look: As he would prove wont to do during his various incarnations, Link underwent some changes in his second adventure -- in concept if not much in design. The new game switched between a 3/4 top view of the action and a side-scroller view, though Link himself is still looking relatively primitive here. Again, the illustrated version of him from the game's manual is much more satisfying -- he even looks more manly this time out, or at least elven-manly.
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<big>
Zelda Game & Watch</big>
Release Date: Circa 1989
System: Nintendo's ZL-65 Game & Watch
The Look: The first handheld
Zelda game offers up a tiny little LCD Link, of course, but his characterized representation on the device's cover is interesting for a more rotund and squat hero of Hyrule than we had previously seen. Another mini version of Link's adventures could be found in the
Zelda Game Watch of this era, which was not to be confused with the
Game & Watch.
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<big>
The Legend of Zelda</big>
Release Date: Circa 1989-1990
System: N/A
The Look: This short-lived animated series presented a well-hated-by-fans version of Link. One problem with this Link was no doubt the fact that he
talked so much, something the game Link certainly doesn't do. His pathetic attempts to romance Zelda didn't help, though judging by his overall demeanor, those attempts were more an effort to cover up his same-sex leanings.
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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past</big>
Release Date: Circa 1991-1992
System: Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Look: Similar to the look of
Zelda II, Link here is still small and barely visible by today's standards. Nintendo's trend towards keeping a more storybook feel to the character is apparent, though.
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<big>
Link: The Faces of Evil
Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon
Zelda's Adventure</big>
Release Date: Circa 1993-1994
System: Philips CD-i System (remember that one?!)
The Look: Link took an ill-fated detour on the doomed and all but forgotten CD-i System from Philips for three games in 1993 and 1994. A golly-gee-whiz Link who seems culled straight from the contestant list of
Project Runway shows up in the animated cut scenes for the titles (Zelda is actually the main character in two of the three games). The third title here,
Zelda's Adventure, actually uses real actors for its cut scenes, though alas "Lipstick" Link is not to be found in those bits.
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<big>
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening</big>
Release Date: Circa 1993
System: Game Boy
The Look: The first Game Boy adventure for
Zelda fans was by its very nature a step back for Link's appearance, though at least he'd left his fey ways behind for the time being…
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<big>
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time</big>
Release Date: Circa 1998
System: Nintendo 64
The Look: Not only did Link enter the realm of 3-D with
Ocarina of Time, he also shows up in two different manifestations: younger Link and older Link. But the biggest change to his appearance here is clearly the more refined, three-dimensional rendering of the character that represents a quantum leap from what we'd seen before.
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<big>
Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros. Melee</big>
Release Date: Circa 1999-2002
System: Nintendo 64/GameCube
The Look: Link has taken a few side-trips from time to time to other gaming franchises, as he did when appearing in
Super Smash Bros. and its sequel
Super Smash Bros. Melee. Echoing his
Ocarina of Time persona, Link sports his green garb (but other colors are available too). In
Melee, a Young Link is also available.
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<big>
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask</big>
Release Date: Circa 2000
System: Nintendo 64
The Look: A direct follow-up to
Ocarina of Time,
Majora's Mask is notable for its giving Link the ability to transform into different critters (a Deku Scrub, a Goron, a Zora, and the so-called Fierce Deity), all of whom maintain the overall feel of Link no matter how wacky they might appear.
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<big>
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages</big>
Release Date: Circa 2001
System: Game Boy Color
The Look: Two handheld mergings between Nintendo and Capcom, these titles of course offer a more limited Link because of the very nature of the Game Boy system. The character's promotional-art look continued to be far cooler than his in-game appearance, but that would soon change.
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The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker</big>
Release Date: Circa 2002-2003
System: GameCube
The Look: A new and improved Link debuted with
The Wind Waker, utilizing cartoon-style "cel shading" to provide a completely new experience. This look works particularly well for the young Link, even if it does drop the old "fairytale" design of the character.
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Soul Calibur II</big>
Release Date: Circa 2002-2003
System: GameCube
The Look: Another moonlighting gig for Link (though without his wolf persona, despite the "moon"), a playable adult Link showed up in the GameCube version of Namco's
Soul Calibur II. This is a more realistic Link along the lines of the one from
Ocarina of Time.
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<big>
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Link's Crossbow Training</big>
Release Date: Circa 2006
System: Wii, GameCube
The Look: The debut game for Nintendo's Wii console,
Twilight Princess sees Link going lync -- as in lycanthrope. That's right, our boy can turn into a wolf this time out. The game, which was the first in the
Zelda series to get a T rating for violence, is more adult than the typical series fare, and as such Link is looking more realistic than ever before, with the cartoonish style of
The Wind Waker completely left behind (if not its cel shading technique). The spin-off
Link's Crossbow Training also utilizes this Link.
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Source: IGN
Pretty cool look back at the badass from Hyrule
Linear Mode
