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One of the many pleasant surprises to come from Nintendo’s latest Direct was the reveal of Linkle, a lady with more than a passing resemblance to Link who will be appearing as a playable character in the upcoming <em>Hyrule Warriors Legends</em> for 3DS, though owners of both versions of the game will be able to bring her to Wii U as well. The new character has generally been well received by fans and Nintendo has taken notice, commenting that she might not be limited to the popular franchise’s hack-and-slash spin-off.
“I’m sure we will keep her in mind when thinking about future titles,” said Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma. “It may feel a little different from other titles in the franchise, but she doesn’t feel out of place at all in the world of the Zelda games.”
Considering how introducing new things to popular, long-running franchises can often risk upsetting the fans, it is great to see how many gamers have to taken a shine to Linkle, and how Nintendo has seemed to embrace that love.
Source: IGN
Am I the only one with zero excitement at the thought of this?
No, you’re not the only one. It’s another politically correct trend. It seems to be all about female characters this, female directors that and so forth. So, why not Marioette next? Geez.
i am 100% excited about this. Nintendo was always full of male in games… For pete’s sake, Peach is captured over and over again and no female cast to rescue her? Come on, this is the 21 century! I remember captain toad introducing toadette… wow! Finally! But then i realized i had to play as toad to get her… not so nice ._. I wanna play as cute characters… the characters i like. If zelda U don’t have linkle, i won’t even think about buying it.
A Zelda game is ripe to have several protagonist choices. Maybe Link and Linkle start out in different villages with different weaponry, which would affect the natural progression each would make through the game’s world.
There’s always room for more female leads in games, and there’s always room for more choices. We can play through Mario 3D World as Peach, and that has its own perks and challenges. How can any Nintendo fan _not_ be excited to play through a Zelda game in an alternate way?
I’d be excited if it was Impa!
Impa is great! In Skyward Sword, I was convinced there would be some stretch of the game where I’d play as Impa, detailing her journey and how she came to help out Link here and there. That was a missed opportunity. Her character design from Skyward Sword/Hyrule Warriors is top-notch too. Maybe you feel like Linkle’s design is a bit bland by comparison?
We’re all entitled to our own tastes, but I’ll just leave it with a question: would a big, heavy sword do as much to spice up Zelda gameplay as dual crossbows?
Personally, if given the choice I would pick the traditional male Link, but I can see both viewpoints.
My wife is excited about the prospects of playing as Linkle.
She’s kicks all kinds of ass as a gamer. When I first met her, she was just finishing off the original Super Mario RPG on SNES. For gamers like her, this change is a long time coming.
While she does play plenty of games as the default male protagonist, there are others games that have drawn her in based on the option. For example, she completed the Mass Effect Trilogy as a female Shepard.
While I can’t lie and say I’m excited for me, I am excited for her and others out there.
It was nice to see the different shades of skin color available on the “Hand” in Super Mario Maker. While you can’t make everyone happy all the time, I believe changes like this are great, especially if/when they don’t take away from what makes Nintendo software special.
While it may appear that Linkle is being “shoe-horned” into the Zelda franchise to go with current trends and political correctness, there are millions of female gamers out there and you have to start somewhere.
Robert it could be worse; We could be gearing up to fight the Mother Brain as Samuel… (shudders)
Lol! Samuel! Ok, I’m probably going to do an article on this now. Keep your eyes peeled…
Robert, If it’s even half as great as your last piece (Metroid x Starfox The Contract Interlude), then I’m definitely looking forward to it!
It IS political correctness, I mean seriously there have always been female characters in games. Not as many as now, but things have evolved and of course if some group isn’t represented then it’s massive butthurt. Look at fighting games-female characters. Tomb Raider-cmon’ now. Super Mario Bros 2-think about it. It’s been around a long time.
If a group that is comically underrepresented in anything, actively progresses to achieving greater representation, I’m not sure I’d define that as “butthurt”. (Actually, I feel that’s a pretty immature term with homophobic connotations.)
However I agree with your assertion that “things have evolved”. Yep. It’s called progress. We’ve come a long way from the pitiful and paltry examples you sighted (Mario 2, Tomb Raider, and fighting games.)
Thank goodness for progress. Especially since there are 47 female gamers for every 53 males gamers in the US.
Like I mentioned above, I won’t be picking the female option in games anytime soon, but to have gaming remain a backwards facing boys club in this day and age is kind of an embarrassment.
This is an instance where I’m happy to be correct, rather than politically incorrect.
Bravo Nintendo.
Comically underrepresented? If that isn’t politically correct nothing is. Guess what? Life is not fair and the world sure isn’t. Homophobic connotations? Hilarious. The point is it is indeed the latest politically correct trend driven by whatever the media overlords tell you to believe, so someone doesn’t feel left out and BUTTHURT. In the world of games, seriously; most are in fact dudes vs the ladies. I’m not now nor have I ever been against female characters, as my wife would agree. When it gets to the level where it’s everywhere in all forms of media is where I have a problem, because it’s the latest trend and everyone has to follow the narrative. Girl characters in games and movies and wherever have never been an issue, and if they have been “underrepresented” it’s because most games these days and in the past by most companies(Nintendo notwithstanding)are usually violent and filthy and are geared towards young white males. This is historic fact, and what lady really wants to play those types of games? As for “the pitiful and paltry examples” you mention, what is the problem with those games? Those are all good games with female characters, so what’s the problem? I’ve never seen such a politically correct comment. Unless of course that’s how you really feel. In that case, who am I to judge your opinion?
As demographics change so do the characters we play as. Equality is a wonderful thing, we all get to play.
You know gaming is fake, right? Fantasy?
Keep on digging, dude. You’re on your own on this one.
Not really into Minecraft dude, but thanks anyway. I’ll leave it to you.
Political or not, I’m happy to be correct. I would call the reply you posted “incorrect” but it was too contradictory and jumbled that I just began to laugh.
Independent thought is a great thing and not being told or afraid what to think because some internet blowhards label it as “political” is wonderful.
The 1980s were great but it’s time to move on. Viva Progress! Like Drew said, Equality is a wonderful thing. Females want options besides Dead Or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball… We are moving in the (politically or not) correct direction.
Ok, you win internet blowhard who thinks in his opinion he is correct. That’s the beauty of opinion, and of liberals with no actual argument besides what the culture tells them to believe. You are just going with the flow of pop culture, but that’s ok.
Everyone is entitled to express their thoughts on this, but don’t be immature about it.
Guys, let’s keep it civil.
It’s hard to remain civil when dealing with liberal thought processes, but I’ll try. Because of course they are so tolerant and loving, unless of course you disagree with them. Common sense is a thing of the past, as are morals. Two dads in a Campbell’s commercial? So much for a family friendly website.
Not at all excited for Linkle. From her character design to her terrible name, nothing about her draws me in. I’m very happy with Link as the protagonist and don’t have any desire for a female version of him as the lead for a future Zelda game.
Then again, I’ve never needed a female lead in order for me to be happy with or connect with a game. Sure, when I was a kid I played as Peach in SMB2 and Mario Kart 64, but as an adult my tastes changed and I’ve found that most of my favorite characters are male (Link being my favorite video game character). There are heroines I love, who are strong and interesting, like Lara Croft’s 2013 redesign, Samus, Impa, Amaterasu, Sheik – I could go on. But I won’t find myself gravitating toward a game simply because the lead is female or because it has a strong female presence.
Being a woman who plays games does not mean that said woman needs to have female leads or supporting characters to be able to connect with a game. Equality and progress in the industry are wonderful and shouldn’t feel like novelties, but assuming female gamers want/need representation in games based solely on being a woman is a presumptive statement borne from, yes, the politically correct mindset that because women have historically been oppressed, objectified, and often simply ignored, we should be catered to, to make amends for being wronged. However, it’s not an entirely baseless assumption, as many women have voiced (rightful) frustrations with female representation in games, but the “female gamers want female leads” blanket statement doesn’t apply to all of us.
Does the industry have a long way to go in regards to creating well-rounded female characters that aren’t just jiggle physics or bland NPCs? Yes. But it’s not a wasteland devoid of complex, strong heroines, either. Linkle just feels like an uninspired response to the discussion of women in gaming, and a stupid one at that, given that she’s debuting in Hyrule Warriors, a game whose Wii U lineup is brimming with strong female leads that didn’t need to be clumsily thrown together to demonstrate Nintendo’s representation of strong women in games.
Well said, bravo! There are people with brains still!
It should just happen naturally without a big production about it. Games are a vision of the developer and forcing them to apply gender specific roles because of outside pressure can distort that vision. It really comes down to the consumer to determine what characters they want to play. If they don’t appreciate the landscape of male dominance then don’t buy into it and instead show the best qualities of what female and even LGBT community’s can do so people might gravitate towards that.
Like Angela said it’s not that “female gamers want female characters,” they, as with all of us, just want to play games that are enjoyable for them regardless of the character’s gender.
It is fantasy, and the games we play are a way to act in stories we can’t in real life but like real life we all want to be free from discrimination and prejudices because of who we are and what we enjoy.
There’s a lot of dime-store psychology being offered on this topic. I know I’m guilty too :)
I think that’s great. Here’s brief example that illustrates why the addition of Linkle is fantastic.. Okay, here it goes:
– I recently purchased 2DS with Yo-Kai Watch pre-installed for my 4 year-old son. He LOVES it.
– His Cousin (my niece) absolutely HATED it and dismissed it as a game for little boys (She is 7 years-old)
– It was discovered that you can CHOOSE to play as a female (Katie Forester)
– Now my niece LOVES Yo-Kai Watch (and will be receiving her own 2DS on Christmas.
Choice is good.
As for females and the inclusion of Linkle, I will avoid sweeping statements and generalizations. I only know my wife is stoked.
At the end of the day, many people (I didn’t say all) want to see themselves in games and identify with the protagonist. Nintendo knows this, and so does Level-5.
Marketing firms have understood this for years and have adjusted to the changing demographics accordingly. For example, Campbell’s now has ads with two Dads and their child. Is this “Politcally Correct”? Absolutely! Is it profitable? Absolutely! Will my niece be getting Hyrule Warriors on 3DS whereas she wouldn’t have looked twice at it on Wii U? Possibly. Will I still be able to enjoy Hyrule Warriors while playing as good ol’ male Link? Of course.
I’m old enough to remember people bemoaning McDonalds commercials with African Americans (those ads were “politically correct”, although the early ads are depressingly racist in hindsight). These people either got over it, remained bitter, or they’re dead by now.
Angela and dpw74, I am NOT comparing a disinterest in Linkle to racist views! I’m just being an old man and thinking out loud about how change in any industry is scrutinized (as it is right now in this comment section!). Much respect for all opinions/viewpoints here.
Peace
Nail on the head; respect each other.
At least I know where certain people are coming from on here, and I think I’m going to vomit.
Merry Christmas dpw74 (or Happy Holidays). And I mean that sincerely.
I just hope Santa doesn’t bring you a Linkle Amiibo. :)