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Nintendo changed Link’s default look in BotW—which character/series should be next?

Spring-Loaded

Spring-Loaded

Member
Oct 27, 2017
19,904
Every link prior to BotW's has the classic green tunic and windsock as their default outfit used on box art and in promotional materials. BotW as whole was meant to alter the Zelda formula, and a part of that included changing the playable character's appearance, which is pretty significant. It shows a willingness on Nintendo's part to stray from tradition, and play fast and loose with the visual identities of their properties.

Anytime the subject of a potential custom Link appearance comes up, people cite his recognisability and adherence to established Zelda branding as a being sacrosanct, something that couldn't be changed without risking confusion of the masses which in turn means Nintendo would never do such a thing, yet BotW changes the most distinct visual characteristic of Link in the biggest game of the series.

If Nintendo was willing to do this with the poster boy of one of their most storied franchises, in which other series could they do this and in what ways?

While not the same situation, Mario Odyssey has complete outfit changes which allow players to go through most of the game without wearing Mario's classic hat and overalls outside of gameplay-altering power-ups. I'd definitely like to see more of that in future Mario titles, with more granular appearance tweaks.
 
Bass2448

Bass2448

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
565
It's time for female link. They aren't done with LOZ changes I suspect.

As for another series, I'd like to see Samus get a full style change.
 
Etrian Oddity

Etrian Oddity

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,429
Samus Aran.

Make her look like a tough soldier (they had it in Metroid Prime 1), not Zero-Suit anime waifu.
 

Deleted member 9035

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
8,686
I want Samus to not only look different, I want her to have new and different abilities. A big part of Metroid's original magic was not knowing what you'd be able to achieve later in the game.

It meant that areas you may have thought were not meant to be accessible actually were. It informed the entire level design in this manner.

For a further analogy to BOTW, just look at the tremendous impact giving the player completely new abilities and items had, compared with previous Zelda games.
 
Asbsand

Asbsand

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Oct 30, 2017
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Denmark
Ron Paul said:
I don't think Nintendo will drastically change the look of their most recognizable icon. He's untouchable
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Mario's design iterated a lot in the first 20 years and even took a while to land on his Galaxy design past the 3D era. I think they could reinvent his look again, without going away from basic red/blue overalls and cap that says "M" on it.
 
big_z

big_z

Member
Nov 2, 2017
7,794
Remove the anime from metroid
Make Mario more 90's style again and drop the look hes had since the NEW series.
Make Yoshi great again.
Kirby should be a cube.
 
OP
OP
Spring-Loaded

Spring-Loaded

Member
Oct 27, 2017
19,904
Zefah said:
Why not just make Zelda the hero?
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Both can be done.

Ron Paul said:
I don't think Nintendo will drastically change the look of their most recognizable icon. He's untouchable
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They already allow his iconic outfit to be changed for almost the entirety of Odyssey—I think there's plenty of room to alter the default outfit for a given entry, similar to Sunshine's short sleeves + waterpack.

♡♪!? said:
Give Samus a metal gear.
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Something like this?

380c12b41972c048c7774430c45fa4b8.jpg
 
HardRojo

HardRojo

One Winged Slayer
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Oct 25, 2017
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To be honest I think they should go further and change Link in personality, voice (make him talk) and I dunno, hey give us a female Link, I'd like that.
 
1000% H

1000% H

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,639
Make the Star Fox gang look like real animals. Like the Lion King remake, but they're still flying spaceships.
 
Lobster Roll

Lobster Roll

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Sep 24, 2019
34,322
HardRojo said:
To be honest I think they should go further and change Link in personality, voice (make him talk) and I dunno, hey give us a female Link, I'd like that.
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I can't envision a situation where Link receives a voice actor and it ends up successful, ever. Or worse yet, having game writers try to project personality into him via cutscenes and such. Link has always been and should always be a silent avatar for players to project themselves onto. This should mean more projection options, though, so I agree with your desire for a female Link.
 
ClickyCal'

ClickyCal'

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Oct 25, 2017
59,494
Weird that people say samus when there have been tons of different suits and looks in the whole series.
 
Mory Dunz

Mory Dunz

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Oct 25, 2017
36,360
Samus is a suggestion that actually works.

40 years old with graying hair.
Can't even think of another famous female character protag like that....
 
Glio

Glio

Member
Oct 27, 2017
24,497
Spain
Samus and urgently. The colors of the armor are a horror. Orange, red, blue and green ... Ugh.
 
kirbyfan407

kirbyfan407

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,103
yuoke said:
Weird that people say samus when there have been tons of different suits and looks in the whole series.
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I believe some are at least talking about Samus Aran as the person outside of her armor, as she's mostly had the same appearance with the bright blonde hair, a tight electric blue suit, etc. since the early 2000s. EDIT: Though I do see a lot of people talking about the suit, too, so you can probably ignore this post.
 
ClickyCal'

ClickyCal'

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Oct 25, 2017
59,494
kirbyfan407 said:
I believe some are at least talking about Samus Aran as the person outside of her armor, as she's mostly had the same appearance with the bright blonde hair, a tight electric blue suit, etc. since the early 2000s.
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Oh okay. Well the issue with that kind of is that this point the series is locked in as being one set timeline, whereas zelda can always just go with new looks everytime there is a reset.
 
HardRojo

HardRojo

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Lobster Roll said:
I can't envision a situation where Link receives a voice actor and it ends up successful, ever. Or worse yet, having game writers try to project personality into him via cutscenes and such. Link has always been and should always be a silent avatar for players to project themselves onto. This should mean more projection options, though, so I agree with your desire for a female Link.
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Nah, I can't project myself into an idiot character who (is apparently able to talk, going by a letter Zelda left in the BotW castle) only nods, drops his jaw or acts surprised during interactions. Link finally talking would be miles better than whatever he does now. BotW wasn't a good game for me because of Link, but because of other aspects. You could replace Link with any other character and I'd have had as much fun, if not more.
 
Odeko

Odeko

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Mar 22, 2018
15,180
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HardRojo said:
To be honest I think they should go further and change Link in personality, voice (make him talk) and I dunno, hey give us a female Link, I'd like that.
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Bass2448 said:
It's time for female link. They aren't done with LOZ changes I suspect.

As for another series, I'd like to see Samus get a full style change.
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I really hope not, I'd much prefer playable Princess Zelda going out to save her childhood friend Link or maybe Zelda and Link as equal partners out on a quest together à la Cadence of Hyrule or maybe even Portrait of Ruin.

I grew up with these characters, I'd be really sad if there were a Zelda game without Link.
 
HardRojo

HardRojo

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Odeko said:
I really hope not, I'd much prefer playable Princess Zelda going out to save her childhood friend Link or maybe Zelda and Link as equal partners out on a quest together à la Cadence of Hyrule or maybe even Portrait of Ruin.

I grew up with these characters, I'd be really sad if there were a Zelda game without Link.
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Hey, if anything I'd prefer to have Zelda as the protagonist of BotW 2 instead of Link. By far.
 
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Spring-Loaded

Spring-Loaded

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Oct 27, 2017
19,904
Odeko said:
I really hope not, I'd much prefer playable Princess Zelda going out to save her childhood friend Link or maybe Zelda and Link as equal partners out on a quest together à la Cadence of Hyrule or maybe even Portrait of Ruin.

I grew up with these characters, I'd be really sad if there were a Zelda game without Link.
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They could do both though, have a game where Zelda's the playable character and a game with a female Link (which would still be Link).
 
kirbyfan407

kirbyfan407

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Oct 25, 2017
2,103
yuoke said:
Oh okay. Well the issue with that kind of is that this point the series is locked in as being one set timeline, whereas zelda can always just go with new looks everytime there is a reset.
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That makes sense. Personally, since her design has varied a bit between games earlier in the series, I'd consider it possible.
 
Odeko

Odeko

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Spring-Loaded said:
They could do both though, have a game where Zelda's the playable character and a game with a female Link (which would still be Link).
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I wouldn't say Linkle is the same character as Link. She's obviously similar but you can't change a character's gender identity, a fundamental part of who they are, and still say they're the same character.
 
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Spring-Loaded

Spring-Loaded

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Oct 27, 2017
19,904
Odeko said:
I wouldn't say Linkle is the same character as Link. She's obviously similar but you can't change a character's gender identity, a fundamental part of who they are, and still say they're the same character.
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Linkle is a separate character, but most people are referring to a new incarnation of Link (like how WW Link is a separate character from OoT Link, who are separate from TP Link, and so forth) who's born female.

There's nothing more significant about Link's gender in regard to these video games than where he grew up, who his friends are, etc. If WW Link being a new character born in different circumstances than past Links, then a Link who's a girl would be equally palatable and congruent with the series.
 
Dekuman

Dekuman

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Oct 27, 2017
19,026
B. Spaceman said:
2702199-starfox.png

Like this?
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OG StarFox was so onpoint in design, it's amazing the franchise keep regressing since 64 and had kind of got stuck in a tradmill of remakes of remakes.

Even Star Fox 2 didn't have art this good, though getting cancelled before release may have prevented any promotional material from being done.
 
808s & Villainy

808s & Villainy

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1000% H said:
No, like actual real animals. Those still look very anthropomorphic and like they could be in a stop-motion film or something.
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What are you even talking about? Real birds don't have the correct proportions to sit in a cockpit. Neither do real version of any of those animals except maybe a fox. Real animals makes no sense
 
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Spring-Loaded

Spring-Loaded

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Oct 27, 2017
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Dekuman said:
OG StarFox was so onpoint in design, it's amazing the franchise keep regressing since 64 and had kind of got stuck in a tradmill of remakes of remakes.

Even Star Fox 2 didn't have art this good, though getting cancelled before release may have prevented any promotional material from being done.
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There's only been one true remake in the SF though (SF64 3DS), and the character designs aren't rehashed any more than typical character redesigns.
 

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Bass2448 said:
It's time for female link. They aren't done with LOZ changes I suspect.

As for another series, I'd like to see Samus get a full style change.
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Honestly i'd like for them to lean into non-binary Link rather than female Link. Link is androgynous and it'd be really cool to see a non-binary representation in a game and it'd let them keep Link's design instead of just making him female.

Dust said:
Mario is no longer a plumber.
He is a Youtuber now.
mario_without_moustache_2.jpg
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Don't forget to-a like and-a subscribe!

Then we can have a chapter about Mario dealing with his heated gaming moment. Him sitting in front of a camera with a yoshi.
 
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