This morning, Nintendo finally took matters into its own hands and announced The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, a main line Zelda Game that cast the eponymous princess in the lead role, Latest DirectYes, we know about Age of catastropheas well as Zelda’s Adventurebut do most others? No.
Many (balanced) fans cheered about the announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomand to celebrate, they even revived a seemingly ancient joke. Although Zelda is the namesake of the series, Link has been the protagonist of most of the franchise. For a long time, fans have hoped for a Zelda title in which the roles are reversed, so that Link is the one who is saved by Zelda. The name of this hypothetical game: Why, The Legend of LinkNaturally.
In their excitement, many took to Twitter to jokingly declare that Nintendo apparently misunderstood the name of the game. Others have taken the opportunity to showcase their own fan art on the concept of a Zelda-based game.
And then there’s this big thinking game.
As funny as it is to think about why Nintendo didn’t actually follow up on the joke, there are two very likely reasons for that. The first is that Nintendo’s developers are so far removed from the internet and all the jokes we make there that it never seriously occurred to anyone. Nintendo is known for actually retaining its employees, which is why there are so many experienced people there who have worked on some of these franchises for literally decades, like Aonuma. They probably don’t pay any attention to all the chatter on the internet, and hey, good for them.
The more likely case is that it was mentioned at some point, but to keep the brand intact, they made the Legend of Zelda nickname. Also, the last time there was a Zelda-based game that changed the naming scheme… it was kind of sucked.
As funny as The Legend of Link is, it doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as easily. While you and I can be sure it’s not confusing, there are other, more casual gamers and buyers who might be thrown off by the sudden name change. There are already people who think Link is called Zelda because he’s the hero of the games, so naming the Zelda game after Link might give someone an aneurysm. As much as I hate it, it’s just easier that way, but The Legend of Link will live on in our hearts and minds. And now on Twitter too, I guess.
