The Legend of Zelda Wii U: Has Nintendo made Link a girl?
Nintendo has unveiled The Legend of Zelda for Wii U, a beautifully rendered open-world game that looks to have some interesting changes.
The brief trailer shown at E3 for the new The Legend of Zelda for Wii U shows off a game that looks spectacular -- a sprawling, open-world adventure in a beautifully rendered world.
Announcing the game, series producer Eiji Aonuma said that the team wanted to revisit the Zelda conventions -- and it looks like one of these might be the game's protagonist.
The trailer shows quite a design difference between the Links we know and love and the hero of the new game. Clad in blue, sporting a ponytail and wielding a bow as what seems to be a primary weapon -- and with a face and figure that look markedly feminine.
Link, of course, has always tended towards the less rugged end of the spectrum, but in images and screenshots, the new hero has a more delicate facial structure and a distinct waistline.
There are two plausible paths Nintendo could go for a female protagonist: a female incarnation of Link, which would still fit the Zelda universe; or Zelda herself (Sheik also wore blue), finally getting to be the hero of the game that was named for her. This explanation may be the more likely one; as Aonuma said to Venturebeat, "No one explicitly said that that was Link".
Of course, the main character may not be a girl at all. CNET has contacted Nintendo for comment and will update this story when we get more information.
What do you think of a female hero for The Legend of Zelda? Let us know in the comments below!