I chose to look at a couple of examples of other artist's interpretations of Link. My first study is of Link as a modern 'hipster'. I honed in on this since it was largely disliked by a lot of hardcore Zelda fans. So, I decided to analyse why this might be.
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| Artist: Sakimichan.deviantart.com |
Immediately I could see why Link as a part of this culture would not go down well with those who know the character well. Many relate to Link since he is almost always depicted as a humble character that cares a great deal about other. However, what people see in the 'hipster' culture is an attitude that is simply not Link.
Visually, Link's design is recognizable as Link - the colour of the hero's tunic, headgear not dissimilar to his hat, and of course the familiar design of the Hylian Shield, in the form of headphones instead. While this works and was appreciated, since he is still relatable as the hero of time, it is less of an aesthetic issue and more of a characteristic issue.
Of course it isn't right to say that 'hipsters' are arrogant, but 'hipster' has taken on the meaning of being someone who actively strives to be different, niche and 'uncool'. For me, I was immediately put of this artist's redesign of Link, since his attitude DOES feel wrong. There's a smugness about him that he holds in this portrayal - which is almost polar opposite to the way Link actually is. This stands to reason that there is more to a character holding a connection with the player than just how they look that appeals to the player. A character's appearance is clearly adaptable to different game spaces and their respective cultures within those worlds, however it seems that a character might become lost if their personality is tampered with - since that is not the character players know and love.
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