Beyond better technology, though, people have different expectations of video games from major publishers. Interconnecting level designs, intricate storylines, and highly realistic environment and character model details are table stakes for contemporary AAA games. Video games are also more mainstream, and once-regional media like anime and manga have become global phenomena over the past three decades, influencing taste in the larger culture.
Clayton Lundgren, a former quality assurance tester for the game developer Naughty Dog who currently streams Ocarina of Time along with other games on Twitch, sees nothing accidental about Link’s new look. “For a decision as important as the key art for the main character, this is the kind of thing that is gonna go past a lot of quality inspection higher up than the person that drew it,” he says. “This is 20-plus years of merchandising that you’re committing to.”
Links to the Past
Since The Legend of Zelda launched the franchise in 1986, Link has existed in many forms. Though his long hat, pointy ears, blond hair, green tunic, and Master Sword are staples of his design, none of these characteristics have been stable across his 40 years. He’s had pink hair, his tunic has been blue and red. He’s even been a tree.
The remake takes the evolution a step further, though. Lundgren, who has at least 1,000 hours in Ocarina across speed runs, challenge runs, and community competitions, immediately realized that this week’s release is a ground-up remake when he watched the game’s new trailer. For many fans, the rich detail of the underbrush and sunbeams in Kokiri Forest visible in the teaser video were proof this isn’t the same Ocarina. But Lundgren saw something else: The undulation in the ground was different.