Aonuma and Koei Tecmo on Linkle’s origins, fan influence, personality
IGN has more on Linkle, one of the new roster additions to Hyrule Warriors Legends, from Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma and Koei Tecmo producer Yosuke Hayashi. The two spoke with the site about Linkle’s origins, how the response from fans motivated the team to reconsider her, and the character’s personality. Head past the break for Aonuma and Hayashi’s comments.
On how Koei Tecmo originally pitched Linkle as a member of Link’s family…
Eiji Aonuma: “Koei Tecmo first proposed the Linkle character as Link’s little sister for the Wii U version of Hyrule Warriors. However, we felt this conflicted with the concept of Aryll from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, the only character we had ever had appear as Link’s sister, so we decided not to include that version. In Hyrule Warriors Legends, though, the proposal was to include Linkle not as Link’s sister, but as a girl with heroic aspirations. This was a totally new and unique background for the franchise, and we thought she would add to the game’s diversity, so we decided to include her in this game.”
On how Zelda fans played a big role in Nintendo reconsidering Linkle…
Aonuma: “We had a great response from fans, especially outside of Japan, who saw Linkle in the Hyrule Warriors premium-box booklet and wanted her to be included in the game. Seeing that reaction, Hayashi-san and I talked it over and decided that we would definitely like to include her in the next title. I’m really glad we got the chance to do that with Hyrule Warriors Legends.”
On Linkle being a female Link…
Yosuke Hayashi: “Linkle is a young woman who lives in a small village in Hyrule and cares for Cuccos. She has aspired to be a hero since she was little, and believes that the compass she received from her grandmother, which has been passed down for generations, is the symbol that proves it.”
On Linkle’s enthusiastic personality…
Hayashi: “She is boundlessly cheerful, and her kind but naive personality means that she always stops to help those in need. When she hears that Hyrule Castle is under attack by monsters, she sets out on a journey to save the realm from crisis. Linkle’s sense of direction is not the best, however, so she ends up visiting locations all across the land before she arrives at Hyrule Castle. Her desire to help others in need gets her tangled up with all kinds of other characters along her journey, and they end up traveling together.”
