Life Lessons by Link

Every time Nintendo puts out a Legend of Zelda title, gamers dig in and delve into the land of Hyrule. As gamers play through the game, they may not realize they're getting good morale direction from the game's protagonist- Link (though you can give him any name). The reason is simple, if you weren't a noble-do-gooder than the game would end quickly. However- in directly- Link teaches people many things they may not realize.

Sacrifice for the Greater Good - A theme in most Zelda games is that the characters (not just Link) put themselves at great risk. Whether it's Zoran Princess or the Gorons in Ocarina or Zelda (repeatedly) putting their own lives on the line to stop evil, only to be rescued later. The point is that Link isn't just trying to do good alone. There's others trying as well.

Always Do the Right Thing - It's not just Spike Lee who thinks that- Link does too. Whether it's to help a young girl find her chickens (Ocarina) to helping an old woman (who looks an awful lot like a witch he killed before) get back to her sister (Majora's Mask). Not that this isn't without reward... which will be covered later, but another good example is Link refusing to tell Ganondorf which way Zelda went after fleeing Hyrule Castle in Ocarina of Time. He refused and got a lightning bolt to the face from his adversary. Nice. Before you think, "Well duh, that was all in the moment," remember Link had a premonition of that moment in Ocarina's into. If I knew I'd get a lightning bolt to the face, you can have her, man. In fact, there's only one person Link really screws over in the Zelda series- the man that played the Song of Storms in Kakariko Village.

Someone may not like you... now - Zelda's stories are littered with Frien-emies. Take for instance Lido in Ocarina or Groose in Skyward Sword. Both characters hate Link in the beginning, but their experiences soon lead to a respect for Link.  There's always the fairy from Majora's Mask or even Navi from Ocarina, but the chief example is Midna from Twilight Princess. She clearly is not a fan of Link's, but little by little, Midna grows to love her traveling companion, so much so that she thinks he falls in love with her upon seeing her true beauty.  Even the majority of Zelda villains are "brainwashed" or "mistaken" creatures that try to kill Link, but come to their senses after Link defeats them. Funny how a little ass-kicking makes you want to befriend someone.

A Stranger is just a Friend You Haven't Met - Streetcar said, "You can always depend on the kindness of Strangers," but it's clear that you're the stranger in Hyrule that has to make everyone's acquaintance. Now Link meets some many colorful characters in his travels. In the first Legend of Zelda, Link meets an ogre who simply says, "Grumble, Grumble." Link brings him some meat and then the guy becomes so nice that he lets you proceed through Level 7. There's the old woman making stew in "Link to the Past" that you give a mushroom to and get back Magic Dust. I'd list the rest of these, but let's face it, I don't want this blog entry to go for days.

Proper Tools for Proper Work - Link's adventures could have been a game where you swing your sword around, killing ogres and bugs that jump around, but it isn't. Nah, Nintendo has supplied Zelda players with several items both necessary and baffling. Sure the bow is the most obvious need since Silver/Light Arrows are always needed to thwart Ganon(dorf), but there's boomerangs, hammers, bombs, magic rods that shoot fire or ice, candles, boots that allow you to hover for a second, boots that make you sink, gloves that give you epic strength, flippers, a raft, a ladder, invisible capes (yeah Harry Potter stole it), bug catching nets, books for translating, mushrooms for potions, candles to burn down trees... and more. There's many different shields, swords, tunics, rings and grappling hooks; all for Link to use for specific tasks which can be as important as saving the WORLD or as little as helping a person collect bugs. My favorite, the Ball and Chain from Twilight Princess- that thing was bad ass!!!

There's a Girl Out There for You - I know what you're thinking, "Zelda! D'uh!!" Not exactly. Since Ocarina, Link's been a bit of a chick magnet. There was Saria, Midna, the Item Check girl in Skyward. Heck, Zelda isn't even a love interest for most of the series. Skyward Sword is one of the games that spells it out for you, though it is possible for you to treat her like crap and still have her end up in love with you. Geez, I hope that's not a lesson...

Music Is Under-appreciated - Not just having the most iconic music in video game history. In the first Legend of Zelda, the old man tells you in Level 5 that Digdogger hates sounds of a certain kind. AH-HA! You should play this Recorder (or whistle) that four graders play and everyone finds annoying as well. However, it's uses didn't stop there. If you used the whistle later, a whirlwind will take you around all of Hyrule. Since then, music has played a role in Zelda. It unlocks worlds, drains lakes, cures curses and moves you into the netherworld. You've played a Flute, an Ocarina (two of them), a conductor's wand, the howl of a wolf and a harp in the series latest installment. Thank God the quests never required a piano. It's great that Nintendo has continued using music in the game, but if Link is required to use a DJ table then I'm done.

Take Time to Stop and Smell the Roses - As you travel around the world of Zelda, you encounter various new villages, lands, kingdoms and species. You can have several sides adventures in these lands, play various mini-games and save up for new items which helps the Hyrule economy from sliding into a depression. You may also see that some people have their own problems; a house of people turned into spiders, a giant whale stuck in a mountain or a demon that needs you to do more good deeds so he can become human. Some many people, some many lands, so much to do...

The Apathy of the World - The previous point leads me to this- don't people ever notice that the world around them is going to shit. There's a black cloud over Death Mountain- which isn't a good name for a mountain you want to hike up one day- or that an entire kingdom is flooded, a princess is missing and maybe the fact that everyone in Hyrule Castle is the WALKING DEAD! Gee, you think maybe delivering milk seems kind of pointless if an evil sorcerer is making the people of the world into the same brain capacity of the Jersey Shore cast! Staying up late with the "All Night Mask" just to get a piece of a heart from the old storytelling woman can wait too. What about the fishing portion? Can't people see Link is busy! No, it's okay, because the idiot does the deeds thinking this falls under the "Do the Right Thing." Doesn't anyone notice the moon getting closer? What the fuck?!!!!

There's Greatness Inside of You - EVERY Legend of Zelda (don't count Link's Awakening) begins with a simple peasant boy that leads a simple life, but there's some act of evil that plunges him into the world where he is completely over his head. One adventure after another and Link discovers that he's armed with more than just his courage. He's been turned into a Wolf, dropped from the Sky, changed into a Fish, a creature made of wood and whatever a Goron is. He's been through the light world, the dark world, the desert, the sea, the sky, the shadow world and underground. Hell the Water Temple in Ocarina is reason enough to respect him. Why does he do it? Because there's alway more to him than being a simple peasant boy. A great hero that the world needs. There's so much more than a simple life.

Fact is that the Legend of Zelda show us more about ourselves than just trying to figure out when to play the flute in level 5. It shows us that we're never complete. There's always something we need to get to move us further in our stories. It lets us realize that there's always someone in need. That there's always a challenge to face, something to stand up for, something to fight for. So go home, play the game...maybe to escape into fantasy, help someone in need or maybe... just maybe... you can see that Link is really a part of you. The part that always wants to make the world a better place and always will fight for what's right.