Fun fact about me: I love the Legend of Zelda video game series… Another fun fact about me: I’ve never completed a single Zelda game in my entire life…
Yes, it’s true. I was never much of a gamer growing up, but my brother was, and I would sit and watch him play through many different games, particularly from the Zelda franchise. I loved the lore, the characters, the different environments, the music, and so on. Furthermore, being the big movie fan that I am, I wondered for years what a Zelda film or show would be like (the 80’s cartoon doesn’t count, though I enjoy it ironically). With a new animated Super Mario Bros. film well under way, it’s only a matter of time before Nintendo gives a proper Zelda adaptation a chance. Therefore, I thought I’d share my Top 5 ideas for it here.
Disclaimer before we begin; I will be discussing the official, controversial timeline of all the games throughout this entire post. Believe it or not, the timeline has actually grown on me recently. At one point or another, A Link to the Past, The Wind Waker and Majora’s Mask (and by extension, Twilight Princess) were all intended to be sequels to Ocarina of Time, so the three-prong split allows for that all to still be true. Furthermore, all the other games are still in the chronological positions where they were said to have been upon release, with the exception of Four Swords Adventures. That one was clearly intended to be both a direct sequel to Four Swords as well as a “replacement prequel” for A Link to the Past during different points of production, but ended up being neither. That said, Ganon is referred to as an “ancient demon reborn” in that game, which fits with his death in Twilight Princess (which was in early development when Adventures came out), so I’m fine with the final placement. I also don’t mind the idea of Breath of the Wild being so far in the future (ten thousand years, to be exact) that it can take place at the end of any of the three timelines.
So, with that all out of the way, let’s dive right in!
1. A loose adaptation of Ocarina of Time
I felt like it made the most sense to start with this one since it’s by far the most popular game in the franchise. Furthermore, it’s the entry that causes the timeline to split into three fragments, which could lead to a lot of neat storytelling potential in the future. On top of that, an adaptation can take artistic liberties that could allow for the “downfall” timeline branch to be better justified. At the moment, that branch is only possible if you, the player, die in-game when playing Ocarina. However, an adaptation can, for instance, show Link dying or nearly dying and then have Zelda/Sheik use the ocarina to undo his downfall. In fact, she could have an arc where she starts off not seeing Link as the “chosen one,” only to then grow to trust him throughout the story, thus leading to her wanting to use time travel to save him.
There are other artistic liberties I would take as well, for the sake of simplifying the plot down. I wouldn’t have Link travel back and forth between childhood and adulthood, for starters. Furthermore, I wouldn’t include many side quests or dungeons or bosses, with the exception of maybe Dark Link and Phantom Ganon since they can serve as thematic reflection and foreshadowing, respectively. I would also reduce stuff like finding the stones and awakening most of the sages to just montages.
That all being said, the most important aspect of nearly any story is knowing what theme you’re going for. The game Ocarina uses time travel to cleverly play on the theme of “growing up and letting your childhood go.” Young Link starts off living with a bunch of kids who magically stay kids forever, only to find out that he’s not really one of them, and that he will someday grow up. He’s then swept away on an adventure that leads to him “sleeping” for seven years and suddenly waking up as an adult. Soon enough, he returns to his home, only to find that his closest friend, Saria, is really one of the sages he needs to awaken. In a way, even she needed to “grow up.” Zelda also lost her childhood during the seven years when Ganondorf ruled while Link was asleep (maybe exploring this more can help with their bonding). The story ends with Link finally being able to go back to the past and live out his childhood, but he doesn’t return home (as seen in the direct sequel Majora’s Mask), cause he knows now that he can never truly go back.
You would have to make other slight adjustments to the lore and story to make this theme work better, like maybe Ganandorf felt pressure his whole life for being the only male Gerudo, and therefore felt like he never truly had a childhood because of that. In any case, I definitely think the game provides a solid story to work off of.
2. A loose adaptation of Skyward Sword
Here me out. I know this game is not as beloved as most of the others in the franchise, but that has mostly to do with the gameplay mechanics (which don’t really matter in this context) as well as the fact that the narrative is a little too linear for gamers to truly feel “in control.” That said, a linear narrative is just what a movie or show adaptation would need. Making a solid adaptation could also help to redeem the game in the eyes of many. It also helps that this is the first entry in the timeline, and is basically a creation myth that explains “the beginning of everything” for the franchise.
Again, I would keep the plot simple. Keep the bosses and dungeons and side quests to the bare minimum, and don’t revisit locations over and over like the actual game does (I don’t think anyone would complain about that change). Furthermore, just have the skyward sword turn straight into the master sword, instead of having it turn into a bunch of different swords in between.
In regards to theme; this game, like Ocarina, uses time travel to cleverly tell a coming of age story. You, the player, keep hearing about an ancient hero throughout the game, only to then go back in time to defeat the final boss, meaning you were the ancient hero all along (manga be damned). I think any sort of adaptation of this game should emphasize that aspect as much as possible. Maybe have this incarnation of Link be someone who doesn’t really believe in himself, but then during the final battle he realizes that he himself is really the ancient hero he grew up hearing so much about, and this realization gives him the confidence boost he needs to deliver the final blow. I would probably also play around with the idea of Link and Zelda both being afraid of unintentionally causing evil, which technically happens when Demise (proto-Ganon) casts a dark spell that forces the three of them to be reincarnated over and over throughout the rest of time. But by this point I would have Link and Zelda both come to terms with the fact that evil is simply inevitable.
So again, I think there’s potential here. The neat visuals and art style of the game itself, along with its fully orchestrated soundtrack, also make it a pretty strong contender for a cinematic adaptation.
3. A loose adaptation of Breath of the Wild
For starters, this is the most recent main game released (soon to be followed by a direct sequel), so it’s the one freshest in people’s minds. Also, as mentioned above, it takes place far enough in the future to the point where all other entries in the franchise are nothing more than myth. Furthermore, in my honest opinion, this is the only entry that would work in live action, simply because of the fact that Link doesn’t wear a hat in this one (let’s face it, that hat is never gonna look right in real life). And once again, I would try to keep the plot simple. Little-to-no side quests, and only montages for the shrines.
Okay, time to talk theme now. So this incarnation of Link is an amnesiac who slowly regains his memories as the game progresses (depending on how the player chooses to play). Not too long ago, I came across a Redditor who suggested that a potential Wild adaption could showcase Link adapting to his new, simpler life in the post-apocalyptic Hyrule (cooking and fishing and whatnot), but as his memories return to him, he gradually realizes that he needs to put his own personal interests aside to do what’s right for the kingdom’s legacy and future. So again, we’re dealing with a theme of heroism, but with a dash of “do the right thing” for good measure.
4. A loose adaption of A Link to the Past
I figured this one also made sense, since the narrative is fairly simple and traditional. Plus, it was first game released in the franchise where the narrative was tied into the gameplay itself (the first two games left most of the narrative stuff to the prologues and manuals). This also happens to be the first game taking place in the aforementioned “downfall” timeline (where the Link from Ocarina looses), so you can add a Mistborn type of spin to the story where the failure of the ancient “chosen one” has since affected the culture of the present.
Once again; keep the plot simple (just a montage for most of the awakenings of the maidens). As far as theme goes; I see a through-line of “learning to deal with loss” here. The game starts with Link having to pick up the sword and shield after his guardian dies trying to save Zelda first himself, and Zelda’s father also happens to be killed around this same time. So both of our main characters have to deal with the loss of their caretakers, just like how the whole kingdom of Hyrule is still dealing with the effects of losing the previous chosen hero long ago. Of course, everything is set right in the end once Link is able to make a wish on the Triforce (including the resurrection of Ocarina Link according to some fan theories), but it would be interesting to see all the characters learning to accept their losses first before getting that “reward” at the end.
And last but not least…
5. A unique story (not based on any one game in particular)
This would probably be the best route to go, since there wouldn’t be as many expectations to live up to. If it were up to me, though, I would still take some cues from Breath of the Wild in particular, like setting it late in the timeline, and getting rid of Link’s hat if this absolutely had to be live-action. I would probably also base my incarnation of Ganon closely on the one seen in Wild (where he’s less of a person and more so just an “entity of evil” who maybe just takes on a more humanoid form on occasion for a few “boss fights,” if even that). I think Hyrule should also be presented less as a “kingdom,” so to speak, and more so as a vast, open landscape full of possibilities to explore, as it is in Wild.
And yet again, the plot needs to stay simple. The Triforce should be unified, and the objective should just be something like finding the Master Sword so that it can be used to open the door to the Sealed Realm where the Triforce is, so that a wish can be made on it. So think like a mix of Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past.
But that’s just the plot. What would the actual “story” be, you ask? Well, I think the key is to have Link and Zelda both learn from each other, in some way or another. For instance, maybe Link starts off as just an “adventurer” who loves traveling around and fighting monsters just for the thrill of it, but then learns to care about Hyrule on a more emotional level, while Zelda starts off caring too much about her role as Hyrule’s future and then learns to also take time for herself. Maybe she also starts traveling around more and learning to be “one with the people,” instead of just leading them.
Or if you really wanna get creative with it, do a role reversal! Have Link start off as a knight or something who’s focused too much on guarding the kingdom, while all Zelda wants to do is travel around and isn’t focused enough on her destiny as Hyrule’s future leader, and then by the end they “swap.” Think something along the lines of that fan art that imagines Link as a Prince and Zelda as the wandering hero (though maybe not that extreme). It would almost be like a new pseudo-origin story for the franchise, so to speak. In either case, it would be a play on the theme of “heroism vs. adventurism,” and exploring different ways to be a hero.
So there you have it! I truly feel these are all the best options, as the first two games don’t really have much of a story, and the rest, while great, are all a bit too radical to serve as the basis of the first true Zelda adaptation. That said, Link’s Awakening would make a great story down the road too, as the game involves Link having to destroy a dream world in order to return to the real one. I could see the moral that he learns being something like “Hyrule still needs it’s hero,” if that makes sense…
Anyways, it’ll be interesting to see what Nintendo eventually does…
Peace!
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