A strange sight greeted Link when he first landed on Koholint Island. Mountains, caves, forests, and beaches; all of these were familiar to him, but the Wind Fish’s egg sitting atop Mount Tamaranch must have thrown him for a loop. An egg sitting perched atop a mountain peak is a decidedly odd and illogical thing, the kind of thing that could only be seen in dreams.
When you first look at this Link’s Awakening artwork fashioned by Michael Doig and his collaborator Swift, one of the first things your eyes are drawn to (much like Link’s must have been) is the Wind Fish’s egg. The low viewing angle that slopes upwards makes it appear even larger, almost as if it’s looming over Link. The very pale blue of the mountain and the light pink spots that almost disappear against the white shell cause the whole image to look unreal and ethereal. It’s as if the egg is is about to vanish which further contributes to its feeling of being a part of a dream.
Sailing on the currents of air above Link’s head are a few seagulls. All of them are white except one, and it’s this one that is closest to the Wind Fish’s egg. Its black coloring contrasts against the others, inviting the viewer to wonder why. My interpretation is that this gull represents the Nightmares both because of its trajectory towards the egg, almost as if on the attack, and because the dark coloring is very similar to the shadowy Dethl, the cursed creature disturbing the Wind Fish’s slumber.
No analysis would be complete without the Hero of Legend. He is seen striding through the shallow waves with the sharp and jagged remnants of his ship pointed menacingly toward him. These spike-like shapes threatening to impale Link hint at the danger of Koholint island, lurking on all sides of Link just out of his sight.
The most interesting thing about Link though is the method in which he’s drawn. While the rest of the island is painted, Link is not. He’s drawn using a rough style similar to a pencil sketch. This blew my mind. Not only does it recall the style of the opening cinematic for the Switch version of Link’s Awakening, but it also casts Link in a more realistic style, contrasting him against the more dreamlike, painted island.
It’s no wonder that this collaboration of painter, Michael Doig, and pencilist, Swift, was a runner up in Nintendo UK’s Link’s Awakening art contest. The contrasting styles perfectly allude to the central mystery of Koholint Island and Link’s intrusion upon it.
If you enjoyed Michael and Swift’s art and would like to see more or possibly become their Patron, feel free to visit their Patreon page!
