It must have been a rough night. Why else would Link be passed out facedown on the wooden floor of the watchtower? That doesn’t stop Aryll from startling awake her fatigued brother, though. In her upbeat manner, she reminds Link that it’s his birthday, snapping him out of his lethargy. Maybe Link just got the party started early. Now that he’s up, Link is ready to learn what the new day will bring on his home island. It will turn out to be a birthday to remember.
Link promptly learns that he should have used the ladder to go down the tower. But no time! He needs to get to burglarizing the neighbors! That might be unfair. I mean, he still does take his neighbor’s rupees, but he also demonstrates what a valuable community member he can be. He shows a young child how to jump across rocks and utilizes his expert tracking skills to roundup wild pigs as pets for the family at the top of the hill.
As he wanders and chats with the villagers going about their daily business and evades the kid with the mile-long snot hanging from his nostril, Link learns valuable life lessons (which also teach you how to play the game). He can even use his completely legitimately earned rupees to acquire his first items by purchasing the Bait Bag, Bait, and Hyoi Pears from Beedle, the merchant selling wares in his boat just offshore.
Link can also visit Orca, who lends Link a sword and puts him through basic combat training. Orca always makes Link return the sword after practice, though. I’m not sure why. I don’t see how giving a sword to an unsupervised child could go wrong.
After enough procrastinating, Link returns home to see what’s cooking with Grandma. She’s been planning a special birthday surprise for Link. You see, Link is turning the same age that the hero of legend was when he saved Hyrule. And, as is custom, when young boys come of age, they dress in green to honor the hero’s legacy.
Link is understandably uneasy about changing into such strange garb, especially because he’s wearing the most stylish outfit of any Zelda game: his orange capris and blue crawfish shirt. (If Medli says its a crawfish, it’s a crawfish. Fight me.) It’s so chic, Outset Link’s trophy description in Super Smash Bros. Brawl calls him a “fashion leader.” But change he must, and Link dons the clothes of the hero of yore.
After his wardrobe change, Link heads back out to find Aryll, who is still hanging out at the watchtower. She lends Link her telescope, but only for his birthday (foreshadowing, anyone?). Link uses the telescope to gaze at the mailbox, where a Rito postman is acting strangely. Suddenly, Aryll exclaims for Link to look up. Doing so, Link sees an enormous bird carrying a person in its talons while also dodging catapult fire from an approaching pirate ship. Link watches as the monster is struck by a boulder and drops its cargo into the forest on top of the island. At Aryll’s plea, Link springs into action.
Link happens to know a guy who has weapons, seeing as he trained with him only minutes before. Orca gives Link the sword to keep this time, sensing a change in Link’s demeanor. Armed for battle, Link can now cut down the trees blocking the path to the Forest of Fairies to investigate. At this point, Link acquires his first taste for blood by confronting and defeating his first real-world enemies. He then meets Tetra, the pirate who had been snatched by the monstrous bird. After a brief exchange, Tetra and Link leave the woods but come to a sudden halt when they see the bird has returned and taken another victim: Link’s sister, Aryll!
Link charges after the bird in a blind rush and straight over the cliff’s edge, but Tetra catches his hand before he falls to his doom. Realizing there is nothing he can do as the bird disappears into the horizon with his sister in tow, Link returns to the village frustrated and distraught. He demands (without talking, of course) that the pirates take him on their ship to chase after the villain. The avian postman informs Link and the pirates that kidnappings of young girls have been occurring on islands across the Great Sea and where to find the bird’s nest. After some negotiating and guilt-tripping, Tetra and her crew agree to take Link to the Forsaken Fortress. The stage is set for Link’s grand adventure, but there’s one more matter before setting sail.
Tetra tells Link she won’t let him board until he finds a shield. Remembering the family shield that hangs in his loft/bedroom, Link runs home to complete his armament. Only, the equipment is missing! Baffled, Link heads downstairs and notices Grandma facing the wall. As he approaches, Grandma asks if Link was looking for the shield and reluctantly hands it over. She knows that Link is heading into certain danger to save his sister and that she will be left alone to worry about them.
One of the reasons I appreciate Outset Link is because he is an integral part of his community. He is loved by his sister and Grandma. The residents all respect him, and Link helps them with their duties. His life is peaceful and carefree until that fateful day, which makes the inevitable journey into the Great Sea all the more heartbreaking. With a look of sadness and worry, Link waves goodbye to the islanders and to Grandma, unsure when or if he will return. It is Link’s destiny to become the Hero of Winds, and that destiny requires sacrifice.
As Link watches his island fade into the distance, he doubles his resolve to save his sister and unknowingly embarks on a quest to save all the inhabitants of the Great Sea. His peaceful life of leisure is left behind, but he carries the love and lessons of his home with him always. He’s going to need them, too. No matter how rough last night was, the journey and seas ahead are bound to be rougher.
