In the years since Breath of the Wild, many artists have posted AU (or “alternate universe”) pieces of art featuring different versions of the princess and her protector. Sometimes the pair will be students at a high school or university. Other times, they’ll be members of a sports team. One of my favorite pieces of AU Zelda art is ATArts’ piece titled “Camping in the Wild” because I love all the ways that both Breath of the Wild and the whole Zelda mythos in general are referenced, as well as how well it captures the spirit of traveling through the wilderness that was a core concept of the newest game in the series.
Looking at Link and Zelda, we’re able to make some fun observations. First, both Link and Zelda are dressed in the light blue color of the Champion Tunic and Zelda’s researcher outfit respectively. The type of garment has been modified to fit more modern times though. Link is clad in a simple hoodie while Zelda is sporting a puffy jacket that’s sure to keep her warm even if they travel to the Hebra Mountains. Beyond their clothing, the two characters’ actions and expressions are also fun. Link has his hands up in a pose very similar to the one he has in the game when cooking. You can practically hear him humming impatiently as he waits for the food to finish. Looking at the amount of food on the grill, it seems like part of his hurry may be because he is really hungry since there are four chicken legs and also four burgers on the grill. That’s a lot of food for two campers! Perhaps the familiar lupine at Zelda’s side is going to get some, too.
Speaking of Zelda, the princess is snapping a picture of the glutinous hero with the Sheikah Slate. She’s clearly in charge of chronicling the pair’s trip and the moments they create through the Sheikah Slate’s photo app. There will be no forgetting these memories!
Another interesting figure in this piece is the vehicle Link and Zelda took to get to their campsite. It’s very similar to a modern jeep but with some cute Zelda touches. It shares the pale blue color scheme associated with the Champions. On its driver’s door is a giant decal of the symbol of the Knights of Hyrule that you can imagine Link being pumped to put on his jeep to show his enthusiasm for the Hyrulean home team he (and perhaps his father) are a part of. Another decal a little in front of that shows the vehicle to only have two hearts left out of three. It’s almost as if it has its own health gauge, and it’s lost a heart either due to wear and tear or some hazardous driving. Perhaps the loss of health is at least partially due to the winch on the front of the craft and Link trying to replicate some of his own daredevil climbing feats while in his trusty craft. He should have known better than to try to go up that hill while it was raining, even with a winch to help!
My favorite detail on the vehicle is one that is easy to miss: On the front, just above the winch, is the brand name which labels it not as a Jeep but as an Epona. This tiny detail makes me smile not just because it’s an adorable throwback to the Hero of Time and Twilight’s trust steed, but I can also easily imagine a car maker hundreds or thousands of years down the line choosing to honor the exalted equine by naming their car brand after them. You can almost imagine the tagline: “Buy the vehicle that J.D. Bosphoramus Hyrule says is the safest in class while facing a Tallus or Lynel.”
As our gaze radiates out past the light of the campfire, there are a ton of other really fun details. The tent that the two travelers are going to share is really cool looking. I especially enjoy the way that the triangular entrance of the tent has been made to look like the Triforce. As our gaze travels clockwise around the exterior of the piece, we see some ice chests holding some drink containers that look a bit like the elixirs or potions that many a hero has gulped before. A treasure chest also sits near enough to the ice chests that it almost makes me imagine that some fanciful person in this AU world might design an ice chest to resemble that look. A couple of details in the upper right of the piece are also worth pointing out, such as a familiar statue standing watch but without an apple on its platter. Perhaps that explains why there is a gaggle of Koroks peeking at the heroes from the other side of the jeep; they’re just saving their “yahahas” until the hero and princess make their offering to the forest spirits.
The final interesting detail is the Sheikah pattern on the road which resembles the design found on the outside of the shrines and Divine Beasts. Perhaps Link and Zelda are on an adventure to some Sheikah ruins and are simply stopping for the night before waking early to continue their trek. Through this piece of art, ATArts is able to capture the adventurous spirit of Breath of the Wild while also calling back to earlier games in the series with clever touches like the name of the hero’s vehicle. It’s this ability to transfer the essence of a property that fans love into a more modern context that makes AU art so popular. This piece does such an amazing job embodying what made Breath of the Wild so great that I want to watch a whole television show with this version of the princess and hero. It also leaves me eagerly awaiting a nonexistent line of Zelda camping gear.
