Folks, I have a confession to make. I love The Minish Cap. It’s one of the best Zelda games ever made and, yes, I’m including the 3D games. It’s a game that focuses on the power of kindness and how that can greatly affect the world around you. Literally, in some Kinstone scenarios. That’s something we all need to prioritize in our lives. It’s why this is one of my comfort games, one I keep coming back to when I get low.
It’s also great thanks to its art style and how it shows us Hyrule from a different perspective. That part of the game is why I wanted to highlight this amazing Linktober 2021 piece from t00n-bb called “Octorok”. Before I get into the piece, I want to let you know that this was submitted to Zelda Universe’s DeviantArt group. It’s a great place to submit your work to be featured here on the site and to interact with other Zelda fan artists! Check it out!
Also, it’s Linktober 2021! t00n-bb submitted this for our Linktober 2021 raffle which has a ton of fun prizes for you to win. You can submit as many pieces as you want (as long as they follow the calendar prompt), but can only receive three raffle tickets. You could also be chosen to be featured in a Linktober piece later this month! You can find a full list of rules here.
“Octorok” is a really fun piece. It depicts Link and Ezlo giving the Big Octorok a good talking to (except in Link’s case, of course). Link and Ezlo are scorched up after the big battle and the Big Octorok, finally defeated, lies on the ground with a tear in their eye. Come on, Link, you can tell it’s sorry! Just let it be!
Playing through the Temple of Droplets, you must open up two large skylights to melt the Water Element out of the ice. While doing that, you free the Big Octorok who eats it up. Now, usually this wouldn’t be a problem, except you’re Minish-sized at this point. It’s an interesting battle where the Octorok clearly has the upper hand. Or so it thinks.
What I love about this piece is how you can see the tables have turned. The Octorok, once big and bad, has been spanked and set right. Link, burned and angry with the troublesome fool, looks down on the formerly mighty giant. It looks like he’s about to shake the Water Element out of this little monster. He’s nearing the end of his journey and is so upset about how he was almost outdone by an Octorok. Ezlo is uncharacteristically silent which I absolutely love. The fatherly hat is so annoyed with it that he refuses to speak.
Honestly, I get the frustration from these two. The Big Octorok was a big barrier to my first playthrough of Minish. It’s pretty tough! It subverts the traditional battle structure where a swipe or two of the sword will take down an Octorok. Now, it’s a whole battle. The piece just encapsulates how I felt after defeating that little thing the first time. Annoyed that it took so long, but relieved that it’s over.
You can check out more of t00n-bb’s work on her DeviantArt.
