A Link to the Past has one of the most moody and atmospheric openings in all of Zelda, save for Majora’s Mask. It’s raining and you’re all alone in an empty house after waking from troubled dreams. You follow your uncle, only to find him stuck at the bottom of a hole, seemingly dying. It’s dark and it’s troubling. Your uncle tasks you with saving the Princess and sends you on your way. You’re thrown into the thick of it right at the start.
The Escape sequence in A Link to the Past has always been one of my favorite parts of the game. Infiltrating the castle, exploring the dungeon, and traveling by sewer to get to the Sanctuary. It’s all so intriguing and it feels like the proper start to an epic adventure.
However, one thing that always bothered me, was Link and Zelda’s lack of emotion after such a traumatizing event for both of them. I think that’s why I was drawn to “Link and Zelda’s escape from Hyrule Castle” by DeviantArt user TheEagleForce. Now, before you post your comment, the artist is aware that this is not canonically how Link and Zelda escaped. He felt it was an easier way to tell the story he is presenting through his art. Make sure to read the description at the link above to get more context.
Before I go on my explanation of why I love this piece, I really want to compliment the artist on how accurately he depicted the style from A Link to the Past. This honestly looks like something that would have been in the manual of the physical edition.
Now, onto the piece itself. When Link leaves the Sanctuary after saving Zelda, it’s a bright and sunny day in Hyrule. It’s completely at odds with what we saw on the way to the Castle and beyond. This piece shows the dour tone that the opening scene was going for. Everything is darker than it needs to be, the rain continues to pour on our heroes, and they’re both incredibly sad looking. Hyrule Castle, now taken over by dark forces, looms in the background threateningly.
The emotion in their faces tells a powerful story. Zelda had just been taken from her home and thrown in the dungeon. Her safe place is now being ruled by a tyrant. Her home is no longer hers. On top of that, she has no idea what has happened to her father, the King. Link’s experience echoes that. His uncle, the man who raised him, is slumped over in a pit under the Castle, somewhere between life and death. He’s scared, alone, and on an incredible quest to save Hyrule. It’s a lot to ask of someone who woke up less than an hour ago. They travel together, alone in their grief, floating down the river to their destinies.
This is the kind of stuff I love about fan art. Video games, especially ones made with the limitations of the SNES, can only tell half the story. The emotion lies in storytelling and, in a visual medium, you have to be able to show that. Fan art like this can expand on the moment, make it grow, and take on more power.
Thank you again to TheEagleForce for submitting this to the Zelda Universe DeviantArt group (which is available for anyone to join). You can check out his works on his Instagram, tumblr, and YouTube pages.
