“He’s so cute and fluffy!” That is the reaction that at least 75% of players likely have upon first seeing Moosh, the best of the undeniably adorable animal companions Link can find in Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. While Ricky may appeal to pugilists and Dimitri can make dinosaur lovers swoon, the lovable blueberry Moosh clearly reigns supreme. Not only can he help Link hover across large gaps, but he can also pound the ground just like Nintendo’s beloved plumber pal. Between those righteous abilities and the high cuteness levels that overwhelm players’ senses, Moosh takes the cake (and chomps it, too) as animal friend royalty. In their art piece simply entitled “Moosh”, Kamifish captures the fluffy friend (oh, and Link) in the middle of a beary well-deserved nap.
In this piece, the first element that captures the eye is the sheer size of Moosh. He fills nearly the entire frame! Looking more closely at the blue behemoth, we see that his ears are slightly flattened; if this picture were animated, we’d surely see them twitch adorably as he dreamed. His eyes are also closed, not tightly against a nightmare, but just calmly closed in slumber. My favorite detail is the little bit of drool escaping Moosh’s slightly open jaw. It shows how out he is, exhausted after a tiring day of ground-pounding enemies and carrying his Hylian friend back and forth over countless gaps.
It’s not often that we can say this about the hero, but featured less prominently in the art is Link. The green-clad protagonist leans sleepily against the fluffy fur of his bright blue pal, his head tilted like he’s resting on a pillow. Link’s slumbering state mirrors Moosh’s in many ways, though he doesn’t yet have any drool of his own. His hands rest against the ground with his thumb curled slightly inward, as if he’s ready to hold a sword and resume a battle in his dreams. Perhaps once the fight has passed and his slumber has deepened, Link’s drool will come.
The Oracle games don’t often get a lot of credit, and as a result, the fandom’s appreciation for the mighty Moosh is often lacking. Kamifish’s adorable art reminds us to not sleep on giving this bundle of blue awesomeness his due praise.
