Fog looms around the woods, casting the sun away. A soft steady rhythm hums through the air and beats through the ground. A small imp lands in front of a great tree, a devilish smile upon its face. He says nothing, simply laughing before playing his horn. Leaves rise through the wind and then four twitching puppets fall from the trees, each one looking at you. The imp laughs once again, disappearing through a path that wasn’t there five seconds ago. Is this an enemy to fight or a friend that wants to play?
Deep in the sacred grove of Twilight Princess, a returning character causes mischief and mayhem for Link and Midna. Skull Kid roams the mystical forest playing games and having fun like a true spirit of the forest. His design, while fresh, calls back to the orange hat and garb seen in previous games. A little more forest-y touch has been added, wearing leaves around his waist and hat and adorning a large leaf like cape. His wide grin is unsettling, as is the laughter that comes with it. Will this be a Skull Kid we play games with or one that we will have to fight?
Link’s first encounter with Skull Kid is as a wolf, searching the Sacred Grove for the legendary Master Sword. The little imp laughs and plays music, summoning an army of large puppets to attack Link. He doesn’t stick around, running away through a new opening in the grove. Even as puppets are destroyed, more continue to drop down from the woods, forever following Link as he searches the forest for the imp. Just when Link thinks he has found him, the imp disappears and runs off again. The Hero of Twilight is trapped in a game of hide and seek, running in circles around the grove…or is he?
“Ugh! Quick little guy, isn’t he? But hey, he’s not trying to run away at all, is he? He’s trying to lead us somewhere.” – Midna, Twilight Princess
Upon his last hiding spot, Wolf Link is pulled into a battle of puppets, waiting for the right opportunity to strike the imp himself. By this point, Skull Kid is labelled as a mini boss, another enemy in Link’s path…until he vanishes. “Hee hee hee! ‘Bye!” Another pathway opens up and Link finds himself exactly where he needs to be, before the Master Sword. Skull Kid was a guide all along, they just wanted to have some fun first, to play a game for so few wander into the grove. But that’s not the last Link sees of the mischievous child.
Returning to the Sacred Grove in search of the Temple of Time, Link is once again pulled into a game of cat and mouse. Following the orange glow of the lantern and the music of horn. This time when Link’s arrow pierces through Skull Kid and the imp vanishes back into the thick of the trees, he says a little more. “That was fun! I’ll tell you what: I’ll let you into a secret place!” It appears Skull Kid was helping Link all along, he just wanted to have some fun along the way, as a true child of the forest.
There is no confirmation that the Skull Kid in Twilight Princess has any relation to the Skull Kids seen in Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask, however, he plays a familiar tune on his horn. A horn that resembles the Deku Scrub’s horn from Majora’s Mask. Upon getting close to Skull Kid, Link hears Saria’s Song. This may be a coincidence as music motifs and melodies are reused often throughout the series, but one can still imagine this Skull Kid is connected to the one that learned this song long ago.
Skull Kid doesn’t stick around for us to get any more information or talk to him outside of his game, but he is not completely absent once Link discovers the Temple of Time. If one returns to the Sacred Grove, his lantern light can be seen in cave entrances, quickly vanishing if Link gets close. And, for whatever reason, if you decide to roll into a tree, a puppet falls down, continuing the game. “Hee Hee Hee!”
He may just be a source of mischief, an annoyance (especially because of those constant puppets) but deep down, Skull Kid is as his name implies, a kid. A kid who just wants someone to play with.
