A Link to the Past has one of the more atmospheric openings in the Zelda series. From the moment Link awakens, it’s clear that trouble is brewing. A mysterious voice warns him of danger, his Uncle suddenly leaves, and the young Hylian has to brave the thundering storm that lies between him and his destiny. Through their use of color and placement, Aquanut’s piece titled “I’ll Be Back By Morning” captures the melancholy and mysterious feeling of this iconic adventure.
Perhaps the most obvious element of Aquanut’s work is their use of color. The whole thing is flooded in blues and blacks. Even Link’s familiar green tunic has a bluish tint to it. Blue often conveys a sense of sadness while black can evoke mystery and the unknown. By washing everything in these colors, it creates a feeling of sadness and dread. We don’t know what will happen next, but it doesn’t seem like something good.
Adding to this feeling are the natural cues in the environment. The brightest source of light is the lightning flashing in the doorway that frames the uncle. It’s a little cliche but a dark and stormy night hasn’t come to symbolize danger and mystery for nothing, and it continues to do so here. The lightning and rain foreshadows the sadness to come. Why is Link’s uncle leaving? What possible reason could he have to brave the storm? There are no answers for the young hero, only the rain and the grave look on his uncle’s face.
The figures in the work also add to this uneasy feeling through the use of their expressions. The uncle looks back at his nephew with a serious look. It’s a look that warns of grave business happening in the middle of the night. Business that he doesn’t want Link involved in.
While we don’t see Link’s face, his body language does more than enough to express his thoughts. He’s bolted upright even though it’s the middle of the night. If the voice in his dreams wasn’t enough to unsettle him, seeing his uncle like this would.
My favorite tiny detail in Aquanut’s work though is the lantern the uncle is carrying. While I’m sure that it’s only done because of the previously mentioned restricted color palette, I love that the lantern’s flame is blue. It calls to mind the Poes of the series, glowing with a spectral bluish flame. In doing so, the flame also warns of impending death. Though he doesn’t realize it, Link’s uncle will soon die, and Link’s adventure will begin. Few moments in the Zelda series are as good as communicating a sense of mood as this one. Aquanut has translated it masterfully. The genius use of limited color in order to communicate oncoming sadness and dread, the silent communication of danger between the expressions of the family members, and the symbolism of the blue flame all combine to make a fan’s heart weep in its sorrowful beauty.
