Zelda fans were excited when news of a female version of Link was introduced a couple of weeks ago. Her name is Linkle and we want her.
Well, now there’s a hint of good news about Linkle’s future. While talking with IGN via email, Nintendo producer Eiji Aonuma suggested that Linkle, the newest character announced for Hyrule Warriors Legends on 3DS, was not designed as a simple one-off for Hyrule Warriors.
Aonuma, who has produced and/or directed several Zelda games and is a supervisor on Hyrule Warriors Legends, was asked what implications Linkle might have for the future of the franchise. He responded, “I’m sure we will keep her in mind when thinking about future titles.”
Nintendo has confirmed that Hyrule Warriors is not canon, meaning that it is not part of the official timeline and they can go ahead and ignore its events in all future Zelda games. But maybe this means they won’t???
He went on, “I had a chance to give feedback on Linkle during development, but the satisfying action of using a crossbow, which we developed for the spinoff title Link’s Crossbow Training, was implemented this time completely by Koei Tecmo.”
Linkle fights with two matching crossbows. You can see some footage of her fighting style in her announcement trailer. Link’s Crossbow Training is another spinoff Zelda game for the Wii that reuses assets from Twilight Princess.
“It may feel a little different from other titles in the franchise, but she doesn’t feel out of place at all in the world of the Zelda games,” Aonuma said.
Linkle was announced during the last Nintendo Direct in November. While many describe her as a “female Link,” she in fact has her own backstory separate from Link’s, perhaps casting her as his younger sister. We won’t know more until Hyrule Warriors Legends comes out in 2016.
