Did you know that Link is left-handed? At least, he used to be. The green-clad hero from The Legend of Zelda series was a southpaw until November 2006, when the Wii version of Twilight Princess launched in North America. Because of that game’s use of the motion sensing Wiimote, director Eiji Aonuma decided to change their character to a right-handed one to better reflect the handedness of the general population. Play testers apparently found it awkward to hold the controller in their non-dominant hand, and so one of Link’s more unique traits was dropped. There have been two more games in the series, each of which have had a right-handed protagonist despite the latter, 2017’s Breath of the Wild, not featuring any significant motion controls that would necessitate the change. It’s interesting to note that the HD remake of Twilight Princess for the WiiU included a mirror mode that returned a lefty Link, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate featured two left-handed Links with the Young and Toon versions. He still exists, but only outside the main series of games.
Does any of this matter? Maybe not. Link was left-handed as a reference to series creator Shigeru Miyamoto, and although he was one of the only video game protagonists to have the trait, it never factored into gameplay until motion controls were introduced. Some lefties may find it disheartening to lose one of their only champions in the world of gaming, but many people likely didn’t even notice the change. Others did and learned to live with it, while others were grateful they did not have to pilot Link through the the world with their non-dominant hand.
Where this begins to be important is in what it represents for the future of games. As successful as the Wii was, it was essentially a fad when it came to the unique way its library was played. Motion controls are still utilized in games today, but you’d be hard pressed to find a modern example as reliant on that scheme as Skyward Sword was. This not only dates the Wii’s games tremendously, it also means that the catalog has a much smaller chance of lasting into the future than that of nearly every other console’s . Wind Waker‘s control scheme will likely be replicable until button inputs are replaced by a neural command helmet in 2073, while Skyward Sword is impossible to port right now. How many other games are like this – forever dated by a decision to lean in to whatever is trendy at the time? Will 2020’s Half Life: Alyx survive more than 10 years, or will it eventually be buried with the VR technology that it is so entwined with? How many “gimmick” games have already been lost because publishers and developers lack the time, ability, or willingness to recreate them on modern consoles? It’s hard to say.
Link is right-handed now, and will likely remain that way for the considerable future. It’s possible we never get another Zelda game with a left-handed hero (although from fan response, it does seem unlikely). And it’s because of a game with a control setup that is mostly forgotten just 14 years later. Link is a unique example. It’s rare that one of the most established characters in gaming changes in such a noticeable way. But it’s not at all uncommon for a franchise to change slightly from one installment to the next because of limitations or applications made possible by the current hardware. Of course, change is necessary. Evolution is a good thing and stagnating creativity can lead to games that are appreciated by many, but loved by very few. Creating a cultural phenomenon is always better than making a cookie-cutter experience that does nothing unique, even if the former will be dated more quickly than the latter. Sometimes, however, an attempt at taking advantage of trends can lead to a game that is barely acceptable at launch and unplayable in half a decade. It’s important to take a step back and ask if a choice is being made because of how it benefits the project, or because of how the feature will sound in a trailer.
The Sad Enthusiast 