Nintendo seems to have been pretty on the ball with gender representation in its upcoming 3DS game, Hyrule Warriors Legends. Due out on March 25, 2016, the game has been receiving positive praise and press due to its well done lineup of characters that so happen to be mostly female. It appears, however, that Nintendo had no intention of stopping there. Yesterday we received confirmation via Nintendo Direct that there will be an all new playable character joining the Legend ranks: Linkle, the female Link.
The double crossbow wielding warrior was previously featured in the Hyrule Warriors guidebook, and was tragically categorized in section for rejected/unused concept art. Fans are both grateful and relieved to see her jump from page to screen, as well as curious if this is the Zelda female lead protagonist promised during the E3 WiiU announcement.
In the Hyrule Warriors guidebook, developers described Linkle as a “little sister” figure in design, meant to mirror Link in appears, though unrelated–which, really, when put like that sounds like a very refined way of avoiding the phrase “gender bent.” While Link has his spinning blade attack, Linkle displays some agile finesse with a “spinning kick” (and by the look of those boots, it should really deal some damage!)
While many are excited by her appearance, and what she symbolizes for gender equality in the Zelda series, others are less enthused. For some, the name represents a problem, and others are disappointed that the character is only making a small appearance in a non-canon game, instead of receiving a fully fleshed out female lead in her own fully featured game. A few fans have even gone so far as to come up with their own beautifully detailed pitches for such games.
But that is neither here nor there. The announcement is certainly an exciting one, and players are anxious to see her shoot her crossbows on their handheld screens. Hyrule Warrior Legends is due March 25, 2016 for the Nintendo 3DS, and looks extremely promising.