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Fans Launch Facebook Campaign To See Zelda As Playable Character

ZeldaBrawlNintendo fans have been busy as of late, as not only have they launched a petition against region locking, but some have also banded together to see Princess Zelda as a playable character in future titles. The Facebook campaign – which now has over 3,000 likes and counting – is spreading the word as to why Zelda should be fully integrated as a playable character in the series.

There has already been rumblings that series fans would like to see Zelda as the star of the show, as one artist dabbled in fan-inspired concept art to show Zelda in a ‘Clockwork Empire’ as the lead, with Link dubbed as the Prince of the Kingdom. And during an interview with Eiji Aonuma, when asked the question of featuring Zelda in her own game, Aonuma responded as such: “I guess if people have strong feelings about it then it’s something to consider.”

The Facebook campaign aptly named ‘Nintendo, please give Princess Zelda a stronger role’ is seeking to do just that, and if the likes keep pouring in, Aonuma may just listen and incorporate something into the new Zelda Wii U title. If you want to support and ‘like’ the page, you can do so here.

133 thoughts on “Fans Launch Facebook Campaign To See Zelda As Playable Character”

    1. Actually, no. It’d just be fucking awesome to play as Zelda a little bit. : / It has nothing to do with feminism.

      1. I would love to play as zelda in ocarina of time during the 7 years link is frozen in the temple of time

    2. It’s not about feminism, it’s about having a change for once in the games, by creating a part of the story we don’t know about. If you have the Hyrule Historia, you have all the history about Link, but there is no consequent timeline about Zelda. Having a storyline in which we know what happens to Zelda between episodes would really be great.

        1. its not about playing as a girl. i just wanna know more the storyline and gameplay mechanics that would be associated with that character, who is integral to every game in the series (legend of ZELDA) and who just so happens to be a girl.

    3. Hell fuck yesss!! Zelda as a playable character would be awesome. This has nothing to do with ‘women power’.

      1. They should hire Ueda(the Ico guy cause hes only advising SONY now on last gauardian) and make it play similar to Ico with heavy emphasis on atmosphere and puzzling all set within one huge Hyrule Castle, the story could be that Ganon has locked her up in the dungeon’s of Hyrule Castle(and also incapacitated link so he cant save the day) and its up to Zelda to accend the Castles many floors until she has her ultimate showdown with Ganon and has to defeat him with a bow and arrow that she aquires during the game thus saving Link and freeing the Castle from Ganon keep it simple and let the gameplay do the talking.

          1. Yeah I think it is a very solid base for the geniuses at NINTENDO to really develop i wouldnt just want a typical Zelda adventure(i fucking love em) they would have to create a genuinely different take on the universe who knows maybe it could be a breakout.

    4. I don’t think its femenism but I don’t care to see this happen. I just want to see link finally get some from zelda.

    5. it should be a spin off like how super princess peach was and it should be called the legend of link

    6. The way the series is constructed, the protagonist is Link. But, I think that Nintendo always does these things right and can find a way to make this work! Seeing a game from the perspective of Zelda would be so cool! We’ve already seen that Zelda had her own adventure in Skyward Sword… Why not make two parallel games from different views?

    7. I think Zelda playing a more prominent role would be a great thing, but it does need to be for the right reasons. I just hope that Diaz’s fan concept linked to in the article never sees the light of day, as that is heavily dictated by feminist ideals (though its not shown in that article).

    8. Get over yourself. The series is even named after her for peak’s sake. Look at Princess Peach, she had her own game where she had to save Mario AND is featured in Super Mario 3D World. Zelda has powers of her own that she barely uses, she could do SOMETHING without being a damsel in distress.

  1. I think Nintendo has been giving Zelda a more prominent role in the series in order to counter these feelings. In Spirit Tracks she was basically a secondary character and Skyward Sword has her play a massive role in the game’s events. If she were to be made properly playable I’d rather they didn’t just do a cheap gender switch, but actually played to many of her previously revealed abilities, such as magic, archery and stealth.

  2. Proud Nintendo Fanboy

    I’ve always wanted to see a Zelda game where you could play as Princess Zelda. Same with always wanting a Mario Galaxy-style of game with Princess Peach.

  3. Well it IS called the legend of ZELDA.

    Maybe they’ll make Zelda a lead character and call the game “The Legend of Link” ? :P

      1. Maybe you were trying to crack a joke, but it’s pretty obvious that Zelda and Metroids have entirely different gameplay potential.

  4. Why dont we put up a facebook campaign to see Metroids as a playable character too eh? Idiotic fans trying to mess up a great series is idiotic

    1. Yeah, remember when Zelda was a enemy amoeba that is already trying to kill you and grab your face?

      Oh wait, she the entire focus point of the fucking series, and the main character other than Link.

      1. yeah didn’t “SILENT” not see the Skyward Sword credits anyone that has knows this COULD be a very good idea if handled with respect and attention.

      2. Um, Metroids are pretty much the whole point of the series; not much point in calling it the Metroid franchise if the franchise had nothing to do with Metroids.

        1. That’s not the point.
          Zelda is a main character, and never the enemy.
          Metroid’s are an enemy.
          That’s like me saying “well if i can play as Peach in Mario, just let me play as a Goomba why not, it’s dumb. Don’t defend some moron who wants OoT rehash every 4 years.

  5. Big three are overrated

    Oh YEAH !!!!!!!!!!!!! They should make it like Sonic adventure. Where you could play as Zelda or Link, would be really cool imo. Both of them would have their own Story and missions/quest, mini games and dungeons in Hyrule and areas where you can go only with either one. Both of them would have own abilities,weapons etc. That would really make Zelda adventure innovative and bigger. Man Anouma you kick ass you can do this, just make it happen. Zelda needs bigger role in series, im tired for the same demon kidnaps princess save her kinda plot. I hope the new villain is something more like Skull kid who just love Destruction and chaos, kinda psycho. They need to make this happen, playin as Zelda would be so cool.

    1. DONT EVER COMPARE THE FUCKNG LEGEND OF ZELDA TOO THAT REPREBRATE SONIC AND HIS AWFUL GAMES EVER!!!!!!! THATS LIKE COMPARING CAVIAR TOO SHIT.

        1. I remember when he was good(barely) Zelda has retained its prestige for over 20years if you dont believe look at how many thread’s report any(no matter how small) news on the Wii U Zelda or ALBW or the countless polls over the years that declare OOT or ALTTP “the best game ever” or all the perfect scores for Skyward Sword online reputable sites and magazines like EDGE, IGN and FAMITSU or the obsession on the internet ovet Twilight Princess or the addoration for WW art style it’s far more relevant than Sonic ever was or ever will be again just get over it oh and by the way i love those first 3&½ Sonic games so dont preach to me about that the series compared to Zelda is division 2 at best.

          1. big three are overrated

            I dont give a shit about scores that some other people gave. I make my own opinions and i like the things i like i dont give shit about what others think.

  6. It would be awesome to play as Zelda! They could have it where you’d play as Link for a period of time, then switch to Zelda or vice verse. Then they both meet up at the end to stop Ganon or something like that.

  7. worst idea iv ever heard, playing as zelda would be awful, wtf is wrong with people stop giving nintendo more stupid gimmicky ideas they’ve already mentioned doing a full Tingle game and now this- leave LoZ alone the formula is just fine

    1. no…… let the retarded fanboys try to feel special. playing as zelda in a LOZ game, geeze sound like it would suck…. the way they like their games to be anyway.

    2. that’s a clownish way of thinking, guy. think of the great storyline and game play that could result in this.

  8. I hate the fact that gamers have to tell nintendo to do obvious things like this or region free. smh at you big n.

    1. Eh, i don’t think Zelda as a character is an “obvios thing”, i assume they’ve probably considered it in the past, but due to limitation in hardware, not been able to make her different enough from Link, where she’d just feel like a re-skin, rather than someone new.

  9. Why it could defineitly work, I think it might sorta mess with the zelda canon a bit.
    giving her more to do in the series though? yeah im behind that completely although i’d argue she done quite a bit in WW and SS, I don’t really think Zelda’s meant to be a fighter ganondorfs power links courage and zelda is wisdom.
    Maybe if in future games she showed more signs of planning and smarts and knowledge that’d be pretty cool, she has the whole hyrulien military at her command they could do something cool with that.

    1. one thing I don’t want though is the role switch thing with link being kidnapped, it was dumb when peach did it and that series is’nt even as serious as loz. Now that I think about it they could do something like making zelda the companion char for the game, they’ve been talking about co-op and in all the 3d games and a lot of the newer 2d ones link always has a companion with him. I never played it but did’nt they make zelda the companion in spirit tracks?

      1. I enjoyed Super Princess Peach. And yes, in Spirit Tracks she was a companion. I have to say I’d rather her be a companion than actually play her. Like Alex from half-life, around and helpful, but with her own AI.

    2. I think having Link as a prince is a bad idea, he’d most likely be a King anyway. I’d like to see them play with the idea that the chosen 3 aren’t always around at the same time (it’s happened). Maybe Ganon returns, or Zant, or a new villian, and the Hero of Time just isn’t there, or maybe he’s fallen, much in the same way Zelda became Shiek in OoT, we assume a similar role in the game.

      1. Now this idea does have the right idea. One storyline has a fallen hero. Perfect for Zelda to be playable character.

  10. That’s stupid take time away from them developing a great legend of Zelda game to develop a shitty game about Zelda. No thanks!

  11. Personally I would not like to see it because I don’t want to screw up something good but if Nintendo put all of their effort into it I would have to play it. I don’t like the idea but I would trust Nintendo with it.

  12. I think a Zelda game as Zelda would be awesome.

    Get a inside look at the Shieka training perhaps, she’d have a unique play style, more manoeuvrability like Prince of Persia, id be all for it.

  13. someone u probably don't know

    they could make it like in arkham city, that while something happened to batman u used catwoman

    1. That would be a good idea.

      Maybe a Zelda game where you do play as Link, but your companion is Zelda and you can take control of her at any point to do things Link can’t.
      Alot of games these days are having the 2 people on a journey type of deal these days, i think having Link and Zelda travel together in the game would make the story better

        1. Possible.
          They’ve already talked about how they’re reconsidering the idea you have to play a Zelda game on your own.

          It could be made optional too.
          So say there’s a door that requires to levers to be pulled at the same time, on your own you could use Link, go to the one area, then switch to Zelda, but in co-op the person plays as Zelda fully. Maybe like how it was in NintendoLand, Link has a sword and Shield and Zelda has the bow.

      1. Then what new boss? No Ganondorf. Because the only reason Ganondorf captures Zelda is to take her tri-force. So no ganondorf, no tri-force story, something in the story of spirit tracks where phantom hourglass was the better game. Yeah no, some games are great left as a single player game.

        1. Ganon would be fighting over both of them, thus causing the need for them to seek him and defeat him. Just because Ganon doesn’t already have 1 Triforce doesn’t mean a game can’t happen. Ganon messes the world up and wants all 3 pieces so either way there is a reason.

    1. Yeah I don’t get it either barring the original nes and snes games zelda has always done stuff and been an integral part of the story’s in all but maybe twilight princess.

    1. Yeah, it would be so difficult to keep a Zelda game as a Zelda game but have a Zelda as a character, SOOOOOOO difficult /s

      Frankly, it’s almost too easy to do that, just reskin Link as Zelda, but that’s lazy. If it feels, looks, plays and sounds like a Zelda game, it’s a Zelda game, regardless of who you’re playing as.

    1. Yeah, because wanting something new and fresh and unique into the next instalment in the series is clearly the work of feminism.

      Fuck off with your male dominant insecure mindset, it’s a game.
      I bet you’re one of the people who doesn’t play games like Bayonetta because it’s got a girl in it, too scared that you might grow a vagina, or some retard will say “duhhhh play as girl, fag”, because those are the people you wana listen to, right?

      1. There are plenty of ways to make the series feel “new and fresh”. But it’s very myopic to think that switching the main playable character will suddenly make the game feel “new and fresh” – It’s won’t.

        Story-wise the series is not always about saving Princess Zelda, anyone who thinks that hasn’t played that many of them. Majora’s Mask (and others) show how the series can wildly deviate in terms of story; it’s up to the team to come up with more creative stories like that, instead of the princess gets captured, save her, cliche.

      2. I wouldn’t mind Zelda as a playable character , but if that means that link is not , then hell fucking no .

  14. 3000 signitures means nothing compared to the series’s usual sales. That and it ruins the lore. She’s meant to be the wise one who keeps the villain off your back while you clear the dungeons.

  15. mywiiuhasnogames:(

    link saves zelda the princess.. thats the game…dont ever change that.
    next thing you know peach has to go save mario

  16. uhhh…maybe as a small 3ds game like super princess peach, but I probably wouldn’t buy it. If anything what I want to see is link finally get a freaking kiss from zelda. Maybe even merry her and become king of hyrule and have a son and then have a game about him.

  17. The game will go nowhere. Will be a fail game. It’s like mario and luigi. Luigi games will never outsell mario based games. Same with peach she barely sold with her game. People are sad. And i thought I saw every stupid thing in this world and I was wrong. I commented on their page too.

  18. bah no! hell no! if they want to do a Zelda game then do a spin of but leave the main series as Link and I’m fine with it.

  19. I really want this to happen. I would KILL to play as Sheik in a Zelda game! Pure awesomeness!!!! 💋

  20. The troll to end all trolls

    God….. This is a terrible idea. If this happens, I will loose all respect for The Legend of Zelda. I mean, if I played as her for a short time in a certain area to solve a puzzle, or briefly play as her in a boss battle, I don’t have a problem, but seriously? People ACTUALLy want her to have her own game? That would really hurt the series, in my opinion, and would hurt sales as well. I certainly wouldn’t be buying this.

  21. All of these people being sarcastic talking about playing as a metroid because it’s in the Metroid title are ignorant and close minded. I welcome change in things to innovate the games I love further. I think this should also apply to other Nintendo games where people want to play as characters they’ve grown up with and love. I want to be able to play as the letter F or the number Zero in F-Zero, but I’m not complaining about my petition with no signatures. I want to at least play a minor role as a donkey in Donkey Kong, but I’m not complaining. Some dreams burn out and fade before they’re ever considered tangible…Believe.

  22. Sensationalist headline. Yes the facebook page want’s Zelda to be AT MOST a playable character. They were asking for something much more realistic which is to have her as a much more influential character.

  23. Playing as Sheik would be pretty damn sweet, maybe her POV in the 7 years Link was in the Chamber of the Sages. We could see her training in the ways of the Sheikah, her infiltration into Ganon’s castle in a stealth way (Metal Gear Zelda?), getting the light arrows, etc.

  24. I would love this! I’ve always wanted to see Zelda’s side of each story the various Zelda games have. Playing as Zelda or Sheik would be awesome whether she had her own game or was just a character you could choose to play with.

  25. I think a spin off would be well suited. Fucking Tingle has a game, and Zelda doesn’t?

    If they don’t do a spin off, why not do some sort of Arkham City style thing where you can switch? People were nervous about playing as Catwoman in AC, but it was really well done! She played differently than Batman, but it was still great fun playing as her.

    I see potential with Zelda as a playable character. Magic, archery and stealth make for a good combination for gameplay.

  26. Greetings,

    I oppose the idea more out of the fact that if the petition to have a female lead character is more of a reversal of roles than the start of a new storyline or an engaging narrative.

    Frankly, I am concerned that this might become a developing trend and more time will be spent in attempting to rebrand game series in an effort to generate more revenue as opposed to advancing the video game narrative or gameplay mechanics.

    That is just my opinion however; my apologies if I caused offence.

    Sincerely,

    1. Have you read the page? That is not at all what the mission statement is, the title of the page is even a “stronger” role, as in “better roles, to make for a better character,” not just a gender swap for the sake of having a female lead.

      1. Greetings,

        I have read the page and perused some of the comments in answer to your question.

        Nor did I mean to imply that this is what the petitioners want; I think this would be the end result of what their petition succeeding for a variety of reasons; lack of a coherent, consistent characterization being one of them.

        We can quibble about the notion of a stronger character and the idea of a better role for a character in a series that has lasted for years using the same themes and archetypes but that is for any other time I suspect.

        Thank you for your time and apologies if I caused any offence and for my grammatical/spelling errors in the previous post and this one.

        Sincerely,

  27. Fuck that. I wanna play as Link. The reason I got into Zelda was because as a kid I loved swords and all that medieval stuff. Feminists need to just shut up.

  28. But she was playable, in spirit tracks when she was a ghost in an iron suit. She was playable for almost the entire game.

  29. Yes a bit of feminism is involved with the idea, but that’s not it! Yes there has been a movement going on about video games having more strong females, and strong female leads, but you guys have the wrong idea!

    The fans aren’t wanting some “feministic moral that girls can be strong too” as the point of the game! The fact is girls can be strong, so why keep putting them in such tiny helpless roles?

    For Zelda especially, she has the Triforce of wisdom, and she seems to often be able to use magic. She even had a sword that she obviously would know how to use in Twilight Princess. This is not about feminism but about breaking the generic mold in a way that could turn out wonderfully for the Zelda series.

    Fans just want to see more of Zelda, like Tetra! She was great, except the huge huge mistake where she suddenly turned helpless once she was put in a dress and told she is the princess. Fans don’t even want Zelda to be the main character! At the very least we all just want to see her have a stronger role. The group is called ‘Nintendo, please give Princess Zelda a stronger role’ not ‘Nintendo Make Zelda the Main Character’. She could be the main character or she could just have a stronger role.

    This is not about feminism taking over (how many of you commenters are guys, eh?) this is about giving Zelda in The Legend of ZELDA a stronger role. Who says Zelda won’t be all medieval and using swords? She could do any of it! Nintendo has unlimited possibilities when considering Zelda and putting her as the main focus or main character, think of all the plot ideas they could come up with!

    Nintendo is smarter than to make a Zelda game that screams “feminism”. They will make a game that is just as amazing as the others while giving Zelda a stronger role, without it being bogged down with a bunch of shitty feminism ideals.

    Take your narrow minded glasses off and think a bit. This is not a bad thing. Feminists won’t be taking over. With Zelda becoming a stronger character the series with have a much greater quality with better characterization and plot. And it won’t be like the horrible CD-i Zelda where Zelda is playable.

    Sorry for typing up an essay but you all need to think a little harder without your preconceived ideals getting in the way. The future of Zelda is bright and we all want to see it last for many more years! Long live Zelda games! You can only go so far with the same recipe, Zelda, Ganon/Villian, and Link can all be mixed up and molded into new interesting ideas for games.

    1. Greetings,

      Feminism in video gaming has been less of a movement and more of a battle cry; one that is starting to grate on some our ears particularly when considering there is no cohesive group which represents feminism in gaming; that however is an entirely different topic.

      Again, what many gamers who oppose this move may feel is that the inclusion of a strong female protagonist is not so much against the plot as it is the fact that no one knows what Nintendo will do. People are comfortable with the familiar game play mechanics and the narrative.

      Now there is a movemement that wants to alter that without actually specifying what they want (please imagine with italics seeing as I have no idea how to add italicize) to see in the game.

      As for games screaming feminism…well it (un)fortunately (depending upon the viewpoint) already started.

      Apologies for any errors/mistakes/offences caused.

      Sincerely,

      1. I understand that, my choice of words probably wasn’t perfect but it has the same meaning.

        About how feminism is getting annoying… well can you blame them? Years and years of being badly judged has made them desperate for the final change towards true equality. It can get tiring but the only way to stop it is to create equality. You gotta remember that.

        Yes the movement is vague… but since when does Nintendo follow fans directions exactly? The point of the group is to promote a new way of viewing the Zelda series, and we all have to trust the Nintendo can tell the difference between a bad idea and a good one. We have to trust they will handle the new games in the correct way. If they don’t then they learn from their mistakes!

        In the end, creating a game where Zelda has a stronger role, or the role of main character, will not cause harm. If the game flops then it flops. Nintendo won’t be severely damaged by one bad Zelda game. Neither will the Zelda series be damaged. Remember the anger towards The Wind Waker? That turned out wonderful, and it’s a great game. Remember Link’s Adventure? Side scrolling Zelda? That was very strange compared to other Zelda games but that kind of leap towards a new idea didn’t harm anything.

        Nintendo is Nintendo and will always make great games. Trust them with this new idea, it could turn out amazing!

        1. Greetings,

          The Feminism identity/subset ignores the fact the video game companies want to make a profit; saying ‘we are women therefore sell us’ makes no sense because it has nothing to do with the design mechanics of a game.

          In response the last three paragaphs that you wrote you are basically asking gamers to place their trust to modify a series that is not nostalgic but part of their gaming heritage.

          There is no gurantee that there will be a good game and considering the circumstances surrounding the recent game releases why do you think that gamers are so willing to invest their money in an entirely new enterprise?

          Why not try to create a new game with strong female leads from scratch before attempting to focous on more established games?

          Apologies for any errors/mistakes/offence caused towards yourself.

          Sincerely,

          1. You seem to be saying that a Zelda game with Zelda in a stronger role would not sell. A Zelda game with Zelda playing an important role would attract more females to games, Zelda fans will still buy it because it’s Zelda, and it may even revolutionize the Zelda series. Having read Hyrule Historia and owning it I think Zelda could easily fit into a stronger role for a game or more.

            It would not get in the way of Zelda’s game mechanics and it may even enhance them. Magic has been part of Zelda forever and we all know that Zelda is a magic user. Learning spells and using weapons like a bow and arrow or a sword is something Zelda could easily do. No harm will come to the gameplay, it will change but it would still be Zelda. We aren’t asking for a different game. We think Zelda is an interesting character who should have a larger role and more characterization. We want to find out more about the Zelda side of Zelda.

            And about my last 3 paragraphs, they were just me going off on some tangent about how I love Nintendo. I lost my argument a bit there, you can just forget about them, reading over them I noticed I didn’t say much to further discussion oops haha.

            1. Greetings,

              There are already a large number of female gamers entering into the market and playing a variety of games. In the community itself there has yet to be a unified detailed call to include female protagonists.

              Again, this relates back to the point, if female gamers want to have female protagonists? Very reasonable, just explain to the gaming industry what a the typical female protagonist should be like and companies will manufacture them alongside of the typical male protagonist.of the genre.

              Now from the lore perspective one can argue for a stronger lead role; that is once again reasonable. The ability to translate that idea from books into a game…well let us say that is concerning to gamers as a whole. The notion that somehow having books grants a greater legitimacy irks many a gamer who buy games because they are games; not because they are books.

              Apologies for any errors/mistakes/offences that I may have caused.

              Sincerely,

              1. Well that just makes you a narrow minded idiot. Just because a female leads a Zelda game makes it so you won’t buy it? You sound like the fools who decided they hated The Wind Waker before playing it just for the graphics style.

                1. I wouldn’t buy it because it goes against what I believe in. Women trying to act all tough saying “we’re just as good as men and we can do whatever they can.” It is the most unattractive thing for me to see women that act masculine (bodybuilders for example). That’s why I don’t think women should be able to serve in the army either. If they want to work with the computers and all that that’s fine, but to have them fighting is just crazy. So to compare me not buying this to the people who didn’t buy Wind Waker because of the graphics is an inaccurate assumption.

                  1. Yes you’re right, I can’t compare you to Wind Waker haters, because you are worse than them. You are a disgustingly narrowminded human and I’m not going to waste anymore time talking to you unless you actually bring up a real point.

                    Who cares if YOU aren’t attracted to that. There are many other men and women who are, the world does not revolve around you- some people don’t take that saying seriously enough.

  30. I think they should release two versions of each Zelda game, one with link and one with Zelda and some alterations in the story
    Like how they do it with Pokemon, for example: Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess Link version and Zelda version and Wind Waker Link Version and Zelda Version
    I know it’ll never happen but it’s an interesting idea

  31. It would be cool for me to play her as the main character, if they were to do the orcarina of time, but have the game be about the 7 years, that Link was in stasis essentially. Have the game show the training and everything she did to become Sheik, and when she helps link at the end of each level he much pass you would have to do certain behind the scene things, to ensure he gets where he;s going, kinda. It would be cool though to play as her, not because of feminism or any of that jazz though.

  32. Pingback: Aonuma Teases Fans By Saying “No One Explicitly Said That Was Link” In Zelda Wii U Trailer | My Nintendo News

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