In these times of greater equality, social media and ongoing debate around gender, even a cute and lighthearted game such as The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes isn't exempt from scrutiny. That's fair enough, in this writer's view - when avatars and customisation are part of a title, it's a valid topic.
Of course, Tri Force Heroes does focus on identical Link avatars running around, with the customisation coming in the form of outfits. When one of those outfits is a Zelda dress, however, the scratching of heads at the absence of a generic female Link hero as an option is perhaps understandable.
The game's director, Hiromasa Shikata, was quizzed on the absence of a female avatar by IGN, offering this initial response.
I'm going to tell you a little bit about the story quickly and we'll circle around, here. There's this kingdom, an event happens, and the king needs heroes. So, he puts out a call for heroes to gather and one of those is this guy Link. He sees this audition, basically, 'Heroes needed; apply here.' And, that's the start of his adventure.
The story calls for this sort of legend/prophecy where heroes will come together to help solve a problem. And in that, they are male characters. So, because the game is set with that as the story background, you cannot choose a gender; you are a male character.
Not a great answer, by any means, and the follow-up response was then given when this was challenged.
Understood. I understand what you're saying, and just as general information, we do have a lot of female staff members who are playing this game and enjoying it. It doesn't seem to be a big issue to them. They still are getting emotional investment in this game. And to be honest, Link isn't the most masculine of guys in the world, depending on how you want to project yourself into the character.
Tri Force Heroes is a tricky one, perhaps. In the series to date Link has been a male, yet with the avatar approach in this non-canon game it would have done no harm to have a female equivalent.
Nintendo has shown improving approaches to inclusion in recent times, so perhaps this one should be filed as a relatively minor missed opportunity.
Let us know what you think. Is this something Nintendo should resolve, or is it a fuss over very little?
[source uk.ign.com]
Comments 102
Once more, a fuss over literally nothing. It's not like there are a buttload of powerful female characters basically everywhere else already or anything, and it's totally not like it makes an actual difference in any significant way if Link were to change genders. Oh, wait, it actually would have a significant effect: it would go against the creative intentions behind the art. Honestly, why are we even talking about something so self-evidently stupid...? Why does every character need to be female when we arguably have more deep and poweful female characters than male ones already anyway? Sheesh.
It's not a big deal, we already get to see Link in a dress for this game lol.
Jeeeez nobody questioned the sex of the playable characters when Four Swords came out…
The Character is Link, Link is a guy. It's a Zelda title where you play as Link. PC gone mad.
@Chrizzel28 Spot on
Too bad they didn't include Zelda as a playable character. But, come on, not every game has to use female playable characters. I totally would love a Shovel Dame game or something like that, but asking for females on every game is just awkward.
@DarthNocturnal There is, but it's not in the game yet.
why doesn't tomb raider have a male playble character ?!!! >
sexism!!!!
/ironie off
I love how all the people that lambasted Ubisoft over Assassins Creed last year will defend Nintendo over this. I agree that not every game needs both options, especially story driven games about a character, but this is one game where it would have made sense. Three copies of the same person? Could have let us use Zelda. It's not like they need to do any extra voice recording or animations.
And yet there's just some tiny feeling that the interviewer is being disingenuous stating their dissapointment so quickly. Maybe it's just me, but the interviewer seemed intent on brushing aside the developer's stated purposes no matter what they would have answered at first.
@Captain_Gonru Yes very true. But it's not like that there are many different characters and they're all male, it's just Link. Fuss over absolutely nothing.
Why is this even an issue? This is getting ridiculous tbh.
@Peach64 "all the people"? They're probably not all the same people talking in each instance. I get that Internet can feel like dissenting opinion is always just the same people over and over
Just mountains out of molehills again. Not a big deal.
"I guess I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't express some slight disappointment with that..."
Yeah, this line kinda rubbed me the wrong way. This "journalist" would actually be doing his job if he wasn't editorializing like this and just conduct a proper interview.
Meh, mountain of a molehill. Beside if there was female playable character(s), most of them would be played by males, like female inkings.
I've lost hope in the gaming industry if people are going to complain about something as stupid as this. Not every game has to have a female playable character
I could of sworn I saw an article somewhere showing triforce heroes place in the time line. Which would make it canon.
Ultimately he dresses as a women in this so an argument could be made this game is more "diverse" by adding transgender characters
@Chrizzel28 When people ask for strong female characters, they typically mean well written. Simply adding characters who are perceived as "strong" isn't (necessarily) what people want. But this isn't people complaining bout inequality, the problem here is that the Zelda series has a great cast of characters, so if you're going to do a multiplayer game, why are we simply playing as three copies of Link? The costume gimmick seems kind of cool, but I would have found it a lot more fun if it were actually different characters you could swap between.
In the larger picture, the Zelda games are always about the descendant of the chosen hero and there's really no reason that one of the descendants couldn't be female. The idea that the hero needs to be male because only males can be heroic is pretty understandably offensive.
I don't like how he responds with "they're all males. So there. Nyah." but I personally don't see the big deal with Link specifically. No there aren't enough female characters in the larger gaming world that aren't just props to satisfy the male gaze, but Link is androgynous. I'm a girl, and I don't imagine Link as "Male Hero." Link is just...Link. Plus, the fact that he can wear dresses in this one makes me wonder why he even bothered to say anything.
I don't know. This is an important issue, but I don't think it would have applied here if he hadn't said "no, no, THEY ARE ALL MALE OKAY." Just let the fans use their imagination. It's just Link. Link (at least Triforce Heroes Link) has about as much of a gender as Kirby or Yoshi.
You're role playing as a male character. Just like how I'm role playing as a female Samus when playing Metroid.
Why every game needs gender option to appease the SJWs of the world is just ridiculous. Go be outraged somewhere else.
And this is an issue...why?
it's just Link. come on. Link is a boy. we know this already.
@SanderEvers Sure, but what I was wondering if it's really that important to their character? Like, when people say "all characters are male!" I don't personally think characters Link, Kirby, or Yoshi are part of the problem. Just my thoughts.
Who cares? Maybe, just may, the people crying for link to be Female are the sexists here. If you are seriously spending too so much time trying to convince people that X character should be female, then you're thinking about it way too much.
@World That's pretty much how I feel about link in this instance. Toon Link, especially on 3DS occupying all of three pixels, isn't your typical male video game character. In fact, the lack of overbearing masculinity here puts this Link in his own underserved category maybe along with female video game characters. Not everyone identifies well with macho male characters in games and there's no shortage of those
@Highwinter But there's also no reason for them to be female. It's something incredibly trivial, so why change it? And to be clear, I actually meant it like that as well. There are arguably more well-written female characters than male ones in gaming, and I see no issue with that. I also wouldn't see an issue if we were living in a world where the opposite would be true. I could name at least 25 strong female characters off the top of my head, but for well-written male characters I actually need to think for a bit.
And your point about there being many characters is kind of a moot one. We already had Hyrule Warriors pretty recently, and it's not like we're missing out on anything like this. If anything, the theme of weird fashion is more interesting to me than having multiple different characters, as this gives it a more unique touch.
When I play Metroid I expect to play as Samus, when I play Bayonetta I expect to play as Bayonetta, when I play Splatoon I can choose (and I chose the girl) and when I play Zelda I expect to play as Link. The game is what it is designed to be. Why these stupid and pointless debates keep appearing is a mystery to me.
I completely disagree with the author, this isn't a valid topic. What is a valid topic is when the lead role is male dominated or when women are poorly represented. To say that Link should have the option to be changed to a female is PC nonsense gone mad. Perhaps I should write to Disney and ask then to have Snow White re-written as a man and the seven dwarfs as lady dwarfs.
I don't care for this. I just want to know where the forth guy went. I miss that bro.
Oh for god sake, can everyone stop the whining over inclusion? Most gamers dont care the gender of the character they're playing. Trying to change the gender of established characters is just stupid - male or female. If you want to complain that you cant play a character other than Link, then fine, but it's a Zelda game, what exactly were you expecting?
"I understand what you're saying, and just as general information, we do have a lot of female staff members who are playing this game and enjoying it. It doesn't seem to be a big issue to them."
So? There are a lot of women who are sexist towards their own gender (this also applies to men).
@manu0 - Hahahahahaha. Oh the grand old excuse of internalised misogyny. It's funny in a sad sort of way.
@DreamOn That's actually a point that a lot of people miss (and I just did until you said it). There aren't that many female characters at the head of successful franchises, but there is only like one type of male character in all the games that do feature males as leads. Picking on Link seems to miss the point.
Of course there needs to be an option to play as a female character! She could look like Arryl (Link's sister) from Zelda The Wind Waker.
Since the prophecy is about a guy, the girls that are trying out are clearly incognito. Plus, the Zelda dress. Not seeing a problem here.
I don't see why there can't be a female Link in one of the generations, though, either. I mean... it seems like the hero is supposed to be a guy by their account? But it's a different person each game. It is also, by their own design, meant to be an avatar. There may be story elements that they'd prefer to lock in so that it would be awkward to make the gender be either or for Link, but if a particular entry were made around a female Link I think that would be fun. Of course, the fan-base would go into an uproar because... not sure why... I guess that different person every game would be ruined because... no I don't know, really.
First World Problems
Oh boy. IGN really dropped the ball on that interview. What's everyone's obsession with making Link a girl? You wnat Link to be a girl you drawn your fan-arts.
I don't personally see this as an issue - as a woman I'll happily play as Link. I'm far more bothered about the kawaii portrayal of women in frilly pastel dresses and babyfied environments and the message that that gives out. To me that is...unhealthy, as despite the cutesy vibe there seems to be an undercurrent of what I can only describe as submissive perversion. Now, I'm not saying that is what it actually is, but it is weird to Western audiences and makes me feel uncomfortable. It's most likely that I just don't understand Japanese culture, but I can only say what I feel and I don't mean it as judgement, just an observation of my own feelings and ignorance.
I think we're pretty lucky to live in a culture where people can consider stuff like this a big deal.
@Chrizzel28
Adding a female player character would have no impact on gameplay or story, so why can't there be an option? Link has practically no characterisation, communication is just gestures and facial expressions, so it would take very little work to add this as an option, and would please the people who want to play as a female character.
@sevex very true. Here's hoping our world grows out of this nonsense too though:)
Just make every character a Hermaphrodite and that solves it. No more boring male or female characters and if you can't relate to their story you are a HORRIBLE PERSON!
Ugh, I'm not angry I'm just disappointed Nintendolife.
I like how you conveniently left out the words from the IGN guy to place a greater burden on the Nintendo guy too. Maybe you should've included the fact that the IGN guy tried to guilt him by claiming he was speaking for all female gamers. Sloppy reporting.
He can cross dress in this game, isn't that enough for SJWs?
Wait this game is non-canon? Wont get it then.
Ugh identity politics, remind me to make sure my ad blocker works on IGN.
Its kind if irrelavent I mean the whole concept of "Link" is that he is an avatar in EVERY game that why you can change the name and no vocals!! he is also iconic for the series also the whole concept started that a Knight saves a princess and when knights were around there werent any female knights. Also because hes an icon it would be like making a female mario.
The day they change Link into a female character is the day I'm done playing Zelda games.
I find it rather depressing/saddening that he actually has to defent the game JUST because there is no female Link option .....
Dev.work required to allow you to choose from 3 add'l female characters: about 2hrs of art, and 1hr of programming. In exchange for letting players have an avatar they might identify with more closely, but don't have to use if they don't want. Nintendo thinks it isn't worth that extra effort.
I can't play a man in Bayonetta 2, uh oh, sexism, bla bla bla... grow up.
Please keep SJWs out of my video gaming plz k thx
I feel that if people expect a female Link, then they should also expect a male Samus and a female Mario.
Hyrule Warriors' roster was about 2/3 female. And I heard complaints about female representation in that game. This is not the sort of demand that can be satisfied.
@Guybrush20X6 It's IGN. I don't really expect much from them.
By all means, actually, that is a great answer if you think about it. It's the story they put together, and you can't change that lol silly. You just gotta roll with it.
Yea, I can only guess that people are bored, and when people get bored, they start looking for the next "big" step toward change or "progression". Only recently have there been remarks, complaints, requests, suggestions and hints about having a female Link. I don't recall it being like that 15 or even 10 years ago. People are bored, I tell ya lol, just like with everything else (any form of media or fashion i.e. music, film...etc.), we gotta push the boundaries further and further every once in a while.
If, one day, the devs happen to give us a female Link due to fan request, I will be sad If we get a female Link that isn't influenced by demand however, then that's fine. I just don't want the devs listening to popular demands and wishes from the internetz. They know what they're doing, trust And besides, these fan wishes should have pretty darn good arguments in the first place in order to pass up as something to be considered, and not just be impulse-based without real thought put to them.
Surprised by this what with the customisation options, but like a few people my main thought after reading this was 'Wait. Triforce Heroes is non-canon?'. I missed that bit of news.
Really guys? Really? (To those asking about this stuff)
I have no problems playing whatever gender/race my character is in my game. It's a game design choice and anyone who's upset about it is starting to lose a grip on what a video game is in the first place.
I don't care either way, but it doesn't seem like a very good excuse to me. The prophecy could easily have called for a male or female hero. It's not like it's a real set-in-stone prophecy; they could make it whatever they wanted.
Why not Maria? A fat bird with a moustache.
I was expecting a lot of arguments here. Thanks for proving me wrong gang.
Sigh, do we really need to do this again?
No...stop it. Have feminists ran out of real life issues to campaign against and now have to feel hurt around fictional characters. This is all so depressing.
@ZenTurtle Exactly. It would have no impact. So why would they change it? It affects literally no one that isn't obsessed with genitals.
Another non-issue. Next please.
@Chrizzel28
It would have an positive impact on the many players who wish to have the choice of playing as a female character. They need to stop making excuses for not being inclusive.
I'd rather have female characters to play as. But you can give him a dress, that's good enough for me.
@Yorumi But why can't people be satisfied without it? You're right in that it's "ok" to do. But then what? Link is a character anyone can project him or herself onto already, regardless of gender. How much enjoyment would longer hair and slightly different voice clips actually give that wouldn't be there normally? The happiness spread by doing so is absolutely minimal, to the point where changing it up is not worth the effort. When it doesn't change anything, there's no reason to change it. There is no urgency, no missed revenue, absolutely nothing calling for change.
And yet if they did make a female character, everyone would complain about that too because Link has always been male. Just saying.
Having at least one of the 3 Links be female would undoubtably be hilarious if Link talked and had enough character to make that situation amusing, and Nintendo would have to have the Pokeballs to make that awkward situation hilarious, which they don't. Since he doesn't the gender of the Links is highly irrelevant. Having at least one of the Links be female and acting like she was just another guy Link would be stupid. As such a complaint on lack of females just sounds like SJW baloney.
My reaction to Triforce Heroes with female characters would be the same as my reaction to Triforce Heroes with male characters: Oooh, there's some interesting gameplay elements there, I wonder if there's any single player- ooh, there is. One to pick up them!
I don't look for characters that represent me or that I can 'identify with', I look for fun games to play, and Triforce Heroes looks like a fun game to play.
We already get to see Link in a dress. What more do you guys want?
Not another one of these discussions...
Sigh, world, give it a rest.
Feminists need to GTFO my gaming community.
@Yorumi I mean, if the characters of the game were three Zeldas and you could dress them up in different ways I would be just as ok with that. Which either way, it's an interesting artistic expression of the developers that (as long as the game is mechanically good and doesn't have anything too offensive) I'd enjoy experiencing.
I understand your point, but the whole reason I got into video games is to experience worlds that I couldn't experience otherwise; if we need to cater to everyone when making a game with customize-able characters, I'd rather never see customization again. Because let's be real, people will never stop asking for more catering, at least I don't see it ever stopping. Honestly, I'm still disappointed that Xenoblade Chronicles X has an avatar player; I feel it will be a much less immersive experience because of it.
I don't believe in "make this original character into another thing to meet an agenda, politic, etc." A character was created the way they were... if there's such a need for another character similar to it, then create a whole new character. Just because someone wants Superman AND Superwoman doesn't mean it's a "good idea". Today's world-- Just leave it alone.
I know this is really hard for Tumblr to understand, but you don't need to have every game be all-inclusive. Just because you self-identify as a F-22 Raptor gender-fluid otherkin doesn't mean that every game should include jetfighter skins.
Besides, the last time we had a woman protagonist in a Zelda game, we got Zelda's Adventures for the CD-I, and that should never be celebrated.
Well, there's Link in Zelda dress here... that's pretty awesome, though feels weird at first.
@Yorumi Alright, I'll wait till Xenoblade actually comes out, but so far I haven't heard the avatar talk once.
And it probably is bs, because he seems as upset as an old krabby patty. He wants to make fun games, not make socially perfect games; because that's impossible.
No one complained about Four Swords. Why is this being brought up with this game?
Some people have too much time on their hands to worry about this just enjoy the game. Or get Hyrule Warriors with a female characters
@Yorumi Ok yeah I get it now. It's just that several others and I are sick of this kind of stuff at this point, even if it's legitimate. Nintendolife has been a bit irritable lately, but what do I know anyway? I can't tell anymore.
One word: Pom-poms. Whenever I see that little icon in these screenshots, I melt a little. If you can't get behind that icon, then maybe a Kratos mod is more your speed.
@World Exactly.
Btw, happy Canada day!
So I wasn't imagining things when I thought a couple of Link's outfits looked rather girly?
@DreamOn Same to you!
Again with this? Geez. I've never heard similar complaints when a game's only playable character is female.
If LoZ were a game where you designed the main character as your personal avatar the option to choose a gender would be an issue, but it isn't. If that's what you want there are plenty of customizable RPGs out there. LoZ is not that type of game.
@CamWFC91 Heh. I said that when AC:Unity used the exact same concept. At least they're not hypocrites anymore...ok I'm sure they still are actually but yeah.
@Yorumi: Aonuma is a spreader of lies. He claimed Link's name meant that he was the players Link to the game world, but Shigeru Miyamoto stated in an interview that they chose the name because him being a Link between past and future. The original concept was to have the player travel between medieval and futuristic settings. He(Aounuma) shouldn't have been so daft, trying to make people feel special, because now that's what they expect.
Source:http://www.gamekult.com/actu/miyamoto-la-wii-u-et-le-secret-de-la-triforce-A105550.html
It's in Spanish so you can't understand it, but I can confirm that that's probably what he(Miyamoto) said.
Actually I think that's French...lawl.
@not-just-yeti I agree with them.
@Highwinter: "When people ask for strong female characters, they typically mean well written." No they don't. You give your people too much credit son. Example: When Shinji Mikami said he likes strong female characters he bashed Rebecca for not being independent. Ur-Example: Some feminist made an article advocating for weak female characters because when people say strong they literally mean strong. More Example: In his review of Avengers Age of Ultron BlackNerd got upset because Black Widow was kidnapped and she's, in his words, "a strong female character". They literally mean strong. If you don't think that's what they typically mean you're wrong, but you're allowed to be wrong.
@DreamOn: "In fact, the lack of overbearing masculinity here puts this Link in his own underserved category maybe along with female video game characters." Nah, I don't think he qualifies as a hideyoshi at all even if he can pull off a dress...oh that's not what you meant is it? Carry on.
For an androgynous character, what would female Link look like? Larger breasts? Longer hair? Yet a big part of the current social movement is that women should not be defined into such stereotypes...all kinds of body shapes, hairstyles, etc. To make a female Link would be to take an already androgynous character and include stereotypical female imagery.
Is it not the agenda of the feminist movement to merge the gap between male and female, to take away the tags of masculine and feminine? By advocating the distinction of a female Link, it gives the impression that it IS separation they want, not cohesion.
@MasterWario
I agree completely, maybe I didn't notice before, but recently NLife articles have been sporting a certain bias. Although they are not required to, I wish they would keep political views separate from video games.
Heroes, video game characters and protagonists do not need to be female. They also do not need to be male. The story and the series call for a male character so let it be. The absence of a female playable character is nothing bad. No one has ever asked for a male Tomb Raider character. Inclusiveness is good as it does not exclude certain profiles of characters simply for their identity but shoehorning female/none white/ non straight characters for the hell of it is determinable and counterproductive. Link is and always has been a male character. If Nintendo decides the story calls for a female heroine then so be it but complaining about the absence of females is ridiculous.
All in all, gender should not dictate who you are and what you are capable of. Video Games taught me this many years ago, first spurred off by Samus Aran and Lara Croft. As a an adult, though, if I get a choice in the matter, I tend to pick/create female characters as they are more pleasant to look at, and lets face it - if your going to be staring at a characters butt for the better part of 40 hours, might as well be a cute butt.
In a way, it's even more inclusive and forward-thinking than anyone seems to realise. You can literally cross-dress, letting Link wear dresses or girly catsuits freely whilst adventuring. It's not even made into a joke, like in Final Fantasy VII. He can just do it.
I get the feeling that if there were a gender option, certain clothing items would be limited to whichever gender. Anyone else seeing the potential this has for helping gender-neutral kids deal with related identity issues?
Dude I am getting SOOO sick of this stupid conversation. I see that quite a few people have already mentioned playing Metroid and Tomb Raider without having self adequacy problems. The Legend of Zelda is a game about a particular LEGEND that states XYZ. XYZ = there is this dude named Link, HE is the hero of time, yada yada yada. The series is established and it's about a dude, just like Metroid is about Samus Aran. A particularly awesome "strong female lead" which I couldn't give a rats crap about but it's a fun game with a fun protagonist and I'm competent enough to enjoy an experience without having to have a gender bending avatar. I can enjoy a good book without having a "___________" section to describe what gender is leading the way.
Non-issue. This is a Legend of Zelda game. You play as Link. Link has always been male. You are creating an issue where one should not exist.
You don't play as Link in Zelda games. You play as whoever you want that character to be except it can't be a girl. Story wise there is no reason why this character can't be another gender.
@Genesaur "gender neutral kids" sigh Oh my gosh...
Also Nintendolife is just on the easy clickbait bandwagon. They're not so daft as to think their readers support these. They're expecting the 90% detractors to click. They're right too I've clicked this like a dozen times. It's a fun article.
@Fee Do you... not think those exist, or something?
Link is a guy. Its like asking Mario to be a girl. Stupid and annoying.
@Genesaur My name is Fee. If I don't think it exists it's more than just a fairy-tale. I dismiss you at every stretch of the imagination.
I think the author has a fair point. If there was a game to include a female link, it is one with customization of avatars. In counter, maybe the creators felt that the gender of link is crucial to his identity, and as such find it odd to have a female version. Also, do the Japanese care as much about gender identity as we do? They have had cross dressing characters well before the US has; maybe they find it irritating that we care at all.
@Fee lolwut
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