Evolution of Link

Recently I started playing the Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask and started thinking about how the game has evolved throughout the years and how Link in particular has become more human and lifelike with every different iteration. If you start looking at the series from his first appearance as an 8-bit character you can see his face and legs but that is about it. As he grew into the N64 and graphics got better he started to take full form. In the Ocarina of Time and Majoras Mask you really get a sense of who Link is and what he is all about.

This shows Link as he was during the N64 days. You can see that he is very blocky and not entirely fleshed out. As the console generation changed nintendo went into another direction and made him more cartoony which did not fully suit Link, but worked for the game. But as Nintendo was moving from Gamecube to Wii they released a Zelda game that really showed Link to his full potential. The game showed Link as a full person and brought him to life showing his hair and a very detailed look at what Link should look like.

As the games keep evolving and graphics continue to improve Link will continue to look more and more human. We can only assume that a few years down the road and Link will look just like he is there in the room with us as a normal human being.