October 24, 2008.

JASC Paint Shop Pro 7.

While lurking around NeoGAF, of course I happen onto a thread that's talking about what the next Zelda will be like. Some people wanted more Prince of Persia-like, some wanted more of Wind Waker's cartoony style, and some wanted darker.

That made me decide to doodle Link in kind of Wind Waker style, but older. I didn't make the legs Wind Waker proportions on my first attempts (hard to switch gears like that!). So there's normal Link looking clueless. Then there's:
- Undine Link: hat changes currents, gloves and boots swim fast, tunic lets him breathe under water, and net lets him gather enemies/items. If he puts all pieces together, he can breathe ice.
- Salamander Link: hat whips fire circles, gloves and boots dig, tunic lets him tolerate heat damage, and fire crackers are like cluster bombs. If he puts all pieces together, he can breathe fire.

In this game, you might need to mix and match, like wear the salamander tunic and undine gloves and boots to swim through lava. Clever, huh? Also, you need to be regular Link to actually wield the Master Sword, so it's all a trade off! XD

Then I used Wind Waker Ganon as a reference for how "badass adult Link" might look, so the legs there are more correct. I thought about a long, flowing cape, but I figured that was way too fancy and fanservicy for our humble Link, so he just gets a long jacket thing.

Then someone in the thread suggested steampunk style. I didn't know what that meant though, so here's what I think is "steampunk Link" with "steampunk Zelda". That game's about.. clocks. XD

Okay, enough fanart!