On February 21, 1986, a young man in a green hat and tunic set out to liberate his country from an evil despot, claim powerful tools and restore the rightful ruler to her place upon the throne. He knew it was dangerous to go alone… but he wasn’t alone. He had us, on the other side of the screen, rooting for him as he fought an unfathomable number of foes, faced dangers, met friends and solved puzzles. 35 years later, many of us are still here, on the other side of the screen, doing our best to help other incarnations of that original hero in their own plights and adventures.
It is difficult for me to adequately explain how important the Legend of Zelda and its subsequent sequels have been in my life. I am quite literally the person I am today because I was inspired by the silent hero in green, Link, and sought to be him in as many ways as possible. I trained with him, learned what courage was by watching him plunge head-first into danger, and dedicated my own life to the destruction of evil and the return of balance to the forces of the world. Link taught me out to solve puzzles and riddles, and how to tell stories in actions rather than words. I was Link for Halloween, and even now, decades later, I am the hero of Hyrule in my own heart, in my own way.
I have spent thousands of hours playing various Legend of Zelda games. I have laughed out loud at jokes and hijinks, and cried actual tears over the difficulties faced by its cast. I have played every game in the series at least twice, and purchased several chapters in multiple formats. I stayed up until 3:00 in the morning every night for a month, playing Breath of the Wild. And I am legitimately planning on taking a week’s vacation when the sequel is (finally) released.
I can’t say I played the Legend of Zelda on the day it was released, or even the year. I actually don’t quite remember when I first played it, aside from being in the late 80’s. But my life was forever changed, and its course forever altered. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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It’s Dangerous to Go Alone
A boy in green, no sword held in his hand,
With little but a shield to call his own.
He heard it’s dangerous to go alone,
But still he left to liberate the land.
What bravery resided in his heart?
With silence did he set about to free
A kingdom crushed. No simple boy was he;
With courage was this hero set apart.
Dark dungeons and deep caves he did explore,
Collecting treasures, keys and weapons too,
Until the evil threat he could subdue.
He found his inner strength… and something more.
The boy now knew the hero always dwelled inside.
As do we also, those who let him be our guide.
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Written while listening to Hammock’s Everything and Nothing (2016).
The Artist and the Engineer 