Women and games have been a tricky subject to talk about, partly because of the way some female characters are displayed in games and partly because everyone has it in their head what makes a good character. But what do you do when a character gets a somewhat canon gender-swap?
Enter Linkle: Link's little sister who was announced as a new character in the 3DS port the Legend of Zelda game "Hyrule Warriors" during the Nov. 12 Nintendo Direct. This will be the first time we see one of Link's sisters in the forefront of a Zelda game, with Aryll being a secondary character in The Wind Waker series. Now, there are people who have a problem with Linkle's character. People are saying that while she's okay, she's not good enough for our female representation, but I disagree.
Among many of the arguments towards Linkle's character, the one that stands out the most is that some fans want Link to be a character that could be any gender for players playing the game. If the Legend of Zelda series was a brand new title to the Nintendo label and someone told me about Link and Linkle, then I would be saying "Yeah. Make them be gendered opposite avatars and make them both playable." But that's not the case here, as Link is a pre-established character, and to suggest that he should become a stand-in avatar for the player is a horrible idea. While you may be able to say that there is a different Link in every game, the point of the matter is that it is still Link and there are traits about his character that don't change through each incarnation of himself. If he just became a avatar for the player to insert him or herself into, he would lose what little personality he has.
There is also the issue that gender-swapping the characters does not make them automatically good. I am actually very happy that Linkle's a character of her own. She adds to the lore of the game. We get to see how a character can handle themselves if they aren't the chosen one. I'm actually really excited to see how they are going to remove her brother from the situation (if he is removed) to make her the focus of her campaign, and based on the dual crossbows as her weapons, I suspect the gameplay is going to be interesting.
The fact is: we don't know enough about the character to fully make a judgment about her. However, I do think that if you want her to be the introduction into a "strong female character" for the Zelda series, then don't.
Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely excited for her... but let's face it: the Zelda series has had problems with their female characters before her creation. For example, Zelda is famous for her damsel title, but the females portrayed in the game will not suddenly become better if it is now a girl saving a girl. Instead, argue for more games in which Zelda gets to use that wisdom she is known for to get herself out of situations. But don't put all of your hopes or critiques onto one character who we barely know anything about. Instead, let's wait until the game gets released--only then can anyone really make a fair judgement of her character.
