The Legend of Celda:  The Cartoon Debate

            No, I didn’t misspell Zelda; 'Celda' is the new take on the action-RPG we’ve come to love over the ages.  I’m sure you all remember the beautiful CG-like graphics of the GCN demo unveiled at Spaceworld 2000.  It seemed as if Shigeru Miyamoto was preparing to take his cherished series into realism unparalleled but for PS2 fighters.

            Jaws dropped when Miyamoto-san revealed Zelda at Spaceworld 2001.  Not out of beauty, but of shock and in some cases, anger.  Gone was the realistic, humanlike aspects of the duel between Ganondorf and an adult Link.  Now, the minute-long video revealed a shrunken, cartoonish child hero pulling off stunts on unsuspecting Moblins that you would normally see in a Wiley E. Coyote/RoadRunner cartoon.  Even though the game is still a while off--Christmas 2002 is most likely for release stateside, and the game is still in its planning stages--people are now either complaining or defending the cel-shaded makeover given to the Hyrulian hero Link.

            Personally, I can see exactly what the masses are complaining about.  How dare Shigeru Miyamoto put out such a childish spin on a serious, much loved video game series?!  Here is what I have to say to all of you:  Relax.  Let Miyamoto-san do what he wants.  This is his brainchild, his game. 

            This same controversy was felt in RPG rings everywhere when Honorubu Sakaguchi decided to give his own RPG series a shove into more futuristic settings, with humanlike characters to accompany the fantasical ones.  People doubted him then, but when Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII were eventually released, they were immediately embraced by the masses.  In fact, FFVII is so well loved still, that the fans then began doubting Sakaguchi-san when he wanted to return to the fantasy roots of his franchise with the release of Final Fantasy IX.  Suffice to say though, those three games are still some of the most beloved in the series to date, and now with the upcoming release of the tenth chapter, it returns to a futuristic setting.

            So, what the hell does Final Fantasy have to do with The Legend of Zelda, you ask?  Everything.  People right now are doubting Miyamoto-san’s venture into the cel-shaded unknown, but I still have faith in him.  He has yet to mess up the series, and I don’t think that will ever happen.  If anything, this latest chapter in the series could end up being the most loved, and when he eventually does release the more realistic game, people will doubt that.  Besides, from the looks of the small video released during Spaceworld, it doesn't look like the storyline is changing any, and that is what really counts. A game can have graphics that are absolute shiznit, but a terrific storyline.  Zelda has lived through that before (thoughts of the Adventures of Link controversy come to mind), and will still prevail in 2002, whether this next chapter in the series is cel-shaded, realistic, or Paper Mariolike. 

            Let Shigeru Miyamoto work his magic on the Zelda series.  He is simply changing the look, and you never know, this could be Nintendo’s Final Fantasy:  this could be the revival of the series, and bring to it more fans to appreciate the Hyrulian legend.