Summary
The producer ofThe Legend of Zelda, Eiji Aonuma, has stated that the titular princess of the franchise may become a playable character in a mainline game in the future. Despite the importance of the character varying from game to game, Princess Zelda has rarely been a character that has been playable. Link has firmly been both the hero and main playable character of the franchise, though there have been some times when she’s been an equal partner to him in the story.Tears of the Kingdom’s incarnation of Zeldais no exception, once again being a non-playable character.
There were theories floating around before the release ofTears of the Kingdom, especially around Zelda’s role in the story. There were sometheories that Zelda was going to become playable inTears of the Kingdom, but those ultimately turned out to be untrue. Despite that, Zelda has her own intricate story arc completely separate from Link that plays into the overall narrative. When Aonuma was asked about whether another incarnation of Zelda can become a playable character, Aonuma admitted that maybe it could happen in the future.
In aninterview with IGNthat took place before The Game Awards 2023, Aonuma was asked about Zelda’s role inTears of the Kingdomand its potential to grow further from there. Aonuma commented on how despite the name of the series beingThe Legend of Zelda, it always had Link as the main character. He admitted that there’s room to expand on her and make Zelda playable. “I think there’s always room for thinking about this type of thing and Zelda’s role. And there may be some sort of possibility for something like that in the future,” Aonuma said.
This shouldn’t be taken as a definitive answer, however, as after the translator conveyed Aonuma’s answer, he quickly interjected by saying “Maybe. Maybe, maybe,” in English.Playable incarnations of Princess Zeldahave existed before, though they have been in spin-offs likeHyrule Warriors,Super Smash Bros., andCadence of Hyrule, all of which are non-canon. The closest players have gotten to a playable Zelda in a mainline game would be inSpirit Tracks, with players being able to control Zelda’s spirit and have her possess Phantoms in order to have her assist Link in sealing the Great Demon King Malladus.
I think there’s always room for thinking about this type of thing and Zelda’s role. And there may be some sort of possibility for something like that in the future.
Other questions that cropped up in this interview include the role that Zelda played in the endgame, along with the nature ofZelda and Link’s relationship inTears of the Kingdom, with Aonuma being asked if there’s anything romantic in nature as well. Aonuma remains neutral about the subject, stating that whether or not Zelda and Link have something going on is up to the player.
