#dierlich design

     Link - (The clothing depicted are of his starting villager clothes) Link is a young man who grew up in New Kakariko on Sheikah Island. With his father being Hylian and mother being Sheikah, he inherits the best of both, able to use Sheikah magic and weaponry, as well as learn combat from a former Hylian knight. Although competent and skilled with the sword, Link is a lazy young man and is content with spending time with his friends and family on the island, never bothering to care what lies on the other side of the ocean, on the Hyrule mainland. He gets a rude awakening when evil befalls his peaceful island, and the mark of the triforce manifests itself within him, forcing him to leave his island to search for a way to destroy the evil and learn about the power thrust upon him.

     Impa - (The clothing depicted is her main traveling clothes, worn when you first meet her) Impa is the same age as Link, but instead of Sheikah Island, Impa was born and raised in Old Kakariko, on the mainland. Growing up in a warrior culture based around combat, she is a excellent fighter, using any manner of weapons at her disposal. Mainland Sheikah value tradition and prefer to hide in the shadows, covering their faces from birth, and bring shame on those who remove their face covers. Impa is daughter of the village chief, but this did not help her when her mask was removed by an enemy during combat. Following with their traditions, Impa was banished from her tribe to find her own way, without their help. She since hops from tavern to tavern, becoming well traveled and acquainted with the common folk throughout the kingdom. She is now a mercenery, selling her skills to the highest bidder.

     Zelda - Zelda is a bright young woman from the Royal Family. Being second in line to the throne, behind her brother, Zelda never had to worry about the responsibilities of leadership. Instead, she spends her time researching ancient ruins and the various plant and animal life around Hyrule. Often found wandering the wilds on her own, her obsession with her work has blinded her to the poor state of her kingdom and its residents. Too far detached from things to see the unusual corruption of her older brother, she is barely seen or heard from by anyone. Quirky and a bit eccentric, Zelda has no verbal filter, and will ask or say anything that comes to mind, regardless of how awkward it makes others feel. Despite this, she is still incredibly smart and knowledgeable about the things she researches. When the triforce manifests within her, she initially sees an opportunity to study, not realizing its bigger implications, and the kinds of danger it will lead her towards.

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     I’ve been working on an alternate Zelda game concept and I decided to post the character concept art for three characters. Link, Impa, and Zelda. These characters are based on a previous idea I had and posted previously. I wanted to explore the concept is changing how we look at these characters. Link has a new origin as well as look. I don't think we've ever seen a Link with black hair. Impa was fun to make, as we've never really seen a younger Impa, who has a lot to learn and maturing to do. Zelda is usually the one with the plan, and I think it would be interesting to see a more care free Zelda, since she has no leadership responsibilities. It gives her and Impa room to grow into the characters we know them as today.

I also wanted to explore how switchable companions could work in a Zelda game, similar to FF7 remake. Impa would be the one you chose for combat scenarios when you're going into a dungeon ro fighting large groups of enemies. If you were exploring the lore of Hyrule, and searching through ancient ruins, Zelda is your team mate. Each have combat abilities, but Impa leans more towards that side of things, while Zelda uses her magic for healing and defense.