The Legend of Zelda: A Spiritual Sequel to “Link’s Awakening”

Story

• A spiritual sequel to Link’s Awakening, this game takes place two generations after Wind Waker, and follows the adventures of Link’s grandson as he tries to find his missing father. He tracks him in an alternate timeline version of the dream world from Link’s Awakening (on a canonically separate timeline, entirety), but instead of a singular island it is a fractured and segmented island chain, infested with pirates, whalers, wizards, and other crew members that make up the primary antagonists. The nightmare entity/energy from the original game makes a reappearance, but instead of being trapped in the giant egg (now shattered) it spreads across the islands like a dark light, infecting and manipulating all it touches. This includes merging and mutating the pirate crew into the beasts and monsters from the island and their various biomes. The egg was shattered due to the pirate-attack, which caused the breaking of the island and the psychic call for help that trapped Kiln’s father. When only his father’s boat returns to the newly founded kingdom of New Hyrule, Kiln takes the only remaining heirloom from his grandfather that wasn’t in his father’s possession: the mirror shield, and uses the boat to rescue his father and recover the other heirlooms of the kingdom. 

• The boat is able to take him back to where his father was, but he is swept up in a storm that takes him to the island chain. Kiln will have to make his way from island to island, finding clues, tracking steps, and battling the amalgamated enemies of the Dark Water Whaler’s crew. He will also have to use light as a weapon, amongst various other tools at his disposal. The nightmare energy is spilling out all over the chain, and has affected every single being in it that the darkness touches. Kiln will have to hide in the light (which is blinding to the enemies’ dark eyes), and find ways to conquer his foes without the famous master sword, which was lost along with his father. 

• Eventually, Kiln will discover that the “Seer” or dark wizard on the pirate crew is actually an older Dark Link - one that was never seen in Wind Waker and was buried at the bottom of the sea - found by the captain of the Dark Water Whalers a generation ago. This Dark Link will be the final antagonist, who is trying to gather the various triforce pieces by using the nightmare world of the Wind Fish to gather them in one location. 

• When Kiln defeats Dark Link, he is finally able to save his father and take him back to New Hyrule. While there, his father becomes the new King, having watched the triforce of courage pass to Kiln during the events of the story. 

• However, Kiln is left with one final adventure as the epilogue to the story, where he will set out to discover what to do with the triforce of strength, as well as the dark master sword that was left behind by Dark Link after his defeat.

Gameplay Mechanics

• Physical combat will incorporate some of the stagger and deflection aesthetics from games like Sekiro, where the player’s objective is to wear down their attacker through defensive methods like parry, block, and dodge. 

• The player (Kiln) has no master sword, so they will have to use defensive maneuvers and pushing/charging attacks to physically interact against their enemies. They will also have to use their mirror shield to not only defend against attacks, but also to guard from the dark. Light from various sources will also have to be used to cut through the spreading nightmare shadow, weaken enemies, and reveal secrets hidden from the darkness pouring out of the shattered egg on top of the mountain. 

• The player will also have an umbrella to protect from the various weather patterns that sweep through the island chain that vary from monsoons, typhoons, blizzards, heat waves, toxic rain, and sandstorms. Additionally, they will have a lantern and lightsource that can affix itself to targeted locations so Kiln can use it to reflect light against his enemies or targets. 

• Kiln will also need to travel from island to island, almost entirely by boat. Even though it’s a top-down action RPG, there will be physics involved with wave navigation, storm impacts, wind/water current paths, and the ever-present threat of attack from an aquatic enemy. Boat battles will have to be fought using the ship’s ram at the head of the ship, or through regular tactics on specific locations where Kiln is able to stand on solid ground. 

• Kiln will also need to camp and care for the items in his possession. His boat, lantern, map, and umbrella are all sentient (much like the King of Red Lions from Wind Waker) and will all have needs that will require the player’s attention. The lantern will need the player to replenish its light supply. The boat will need repairs of various types depending on what it has fought or traversed. The umbrella will need protective care depending on the elements it is encountering. The map will need exposure to views and weather patterns to read them and display them on its surface for Kiln to inspect. The map will have strings attached to it so it can be lowered into the water like a net, or thrown into the air like a kite to get these readings.

World and Setting

• The entirety of the playable story takes place on the broken island chain of Koholnit. Players familiar with Link’s Awakening will remember the separate biomes scattered over the singular landmass. Here, they have been fractured and drifted apart, with the central island holding the shattered giant egg on top of Mt. Tamaranch. From this shattered shell pours the very essence of the Nightmares, and is spread through the storms that encircle the Wind Fish’s dreamworld. 

• The once friendly setting of Mabe Village is now the central hub for the Dark Water Whalers and their captain. Other locations will be populated by different enemies, each section with a boss that is a combination of the pirate crew and a previous enemy from Link’s Awakening. 

• Because of the Dark Water Whalers’ attack on the Wind Fish, it disrupted its psyche and created horrible tempests and weather conditions in the dreamworld of the whale. These weather patterns are seemingly random across the islands and their biomes, but they can be measured and predicted through various vantage points and using the sentient map in Kiln’s possession. Not only can they be avoided, but they can also be harnessed to travel, attack, and explore. 

• While the original Koholnit Island had many different biomes, the varying weather patterns and unpredictable conditions have created new ones such as snowy peaks, lonely fields, larger cave systems, and deeper ocean depths.

Characters

Kiln - The main character. The grandson of Link from Wind Waker, and the son of Nikl the Uncrowned. Kiln is more of an adventurer than a fighter, and takes great interest in navigation and cartography. His father, who is much more of a swordfighter and warrior, tried to instill some of this interest in combat to his son, but Kiln finds it unnecessary. This is part of the reason why he will only take the Mirror Shield to help him on his journey, and why he will shirk the use of stealing any weapons from the Whalers. Although he doesn’t have many interests (that he knows of yet) with his father, he loves him dearly, and understands the need for him to return to New Hyrule, especially as his grandfather’s health is failing.

Link - The hero from Wind Waker, who went on to found New Hyrule with Tetra (Zelda) after their adventures with the Phantom Hourglass. They had a son, Nikl, who went missing on a mission to find others to join New Hyrule. He is a kind king and very wise, but his body is failing him and he struggles with something he cannot define. There is a hole in his heart, and he doesn’t understand what it is, or how to fix it. Even after finding so many survivors and other communities in the endless ocean, there is something that sits unresolved in his soul.

Nikl - Link’s son and father of Kiln. He was known as a great fighter and leader, but emotionally was a bit distant. His love of adventure made him distant to his wife and son, but not intentionally. Many of his duties revolved around finding other communities and people who could benefit from a home like New Hyrule’s. However, he failed to return from his latest venture, and had the Master Sword, Hyrule Shield, and other items from his father that Kiln will not be able to use.

Navigator Hugi - Although not the first mate of the crew, Hugi is the advisor, right hand, and occasional manipulator of Hagbard. The Navigator role is not only related to cartography and wayfinding, but it is rooted deep in the mystic arts. Due to the storms and waters of their native area, many guiding instruments don’t function. Therefore, powerful magics and abilities were developed to see beyond what the eyes can show. Hugi is the one that puts the pirates on the path of the Wind Fish, and even feeds Hagbards needs for a homeland. He is also the one that discovered the secrets of Hyrule’s history, and the power that laid within Ganon and his Seal of Power. Hugi wants more than just a land to call his own, and knows that whatever land the Wind Fish makes is just a powerful illusion. He seeks the Seal of Power, and perhaps the entire Tri-force as a result. Hugi’s abilities also let him see into other timelines, where he first learned of Koholint, and that he knew the Wind Fish would end up summoning a hero bound to the Tri-force to assist him. As a result, he will become the primary antagonist after the mid-way point.

Pelli, the Lookout - This is the flamboyantly dressed lookout who spent most of his time in the crow’s nest looking for any visual cues that Hugi predicted or described. He often felt overshadowed by Hugi, and also trapped in his role. He felt stuck in the nest, and yearned to be free of it. When they arrived on the island, he was sent to the Eagle’s Tower to see what he could spot, and ended up being combined with the Grim Kreeper. It only caused his malice to grow, and instead of controlling the great eagle that lived there to fight for him, he freed it in its new monstrous form - corrupted by Pelli’s own thoughts.  Now, he uses the Fire Keese and infuses himself with their own dark flames having turned Eagle’s Tower into a derelict home for the swarm of Keese. He doesn’t want this nightmare to end, and will try to stop Link from freeing the Wind Fish. This also creates another roaming boss for Link to beware of, with the Dark Eagle now roaming the skies and searching for prey that uses the winds to travel.

Gerda, the Surgeon - Gerda was the person responsible for treating the ailments of wounds of those on board. When they arrived on the islands, she went in search of botanicals to be used in potions and tinctures. A formidable and cunning fighter in her own right, she ended up tasseling with the Giant Goponga Flower and combining with it. She has absorbed some of the local villagers and uses them as buds in her root system to alert her of danger. She has created an entire community of her home-grown lookouts, and feels this is the best way to look after her fields. Although the flower originally shot fire, she has knowledge of many plants and ways to modify them during growth. As a result, she is able to have her flowers produce many types of harmful materials that she uses to her advantage. She has also been corrupted by the Nightmare, and does not wish for this to end.

First Mate Njord - Njord is the main hunter for the Whalers, and fights with a large harpoon. He fought and entered into a stalemate with the Angler Fish, and was transformed through the Nightmare Shadow into a combined version of beast and man. This monstrosity will occupy the waters that surround the islands, instead of one defined location.