16bit.com Figure of the Day Review: Nintendo The Legend of Zelda Link Amiibo

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Nintendo The Legend of Zelda Link Amiibo Nintendo, 2016

Day #1,605: December 28, 2016

The Legend of Zelda Link 8-Bit Classic Flavor Super Mario Maker Amiibo Wave 3 Amiibo Item No.: No. NVL C AKAF USZ Manufacturer: Nintendo Includes: n/a Action Feature: Works with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Hyrule Warriors, Twilight Princess HD, Super Smash Bros. Wii U Retail: $13.99 Availability: December 2, 2016 Other: Are the red and pink recolors as exclusives far behind?
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It's rare - very rare - that Nintendo releases a wave of Amiibo that aren't tied in to a specific game. But here we are! This 8-Bit The Legend of Zelda Link can be used with a number of games, but was not created for any one specific game that we know of. The various Link Amiibo figures seem to serve a similar purpose across numerous games, yet for Zelda's 30th Anniversary we were gifted 3 packages - one with 2 figures - and for all we know they'll have specific powers in upcoming software. But for now, we don't know, so we'll wait and see what all happens there. I can say it's a neat figure and a distinctive take on the design, a departure from Jakks Pacific's take on 8-Bit Link [FOTD #1,320] about a year ago. They're both clearly cut from the same cloth, but Nintendo took a little more care to bringing Link to the third dimension - taking a few liberties in the conversion process.

Complete with his golden base, Link stands about 3-inches tall and has no articulation. And, for some reason, has clear plastic under his body that causes him to basically float above the stand.

What I find really striking is how Nintendo managed to design this three-dimensional figure to take two two-dimensional sprites and merge them into a plausible rendering of the character. The distinctive long nose sticks out a bit between the eyes, but oddly it actually works. The arms are similar to how they are in the game, but the one holding the shield - and the shield itself. Most of the pixels are where they should be, with few liberties taken to really flesh out this voxel-ish figure. It's worth noting the color doesn't quite match the bulk of the game or the aforementioned Jakks Pacific figure, giving us a slightly less tan Link with a darker green outfit. It's a different take on the character than you usually see in-game, either that or it's something we're going to see in a game that we don't know about just yet.

Nintendo took some liberties with the back of the figure, adding a new take on the White Sword - if you've played the game, you remember that the White Sword icon goes straight up and down, while the Magical Sword appears at an angle. Here, it's the Magical Sword-style angle with the White Sword colors. The design is a bit closer to the Minecraft Swords the kids have these days, but you get the idea - it's a new take on the old design. It's a nice update, and adds something that would have looked good on the original game sprite 30 years ago.

If you want a cheap flat Link in this style for your desk or to make into a magnet, Jakks' design is perfect - $4 and gorgeous. If you want something to interact with your 3DS or Wii U software, this is the way to go - sure, it costs more. Yes, it takes a few liberties with the design. But I greatly appreciate Nintendo doing something for those who have been here since the beginning, and I'm eager to buy the Metroid Amiibo in this style we'll never see.

I assume this piece will serve more as a statue than as a toy or as a thing you even use with your games, unless Nintendo comes up with some new interactive functionality or a new 8-bit style game in the series. I can dream! Until then, I'm going to dig this one, and put it near my 8-bit Mario Amiibo. I wish it were a smidgen cheaper, because it really isn't all that fancy - mostly or entirely molded in color with minimal painted decoration - but there it is. It's neat enough that I ran out and bought it the first day of release, and I assume anyone who also wanted and can't seem to get a Classic NES right now would also put one of these on their wish list. The same day this toy was released, we were also gifted an Ocarina of Time adult Link and The Wind Walker 2-pack of Link and Zelda. Good hunting!

--Adam Pawlus

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