For Legend of Zelda: Shifting Sands (a fan made project) I wanted to reimagine the iconic legend of Zelda Characters in a ‘Old West’ aesthetic. The story I came up with was cattle rancher Link begins to receive visions from a mysterious woman asking for help, her father had been kidnapped. Link attempts to free him from a stage coach and comes face to face with the warlord The Boar aka Ganondorf. This would start him on his journey to save Hyalla and protect their home from Ganondorf.
Link’s inspiration in this project came from a mix of classic western outlaw justice archetypes, characters rooted in the love for their home/ protection of their families from higher powers and making sure to take inspiration from real happenings of the American West. I wanted Link to be portrayed as a person of color and a native of the land Ganondorf wants to conquer and control.
The inspiration for Ganondorf was to create a version of the character that was still in his human form pre-becoming the demon king we know and love. In this incarnation he is a ruthless, intimidating, greedy and powerful oil baron and warlord, looking to set up mining operations in Hyalla. He would come equipped with new weaponry and an interest in the dark arts. The Boar would be his alias before eventually becoming the literally demon people fear him to be.
This concept would take classic Zelda staples and reimagine them in this new setting. Like the hook shot being a grappling hook link can attack to his lasso. This game would have a heavier focus on ranged combat and trap setting utilizing Links bow, Lasso and crafted tools.
