We’re  celebrating 35 years of The Legend Of Zelda franchise and with the popularity of the games, music, characters, art work, and weapons, the series has become a pop culture icon. On the level of Super Mario Bros. and Metroid, its importance isn’t only to Nintendo, but to the industry itself. One or more of its titles have influenced us and others as gamers. With its basic premise of rescuing Princess Zelda from Ganon (or his various iterations) and saving Hyrule, The Legend Of Zelda has captured the hearts of many and gave us adventures that we still talk about today.

In this modern day though, we have seen games like Darksiders, Okami, God Of War, and other adventure games, have some form of Zelda in them. They still have their vision of their respective game, but some influences help to show why having that Zelda connection works well. Look at Horizon: Zero Dawn and how many have compared this incredible game to Zelda while standing on its own to be a classic in the near future.

The one thing from the series is its particular hero, Link. All the games revolve around him and with various ages and designs, you can easily identify and notice Link’s characteristics and personality. A Hylian with a duty to fight and protect. Later learning he holds the Triforce Of Courage, Link knows what he must do and through the player, that task can be completed.

As a huge Legend Of Zelda fan, my connection to Link in the past was different. It was about seeing what the game had to offer and what puzzles and boss fights I would endure. It was about the progress and when you’re a kid, you don’t see the themes, story, or other parts of the game that makes it stand out. It was about testing my skill and my brain. I had a lesser connection to Link himself.

Now that I am older, I think about Link in a different manner. No matter what was thrown at him, he fought with all his might. He never backed down. He was trying to show us why we linked to him as a character.

I wasn’t as courageous as Link as a kid. I was a dark skinned smart child who was in their books and into games. I wasn’t the cool kid who had looks. I’ve spoken about my self esteem issue and that kept me away from being courageous. Being able to accept that I am greater than the intimidation that others showed me. As I came to terms of accepting myself and who I am, it clicked for me about Link.

If I was able to be this imaginary hero in the fictional world of Hyrule, I can actually be a hero in the real world. I can have that courage to admit that I’m bisexual, that I love games, that I love to write and read, that I can be a great friend, and more. I can have the courage to defend and help others when I can.

In today’s society, some people have that Ganon mentality where they want to destroy your courage. They want to make you feel less than you are and that you’ll never be the hero that this world, your community, family, and friends, need. They want that Triforce that you have within you.

That’s why now people are seeing their version of Link. They see the courage within them. Loving who they are. Accepting faults and working with what they got. Defeating the intimidation and fear with the courage to stand and fight.

When we find the courage to receive help for ourselves, and work through this puzzling life, we make progress to become a stronger Link. We go around and collect tools that will help us through life and no matter if we lose them, we will find it again and this time it will be powerful.

That doesn’t mean we’re not going to fail. Part of being Link in the franchise is losing yet learning. Every battle isn’t a guaranteed victory, but it is something from which we will gain experience. That helps us connect more to Link. Using different strategies to tackle problems. Coming back to them over and over to see what works and when we get it, we can celebrate. The courage of not backing down and running away is a part of Link’s Journey.

Here at Boss Rush, we all work hard to show the diversity and the fun content we create. It’s not always easy when you have technical issues, scheduling problems, and even finding topics to discuss but we all have the courage to show that even when there are hindrances, we will work together to deliver a great show or podcast.

You being linked to the hero is still relevant today as it was in the past. It’s more than just having the controller in your hand. It’s more than finding the Master Sword. It’s about knowing you can be a hero in many forms. It just takes time and courage. It doesn’t happen overnight. As you grow and develop, every hurdle you overcome brings you more courage to believe in yourself.

I try my best to encourage the Boss Rush team and they do the same to me. I try my best to do it for the community and others when they need it. I want to show people the Link I am so they can one day connect with me and see the heroes we all can be.

With 35 Years of The Legend Of Zelda, I hope the series helps younger and newer generations see that they can be courageous and their own Link will help others. It did with me and seeing the courage within, I’ll forever have that Link connection