Games from Across the Multiverse: The Legend of Zelda: Harmonica of Time
While I cannot specify how or why, I have been given the ability to connect to alternate realities. This provides me with a window into many of the infinite possibilities by sharing retrospectives written by another self from another reality. The first of these is an intriguing case from Verse 4701: a world where the video game crash of 1983 never occurred. Atari is the dominant force in the video game market all through the 1990’s. What follows is the Third Strongest Mole of verse 4701’s retrospective on The Legend of Zelda: Harmonica of Time for the Atari Jaguar, published on verse 4701’s retrologic blog near present day, unedited from its original form.
1998 was a pivotal year for video games. Nintendo, after years of failing to penetrate the american video game market with their hardware, had enjoyed a successful turn when they began cooperating with Atari to bring their newest games to the widely popular Jaguar system. Hot off of their success with 1997’s Super Mario 3D, they turned their sights to another franchise that enjoyed great popularity in their home country and was a cult hit amongst those americans fortunate enough to own an NES: The Legend of Zelda.
There’s no shortage of hot takes on this game today and it’s easy to see why. Amongst hardcore Zelda fans the “american cowboy Zelda” has an especially poor reputation. But for all the derision it’s worthwhile to consider the game on it’s own merits and be thankful that this is the game that brought the series to a worldwide audience. Without it, we never would have seen 2001’s excellent remake of A link to the Past for the Lynx 2. And remember how popular the game proved on its initial release. As much as it may have deviated from what we expect from the series today, it was a much needed breath of fresh air to the stale market of the time. All while bringing this historic series into 3D and making its first major presence in the global video game culture.
What often goes unappreciated about this is how critical director Eiji Aonuma’s guiding hand was in this process, allowing Nintendo to deliver on the promise of a “Zelda game for Americans” without compromising the series soul. We’ve all seen the early concept art by now of Link taking aim with a master rifle against the backdrop of a hylian stars and stripes flag and realized that this game could have been pure cringe, but thankfully was not. As the world’s self-proclaimed biggest zelda fan, Aonuma was able to walk a tightrope few would be able to in the face of pressure from Atari. That he was able to refuse to turn the master sword into a gun and make it work so well within the game’s wild west setting is proof enough of that, opting to give the six shooter a secondary role like the bow would have in a more traditional Zelda entry. The “sword and pistol” combat of this game still stands out amongst the 3D Zeldas as my favorite, as replacing the shield with a sidearm allowed for a more offensive playstyle. Nothing about zelda combat has been as satisfying as cutting down each foe in a room until only one is left and then unloading all six rounds you saved just for him.
I also stand by the game’s most controversial “americanization”: the re-naming of the Tri-force. While japanophiles will tell you that the tri-force is meant to embody the three aspects of “Yamato-Damashii” in Power, Wisdom, and Courage, I still think it a stroke of genius that in this game the triforce consists of Life, Liberty, and Ambition. I can understand the controversy of this change, but in hindsight, this game was ultimately a spin-off, not the future of the series people may have thought it to be at the time. And this kind of cultural synthesis is just like the similarities between samurai and cowboy fiction that inform so much of the rest of the game. It’s beautiful, really. Yamato Damashii meets Yankee Ingenuity.
The western setting also helps inform the time skip that forms so much of the game’s central concept. Seeing Kakariko Gulch go from a boom town to a (literal) ghost town in the seven year time skip makes perfect sense. The effects of not just Ganon’s rise to power, but the completion of the Hyrule railroad after the time skip really help the world to feel lived in. Westerns have been popular for a reason after all, and it still surprises me how well everything fit into place here, how right it all feels. And while the soundtrack as a whole feels out of place next to other Zelda music, the Zora Springs theme is still one of the greatest Zelda tracks of all time and I stand by that.
Speaking of the Gorons, I understand this entry came under fire for the unfortunate implications of a certain ethnic tribe being conned out of gold they don’t understand the value of, and I totally understand where that is coming form. However, the game is not just a product of its time: the Goron’s situation is presented entirely as a sympathetic one, and the need to set things right is the goal of that particular side-quest. Sometimes this sort of baggage is unavoidable in a western setting.
One thing the setting lent itself extraordinarily well to was the addition of horseback riding. Indeed, not even the later games in the series used Link’s horse Epona to such great effect. Few games since have captured the perfect feel of horseback riding and the real connection the player has to Link’s equine companion. As a kid, I remember spending hours just riding from one side of Hyrule plains to another. Small as it was in reality, it felt so huge then, partly because so many delightful secrets were hidden all across it. I have found that what modern Zelda games offer in sheer size and scope don’t quite make it up in this regard: those spaces feel rather empty in comparison.
Make no mistake: I am not merely blinded by nostalgia. There are many things yet to be ironed out, and not just those blasted gold mines. The Legend of Zelda has come a long way since, and returned closer to its original roots, which is what in part makes Harmonica of Time seem such an anomaly. All the same, I think it holds up all the better for its differences. Others can scoff, but I’ll be happy to fire up my Jaguar and take the Kokiri Kid for one more ride.
