Although many NPCs have been affected by Link inThe Legend of Zelda, only one minor character has had their entire life story directly shaped by the hero’s choices.Zeldagames are not known for having multiple endings, although a few games do have additional or altered scenes depending on the player’s actions. Nevertheless, the effect that Link can have on one particular NPC and his life is profound, including multiple effective endings for the character’s story that each offer their own rewards.
While there are plenty ofZeldacharacters that appear in multiple titles, the contributions of smaller, one-off NPCs to the franchise should not be ignored. Even if, or perhaps because, someZeldaNPCs behave in dumb or strange ways, they have a unique charm that helps to build up the franchise’s identity. Of course, Link touches many of these characters’ lives in small but important ways, often through side quests. However, one particular series of such interactions not only shapes an NPC’s entire life, but ties directly into a gameplay gimmick that has never been repeated.
Link Controls One NPC’s Life Story In The Oracle Games
Bipin And Blossom’s Son Develops According To Link’s Actions
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of SeasonsandOracle of Ageshave a unique relationship with each other given that they need to be played in sequence to reach their shared true ending. But no matterwhich ofZelda’sOraclegames is played first, one NPC family that can be encountered early in both is that of Arborist Bipin, his wife Blossom, and their infant Child. When he first meets this family,Blossom asks Link to help name her son, the first of many requests that ultimately shape this boy’s lifeinto following one of four very distinct paths.
Notably,there is no canonical name for Bipin and Blossom’s son, although the portmanteau ‘Bipsom’ is offered by a pair of multi-ended books written by Craig Wessel, which are based on theOraclegames and share their names. In fact, given that the games place a five-character limit on the input, naming him ‘Bipsom’ is impossible. Nevertheless, regardless of the chosen name, Link is asked for help from both the new parents and the Child as he grows, with every choice guiding the boy toward developing a specific personality.
One Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom NPC Story Deserves To Be A Quest
Although The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom features many side quests, there are still NPCs that would have greatly benefitted from one.
Link is asked to provide advice and even Rupees periodically throughout the firstOraclegame, allowing the Child to slowly grow up. First, after collecting two Essences, Blossom will ask for Rupees to pay to see a doctor after her son falls sick. Later, Blossom then asks Link for advice on getting him to sleep more. After Link contains six Essences, her son will have grown from being a baby, and will now be a child with either a hyperactive, curious, or shy personality. However, this is not the end of his story.
Player Choices Affect Bipin And Blossom’s Son Drastically
He Has Four Adult Lives that Can Follow His Three Childhoods
After Link defeats either General Onox or Veran, Bipin and Blossom decide to move away to the setting of the otherOraclegame, necessitating a Linked Game to see their son grow further. Fortunately, the family is not affected bytheOraclegames’ various differences, so the precise order of the games played does not play a part in the final result. Nevertheless, combined with the influence of prior decisions,the interactions Link can have with the boy at this stage lead to one of four different adult personalities.
The Child will ask Link a different question depending on his personality at this stage, with the answer being the final determining factor for his adult identity. The four end states that the Child can reach are a lazy man aiming to travel the world, a man training to become a hero, an arborist, or a famous musician. It is worth noting that Link’s earliest choices still affect this stage of his life. For example,it is only possible for the Child to become a Musician if Link advises Blossom to sing him to sleepas a baby.
Although it is not acknowledged in-game, the speed at which Bipin and Blossom’s son grows is absurd; if he aged naturally, it would imply that the story of theOraclegames spans many years, perhaps even more than two decades when put together.
The sheer variety of this NPC’s potential end states far outmatches those of otherZeldacharacters. Although some side quests and interactions in other games can lead to diverging outcomes, includingBreath of the Wild’s two endings, this typically results from a simple, binary choice. In contrast, Bipin and Blossom’s son is the result of five decisions that build upon each other, including giving him a name (the length of which becomes a factor in some scenarios for determining his adult personality). Mechanically speaking, this meansBipin and Blossom’s son is arguably one of the most complexZeldaNPCs ever.
Some Life Advice Choices Reward Link Better Than Others
Link’s Help Can Culminate In Extremely Underwhelming Final Rewards
Despite being the result of game-long interactions and following the path of a Linked Game, a design element that has never been repeated in aZeldatitle,many of the final rewards for interacting with this NPC can be lackluster. For example, if told that natural talent is important for becoming mighty, the Hero will restore Link’s Life Meter by a single Heart, and giving no real answer to this question yields a single Rupee. On the other hand, encouraging daily training will instead earn Link 100 Rupees.
The Legend Of Zelda’s Long List Of Races Hides A Depressing Truth
The Legend of Zelda has many different and unique races, but a depressing picture begins to emerge when tracking them throughout the series.
Similarly,the Arborist will eventually provide several pieces of advice on topics such as niche seed effects on enemies, but simply experimenting can yield this same information regardless. On the other hand, perhaps the most useful reward offered by Bipin and Blossom’s son is the result of him becoming a Musician.By listening to the Musician’s completed song, Link will be fully healed at any time, although this is only unlocked after collecting six Essences. It is also worth noting that, depending on Link’s location, healing may be achieved quicker by simply harvesting Hearts from cut grass and broken pots.
Bipin and Blossom’s son is just one of many details that prove that both ofZelda’sOraclegames are underrated. It is interesting to see how complex these games can be despite being 23 years old, even to develop such a minor character. Of course, it is also striking just how much influence Link has over this NPC’s life. It is a small but fascinating aspect ofThe Legend of Zelda, with a level of variety that arguably has yet to be equaled in any subsequent game.
