A squeaky cartoon

However, many people think otherwise. A Video about the game Did you know? from earlier this year revealed that even Miyamoto himself “gritted his teeth” when he first saw the Toon link from Wind Waker and cel-shaded design. While the character continued to have a good run on GameCube and GBA, the DS/3DS entries might have managed to make everyone think the same way. [Careful, Jim – Ed.]

If you look on any type of “Best Zelda Games” list, you’re unlikely to find ghost hourglass and Spiritual tracks near the top of the peloton. While there are brave heroes out there who strive to defend both DS-exclusive entries (some NL team members have a certain soft spot for each), to say they helped keep the existence of Toon Link would be overkill. [Hmm. That train music, though! – Ed.]

When the Four Sword multiplayer gimmick returned in the disappointing 3DS Heroes of the Three Forces, it became apparent that repeated use of Toon Link was never going to survive the years. An appearance from Smash Bros. and an amiibo drop later, the prospect of seeing a Wind Waker-style Link leading another entry seems to have sailed away for a long time, especially after adopting an entirely new style for a link between worlds and that of Grezzo Link’s Awakening redo on Switch.

Expect! See! To listen!

Still, we’d say a handful of less than stellar entries featuring the character aren’t enough to undo all the good he’s done. Toon Link deserves another chance.

After Wind Waker, this style of hero only appeared in handheld entries in the series. Those who used it were in general despised (PH, ST, TFH), while those that weren’t were praised (A Link Between Worlds, the 3DS remakes of the N64 pair, and, we guess, breath of the wild and Link’s Awakening… and Skyward Sword HD somewhere in the middle). But times are changing, and with Nintendo still determined to blur the line between handhelds and home consoles, Toon Link has the opportunity to look better than ever.

The Most Likely Scenario For Toon Link’s Return Comes With This Wind Waker HD remaster which is definitely, 100% coming to the Switch any day now (*sip*). But despite his spotty track record when it comes to starring in true video game masterpieces, Toon Link could return triumphant in an all-new series entry. And we can’t help but think it should. He was awesome, and he could be again.

While the style has stinks that sully its good name [Now now, that’s quite enough of that – Ed.], the highlights are just too bright for Nintendo to let those cat eyes gather dust for too long. Let’s take a stylistic punt once again, shall we Nintendo?

What do you think? Would you like to see Toon Link return to the main Zelda franchise? Cast your cat’s eyes on the following poll, then navigate to the comments and let us know!