Transfiguring Adoption’s Overview:
The target audience for this game appears to be children that are 10-12 and up. While the game doesn’t have the dark aesthetic of other Zelda titles (i.e. – The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, etc.) there are a couple moments of jump scares and fantasy violence that may spook more jumpy-kiddos. If you are a gamer and remember the Silent Realm (unique to the Skyward Sword version of Hyrule) this in particular may be a bit suspenseful for some younger players. Additionally, the controls are a bit more complex due to the controls being nunchuck-centered in the Wii version so some of your children may prefer to use a console controller for the Nintendo Switch HD edition. It also appears this game would be best for most families to play together.
While there are no overt themes relating to adoption or foster care, Link is a character that most children can see them as. Since Link doesn’t really talk and is ambiguous enough it is easy for children to see themselves in Link (or whatever they decide to name him). There are times too where the player can select the degree of reaction Link has to other characters, giving him a personal spin. Link does not appear to have parents in this game, and is sort of raised by his community so children from adoptive or foster backgrounds may also resonate sometimes with having a more unique circle of support.
While there do not appear to be any harmful stereotypes, there is not a lot of diversity or representation. Most of the human-like characters are Hylian (appearing as white, elf-like humans). There is one character that could be coded as neurodivergent involved in an insect sidequest but this is not very overt nor is he a primary character. There are other intelligent communities in the game but most of them resemble animals or…
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** Spoilers Could Be Ahead **
About the Reviewer: Rachael Rathe
Rachael B. Rathe is an East Tennessee native with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology with a Minor in Child & Family Studies from The University of Tennessee Knoxville. She has worked in mental health since 2013 and in foster care/adoptions for a private provider agency since 2014. Rachael was inspired to work in the field after working with children and teens on a volunteer basis 2008 – 2013. Rachael’s ideal self-care day involves snuggling on a couch with her kitties (Tabitha, Fergus, and Rufus) while enjoying a good movie or book. She also enjoys galivanting around conventions concerning all things nerd and geekery.
**Transfiguring Adoption is a nonprofit organization seeking to nurture growth in foster and adoptive families by giving a HOOT about their families. Transfiguring Adoption does not intend for its reviewers nor its review to be professional, medical or legal advice. These reviews and discussion guides are intended to help parents to better be able to connect and understand their children who come from traumatic backgrounds.
