A Link from Link to Link

So I spent a lot of time this weekend playing The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker with my 7-year-old niece, Morgan... effectively avoiding some quality time with the rest of the family, but really, how often can you say that you and your niece figured out how to escape a prison cell, swing across chasms and learn how to use a sword and shield?

Having bought the game for Morgan, I had a bit of vested interest in the content and whether or not it would strike a chord with her. Sure, it had gotten critical raves when it came out almost 3 years ago, but would a sword and sorcery game featuring a towheaded little boy in a green outfit be greeted favorably by my Barbie-crazed niece? Thankfully, moments after inserting the game, Jamye reported to me that it appeared to be a hit.

I strolled into the room and watched the girls play for awhile and tried to feign disinterest as I watched this little green guy scoot across a tropical island chasing pigs, but the more I watched, the more I wanted to play too. Soon Morgan handed me her little pink controller, and I was off to the races: learning to fight, boarding a pirate ship, sneaking about under barrels, etc. etc. etc. To be honest, I think Morgan was more than happy to have me play in her stead as some of the challenges became a little too difficult for her, and I have to say, I was glad to oblige.

Truly, I've never played anything like this game. Every corner of it seemed to be jam packed full of imaginative details and small bits of whimsy. Yeah, that's right guys, I got hooked on a kids game. An E for Everyone game. A game where villains disappear in a cloud of smoke when vanquished. Wanna make something of it? In a time when games geared towards adults who grew up playing video games continue to get louder and more violent, this game reminded me of what video games used to be: escapist fun.

p.s. for Morgan. If you get stuck in the game, click on the purple picture of Link above to get help.