Zelda plays the heroine in ‘Clockwork Empire’ concept game

What if Zelda was a heroine, rather than a damsel in distress? That’s the idea behind Clockwork Empire — a conceptual Zelda sequel from Dresden Codak author Aaron Diaz. Set 2,000 years after Twilight Princess, the game would see Zelda assume the role of protagonist, tasked with rescuing Prince Link. Diaz says the idea was inspired by Anita Sarkeesian’s “Tropes vs. Women in Video Games” web series, though he notes that the changes would go far beyond gender.

“This concept work is meant to show that Zelda as a game protagonist can be both compelling and true to the franchise,” Diaz writes, “while bringing new and dynamic game elements that go farther than being a simple gender swap.”