Ocarina of Time definitely wanted to make good use of Link’s ability to dive underwater when Hyrule entered the three-dimensional plain. From a caged shark, a submerged ocarina, an underwater temple, and a good old message in a bottle, Link finds all sorts of oddities throughout the watery depths of the world.
Link’s discovery of a message in a bottle, Ruto’s Letter, is quite a noteworthy one. It was not only crucial for progressing the journey to Jabu Jabu, but for many players, it was also the first time they experienced diving to such depths underwater to acquire an item. Link’s abilities were pushed beyond their limits once he received the Silver Scale, enabling him to recover the important and rather charming item. GabrielDiasArtwork portrays this discovery of Ruto’s Letter in a creative and striking piece of artwork, and does so by utilizing perspective and lighting beautifully.
Gabriel’s creative use of perspective is immediately striking. Not only is the low angle amazing for capturing a sense of depth, but the warped shape of the entire image, which is almost like a fish-eye lens, really adds to the sense of distortion you experience when diving, as water and light bends all around you.
Couple this with the perfect use of aquatic colors and lighting (a great touch is how Navi casts a faint glow onto Link’s submerged face) and you get a beautiful underwater scene. I also love the nearby animated sea life, including some well-poised Zoras and the shadows of fish swimming around in the background.
Aside from the incredible composition of the piece from an artistic perspective, I personally think there’s something quite novel and mysterious about letters in bottles, so this piece really hits the spot for me. It’s amazing how they can find their way through rivers or oceans riddled with rocks and ocean life while avoiding that one small crack that’s enough to send it to the depths forever.
Ruto’s Letter certainly traveled quite a distance from Jabu Jabu to Lake Hylia. Fortunately, it made it safe and sound and our hero Link was able to recover it. If only he knew just what was in store for him when meeting the author of the letter.
