I always get excited to see what Link’s home looks like in the games because a home is where we can sit back and relax, display our favorite items and desperately try to save dying plants. These small details tell who we are, and who doesn’t want to know such interesting things about Hyrule’s heroes? Link is a silent protagonist who doesn’t say much aside from battle cries so it can be difficult to know who we’ll spend hours exploring new adventures with. That’s why, I think, it’s fun to stop by his house. What does the home of a future hero look like? And can it tell us who he is, and what he likes? Let’s take a closer look at Link’s house in A Link Between Worlds to find the answers!
There has to be a bed because we know Link likes to sleep. Maybe he’s a little bit like me who tends to stay up too late and has trouble waking up in the mornings. The bed might be Link’s favorite piece of furniture, and it can be found in a corner of the big room that creates his home, opposite to the entrance and to the left.
There are two books left on the kitchen table at the other end of the room, so I assume Link enjoys reading a bit. The table itself is simple and the wood hasn’t been painted over. Interestingly, Link doesn’t seem to have invested in proper chairs and uses tree stumps as stools instead. I wonder if they’re comfortable to sit on for a long dinner visit. Or perhaps that’s why he keeps them, so any guests will excuse themselves and soon leave so Link can return to his comfy bed. Speaking of food and dinner, there’s something good cooking in the fireplace, perhaps breakfast, and a bowl ready to be filled on the table. Next to the bowl is a spoon and, by looking at its placement, it’s easy to tell that this Link is a lefty.
The wooden craters, ceramic pots and the bucket with a cleaning broom aren’t that interesting, neither are the shelves with even more bowls and plates, but the walls are decorated with framed pictures. And Majora’s Mask. Altough there’s no explanation to why he keeps it (or if it’s a replica), I think I understand. I mean, look at it. The design is really cool! If I found something like that lying in the woods, I’d bring it home too. I think. It might be a little creepy to have it hanging on the wall though, staring at me while I’m sleeping with those huge, burning eyes.
The framed pictures hint that Link enjoys playing ocarinas and eating apples. Since he’s a blacksmith apprentice, it’s only natural that there’s a picture of a hammer and tong on the wall too. There’s also a picture of a Rupee, and I can only speculate why he chose to keep it on his wall. To remind himself to spend his money more wisely? After all, at the beginning of the game, Link doesn’t have a single Rupee on him. There is one hiding inside one of the pots though.
Even though Link’s house hints that he lives a very simple life, it serves as an important location in A Link Between Worlds. Soon, the mysterious merchant Ravio will move in and set up his shop in Link’s home. Ravio simply thought his home looked a bit too un-lived in and assumed that it was vacant. And that is how Link happened to get a housemate.
This housemate, Ravio, will turn Link’s house into a proper rental store as the story develops. On the outside, everything is almost the same. The shrubs are still there, the scarecrow too as well as the bird-shaped weather vane. But right above the entrance is a huge sign with Ravio’s signature bunny hood and the word “rental” written in Hylian characters. And when Link steps into his house, it doesn’t quite feel like home anymore but more of, well, a rental shop. The bed is stored away and the bright red carpet has been replaced with a purple one. Link’s house isn’t a home anymore, at least as long as Ravio is staying there. Since it’s no longer a home, I think that’s all the exploration I can do to find the answers to our questions.
A Link Between Worlds turns 10 years old this November, so be sure to check out our entire collection of articles dedicated to the anniversary of the 3DS classic!
