The more I thought about this new bit of news, the more excited I got. After 20+ years of waiting to be saved by Link, Zelda is coming to the forefront to assert herself as a dominant character in the series. With major female protagonists in triple-A titles countable on one hand, I was encouraged to see this step up for such a beloved character. Perhaps Zelda could do a little adventuring on her own without being Sheik or Tetra.

As I began collecting my resources for this article, setting up the trailer and downloading screenshots and character art, I was a little disappointed in what I found. In this piece of character art, Link is brandishing a sword "protecting" Zelda and then in this screenshot, Zelda is depicted showing hesitation to go on the [read: scary] adventure. Then the icing on the cake: we've known since E3 that you can control a phantom (large hulking monster made of armor) to help you solve puzzles, but to see this screenshot of Zelda telling Link that she is the phantom was a severe letdown.

I read through the press release (below) more thoroughly and watched the trailer (also below). It isn't Zelda that goes along on the journey with Link; it's her spirit that follows Link around in either spirit form, fairy form or in the form of a phantom. I now have no idea why I was excited. I completely understand that Nintendo needed a new game mechanic to sell Spirit Tracks as something more than Phantom Hourglass version 1.1. What I do not understand is why Nintendo felt it necessary to treat Zelda's foray into a major character as nothing more than a gimmick. What this says to me, Nintendo, is that Zelda is incapable of being a true heroine and must either be relegated to a non-corporeal form or shoved into the armor of a strong, manly being. Neither of which is necessary.

I expect more out of Nintendo in terms of female empowerment in their games -- not that Super Princess Peach was a great bastion of feminism by any means. Simply put: for a company that prides itself on breaking stereotypes and boundaries with their audiences, they really dropped the ball on what could have been a powerful message to its fans and the industry as a whole. I'm just saying that maybe it's time for Zelda to save Link.