There have been many fan projects depicting an alternative version of Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda franchise, though my favourite among them is Echoes of the Future, a Fallout-esque dystopian future style rendered by artist Sean Ng AKA Dogbomber. But now a group of filmmakers have done one better.
A Fistful of Rupees is a three-part webseries that mashes up the familiar concepts of the Zelda games with the traits of a western film, with surprisingly good results. The three parts are directed by The Country Club (Nathan Kitada and Aaron T. Umetani) and are named after the pieces of the Triforce: “The Wisdom” (embedded above), “The Power,” and “The Courage.” The series focuses on a lone Link seeking to avenge the death of his friend at the hands of Colonel Ganon, while seeking a treasure in the Gerudo Desert.
While there is little doubt that Zelda Wii U is already well into development, if Nintendo were seeking inspiration for future titles, this could certainly be an interesting, perhaps more adult, direction. Red Dead Zelda anyone?