While it may not seem like all that long of a hiatus, not being able to work on the site has been very difficult the last week or so.  Moving has proven to be pretty stressful and time consuming but I am hoping the worst is over and I can get back to regularly updating the site now.  I want to get back into the swing of things by taking a look at an Amiibo that I think a lot of people have been interested in and some people may be having trouble finding at retail.  I don’t expect that this Retro Link Amiibo will be rare overall but I know I had to search a couple of retailers to find this Amiibo which was surprising in the current Amiibo climate.

Box – Much like the Ocarina of Time Link I reviewed, I think packaging looks pretty good on this Amiibo and captures the feel of Zelda artwork well.

Base and Stand – If you like the Zelda base design that has been used with Twilight Princess Wolf Link and any of the other recent Zelda Amiibo releases, then you’ll be happy to know it has returned.  Link is quite large and he has a stand underneath him which covers up most of the base’s design, especially the the emblem in the center however.  The stand is visible from all sides but is most noticeable when you turn Link to the side.  Fortunately, it is not a poorly done stand nor is it overly noticeable which is exactly how it should be.

Pose – Since this Amiibo is obviously retro, it is harder to think critically about this pose because it has a different set of standards.  A blocky and simple figure cannot have a really exciting, dynamic pose and that is definitely the case here.  Instead, Link looks like he is walking around in the original NES games with his shield ready to fend off any attacks.  If you’re a fan of the original Zelda on NES, this is definitely how you remember Link and I think it appeal to you.

Details – This is another case where the lack of detail can’t necessarily be held against the figure.  It is deliberately designed to be simple and capture the 8-bit design from nearly 30 years ago.  Whether you like this style or not, it is hard to argue that Nintendo designed the figure to fit the simple graphics of the time very well.  While I appreciate details like the cross on Link’s shield, I like the look of his sword on the back and how much of the 8-Bit texture you can see back there too.  This figure looks nice and can displayed at several different angles so while there isn’t any impressive details like other Amiibo, this still looks great.

Closing Thoughts – Since this Amiibo is from The Legend of Zelda, it should be one of the most useful ones you can buy.  Zelda Amiibo have been well-supported by Nintendo and are some of the most versatile they’ve released.  If you’re at all a fan of retro Zelda games, then this Amiibo is pretty high quality and sure to be one you’ll enjoy.  It is neat to see the evolution and changes in Link’s design as shown in the picture above and Nintendo deserves credit for allowing us to collect many different styles.  Currently, Zelda is the only Nintendo franchise to receive so many variations in art styles and while I certainly hope we will see more of that for Zelda and other franchises, there is no doubt that this is another quality release sure to make any Nintendo fan happy.  I hope everyone who wants this Amiibo is able to track it down!