Poor, poor Link.
Hasn’t Nintendo’s famous hero been through enough? After all, this Legend of Zelda protagonist just can’t help but be destined to save the world. He (and various iterations of him, if you care to read our Theology of The Legend of Zelda blog on the topic) can’t catch a break.
But if Eric Morino has anything to say about it, Link’s job is going to get even harder.
Morino’s the Twitch streamer behind the YouTube channel PointCrow. He loves playing modified versions of popular games such as The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon and more. And even if they’re not modded, Morino will impose restrictions on himself to make a particular game more challenging.
In one video, he tries to beat Tears of the Kingdom while blindfolded. In another video, his Pokémon become permanently unusable if he allows them to faint. Still more videos showcase him playing through custom-made Pokémon games (some of which contain concerning elements).
And occasionally, Morino’s Twitch chat will get in on the gameplay, too, as they work together to use custom-made commands that’ll slow Morino’s progress through various games.
If nothing else, PointCrow shows just how much replayability some games can have. Players might spend hundreds of hours playing the same games in new and exciting ways. By imposing challenges on himself, Morino essentially creates his own unique game modes that may encourage kids to get creative with how they play games they own.
Some of the custom-made Pokémon games follow dark storylines, including one in which people are sacrificed via a cult and another where radiation mutates the creatures. On a similar note, a couple of The Legend of Zelda speedruns on the channel focus on completing inappropriate tasks (intended to be humorous), such as one video where a guy attempts to “get laid” as quickly as possible. (The true goal of the video is to get a specific fade-to-black cutscene wherein Link spends the night comforting a girl.)
We hear some sensual references and jokes about drug use.
The f-word is censored when used. However, we heard the s-word, “a–,” “h—” and “d–k” all used throughout a variety of videos. God’s name is taken in vain, including instances which are immediately followed by “d–n.” Likewise, Jesus’ name is used in vain, too. It should also be noted that the comments from the Twitch chat members may also contain crude language.
PointCrow may just give gamers an idea or two about how to return to old games and make them fun to play once again. But despite the typically kid-friendly appeal of The Legend of Zelda and Pokémon, Morino’s videos also come with some content that will be inappropriate for children.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
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