Second Quest isn’t second best
[Sup Holmes is a weekly talk show for people that make great videogames. It airs live every Sunday at 4pm EST on YouTube, and can be found in Podcast form on Libsyn and iTunes.]
A couple of weeks ago on Sup Holmes, we welcomed Braid artist and handsome man David Hellman to the show. We talked about a variety of things, with much time spent spent on the multiple ways that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword disappointed David and writer Tevis Thompson. It was that disappointment that inspired the two to create Second Quest, a recently released hard cover comic book that takes some of the surface level concepts of Skyward Sword and turns them on their heads.
Instead of expressing their irritation with Skyward Sword by simply mocking the game, they channeled their frustration into inspiration, resulting in something entirely new. Having just finished the comic, I can attest to how well it works as both a stand alone story and a layered, heartfelt love letter to The Legend of Zelda as a concept. That love for the spirit of the series makes book’s subtle (and not-so-subtle) criticisms of Skyward Sword feel all the more true. Calling the game out for its underlying themes of xenophobia, simultaneous worship for and dis-empowerment of “legendary women”, and its overly parental, sheltering design decisions, while still remaining affectionate and loyal to source material is no small feat. I wish more critics would aspire to being so productive in their deconstructions of other media.
Thanks again to David for hanging out with us, and make sure to tune in today at 4pm EST when we welcome Aurelien Regard (The Next Penelope) to the program.
