The beautiful thing about LEGO is that it can literally put itself into any universe and find things to build itself out of. If you look at its long history, it’s done collaborations with just about every fan-favorite movie franchise that has had a “global effect,” and the team at LEGO is never afraid to branch out to other ones if it feels it can do something worthwhile. Earlier this year, rumors started to spread that The Legend of Zelda was going to be next on that list. Sure enough, there’s an incoming set featuring The Great Deku Tree that’ll allow people to build the legendary forest guardian in two different variations.
On the LEGO website, designers Wes Talbott and Austin William Carlson had a chat to reveal why they picked The Great Deku Tree for the set and their personal connections with the series:
“I was introduced to Zelda through The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time and fell in love immediately!’ noted Wes. ‘Now, I’ve played and completed every main game.”
Austin noted that the franchise is a “timeless story,” while also noting:
“It’s a world that felt so familiar, yet could be retold in so many ways. This makes each story and game experience unique, yet familiar and warming. And it is why I keep returning to the land of Hyrule.”
As for why they picked the legendary tree, it was due to how it was a recurring character and would allow the designers to create a set that was unlike anything they had done before. The Great Deku Tree is a protector of many things in Link and Zelda’s world, including being home to a couple of dungeons and relics and being the one to guide Link to the Master Sword in one case. It’s been featured in both handheld titles and console games, making it the perfect “bridge” between various things in the series.
The only “problem” that many people have with this LEGO set is that it’s $300! Granted, it’s a large set with two different models to build for the Deku Tree, but it’s still an expensive first LEGO set for the series.
Then again, if it does sell well, they have many other options that could appeal to people. One of the easiest things that they could offer is a version of Hyrule Castle or perhaps one of the legendary dungeons that Link has fought through. Hopefully, this is only the beginning of what will be LEGO Hyrule.
