Legend of Zelda games have long been associated with open worlds and exploration, but the main appeal to me has always been the sidequests. And when I think of sidequests in the Legend of Zelda series, one springs instantly to mind.
The Kafei and Anju sidequest is perhaps the most intricate and expansive quest in Zelda history. That alone is not what makes it stand out. The context of the quest is also remarkable. It is placed in a game that pressure you to keep moving through the placement of an artificial timer. With every action not advancing the plot or progressing through some sidequest, it seems difficult to justify some of the waiting that is required. Most noticeably, the quest REQUIRES the player to allow an old lady to be robbed in the first third of the game in order to progress in the quest, an action that is fairly out of character for our hero.
With the general attitude of this game as grim as it is (the various NPC’s all believe the world is about to be crushed by the moon, a fact verifiable by the increasing proximity of the moon to the town), the Kafei and Anju sidequest also stands out for its emotional quality. No matter how many times the player warps back through time, Anju will always be waiting for Kafei. Kafei’s curse and the subsequent theft of his mask leave him in disgrace, but he gives the player his pendant to give to Anju as a promise that Kafei will return. Once the player and Kafei discover the thief’s hideout, the two storm it and retrieve the mask, and only one hour before the moon comes crashing down on the town, Kafei finally meets Anju and they exchange masks in the formal wedding ceremony, creating the Couple’s Mask for the player.
The Couple’s Mask has fairly limited use in the game, and by the time players attain it, there is roughly one minute of real time before the game ends, and so generally players will have to reset the clock, effectively erasing all of the progress in reuniting Kafei and Anju. Nevertheless, the sidequest is a reminder of the power of love. Despite the misfortune surrounding the two of them, Kafei and Anju are the only two with a happy ending, and it is only with detailed work that the player can achieve this particular sequence. Amidst all of the death and destruction present in this game, the image of Kafei and Anju together, hand in hand, facing the end of the world with a smile and a promise to greet the morning together, is one that still echoes in my mind, years and hundreds of quests later.
Most importantly, the sidequest instills the game with meaning. With the player’s ability to reset the clock an unlimited number of times without restriction, it’s difficult to attach to many of the characters. After completing each of the four dungeons, players can just warp to the end and solve most of the problems in the game. But the Kafei and Anju sidequest has no shortcuts. Players must progress through the quest from the very start of the cycle to the very end. Nothing can be skipped, every action must be performed. And since the game is so short, the quest is easy to miss. Players that don’t see it assume that every NPC is like the ones they interact with – cowardly citizens that stay in the town at first out of the promise of money and then flee, leaving the soldiers to stay in town despite advocating for the evacuation of citizenry on the first night. But Kafei and Anju, knowing that the moon is bearing down on them and with no way to combat it, choose instead to wait for each other. They put their faith in you from the start of the game and, three days later, you are the only one left to witness their exchange of vows.
To me, this was the end. With just enough speed, I ran to the Clock Tower and finished the game. But the objective was no longer getting the mask back to the Salesman. Making sure Kafei and Anju got to see that morning was the true ending for me.
