Tears of the Kingdom’s mayoral conflict reflects the series’ evolution over the years

destructoid.com:

With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Link is back in Hyrule, but things aren’t quite what they used to be. Various communities across the land have been reacting to the changes quite differently. Over in Kakariko, for instance, strange ring-shaped ruins have fallen from the sky, and folks aren’t sure what to make of it or how to proceed.

Hateno is also undergoing change, forcing its inhabitants to reconsider the village’s core identity and its future. This is epitomized by fashion designer Cece and mayor Reede, who have very different visions of what will serve their beloved settlement best. “Team Cece or Team Reede?” is one of Tears of the Kingdom‘s more memorable questlines, and it parallels the franchise’s own negotiations of convention and change within the modern gaming landscape.

Inhabited by the humanoid Hylians, Hateno Village is relatively small, and in Breath of the Wild, it is shown that the humble inhabitants mainly rely on agriculture. The village returns in Tears of the Kingdom, though things have changed slightly.

Many of the villagers no longer wear their regular rags, but instead sport mushroom-inspired outfits designed by Cece. Though the designs may seem odd at first, it is apparent that they have caught on. Even outside of Hateno, Link regularly spots Hyruleans wearing colorful mushroom hats.

Cece’s forward-thinking fashion benefits Hateno by bringing in a younger crowd. Unfortunately, conflict arises, as not everybody is on board with the sudden change. Some citizens are traditionalists, and they would much prefer things remain as they were. This is understandable, as traditions often have deeply rooted reasons for their existence, even if they aren’t overt. They’d rather see Hateno known