Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom ad targets depressed working dads

The man sighs heavily as he rides home in the bus. Everyone on the bus is dressed in drab clothes, including him. While he looks at the view outside, it is only a source of further sighs. He seems exhausted. The man arrives home in time for him to kiss his wife goodnight, and pours himself some tap water. A discarded panda toy in the hallway speaks of a child he hasn’t seen all day.

This isn’t a public information film about the mental health crisis, but an Australian ad for Tears of the Kingdom: The Legend of Zelda. Under the title “Rediscover your sense of adventure,” the ad eventually shows the man getting the game and playing it at home at night, mastering Link’s new Fuse ability to make himself a raft that doesn’t capsize. Small victories! Soon he’s battling Bokoblins on the bus, using his Switch in handheld mode, and feeling better about himself. The view is clearer this time when he peers out. This time, it inspires a hopeful smile — and another sigh, but a happy one.

This ad is notable for many reasons: its quiet, reflective and almost melancholy tones; the performance by the actor, Gareth Reeves (currently playing Harry Potter in Melbourne’s production of Harry Potter and the Cursed ChildIts unrivaled realism in depicting someone playing the game, (while sitting still and murmuring to themselves), and the appeal it has for the gaming audience of Extremely Fat Dads.

This ad relies heavily on the nostalgia of Zelda’s and Nintendo’s brands to provide a respite from the adult world. But instead of treating the game and console as a mere escape, the ad cleverly shows how this pastime enriches the man’s experience of the real world, too (chiming with the Switch’s portability in a brand-appropriate way). Beyond even that, the ad is bold (if a little glib) in the way it positions playing a video game as beneficial to mental health — an aid to depression rather than a symptom of it, like Thor’s FortniteFunk in Avengers: Endgame.

Turns out, the commercial was inspired by an inspiring real-life story. Kotaku Australia found that the team who made the advertisement based the commercial on a Japanese Amazon Review for Breath of Wild. Kotaku has a rough Google Translation of the review in which an author laments the monotony of his life as a salaryman, and resents the mountains he sees on the commute to work. A man buys the Switch out of impulse and is enthralled by its freedom.Breath Of The WildReminds him of playing in his youth Mario 64 You can also find out more about the following: Final Fantasy 7. When the Amazon reviewer sees the mountains again on his commute, he thinks “I can climb it” instead of feeling angry, and he is moved to tears.

Let’s not get carried away — Nintendo Australia is just the latest in a long, long line of advertisers claiming that their products can make you happy. But it’s a genuine step forward for game advertising nonetheless. And speaking as an Extremely Tired Dad (albeit one who likes his job, and who isn’t depressed by nice views), I’m looking forward to Friday as much as anyone.