It feels like there was never a time we didn't have The Legend of Zelda in our lives, right? It's been such a constant staple in gamers' life that thinking of a period where people weren't playing it seems unthinkable. Then again, the game has been around since 1986 so for many, The Legend of Zelda has spanned across a lot of players' life so it's of little wonder why the Japanese fantasy title by Nintendo is of great importance. Other than the game itself, artistic fans love to delve into the artwork of Zelda and create their very own masterpiece honoring the beloved game. Today is no different as we slip into another incredible art piece showcasing Link and Ganon.

Meet Dave Rapoza, a Freelance Illustrator, Concept Artist and Comic Artist from Boston, Massachusetts. Dave is self-taught and has been working freelance for over 11 years with an impressive client list that includes Riot Games, MTV, Marvel, Epic Games, CDProjekt Red, 20th Century Fox, Blizzard Entertainment, Bethesda, ID Software, Dark Horse Comics and many more. Just by checking out his online portfolio, you can see that Rapoza is a truly gifted artist and how he even has his art on the front of Marvel comics. In his recent The Legend of Zelda piece, Rapoza immerses himself into the fantasy world to create a highly detailed, hand-drawn work of art of Link and Ganon. Taking a closer look at the images, you'll notice how he pays attention to every little inch, leaving nothing out. From Link's recognizable Tunic, potions, pointy ears, and even right down to the detail of The Master Sword, Dave leaves nothing to the imagination here.

If you thought Link was incredible, just wait until you see Ganon. For those who don't know who that is, Ganon, also known by his original/human form Ganondorf, is the main antagonist of The Legend of Zelda series. Ganon is a nickname for Ganondorf and the name given to him when he transforms into a boar-like beast. He made his debut appearance in the first game, The Legend of Zelda, and has since been present or referred to in most subsequent iterations. Rapoza's representation of Ganon is a lot to take in and you'll probably find yourself staring at this intricate artwork for a long time, picking apart and soaking up everything it has to offer. Just take a moment to check out the attention to detail on those candles behind Ganon, the hefty guarded books, or the crazy wisps of hair sprouting up from Ganon's scary head.

If you'd like to know more about Dave and his artwork, (which I highly suggest you do) you can head on over to his website where they are a boatload of incredible pieces for you to feast your eyes on. Dave is also on Twitter so maybe pop over, say hello, and shower him with nice comments.

In some other The Legend of Zelda news, YouTube channel 64 Bits created a “Paper Zelda” RPG style trailer using the same graphical and animation style as the popular Paper Mario RPG titles. Another amazingly talented artist combined scenes from the upcoming Breath of the Wild 2 with the art style from the recent Link’s Awakening remake while another virtuoso created A Link Between Worlds diorama using the outside shell of the classic retro Gameboy. If Japanese animation is something right down your street, check out a Studio Ghibli-style Breath of the Wild fan-made animated trailer, while a dedicated fan spent two years recreating Breath of the Wild weapons. We even saw an incredibly well done animated pixel art mockup of a dungeon scene from Zelda II. The winner for last year’s official Link’s Awakening fanworks contest was revealed, with some great submissions from plenty of talented artists. And if you want something incredible from outside this contest, there’s this fantastic 3D printed recreation of Koholint Island from the game. The artist even provides a tutorial at the end of their video in case anyone else wanted to make one for themselves.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild really is the gift that just keeps giving, whether it’s through some unique gameplay techniques or the hundreds of fan art pieces seen time after time, it looks like Breath of the Wild has some punch still left in it. If you’re wondering when the sequel to Breath of the Wild is releasing, unfortunately, we probably won’t know for quite some time yet. If you still haven’t played it yet, why not jump into The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening right now for Nintendo Switch and you can also check out our review of the game right here where it received a very healthy score of 10/10.