>>46356182Concept art. As in, concepts. Not the final product. It's good for a starting roadmap, but ideas can change, some things can be scrapped, and ultimately the final product can differ. Remember the Blastoise Firetrucks from Alola? Me neither, but they were in concept art.
It's clear their vision for how Link's Awakening should be represented changed over the course of over a decade, and it wound up working in the game's favor: The cutesy chibi style is a solid match for a game that is explicitly told from the near-beginning to take place in the dream of a fantastical creature. It adds a sense of innocence and wonder in stark contrast to the harsh storms the game opens you up with. This was an entirely conscious and approved decision from Nintendo because they know their game better than some autist on an Alaskan Seal Clubbing Board.