The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Will Buck Tradition

themadlionsfan

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Will Buck Tradition
The new Zelda will allow more player freedom.
by Mike Mahardy OCTOBER 1, 2013
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The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds will eschew traditional Zelda structure, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said in today's Nintendo Direct.

Check out the item shop in A Link Between Worlds.
Check out Ravio's item shop in A Link Between Worlds.

While dungeons in previous Zelda titles had to be completed in a certain order, A Link Between Worlds will let players tackle the game however they see fit.

"From a certain point in this title, the order you approach each dungeon is up to you," Iwata said. "The player can decide how to progress through the story."

Facilitating this freedom is Ravio's Shop, where most of the items will be available near the beginning of the game. This bucks the Zelda norm of obtaining a dungeon's item, completing the dungeon with that item, and progressing through the story.

first nintendo game I've been hyped for in years

jono

I love Zelda! I hate Nintendo, thus I haven't played Zelda since N64 (one of my fav consoles).

I would be hype for this if I even had a remote chance to play it.

The Lonious Monk

Yeah, they need to buck tradition and put it out on non-nintendo systems. That said, I'm not really sure how this is going to work. Zelda has always been pretty open. The only reason you ever need to do anything in a certain order is because puzzles in one dungeon might need you to use a tool you find in another one. How will they get around that without adversely affecting the Zelda formula?

focus

Zelda producer on Wii U game -- "It's going well"
October 8, 2013 4:58PM PDT

By Eddie Makuch, News Editor

Eiji Aonuma speaks positively about upcoming Wii U Zelda game, says it will use GamePad in "various ways"; wants to shake up series with new game.

Development on the upcoming Wii U Legend of Zelda game is "going well," series producer Eiji Aonuma told 4Gamer in a new interview translated by Siliconera.

"It’s going well!,” Aonuma said, explaining that the new game will use the Wii U GamePad in "various ways." None of these were specified.

Also in the interview, Aonuma was asked about his recent comment that he is "tired" of making Zelda games. This quote was misinterpreted, he said, because he really meant he is tired of making games based on the same formula.

“When I say I’m tired, I’m not talking about making Zelda, but rather, the same constituent that has been used to make Zelda up until now," Aonuma said. "While on the subject, in regard to how we’ve always done things the traditional way until now: ‘Why does it have to be traditional?’ That’s the question I’ve been asking myself.”

“If we don’t change that, we can’t make something new. We’re slightly approaching The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds with that mindset, and also the next Zelda title, which we intend to continue changing," he added. "However, this brings us to the topic, ‘Exactly what is The Legend of Zelda about?”

Aonuma said something that is "traditional" is something that, in a sense, copies from the work that came before it. By continuing to do this, a franchise's uniqueness can fade away, he said.

"So, by no means, am I tired of it,” Aonuma said. “Rather, the more we change it, the more I get fired up. Having someone think ‘Huh? Is this Zelda?!’ at first, then ‘Oh, it is Zelda,’ is what we’re going for. Something that wouldn't make it matter whether Link or Princess Zelda appear in it or not. Something where it wouldn't even matter if Zelda is actually a princess, or not.”

Aonuma will discuss the Legend of Zelda series during a New York Comic Con panel next week in New York City.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/zelda-producer-on-wii-u-game-its-going-well-6415357

The Lonious Monk

I think this attempt to buck the archetype is sill though. I can understand how a developer might get tired of the same old formula, but in some cases, it's that formula that makes the series great. I hope they don't stray to far and turn the LoZ series into what the Final Fantasy series as become which is a series that has lost its identity and doesn't really appeal to anyone now.

themadlionsfan

Will Zelda: A Link Between Worlds’ Item Shop Really “Transform” the Franchise?
Posted on October 8, 2013 by Zackery Cote
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According to the most recent Nintendo Direct presentation, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds will, in the words of Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, “transform the way you play Zelda.” After years of following a consistent, popular formula, Nintendo has finally seen the need for progression. The next Zelda game will “buck the mold” of traditional Zelda gameplay with one revolutionary change: items will now be rented from and bought at a shop, rather than found in a dungeon.

legendofzeldaalinkbetweenworlds-item-ravioHere we see Ravio’s item shop, featuring many of Link’s most popular items, including the hookshot, boomerang, and bow. This, ladies and gentlemen, will revolutionize The Legend of Zelda franchise: buying your items from a weird… purple… rabbit-man thing. The realistic idea behind the change is that it will allow players to progress through the world in a more open-ended fashion, rather than the strict linear gameplay that previous Zelda titles have followed. Until now, the method has been “enter this dungeon, find this item, use this item to beat the dungeon, and then never really use the item again.” True, certain items have had a large enough impact to be featured in many dungeons, such as the bow. Some items are even popular enough to have two dungeons (I’m looking at you, Double Clawshot from Twilight Princess). Unfortunately, many items that were really cool concepts faded into relative obscurity after their dungeon. One of the greatest boss fights in Zelda history was the Twilit Fossil Stallord, and this was largely because of the mechanics to fight him. Using the Spinner to climb the walls and reach Stallord’s skull was one of the most epic, cinematic experiences of any Zelda bossfight, and after the battle, the Spinner was rarely, if ever, used again.

legendofzeldaalinkbetweenworlds-item-tp

Unfortunately, I don’t think that this new item shop will solve the problem, nor will it change things overmuch from a gameplay standpoint. In all likelihood, a pattern will emerge for the game where a certain order is simply smarter or easier than others, much like in Mega Man X, for example. Another problem is that this will likely make the story less coherent or watered-down. While the dungeons are usually plot points that further the narrative in a meaningful way, allowing players to do them in a random order will make them simply plot “checkpoints,” where the dungeon is part of its own segment of the story, rather than a part of the story as a whole.

Take Dragon Age: Origins, for example. When playing the game, you are allowed to visit one of four locations at a time and finish your quests there. The goal is to recruit an army to end the blight, but each area has its own problems that must be solved: Demons in the Mage Tower, Undead in Redcliffe, slavery in Denerim, and Werewolves in the Forest. As a result, each area becomes about its own self-contained story and is only loosely tied to the over-arcing narrative regarding the archdemon. You get sort of a “thanks for your help. We’ll be there when the Darkspawn attack” at the end of it, as if to say “hey, now that you’ve finished this story, allow me to remind you what the actual plot is!” Such an approach to Zelda may end up detracting from Link’s quest to vanquish Ganon.

Of course, the ultimate irony is that a shop where you can buy items is nothing new to the Legend of Zelda franchise. There were secret shops hidden throughout the very first Zelda game for the NES, and many people remember the infamous shopkeeper from Link’s Awakening, who would ? players on sight if they stole from him. While none of these shops sold core dungeon items like the Gust Bellow or the Ball and Chain, it’s still worth noting that this isn’t a feature that is completely new to the series. Let’s face it, Zelda games aren’t exactly known for their ingenuity. While they were revolutionary back in the day, recent installments have been a bit stale when it comes to innovative additions. You’re talking about a franchise that is so in love with its own history that it consistently re-releases old titles. Ocarina of Time has been released five times: twice on the Gamecube, once for the Virtual Console, and now for the 3DS. The amazing part is that even now, over a decade later, Ocarina of Time 3D sold 2.95 million copies, more than Kid Icarus: Uprising and Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition combined.

People have loved Zelda games for decades; however, the most significant evolution of the franchise hasn’t been in gameplay, but in story. Ocarina of Time was notable for its use of Z-targeting, but the combat at its core was still hack-n-slash. The game’s most auspicious trait was its compelling story. Link went from being an outcast child to the battle-hardened, teenage Hero of Time. Zelda grew from a meek princess to a resolute ruler. Characters had more depth than ever before. Ocarina of Time’s story was so epic in its scope that it turned out to be the keystone upon which the entire franchise’s continuity leans. One of the greatest strengths of the story was in the linear fashion in which the temples were presented. Perhaps I’m reading too much into it, and the item shop in A Link Between Worlds won’t actually change the overall method of playing Zelda games at all, but even if that does end up being the case, is it then fair for Iwata to claim that this will “transform the way you play Zelda?” Especially when the producer of the game drew parallels to Majora’s Mask.

I don’t think anyone would be against a bit of change in the Legend of Zelda franchise, but Nintendo needs to focus on making changes in a meaningful way. In order to truly transform the way gamers play Zelda, Nintendo’s focus should be on utilizing next generation hardware to accomplish things that weren’t possible in the past, like bringing more life to the characters or environments. Instead, it just seems that they’re slapping a new coat of paint on an old concept and trying to pass it off as innovation.

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Broddie

I've been playing this series since the first game was still "fresh" and everytime they flipped the script it lead to some of the best games in the franchise. A Link to the Past, Link's Adventure, Majora's Mask, Oracle of Seasons/Ages, The Minish Cap and Four Swords for example all tweaked the standard format set by the original and were all awesome games in their own right and didn't ? or hurt the franchise. I'm looking forward to this even more now.