| FinalEvangelion said: The info on the new Zelda has Westernization / Skyrim-ization written all over it. I really don't want my other favorite series of all time to go the way of Final Fantasy. |
Zelda was non-linear in 1986, long before Westernizing games was a concern; you could do the dungeons in any order. Aonuma stated the team are looking at the earliest Zelda titles for inspiration in this non-linear vein. Returning to an open world with more difficult combat (as in constantly life threatening enemies), minimal narrative and a less rigidly defined sequence of dungeons--assuming there is any kind of order in the new title--would simply be returning to what made the first Zelda game such a defining, influential title. I'm agreed that Skyrim-ization would be a bad thing for Zelda, but I think you reached the wrong conclusion from the information provided. The Legend of Zelda (1986) will be a far bigger influence on this title than any Elder Scrolls game.
Being completely honest, I hope Nintendo take all three of those routes: an open world with dungeons free to do in any order, reduce the amount of cut-scenes and story-telling in the narrative, and make the enemies life-threatening. I loved Skyward Sword, and it's great in that game that I felt like a hero on a legendary quest, but I want to feel less like I'm fulfilling a pre-ordained myth (which has been done brilliantly since Ocarina of Time), and more like "It's dangerous to go alone!"; dumped into a dangerous, exciting, beautiful world to roam and to save. That's not to say cut the story completely, but use less traditional means of telling a story. There's a danger with a heavier, more 'sophisticated' narrative that you move into the realm of telling the story, when we should be primarily playing the story and secondarily being shown the story. Let the environments, the architecture of the dungeons, the inhabitants of the world I meet, the music I hear, convey the story, rather than relying on extensive amounts of dialogue and written narrative pushed across cut-scenes to get the narrative across. I believe that's the best way to push Zelda forward. Other games have gone down the cinematic, narrative-heavy scripted route, and while some are excellent experiences, this moves further and further away from the sense of adventure and exploration that made the original Zelda one of the industry's defining titles, and we don't need Zelda to be a franchise aping or following what others have done. Zelda is at its best when it is a singular experience. Other games might be like Zelda in some way, but there is no equivalent experience for the best Zelda games. If Nintendo can combine this with the sophistication and emotion of the side stories from Majora's Mask, drawing us into a world that portrays a narrative about saving the inhabitants in the world rather than the world itself, then they'll have accomplished my perfect Zelda game.
I want Nintendo to deliver another industry-defining title, by showing us that an open world has more to offer than multiple quest lines, morality schemes or impressive scale. Done right, a new, open-world, non-linear Zelda could prove that videogames don't just tell us stories, they allow us to fully play stories: something no other medium of entertainment can match. It's a ridiculously high aim, but Zelda is in my opinion the greatest of gaming series, and it shouldn't shy away from lofty ambitions.
Finally, I want orchestrated music and cut content restored in Wind Waker HD. Not too much to ask for, I hope...
