| S.Peelman said: I'm not really sure what to say to this other than "Okay" and I'll agree with the general notion of 'it should be harder', but I'll say I personally found the mechanics of combat in Skyward Sword to be more engaging and free than the button prompts of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. Not necessarily the motion control, but the plethora of moves and ways to use the sword as well as the visual cues of enemies. Also, the Cave of Ordeals in Twilight Princess is way, way harder (especially the second time through which doubles the amount of enemies) than the Savage Labyrinth, which is just as easy as the rest of Wind Waker. I do agree the Zelda series needs more of those kinds of dungeons. |
Well I'm not a fan of the button prompts either. Just of what you do when they were activated. So I want them to keep things like the parry system, but take out the big "press A" prompt telling when to use it. The situation itself, as well as the sound design and visual cues are enough information for the player to know when to use what. But other than the Beam Sword, I'm pretty sure there were more moves in TP than in SS. Or at least just as many.
I didn't think the Cave of Ordeals was more difficult, but that's really missing the point. The point is why they were more difficult and more enjoyable than anything else combat wise in their respective games.
I particularly didn't like the way the enemies were designed in Skyward Sword, however. While a big part of it was how they were designed to be "puzzles." I use "puzzle" in quotes, because while they are not really puzzles, they are made to be that way. The Stalfos is kind of the prime example. It isn't a difficult enemy, but the battle is turned into this sort of "Simon Says" "match the patter to succeed" ordeal that has absolutely nothing to do with real combat other than the way it's visually represented to the player.
What it really is it the same "lock and key" format that item "puzzles" have been doing regretably for years. It's unsatisfying because it ends up feeling less like a fight and more like opening a door with a key you already have. The enemy is the door, their basic method for being killed is the lock, and the specific pattern for defeating them is the key. This is made even worse by the fact that these enemies further highlight just how inaccurate the motion controls are.
And this doesn't go for every enemy in SS though. Some are designed with some great ideas, like the Electric Bokoblins, while others can be insultingly arbitrary, like the 3-headed dragons or the Deku Babas. The biggest thing for me is that even these enemies expose how inaccurate the controls are. And even some enemies that fit the "lock and key" approach are just plain easier to kill by "waggling." Bokoblin's being the shining example.
Combat became less about telegraphs and reactions, and more about opening locked doors.
