Image 1: A catchy picture of a uncommon console mod to gather attentions to the text below
So Nintendo told us this time Zelda is changing and I've been thinking about the following...
The game as we're used to see it, is an Adventure game were you lurk from dungeon to dungeon, gathering items, following the story using those same items, doing side quests and battle the evil at the end to rescue the princess.
So, basically, those features remain the same but in an overhauled design:
The game is no longer an adventure game in its raw form, were you follow a plot in order to gain access to new areas. It is a
sanbox game, were you choose what do you want to do in a random order, but following a predefined plot.
Imagine the Story in Parts.
Part 1: chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Part 2: Chapter 1, 2, etc...
etc..
You can't choose whether you do part 1 or part 2 first, but you can choose which chapter are you going first. Each Chapter is a "mission". Like GTA.
Pretty much the same but in an open Sandbox game, were everything is happening being you there or not.
"Everything is happening".
With this statement, I mean that the world lives by its own, like Animal Crossing. Imagine that in this new Zelda iteration you have a "hub" which is your main town in the game. Your home.
You get to construct and upgrade your town to defend "The Portal" from the monsters lurking in the fields around it. The monsters come from the various parts of the world, its a sandbox and everything is happening, don't forget it. Even if you don't play the game for 1 week, the village gets attacked. Same mechanic as Animal Crossing.
Now, to construct your town, you would need to bring "constructors" (that you meet in the "missions" of the main plot) along with you in Epona, or in the rumored flying beast. You would pay them in ruppees and they would make fortifications, canons, better bridges, taller houses, whatever. The type of construction depends on the type of constructor you bring with you.
But, upgrading the town wouldn't be enough, since it can't defend the villagers by its own. You need "soldiers".
So here's were the "strategy" part of the game blurs into the main story, turning it into a Real time Strategy-Adventure, fusing genres, in the same philosophy as Metroid: Other M, were you have FPS + side scrolling platforming.
Back to Zelda,
- Imagine you go to the Gorons Mountain to do a mission. After beating it, you can explore that area and recruit Gorons.
They could be nice gate keepers, avoiding monsters to come in.
- In a Forest Mission, were you get to meet a tribe of elfs and unite with them to destroy [INSERT RANDOM ENEMY HERE], you can
recruit those same elfs to be the archers of your village, they would be nice "snipers".
You evolve in the Story, and you keep upgrading your town, because the monsters are becoming more tough as you're progressing in the plot.
But upgrading the town must have a reason. THE PORTAL!
So, the Portal is a "gate" that gives access to Ganondorf and the final Part of the game. You gotta build up that portal and defend it.
Image 2: Very well known artwork related to the point below
The portal is built up with the help of that girl in Links back in the only artwork released, she's the only one with the magical psychic powers
that can craft it. You should bring her "mana" for her to build that.
Where do you gain the mana? By killing enemies, doing missions, side quests, etc.
What's happens if you "lose" in your task to defend your village and it is partially destroyed because you are in the other side of the map, following the plot, doing some missions?
Well, you gotta restore it, build it up again, recruiting new soldiers again to replace the dead ones and of course "the portal" went a step back in its development, so you need to go on the map, kill more enemies, repeat some missions (in a different way though) or just evolving in the plot, because there's a margin of error for, lets say, 3 failures at defending your town. (3 is the magic number)
So, after you get all the "mana" you need and the Portal is finally build, a Goddess appears, handles you the master sword and says that
you need one last thing to put the portal working: Yes, the triforce.
Image 3: Random Triforce Animation just because
Again, you shall go on a mission to gather all the Triforce pieces, but they're not on a specific place. They're moving along the map with hordes of enemies.
You no longer need to defend your town because the Portal is done and it can't be disassembled no more. It's all about war now, with some single player mixed with real time strategy. You fight and optionally command your "troops" with pointer controls or let them fight by themselves.
Take your troops, 5 characters maximum, along with you and lead them to the various locations that have the groups you gotta defeat.
Put the Archer in a good sniping spot, take the goron with you because he's a beast, the elf-bird you met in sky city is like the air strike and another kickass sword warrior you met in kakariko is along with you fighting the horde with is sword.
After you defeat all 30 enemies of the first horde, get the triforce piece.
Do the same to all the other triforce pieces, changing your team because the next horde is located somewhere else were you can't have flying soldiers, or gorons are to heavy to move, etc...
When you finally get all the pieces, return to your initial town that has the Portal, put the pieces together, the Portal ignites and then the same Goddess appears again.
Image 4: Farore, The Goddess of Courage, a random result of Deviant search engine
She speaks Hyrulian. She actually speaks, because the game has voice work this time. Link remains silent though.
She blesses the Master Sword with the Pew Pew Pew Holy Power and says that this time you're alone, just you, the sword and the items you gathered in the missions.
Your final mission is to pass the final dungeon, the most hard one, and then beat Ganondorf.
As opposite to other Zelda games, the game doesn't end here. You can still play it after beating Ganondorf, recruiting new creatures to your army, upgrading your town even more and more.
For what?????
For online play..........
The Portal can also warp you to a friend's world, much like Animal Crossing, again.
Take your army and try to get into a friends village in epic Zelda battles, using every item you get from the missions.
You can also trade weapons for the "army" with your friend. Your Link's won't look like the same because you can pimp him with various clothes, just like in the "game" below:
Legend of Zelda Link Dressup by ~kingv on deviantART
So, this online part pretty much works like an MMO, and it is the reason why Nintendo said they may charge in future games. Zelda will be the first.
The final porpuse of the game is to have the biggest town ever with the most villagers and to be the best Hyrule ruller among all the online players on the worldwire leaderboards.
DLC would be available: New monsters, clothes for link, new weapons, etc.
Also, the game works like Animal Crossing right? So, there's special events happening in a specific time, like, you can earn a kickass sword on the 1st July, by going a specific location.
Oh, and Link doesn't hold a sword in the official artwork, why?
Because he can pick any sword or wooden stick he finds or gets from defeating enemies and you can control it freely thanks to wii motion plus.
