spermanig.

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--Veknoid_Outcast

To me the Souls games have the best combat. I would like to see Zelda games go more towards that direction.   Sure the combat is mostly geared towards 1v1, but if you use a great weapon like an Ultra Greatsword with sweeping attacks you can easily group up enemies and dispatch them at the same time if you are familiar with the game.

In terms of difficulty, Zelda games are far too easy, though they are satisfying experiences. Zelda 1 and especially Zelda 2 were difficult and it meant something to beat them or acquire some tough to get item. I liked how Hero mode was available right from the start of Wind Waker but the beginning of the game was a bit too frustrating with only 3 hearts and having to respawn so far away in dungeons (until you open up the warp cauldrons). There could be more careful balancing in the future. Bosses are always just so simple and in no way memorable. I can pretty much name and describe every Souls boss and some of their attacks. I can't really do the same with Zelda bosses.

In some ways I feel like the Zelda series has passed the torch to the Souls franchise, but I'm hoping that Zelda U reignites that flame again.

I don't like the idea of needing to unlock the moves throughout the game, because it artificially limits what enemy you can fight when. I think the best solution would be to have all of the skills available from the beginning. Then they could either have all of the tutorials for it in the "first" town, or they could have them all spread out between numerous different towns. All the tutorials are optional though and all you're really doing is collecting some sort of acheivement for "learning" them all. This way, it's possible to figure out these techniques on your own and have a fighting chance against toughter enemies in the beginning if you so choose.

I actually debated whether or not I should bring up the design of the dungeons in detail, because that is what has really changed drastically about the series. The shift from "dungeon" to "temple" or "sanctuary" has shifted the focus from mazes, finding short cuts, traps, and hazards to puzzles. In some of the games, the Stalfos are used as deterents, though they are usually defeatable. Same with the Wizzrobes. 

Thanks for reading, everyone! You all have such insightful input!

Honestly, I wouldn't remember. I've been doing 3 heart runs in these games for so long now that it's full health to me, so I may have forgotten. Even still, my biggest problem is that you're passively recieving a revival. Death means nothing if you're being revived, and it means even less if you didn't actively do anything to earn that revival.

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.

EDIT - Bonus point: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask

I focused a lot on the combat improvements of the late 3D Zelda games, but in doing so I failed to point out a particular quirk of the combat system that OoT and MM introduced that keeps the combat feeling immensely satisfying even while being easy.

Locking on to anything in 3D Zelda game brings up "filmic" black bars on the top and bottom of the screen and the camera reframes itself to keep one particular enemy and the player always visible at the same time. Because the developers can be confident that player is recieving all the information they need to defeat the enemy, they can add an intimacy and cinematography to the action that games like The Order failed to do using a similar effect, without compromising gameplay to achieve it. It makes every battle feel more epic, more intense, and more cinematic, all while objectively making the gameplay better.

Good point about the cinematic effect of Z-targeting. I agree it makes it feel more exciting, especially with Ganon, that including the music, sound and area all work well together for one great moment.

For some reason, I felt this was lacking in the final battle of TP, which may have been why I felt somewhat disappointed with the game overall. The battle just didn`t feel that great or memorable...

Spem thread? Spem thread.

No one else on VGChartz ever talks about Zelda.

Is that my nickname now? Spem?

I know... I feel so alone... Any thoughts?