RSS
Home
Why is Zelda so oddly compelling?
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Same Link with pointy ears, green outfit, funny hat, Hylian shield, and Master Sword.
No, of course I'm not talking about the Princess herself, though drooling, lonely, anti-social fanboys would argue something to her level of attractiveness. It is honestly a curious question to me, why do the Zelda games remain compelling?
Okay, so, ever since 19-freakin'-86... Yes, for nearly the last twenty four years have there been Zelda titles. In all that time, nothing has changed.
Just for a moment, stay with me because this article is not intending to insult the franchise, but to discover exactly what it is that's made the games appealing.
Nothing (or at least very little) has changed from the following format:
Trouble in the land of Hyrule. The Princess, Zelda herself, is usually kidnapped or imprisoned at some stage of the process. The hero, whose name is Link unless people feel clever or original, is trying to save her and all the other people. Of course, it has oodles to do with the infamous Triforce that is a part of him (courage), Zelda (widsom), and the bad guy Ganon<dorf> (strength). There are, of course, vast differences in some of the handheld offerings, but, in the end, the story has never been really all that worthy of mention. Not bad, just not really deep or rich (it is for kids, after all).
Moving along, the gameplay involves a sword with which you hack at your foes. You usually begin with a wooden sword then graduate to a cutty variety, when finally you pick up the "Hero of Old" weapon, the Master Sword (and maybe some kind of bigger one later as well, depending). Then, in some order (and depending upon if you're playing the top-down or 3D versions), you'll also pick up a hookshot, a bow, a boomerang, bombs, a feather that allows you to jump, a couple of kinds of fancy boots or other outfits, maybe some magical powers, and whatever other little fun trinkets that give you solutions to other puzzles.
Of course these lead into the progression. You spend a little time in the open world that has evil running amok, then you go into a dungeon. Usually, they go in some order that involves Forest, Fire (or volcano), then Water Temples, meeting the usual run of Goron and Zora peoples. The dungeon has some keys, some puzzles, a miniboss who, after defeated, will grant you an item that allows you to finish the rest of the dungeon and kill the boss. Boss murder usually has a strategy that involves making whoever vulnerable (shooting, bombing, grabbing, leaping upon), then slashing with sword until you go back to the base stage where he's made vulnerable again. After three slashing sessions, and it is nearly almost always exactly three, the boss dies. You get an additional heart container and get teleported away.
Twenty-four years of games following this general format, with only a couple of slight derivations in gameplay and story that ended up being less popular (Adventure of Link, Majora's Mask). How do these games keep being fun?
Is it generational? Nintendo definitely gears towards the younger audiences, and they haven't done a great deal to age their classics with their original audiences, so each installment of Zelda, though similar, is targeted to an age group that is fairly young and has not experienced the other dozen. To an extent, this might be true, but it doesn't account for the lifelong Nintendo fans who are constantly chomping at the bit for another installment in the series, despite little differences present and consistent "Ocarina was the best evar" argument. Maybe enough years go by to allow people to forget the previous experience enough to really dig into the newest one.
On the other hand, it can't be denied that each installment has unique pieces, whether it be some crazed shadow imp riding the wolf that used to be Link or sailing across a vast ocean of cell-shaded splendor, there has always been something different to enjoy. Even if the dog/creature combo and corruption/darkness purging was somewhat ripped off of Okami. The created worlds are rich, detailed, interesting, and well-designed. There's usually a nuance or two of the items receied that sets it apart at least a little bit.
In the end, they are high-quality no matter how you slice it. Each individual experience is an enjoyable exercise with a pretty solid variety of gameplay. You've heard the story before, but it's not like it has ever been bad.
I guess I don't really know. I've played most of the Zelda games to date. These days, I don't usually find myself gnawing my fingers off waiting for the next installment. However, I do always have some desire to check them out when they do arrive, and I'm always hooked enough to see them all the way through. Heck, I'd even describe them as fun.
I do wonder, however, how much longer they can keep up this same formula. It appears to be working just fine, but what happens when people start thinking, "Hey, Pokemon: Special Yellow Edition is exactly the same as Red and Blue except you get to start with the electric rat!" or something to that measure. Or, to give it new blood, maybe they'll just take it into space.
Related Articles:
Comments
