With WiiU coming this year and the 3DS killing the marketplace, there’s bound to be talk of Zelda. So what’s been going on? Well, we had the excellent remake of Ocarina of Time for the 3DS, talks of a NEW Zelda for 3DS and all kinds of rumors of a Majora’s Mask remake. This is all well and good because what really makes news is the Zelda HD Experience from 2011’s E3 presentation and 2012’s CES. What a sight. If you haven’t seen it, you simply must take a peek.
This brings up an interesting topic for lifelong fans. We debate it; argue it and we all stick to our opinions on how we feel about this specific subject. Does the franchise need to reinvent itself or stick with a tried and true formula? Clearly this is going to be my opinion, so let’s argue later.
For many of us, The Legend of Zelda is what we grew up with, each release better than the next, each dungeon bigger and better. But each release has the same common ingredients, quick tutorial, then jump into the world to save it, because something pretty creepy is going to happen. Then it happens, traversing the over-world, collecting items that boost your ability to stay alive for longer periods of time. Then there are the dungeons. Room to room, collect the treasure that the dungeon holds, find the Big Key and kill the boss. All in all, genius.
Yes, it’s a tried and true formula. So is Mario. The point is, don’t take away what made the series brilliant. Mario grabs a handful of stars, dumps Bowser in a river of lava and saves Peach. Redundant? Maybe… but these titles sell millions. Super Mario Galaxy just passes the 5 million mark in the US. That’s pretty good for a plot line that hasn’t changed in 26 years.
There’s no doubt in my mind that people want a change. The question I want to ask you is: what should it be? Is it in the weapons? The way dungeons are explored? How would you change The Legend of Zelda? Let’s gather some input from both sides of the coin. This is going to be a fun topic to debate and write about. I’m looking forward to hearing all the brilliant ideas the readers of this site come back with.
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