Modernizing Zelda?

This is a copy from a post I made on another forum. Im just curious to see what kind of reaction it'll get here.

People have been complaining that the Zelda series has become stale. I can see their point, though I found Twilight Princess to be on the best games of its year. The series follows a very strict pattern of game play. This is what gamers have come to expect. The question on altering the series becomes whether the gameplay or series setting and characters should be altered, or perhaps both. Personally, I think a slight shift in setting and characters would be enough change to make the series feel a bit refreshed, while remaining true to the core fan base.

My suggestion would be to move Hyrule into a slightly more modern time period. Nothing to advanced, maybe an early industrial age. This could mimic industrial development in England. The shift from rural to urban life would affect relationships between the series various races. Link would still grow up in the country side, but the major cities could be early industrial. Electricity, pollution, and the odd would appear here and there. Not a steam punk style, but slightly less folksy than the other games.

The contrast between the development of the various lands could be interesting. How would the magical creatures fit in to the advancing world, the Zora and the Gorans? Would the gorons continue their capitalist ventures, becoming a middle class or would they be more lower class? Perhaps a mixture, with Marxian clashes of power occuring. Would the Zora retreat into the water and move further away from the other races. The only issue would be avoiding turning them too symbolic for environmentalism.

What about Link's place as the Hero of Time? Would an urbanized Hyrule accept a forest dweller as their hero? What conflict could emerge from the interference of an outsider in city life. How could Ganon be situated in the new setting. Does he remain an outside force of evil, or become integrated into the urban life. Perhaps a per-WW2 Germany parallel would work, where Ganon is using political ties and threats to gather his power base and then over throw the Kingdom of Hyrule.

Magic could remain, though technology would be creeping in to the storyline. Exploring dungeons would still be the main game play element. The standard fire level isnt Death Mountain, but a factory setting. Though thats almost as cliche, but not to this particular series.

I think the slow built up from the classic rural setting of the old games to the introduction of urban modern setting would ease the player into it, while retaining the sense of awe that Link would feel being there for the first time. Castle Hyrule doesn't just appear in the middle of the city, surrounded by nice buildings, but is part the urban sprawl. A bright light of the old ways admist the advancements of the new technology, but slightly dulled by smoke and age.

This is a copy from a post I made on another forum. Im just curious to see what kind of reaction it'll get here.

People have been complaining that the Zelda series has become stale. I can see their point, though I found Twilight Princess to be on the best games of its year. The series follows a very strict pattern of game play. This is what gamers have come to expect. The question on altering the series becomes whether the gameplay or series setting and characters should be altered, or perhaps both. Personally, I think a slight shift in setting and characters would be enough change to make the series feel a bit refreshed, while remaining true to the core fan base.

My suggestion would be to move Hyrule into a slightly more modern time period. Nothing to advanced, maybe an early industrial age. This could mimic industrial development in England. The shift from rural to urban life would affect relationships between the series various races. Link would still grow up in the country side, but the major cities could be early industrial. Electricity, pollution, and the odd would appear here and there. Not a steam punk style, but slightly less folksy than the other games.

The contrast between the development of the various lands could be interesting. How would the magical creatures fit in to the advancing world, the Zora and the Gorans? Would the gorons continue their capitalist ventures, becoming a middle class or would they be more lower class? Perhaps a mixture, with Marxian clashes of power occuring. Would the Zora retreat into the water and move further away from the other races. The only issue would be avoiding turning them too symbolic for environmentalism.

What about Link's place as the Hero of Time? Would an urbanized Hyrule accept a forest dweller as their hero? What conflict could emerge from the interference of an outsider in city life. How could Ganon be situated in the new setting. Does he remain an outside force of evil, or become integrated into the urban life. Perhaps a per-WW2 Germany parallel would work, where Ganon is using political ties and threats to gather his power base and then over throw the Kingdom of Hyrule.

Magic could remain, though technology would be creeping in to the storyline. Exploring dungeons would still be the main game play element. The standard fire level isnt Death Mountain, but a factory setting. Though thats almost as cliche, but not to this particular series.

I think the slow built up from the classic rural setting of the old games to the introduction of urban modern setting would ease the player into it, while retaining the sense of awe that Link would feel being there for the first time. Castle Hyrule doesn't just appear in the middle of the city, surrounded by nice buildings, but is part the urban sprawl. A bright light of the old ways admist the advancements of the new technology, but slightly dulled by smoke and age.

jaycromer12

sounds like a decent concept for an adventure game, but you know as well as I do...

If Nintendo ever released that, there would be riots worse than the ones back in 1967 DETROIT.

Hyrule could be an awesome Kingdom to be in...The actual Castle Town could be more advanced theb say...the woods. But the overall "old world" will always be part of the Zelda Universe. Heck, even in the future (WW) wasn't a vibrant industrial world. Hyrule took a different path then EARTH!

Nice concept, not for Zelda.

Industry=guns. A gameplay element that needs to be taken into consideration. Zelda with guns would have to be future set as opposed to something sort of contemporary methinks.

Something like a shift in terrain and area. Majora's Mask was in Termina, Windwaker was in the above water Hyrule.

The game needs to shift in a different direction in terms of area, I just don't have a recommendation.

Not a bad idea per-say, but I think thats too far a jump for the Zelda series. So far the series has more or less been in a time period like that of the early middle ages in Europe, as far as society stands tech is a bit more varied, so the farthest I would really like to see the game go is maybe the early Renaissance with a more organized society and a bit more advanced tech, similar to that of Fable 2. The game would still have more or less the same feel and look but there would be a definite change in the world's looks.

Having larger cities and more towns and settlements, for all races, would liven things up and add a good deal of depth to them, especially if they incorporated similar interactions with towns people as they did in MM, though without all the time travel. As well it would definitely open up a new avenue for a more sophisticated and deeper story line.

Middle Ages > 1900'sair_wolf_cubed

this

I like this idea

However, I'm never tired of the same old Zelda patterns. I've been playing Zelda since the series began, and I still play it to this day. I actually get upset when Gannon isn't the main menace in Hyrule, so I don't know how I would take a big change like this

I'll pass, this doesnt sound like a good idea for a Zelda game. However I dont think the Zelda franchise has become stale, people wanting drastic gameplay changes should just stop playing, because it would be foolish to discard what is a excellent system for something that may not work as well. Also I dont think the game needs to be taken out of Hyrule I just believe that there needs to be more to Hyrule, I mean when they first showed the trailers for Twilight Princess it seemed like Hyrule was going to be pretty expansive and well populated with different environments. However it wasnt like that, the important areas as the towns of such were fine but the overall area was pretty bare.

I would like to see Hyrule become more populated and the return of mode side quest like you had on the N64 iterations of the franchise and a few gameplay tweaks not changes that give players options. Like in MGS4 it had the same basic gameplay of sneaking, crawling, learning guard routines, however tweaks to the gameplay allowed you to play like it was full on shooter. That kept the gameplay fresh the same could work for Zelda.

Me being a hardcore Zelda fan for almost 20 years now, would not buy a modernized zelda game...Zelda without the full fantasy setting would make it no longer a Zelda game in my opinion.

I think we see enough mindless modernized games nowadays and the games that try a fantasy setting and actually get it right are rare, the zelda name always brings quality with what it does but I've seen enough modern setting quality games.

Some of the things you described, already are Zelda. Tribes of different creatures that were once large dwindled, or have grown, technology has at least begun to make itself present in inventions such as the hookshot and seed shooter, magic still remains with the three goddesses hidden away for the hero to find, but anyways I know what you're getting at. More of a steampunk/industrialized Zelda, kind of along the lines of Dark Cloud 2, even?

Yeah, I think it would make for an interesting game. I mean, Link could have different inventions to use as items, or something, like stuff people are just creating in that time period. Maybe at first the game would make it seem as though the goron and zora and all of those other races are completely extinct, when in reality they are living underground in some ancient castle ruins or something. It would be nice to see the actual game world get larger, I agree. Perhaps they could make steamships you could travel on, and stuff.

Anyway, a game can only get so large before it begins to take time away from other games you play, and then it takes away from time you could be spending doing other things in life. That said, I think Zelda games are long enough as it is. Imagine when the day comes that there will be so many Zelda games, it will take an entire life to play through them all.

My suggestion would be to move Hyrule into a slightly more modern time period. Nothing to advanced, maybe an early industrial age. This could mimic industrial development in England. The shift from rural to urban life would affect relationships between the series various races. Link would still grow up in the country side, but the major cities could be early industrial. Electricity, pollution, and the odd would appear here and there. Not a steam punk style, but slightly less folksy than the other games.

The contrast between the development of the various lands could be interesting. How would the magical creatures fit in to the advancing world, the Zora and the Gorans? Would the gorons continue their capitalist ventures, becoming a middle class or would they be more lower class? Perhaps a mixture, with Marxian clashes of power occuring. Would the Zora retreat into the water and move further away from the other races. The only issue would be avoiding turning them too symbolic for environmentalism.

Magic could remain, though technology would be creeping in to the storyline. Exploring dungeons would still be the main game play element. The standard fire level isnt Death Mountain, but a factory setting. Though thats almost as cliche, but not to this particular series.

jaycromer12

Personally, I like it. The ideas listed off are great and could definitely become the premiseof the next Zelda refresher. Although, I'd fix a few facts...maybe Link would be better growing up in the city where he'd be employed at a coal mine;something to that effect, how any times has Link been a country boy, too many to count.

Also I think scaring off Gorons and Zoras would be interesting, they could be discriminated, maltreatment, and/or killed by poachers. Yes I know it isn't a happy thought, but the industrial age is a good setting.

Chucking the dungeon idea out the window isn't a bad idea, or at least disguising them like Okami did. Dungeon crawling can always be altered to become more interesting and less annoying. Wandering around dungeons we've been using that feature for how long, too long.

I do not like the idea of a Zelda game that has the setting changed to make it modern. I think the setting is fine. I would like to see more detail and larger settings, but not modern. The things that I think would help in the next Zelda are:

• Voice acting for at least some of the main characters
• A twist to the basic plot such as, Ganon is massing an army. LINK and ZELDA must go on quests to gather allies and artifacts to prepare for (or prevent) the battle.
• Expand on the use of Magic. Casting of spells that require the mixing of items, specific Wii-motions, leveling up Link, enchanting items, etc.
• Because the map is going to be much larger (I hope), I think that Link should be able to level up to the point where he can use magic (spells or items) to give Epona wings, one time use per spell, and then gather the strength, items, whatever, to do it again. This in place of portals.
• Alternate endings. There should be a few key points in the story where the choices you make will change the outcome of the story enough to make replay worth while.
• WiiMotionPlus sword play. Nuff said.
• WiiSpeak use. Perhaps you respond to people by saying YES or NO or when you go to purchase items you say THE SHIELD or THE BOW. To start a conversation with someone, you walk up and say HELLO. Could it be used to swap items or weapons instead of going into an inventory screen? Just say BOW or SWORD or HOOKSHOT?
• Have a location that is ONLINE such as the MARKET. A place where you can go to buy or sell with the merchant or with other players. Also use WiiSpeak to chat with other players in the MARKET

I do not like the idea of a Zelda game that has the setting changed to make it modern. I think the setting is fine. I would like to see more detail and larger settings, but not modern. The things that I think would help in the next Zelda are:

• Voice acting for at least some of the main characters
• A twist to the basic plot such as, Ganon is massing an army. LINK and ZELDA must go on quests to gather allies and artifacts to prepare for (or prevent) the battle.
• Expand on the use of Magic. Casting of spells that require the mixing of items, specific Wii-motions, leveling up Link, enchanting items, etc.
• Because the map is going to be much larger (I hope), I think that Link should be able to level up to the point where he can use magic (spells or items) to give Epona wings, one time use per spell, and then gather the strength, items, whatever, to do it again. This in place of portals.
• Alternate endings. There should be a few key points in the story where the choices you make will change the outcome of the story enough to make replay worth while.
• WiiMotionPlus sword play. Nuff said.
• WiiSpeak use. Perhaps you respond to people by saying YES or NO or when you go to purchase items you say THE SHIELD or THE BOW. To start a conversation with someone, you walk up and say HELLO. Could it be used to swap items or weapons instead of going into an inventory screen? Just say BOW or SWORD or HOOKSHOT?
• Have a location that is ONLINE such as the MARKET. A place where you can go to buy or sell with the merchant or with other players. Also use WiiSpeak to chat with other players in the MARKET

Please remember that these are just some rough ideas on how to go forward without making it too modern.Nomadandsuzie

I agree with all of ideas except for the last two, which seem a bit silly.

Why can't the Zelda game have fantasy features added, but not have a modern setting? Can't they coexist?

Two possibilities I've been thinking about:

1. Link time-travels to the distant future (think the era of Batman Beyond). Ganondorf decided that it would be easier to take over in another time period, so he's behind the scenes in much of what occurs in the future. Link's clothing and weaponry are modified for the time period somehow. At the end of the game, he goes back to his time. Perhaps his items and weapons from the future could influence technology in the past at that point.

2. It takes place in the future (not sure what era I'd want this in, but in our technological future, definitely), but there is no Link or Zelda. Instead, the hero is a "new" character with more to his personality than Link ever had. Somehow, Ganondorf or one of his historically-learned successors tries to take over the world, and the new hero has to discover the tomb of The Hero, where he will inherit at least the Master Sword from Link's spirit. Zelda's successor will take on the role of Sheik and assist the new hero with her skills.

Another possibility is that it could just take place in a near-future Hyrule, not long after one of the existing Zelda games, including Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass. We do still need to know what happens after all the Great Sea adventures happened, after all.

But as to changing the gameplay formula, I think there should be good in-story reasons why the dungeons are as they are. Why did the temples in Ocarina have to be as they were if the only thing at the end was a sage (who, most of the time, didn't actually dwell there)? Furthermore, I think the three goddesses' spells should be able to be cast in different ways. Make Din's Fire into "the attack spell", and Link can manipulate it in various ways for different kinds of attacks. You could have great fun with "the warping/transportation spell", Farore's Wind. And "the protective spell", Nayru's Love, would have multiple forms, as well.

I also like the idea put forth previously: that the non-human-like species would be in hiding or far off. Somehow communication got cut off and now the human-like people in Hyrule (Hylians, or whatever they're called throughout the series) are forgetting history. Link would be the one who would tie the world's peoples back together throughout his journey.

One more thing.... What if Ganondorf actually turned into someone's puppet, but we didn't know it for most of the game. This would have to be done better than the Zant/Ganondorf thing in TP, and I'd want to see it done differently. Make Ganondorf have a doppelganger of his own who is initially the main villain--for instance, Phantom Ganon. Three "main villains", but only one ultimate one. Perhaps it could be some sort of an evil god trying to defeat the goddesses, and they could employ Link to take it down after it's weakened them and Link's obtained the entire Triforce.

I don't think modernizing is the way to go. If you think about it, the best Zelda change ever (Ocarina of Time) kept the game familiar, but improved it's gameplay and expanded the universe around Zelda.

So, IMHO, the next Zelda game should make more creative use of the Wii Remote, be a bit lengthier and harder, set in a much, much larger world (I'm thinking about one or two neighbouring kingdoms, one of which could be an insular one so that any good elements from the Wind Waker could be brought back), and the concept of light/dark worlds could be renewed... well, now that I think of it, the "dark" world could be a "urbanized"/"industrialized" world indeed, but more in the way the Orcs and Saruman are on Two Towers.

But what Zelda really needs is to have a big, fantastic world, tons of known characters and dungeons, but new characters and dungeons and side quests as well. Plus, make good use of the Wii Remote, or put it aside completely.

This is why I love the forums here on Gamespot. People didnt just reply to my post with "screw that" or "worst idea ever." I got real responses that show thought behind them, unlike the same post placed on another site. Personally, I don't care if the next Zelda game follow mysuggestion, I just thought it could be neat. Personally, my favourite Zelda is still LttP on the SNES. It was much more fantastical than Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess. Something closer to that could be cool too. Whatever they choose I'll likely play it.

However, the one feature I don't really want to see is leveling up being added to every item and weapon or Link's skills. If it keeps to Zelda's current style of the item being required to open up the next area thats cool, because it feels like a natural development. I just don't want it to become a WOW or Oblivion style leveling up.

However, the one feature I don't really want to see is leveling up being added to every item and weapon or Link's skills. If it keeps to Zelda's current style of the item being required to open up the next area thats cool, because it feels like a natural development. I just don't want it to become a WOW or Oblivion style leveling up.

jaycromer12

I have to disagree with you there because a leveling system is what makes my experience with a game differ from someone else's. If I choose to make my Link focus on his melee attack power, then I can do so, or I can upgrade his speed or his defense. I think that it would be a great addition. Also, having more armor options. Being able to truly equip him to single handedly take on an entire army of enemies, instead of just dealing with a tunic and tights. True, the afformentioned are things that make Zelda games, Zelda games, but I think it is time to add some more depth to the it. LOZTP was the only Zelda game that I didn't play again after I beat it the first time, and I think it is because they are beginning to rehash the same things over and over again.

I do agree however, with your proposal to change the setting to a more modern theme. Modern doesn't automatically mean adding firearms to the arsenal though, it just means adding more advanced technology which can change the dynamics of the various races in the world, thus changing how we play the game as well. Keep the core Zelda mechanics, but something is needed to light a new fire in this series.

It would be a bad idea if a future Zelda game removes the medieval theme and replaced it with a cyber/steam punk theme found in recent Final Fantay games. It would not be original, and long-time fans will oppose the change.

To respond to a user who did not like the barreness of the outside world in Twilight Princess, remember that Hyrule is a predominent rural kingdom in a medieval-like world, so of course where will be vastness of open space with little or no people. It does not take place in a modern or futuristic world where many people live in cities and open space is hard to find except parks.

This is a copy from a post I made on another forum. Im just curious to see what kind of reaction it'll get here.

People have been complaining that the Zelda series has become stale. I can see their point, though I found Twilight Princess to be on the best games of its year. The series follows a very strict pattern of game play. This is what gamers have come to expect. The question on altering the series becomes whether the gameplay or series setting and characters should be altered, or perhaps both. Personally, I think a slight shift in setting and characters would be enough change to make the series feel a bit refreshed, while remaining true to the core fan base.

My suggestion would be to move Hyrule into a slightly more modern time period. Nothing to advanced, maybe an early industrial age. This could mimic industrial development in England. The shift from rural to urban life would affect relationships between the series various races. Link would still grow up in the country side, but the major cities could be early industrial. Electricity, pollution, and the odd would appear here and there. Not a steam punk style, but slightly less folksy than the other games.

The contrast between the development of the various lands could be interesting. How would the magical creatures fit in to the advancing world, the Zora and the Gorans? Would the gorons continue their capitalist ventures, becoming a middle class or would they be more lower class? Perhaps a mixture, with Marxian clashes of power occuring. Would the Zora retreat into the water and move further away from the other races. The only issue would be avoiding turning them too symbolic for environmentalism.

What about Link's place as the Hero of Time? Would an urbanized Hyrule accept a forest dweller as their hero? What conflict could emerge from the interference of an outsider in city life. How could Ganon be situated in the new setting. Does he remain an outside force of evil, or become integrated into the urban life. Perhaps a per-WW2 Germany parallel would work, where Ganon is using political ties and threats to gather his power base and then over throw the Kingdom of Hyrule.

Magic could remain, though technology would be creeping in to the storyline. Exploring dungeons would still be the main game play element. The standard fire level isnt Death Mountain, but a factory setting. Though thats almost as cliche, but not to this particular series.

I think the slow built up from the classic rural setting of the old games to the introduction of urban modern setting would ease the player into it, while retaining the sense of awe that Link would feel being there for the first time. Castle Hyrule doesn't just appear in the middle of the city, surrounded by nice buildings, but is part the urban sprawl. A bright light of the old ways admist the advancements of the new technology, but slightly dulled by smoke and age.

jaycromer12