The Legend Of Zelda's world getting a bit stale?

I have spoken with alot of friends regarding the latest Zelda. We all agree that the puzzles and the general flow of the game is stellar, but they and myself included are feeling that the grassy forest and rocky landscapes are getting abit tiring after seeing them in almost every Zelda game to date. Of course each game in itself is not identical to the next one but there has never been a drastic change. Perhaps a huge ocean was added, or a sky or even another dimension but still, it has the same look and feel.

Personally I don't think Zelda games really sell because of the setting but rather fun exploration, combat at puzzles, but still I would be intrigued to see something brand new!

Do you guys think that Zelda can keep doing this game after game or do they have to do something new?

Ori.

I would like them to do something new.

That is all.

@EuanDewar: I do agree.

I'd play a game where Link is taken prisoner and the player is Zelda on her quest to save him.  Will never happen (probably) but its fun to think about.

I'd play a game where Link is taken prisoner and the player is Zelda on her quest to save him.  Will never happen (probably) but its fun to think about.

Nintendo needs to stop playing around and give us the full-on steampunk Zelda that we all want.

@wafflez said:

I'd play a game where Link is taken prisoner and the player is Zelda on her quest to save him.  Will never happen (probably) but its fun to think about.

It'll happen. Except it'll be a stealth/action-rpg in which you switch between Zelda and Sheik, created by Platinum Games.

Nintendo needs to stop playing around and give us the full-on steampunk Zelda that we all want.

I'd play a game where Link is taken prisoner and the player is Zelda on her quest to save him.  Will never happen (probably) but its fun to think about.

How about they make a game that is like Zelda only set in a completely different universe with completely different characters, maybe even some switching between several playable, different lore, items (no bombs, arrows or boomerangs please) and a different progression structure. Maybe a bit like Dark Souls, where you only have a vague objective and have to explore, maybe even running into completely optional areas, as you find your way through the game.

Y'know, a true fresh take on the Zeldalike without any obligations to stay true to the series roots.

@RockmanBionics said:

How about they make a game that is like Zelda only set in a completely different universe with completely different characters, maybe even some switching between several playable, different lore, items (no bombs, arrows or boomerangs please) and a different progression structure. Maybe a bit like Dark Souls, where you only have a vague objective and have to explore, maybe even running into completely optional areas, as you find your way through the game.

Y'know, a true fresh take on the Zeldalike without any obligations to stay true to the series roots.

That just sounds like a completely different game. No zelda characters, mechanics or dungeons to go through? Where's the zelda in that at all?

@wafflez said:

I'd play a game where Link is taken prisoner and the player is Zelda on her quest to save him.  Will never happen (probably) but its fun to think about.

oh hey look at this

I don't agree that the world has been the same from game to game. It's been pretty drastically different at times. I'd also agree the games where they deviate the most from Hyrule are the best titles in the series.

@FancySoapsMan

@wafflez said:

I'd play a game where Link is taken prisoner and the player is Zelda on her quest to save him.  Will never happen (probably) but its fun to think about.

oh hey look at this

Oh snap!!

I don't think the setting is the thing about Zelda that needs to change, but I wouldn't complain.

@yoshimitz707: Yup, it would be a competely different game, with a completely different name. Item based puzzle solving could still be a part of it, as could some of the tropes of Zelda/Nintendo storytelling with a bunch of interesting side characters, all relatively family friendly with some subtle hints at more mature happenings.

What I'm saying is I want them to stop making Zelda for a bit, take some of the good ideas from the games of the past and make a completely new game with it to truly mix things up. Throw in a dungeon with keys and bosses where it makes sense, don't just have 6 dungeons for the sake of having 6 dungeons.

Take the Mario rpgs, most of those would be great games even without Mario or Mario universe characters in them. Nintendo can make compelling characters without them having one of the company's old mascots at the forefront. Super Mario Sunshine was apparently not a mario game to begin with (don't quote me on this) and looking at most of its world and mechanics, did it ever really need to be?

I'd be lying if I said part of why I enjoyed Super Mario 3D Land wasn't the nostalgic enemies and suits, so in a sense the tactic of pandering to my nostalgia with recognizable characters works, but I still want to see a Nintendo flagship title, a title that they like with the recent Zelda apparently took 5 years to develop, that didn't have "The Legend of Zelda" or "Mario" in its name.

I've felt that way since about Windwaker. Probably why I enjoyed Darksiders so much more than any Zelda games I can remember.

@Ori: The twilight realm says hi... and by that i mean, they tried to do new stuff, and people rejected it for the most part, so i guess they went back to familiar areas. Though, i will say, even though the setting might be similar to other settings in the series, most of the experiences i had in them, felt new.

@RockmanBionics said:

What I'm saying is I want them to stop making Zelda for a bit, take some of the good ideas from the games of the past and make a completely new game with it to truly mix things up.

Nintendo is a big company, man. They don't need to stop making Zelda games to do something different if they want to. But why would they want to when Mario and Zelda games will always be sure things? Doesn't make good business sense to spend a lot of money on a risky new IP when you have these games you know will always make you a ton of money.

People say its been getting stale for years, but those same people keep buying them.

So what reason do Nintendo have to change it up?

I can't wait to play Skyward Sword. Santa needs to get his fat ass here now!

@yoshimitz707 said:

@RockmanBionics said:

What I'm saying is I want them to stop making Zelda for a bit, take some of the good ideas from the games of the past and make a completely new game with it to truly mix things up.

Nintendo is a big company, man. They don't need to stop making Zelda games to do something different if they want to. But why would they want to when Mario and Zelda games will always be sure things? Doesn't make good business sense to spend a lot of money on a risky new IP when you have these games you know will always make you a ton of money.

I won't claim to have any insight into their development, but I also don't think that they have unlimited resources. The way I figure it, any time there is a team of talented people working on Zelda, that locks those talents up from spending their time on other things. I further hypothesize that Zelda being a flagship franchise, Nintendo would be inclined to put some of their best talent on the team that is making the latest game. I could be completely off the mark here of course, but it's the way I currently see it.

As for the business side of it, you are completely right, there's no arguing about that. I think it's a sad argument to make though; after all, it was risktaking that got them where they are today, for better or worse. Frankly, I don't mind them cashing on on past accomplishments every so often, but I'd like to see them do some actual new stuff, with an actual new franchise once in a while as well.

yep, they need to change things around.

People seem to forget that Nintendo franchises, Zelda in particular, are aimed not only at you and I but newcomers to the series. It may be getting stale for us, but it's fresh for them. It's their Ocarina of Time so to speak.

@EVO: Good point, Evo, But I do think that a large part of what keeps the Zelda series alive is the hype and basically free advertising longtime fans give it before release. THere is still truth in what you say though.

By the way, love your profile picture, hehe!

I may be alone on this, but I think most of the nintendo games have gotten a bit stale.... They rely wayyy too much on cashing in on people's nostalgia, they need to do something completely new across the board.

@moelarrycurly said:

Nintendo needs to stop playing around and give us the full-on steampunk Zelda that we all want.

I don't want that.

All they really NEED to do is just get with the times on a user experience level.

Slow text scrolling, repeating text blurbs (hints, exposition) that can't be skipped, forced tutorials/clumsy hand holding and very obvious game-y things to do (collecting stuff that is just there for the sake of collecting it) and a static world with "designed" dungeons (as opposed to natural obstacles that need to be overcome) should be areas they need to look at.

If they reinterpret the classic A Link to the Past or Ocarina of Time setting again, I wouldn't even mind as long as they address the issues listed above. I bet nobody would complain about boomerangs, Ganon as the villain or whatever gets mentioned as the stereotypical Zelda element if these things were no longer rooted in 1997 game design.

I've just put the controller down from playing Skyward Sword and I love it but there are so many small annoyances they need to work on for the next one. In the current official Skyward Sword survey, I wrote a long paragraph in the feedback freetext field about this. I hope someone reads those ...

On a sidenote: @OP why not post this in the Zelda franchise forum?

Not as stale as FPS games. Not by a long shot.

@Ori: ...some of us remember when the first game came out. How do you think I feel watching the same game being re-made for twenty years?

I don't know, I really liked the opening of Skyward Sword and I thought it was anything but stale. It was one of the best openings of a game this year, and very unique but not just for Zelda games. I think the rest of the world is fine, so that's not the problem I have with the series right now.

The Legend of Space Zelda!

@ShadowSkill11: Haha, true enough!

@DeF: Sorry 'bout that. New to the whole forum thing so will keep that in mind with future posts :-)

@wafflez said:

I'd play a game where Link is taken prisoner and the player is Zelda on her quest to save him. Will never happen (probably) but its fun to think about.

You mean like this?

@Ori said:

@ShadowSkill11: Haha, true enough!

I actually get really tired of this "they've been remaking the same game" thing. It's just that most people tend to only play the ones that are actually quite similar (Zelda 1 -> Link to the Past -> Ocarina -> Twilight Princess). When you actually take a look at all the games you'll notice that they're doing a lot of different things while maintaining several base elements (dungeon structure w/ keys, map, boss pattern, core items).

@wafflez said:

I'd play a game where Link is taken prisoner and the player is Zelda on her quest to save him. Will never happen (probably) but its fun to think about.

Careful what you wish for.

Once it gets the HD treatment, Zelda will be amazing. Nintendo just needs to keep up with the times.

So long as they have the same lore, vivid locales, and clever puzzles; everyone will love Zelda again.

@DeF: You know, I think you are right on the spot with that conclusion. The "classics" or I should say the newer Zelda games are definatly the ones that the massmarket plays again and again. Many of the portable Zelda games do quite innovative stuff, Minish Cap for example.

Good comment!

@Ori said:

@ShadowSkill11: Haha, true enough!

I actually get really tired of this "they've been remaking the same game" thing. It's just that most people tend to only play the ones that are actually quite similar (Zelda 1 -> Link to the Past -> Ocarina -> Twilight Princess). When you actually take a look at all the games you'll notice that they're doing a lot of different things while maintaining several base elements (dungeon structure w/ keys, map, boss pattern, core items).

@FancySoapsMan: What would you like to see in the new Zelda game?