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IMO: Fans' reaction to The Wind Waker was the single most devastating blow the Zelda series faced.

Iridescence

Emancipated Wind Fish
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We'll stay tuned to see what Zelda for Wii U offers us, but for now, The Wind Waker was the last of the highly innovative Zelda games Nintendo made.

Let's look at Zelda's history.
  • Zelda NES defined the adventure game, period.
  • Adventure of Link wasn't as successful but it tried an entirely new route with RPG/side-scrolling mechanics.
  • A Link to the Past dramatically enhanced the original Zelda 1 formula with a narrative, large host of items, time-travelling, numerous new puzzle elements and most of the tropes we know today.
  • Link's Awakening totally changed the setting and the story, moving away from the Princess formula into a surreal comedic but philosophical dream world.
  • Ocarina of Time revolutionized 3D gaming with horse-riding, z-targeting, verticality added to puzzle-solving and an overall well-realized 3D atmosphere.
  • Majora's Mask subverted the formula with a 3 day time limit, masks, a character-driven story and a changing overworld focused on side quests. In addition, it emphasized a new dark haunting atmosphere.
  • The Wind Waker introduced the idea that LoZ is in principle a series about exploration. And you can take it anywhere you want (even an ocean) and it could still be Zelda. In addition to that, it's visual art style was way ahead of its time.
The reaction toward Wind Waker

The west had a hostile reaction toward it because it was different. Instead of having a rational discussion about it's merits and faults, the message sent to Aunoma was "This game has no merit. This is not Zelda!". Before TWW reactions, Zelda games were made as art, to reflect what the artist thought would be the best expression of their creative abilities. After TWW, it became about pleasing the fans and stitching the fanbase together.

  • Twilight Princess copied so many aspects of OOT and lacked innovation.
  • Phantom Hourglass copied so many aspects of TWW, it lacked real innovation.
  • Spirit Tracks tried new things, within the PH formula (somewhat exempt)
  • Skyward Sword tried to be a middle ground between Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, and it ended up lacking the merits of both. The sky overworld was no great sea. TP's length and structure didn't do the game any good.
  • A Link Between Worlds was a fantastic game, but it was made to please fans of the original ALTTP.
Hopefully with Zelda U it becomes more about creating than pleasing fans, like it used to be.
 

Dio

~ It's me, Dio!~
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The thing is Zelda had a good thing going for it. It was a hugely popular franchise. Now it's kind of semi popular because of it's lack of direction.
If they want to make a huge innovation, a new IP is where to do it. People get attached to a franchise because they like what it does and how it does it, but if it is too different each time well it can put people off.
People just don't like change. Whatever Zelda U brings, it may be different from what we have seen recently in Zelda, but it will(from what it sounds like) be going back to the roots of Zelda, featuring more exploration and a focus on adventure. Much more like the originals which is actually not innovative at all, it is re-treading old ground. It may not be a big thing in 3D Zelda, but other franchises such as Elder Scrolls actually do this already and Zelda has done it in the past too.
 

DarkestLink

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No. Wind Waker did not introduce the principle that Zelda was about exploration. At best, it re-introduced it and even then, compared to the original titles, it didn't do much to showcase exploration. ALBW did a better job at re-introducing it. tWW was just as linear as MM, it just lacked direction.
 

HeroOfTime

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I've always enjoyed the classics most of all. N64 especially "speaks to me". But it seems like Nintendo's been focusing on their timeline and complete story more, which I appreciate, but still love how epic those classics are.
 

Iridescence

Emancipated Wind Fish
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The thing is Zelda had a good thing going for it. It was a hugely popular franchise. Now it's kind of semi popular because of it's lack of direction.
If they want to make a huge innovation, a new IP is where to do it.

Disagree. All franchises have this problem I agree. Some fans are sick of the formula and others want big innovation. But the thing about Zelda is that it's about sequels and upgrades. It's about providing different experiences with a (pun intended) common link.

No. Wind Waker did not introduce the principle that Zelda was about exploration. At best, it re-introduced it and even then, compared to the original titles, it didn't do much to showcase exploration. ALBW did a better job at re-introducing it. tWW was just as linear as MM, it just lacked direction.

I meant to say that Wind Waker established LOZ as a principle for exploration - rather than a specific place to explore. All of the previous Zelda's had big mountains, a graveyard, grassy fields, large lakes and a volcano. And fans felt that these things were necessary in order to have a Zelda game. Wind Waker showed people that you can change the setting entirely and still have the Zelda elements.
 

DarkestLink

Darkest of all Dark Links
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I meant to say that Wind Waker established LOZ as a principle for exploration - rather than a specific place to explore. All of the previous Zelda's had big mountains, a graveyard, grassy fields, large lakes and a volcano. And fans felt that these things were necessary in order to have a Zelda game. Wind Waker showed people that you can change the setting entirely and still have the Zelda elements.

Sorry, but I get a feeling you're either grasping at straws or trying to convey that it had a transportation based overworld. Honestly, IMO, the only real "innovation" Wind Waker had was its graphic style and the transportation based overworld.
 
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Eh, I think you're kind of twisting your perspective of the series to fit your argument. I do think the Zelda formula's gotten tiring, but not due to any specific event-- just because it's been going, more or less, for nearly 30 years.

I wasn't around for the reaction to tWW, but from what I can make of it, it really doesn't seem to have been that catastrophic; there was some backlash, the game sold poorly, Nintendo took a different approach with the next game, and we've since realized our mistake. I don't really agree there was any "rational discussion" to be had-- backlash is a natural thing. The general course and progression of the series wasn't, IMO, significantly altered. You say TP lacked innovation, but frankly, it brought the series to new heights narratively and cinematically-- the next logical step in the evolution of the franchise after tWW.

I'll leave you with this-- did you know that, prior to the decision to take a more realistic approach, TP was originally going to be tWW 2? It was going to be cel-shaded, it was going to see Link sailing a vast ocean-- sound familiar? Not much "innovation" there. What we probably would've seen differentiate that game from tWW were the same subtle progressions that distinguished TP from OoT-- and that would've been without the influence of backlash from the fans weighing down on Nintendo's direction.
 

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