Bomber’s Notebook #017 – Direct Sequels: Hot or Not?

Zelda is probably best known for its many independent titles that have little relation to one another. There have been plenty of sequels amid a sea of lone wolves, among them being the beloved Majora’s Mask and Link’s Awakening. Usually continuations of one story will feel less dynamic than their predecessor because they often share the same art style and feature similar items and concepts. For a series that is known for releasing one stellar sequel-less game after another, are direct sequels really a necessity? I’m sure that many people’s initial responses would be “no”, but there are plenty of reasons for Zelda games to spawn successors. Make the jump to read more!

Sequels have a tendency to be overshadowed by their predecessors, as one would expect them to be superior in nearly every way to the original. This is obviously not the case, and even if a sequel is decidedly better than the first game, it will receive heavier criticism because much more is typically expected from the original title’s follow-up.

I think it’s safe to say that Zelda has produces some wonders in titles such as Majora’s Mask and Link’s Awakening, which both ranked highly on Game Informer‘s Top 200 Games list in 2009. The former has received international acclaim and an unprecedented amount of love in the past two years, while Link’s Awakening remains the endearing, lighthearted continuation of A Link to the Past that brought The Legend of Zelda to your pocket.

However, some of the franchise’s least loved installments have been follow-ups to a previous game. The Adventure of Link, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, and Four Swords Adventures have been on the receiving end of criticism from Zelda fans. You could say that many of them are near the bottom of the totem pole. This may be due in part to the tendency for Zelda sequels to be released on handheld consoles. Of the six major Zelda games released for Nintendo’s handhelds, three are direct extensions to the story of a previous game.

I can understand why Nintendo focuses its attention so much on new Zelda entities. They, of all people, must know that Zelda works best with fresh ideas, and in reality the games are hardly connected. Most adventures feature a new Link, a new quest, a somewhat new cast of characters and a vastly different settings. The franchise has thrived on this concept both commercially and critically:

As you can see, the sequels are bolded. In the case of The Wind Waker and its two successors, the aggregate review scores continually fell. The downward slide is very noticeable and indicates that critics generally weren’t as enthusiastic about direct continuations as they were about the original games, which is understandable. They’ve been there, done that and have already experienced a similar adventure. Take this with as much or as little importance as you’d like.

The thing that matters most in the gaming industry is financial gain. In the end, Zelda games are developed so that Nintendo can turn a profit. Keeping this in mind, they develop sequels using existing engines to save money and make a quick buck. After all, it’s easier to build on something that already has a strong foundation than start an entirely new project.

Listed below are each of the games with their sales figures behind them. These figures are only representative of the original release of the games:

It is abundantly clear that The Adventure of Link, Link’s Awakening, Majora’s Mask, Four Swords Adventures and Spirit Tracks all performed less excellently when compared to the preceding adventure. Not a single on of them has sold more than its prequel excluding Phantom Hourglass, but the loss of sales between Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks was probably devastating for the Big N.

So there you have it. From the evidence provided here, it’s pretty simple to draw a conclusion for what the general audience thinks about Zelda sequels. But what about you? Do you feel that continuations are weaker installments than their independent siblings. Do you feel that they are stronger? Neither? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below!