General Zelda Aonuma Considering Zelda As Main Protagonist?

[Justac00lguy]

Let me clarify, I don't see Zelda as a frontline fighter, she's the princess, potentially a future queen. Being the monarch/leader of her country, she has more important things than to fight, she has to be a beacon of hope for the people, calm people down when there's a crisis(she did a job during*TP).

Well first of all who says she has to he a figure of power or within the monarchy? Zelda is her own character, for the majority of the time, yes she is a Princess, but this doesn't have to be the case. In fact this pushes the notion of change. We have seen Zelda in a very different light before, even though she was a Princess in Ocarina of Time she had a very different role in the Adult Era. She appeared in the form of Sheik, to be honest I don't care if people think of Sheik as a different character, the fact is that it was still Zelda. She was very independent and showcased a number of qualities that which could for the description of a "hero".

However, would the role of a monarchy affect her role as a hero? To be honest there are two noticeable ways around this. For one, Zelda doesn't have to be the only figure in the monarchy. You could have the King and Queen taking the reigns while the Princess goes off an adventure of sorts. I think you're going too much off the Princess Zelda in Twilight Princess. This was one of the odd occurrences were Zelda was the sole figure of power and a very mature figure. Most of the time she doesn't play this role of the head and mature figure, so I believe this doesn't actually fit Zelda's typical role.

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Princess Zelda is probably the most prominent figure in all of the series yet we barley know anything of her, usually we just see her briefly at the start and then at the end, her presence, overall, is quite obscure. Now this is why I like this idea and I would certainly support it. Gender or her typical role isn't an issue and I won't argue against that. Look at the likes of Sheik and Tetra, here we have two very different roles that Zelda was involved in and her probably her most unique to date. I would like to get a better insight into one of the main figures within the series and to actually play as her would be a welcomed and fresh addition.

 

[Salem]

I never played Guild War, YOUR ARGUMENT IS INVALID!!!!!!!!!!1111!11

But all kidding aside

We've never seen her as a frontline fighter, so how can you make the judgment?

Remember when sheik defeated bongo-bongo? No? Of course not she was flung like a rag doll by it.

I totally agree with this; merely having Zelda as a playable character means nothing. All changes need to come with some sort of meaning. So we play as Zelda, so what? If she's another voiceless, character-less character then we might as well have been playing as Link, correct? Well playing as Zelda is an easy enough manner to have voice acting (if Nintendo so dares anyway), real character depth and immersion of character, and a new perspective on things. Link is the brave guy who does whatever (cus he's a dog of war ), but maybe Zelda is more sensitive and less direct? Who knows.

overly sensitive main characters are dumb.

Okay, if you WANT a Zelda game where Zelda is a main character, by all means do so, I won't tell you otherwise, me personally I wouldn't care unless the change is something that has nothing to do with story lines, emotional/character development and all that jazz.

Well first of all who says she has to he a figure of power or within the monarchy? Zelda is her own character, for the majority of the time, yes she is a Princess, but this doesn't have to be the case. In fact this pushes the notion of change. We have seen Zelda in a very different light before, even though she was a Princess in Ocarina of Time she had a very different role in the Adult Era. She appeared in the form of Sheik, to be honest I don't care if people think of Sheik as a different character, the fact is that it was still Zelda. She was very independent and showcased a number of qualities that which could for the description of a "hero".

However, would the role of a monarchy affect her role as a hero? To be honest there are two noticeable ways around this. For one, Zelda doesn't have to be the only figure in the monarchy. You could have the King and Queen taking the reigns while the Princess goes off an adventure of sorts. I think you're going too much off the Princess Zelda in Twilight Princess. This was one of the odd occurrences were Zelda was the sole figure of power and a very mature figure. Most of the time she doesn't play this role of the head and mature figure, so I believe this doesn't actually fit Zelda's typical role.

Look, I don't wanna repeat myself, but having Zelda as the main playable character in an action-adventure game changes nothing about the game expect for her being a person of royalty, personally, this could potentially slow down the pace, more overly, because this requires way more exposition and dialoge than say a randoom dude who happens to find Impa and takes it upon himself to save Hyrule

 

[Sydney]

Remember when sheik defeated bongo-bongo? No? Of course not she was flung like a rag doll by it.

Judging by the screen fading to black after Link was attacked, it can be assumed that the same thing happened to him. So using this as something that proves your point is invalid.

overly sensitive main characters are dumb.

Overly sensitive? Possibly, but sensitive characters in general are by no means "dumb". It's nice to see characters have a strong sense of emotion, rather than just being lifeless robots.

Okay, if you WANT a Zelda game where Zelda is a main character, by all means do so, I won't tell you otherwise, me personally I wouldn't care unless the change is something that has nothing to do with story lines, emotional/character development and all that jazz.

By all means defend your opinion, but if change occurs characters and emotions will change with it. That's simply how things work. Let's take Skyward Sword for example. Before playing it, all we knew about Princess Zelda was that she was the Princess of Hyrule and a member of the Royal Family. After Skyward Sword, we found that she was a descendant of the Goddess Hylia. Not only that, but haven't you noticed she exhibited many emotions in SS? Aside from that, with every game comes a new story line, so I don't know why you'd be against that...

Look, I don't wanna repeat myself, but having Zelda as the main playable character in an action-adventure game changes nothing about the game expect for her being a person of royalty, personally, this could potentially slow down the pace, more overly, because this requires way more exposition and dialoge than say a randoom dude who happens to find Impa and takes it upon himself to save Hyrule

Whats so wrong with a more in depth game? :?

 

[Ventus]

Judging by the screen fading to black after Link was attacked, it can be assumed that the same thing happened to him. So using this as something that proves your point is invalid.

Only that Zelda didn't do :? before or after that bar saving Ruto. >_>

Overly sensitive? Possibly, but sensitive characters in general are by no means "dumb". It's nice to see characters have a strong sense of emotion, rather than just being lifeless robots.

So you're saying Zelda > Link? Because I agree.

By all means defend your opinion, but if change occurs characters and emotions will change with it. That's simply how things work. Let's take Skyward Sword for example. Before playing it, all we knew about Princess Zelda was that she was the Princess of Hyrule and a member of the Royal Family. After Skyward Sword, we found that she was a descendant of the Goddess Hylia. Not only that, but haven't you noticed she exhibited many emotions in SS? Aside from that, with every game comes a new story line, so I don't know why you'd be against that...

Wrong. She *is* Hylia.

Whats so wrong with a more in depth game? :?

What kinda depth are we talking about?

Alright so I know my questions are rather sided with Sroa Link (because they are)...and that's due to the fact that I think we're asking for Zelda to be playable for some shallow reasons:
1) Because she's a girl. Sorry, but I don't care about the gender (unless it's Link in which case I WANT Link to be female for once) and gender has no real effect on a protagonist anyway.
2) Because it isn't Link. Well so what if it isn't Link? That doesn't make it different in any capacity.
3) Because the protag will have emotions. That isn't true - SS Link displayed a ton of love for Hylia Zelda.

:I [break]this post made no sense[/break]

 

[Justac00lguy]

Look, I don't wanna repeat myself, but having Zelda as the main playable character in an action-adventure game changes nothing about the game expect for her being a person of royalty, personally, this could potentially slow down the pace, more overly, because this requires way more exposition and dialoge than say a randoom dude who happens to find Impa and takes it upon himself to save Hyrule

Yet I fail to see how this is in any way bad, you have failed to point out anything bad with this hypothetical situation. Like I previously stated, she doesn't have to be a figure of royalty, I don't know where people have got this idea from.

Explain to me how any of what you mentioned would slow down the pace? Princess Zelda is about as much of a character as Link is, both are pretty unknown and obscure characters. So essentially what you raised about more dialogue etc. doesn't really apply. More dialogue and focus on character should be implanted anyway, the series has differed away from the main protagonist being an avatar, it's diminished the idea of Link being the "link" between the player and the game, this has been done with more focus on Link's personality and more narrative based games. Fact is that Zelda and Link are very alike in terms of unknown obscure characters, there should be more emuput on their character. Plus this whole idea about "pacing" doesn't apply either, Zelda games are very slow paced anyway, adding more dialogue would be a "benefit".

 

[ihateghirahim]

Well, Link did charge forth to defeat Bongo and the other monsters.

Also, the emotions of SS were shared by all as Nintendo tried to deepen the story. It didn't work that well. Nice and simple emotional development is fine, but it has to be kept in the context of an epic fantasy game. Also, the Hylia myth isn't too relevant to future games. Nintendo could never mention it again and it wouldn't affect the quality of individual games or the series as a whole. It could be used, but there's virtually no known facts about how Hylia affects Zelda in future incarnations. It can become whatever Miyamoto and Aonuma want it to be.

Zelda really would need some great creative spark to make a good game. The traditions of the series and all established gameplay and design center on Link's heroism. Zelda has the role of guidance and assistance in some games. There's nothing wrong with this. I can't imagine what would be. If there's a great design for a zelda spin-off, let it be, but it shouldn't be anything that people strive to make work or feel pressured to create.

 

[Sydney]

Only that Zelda didn't do :? before or after that bar saving Ruto. >_>

It wasn't her job to save Ruto, and it wasn't her job to defeat Bongo Bongo. She was there to guide the hero.

So you're saying Zelda > Link? Because I agree.

In some aspects, yes.

Wrong. She *is* Hylia.

Sorry.

What kinda depth are we talking about?

I'm assuming depth in characters, emotion, and storyline.

 

[Dan]

I would enjoy playing Zelda, it would certainly be something fresh and very sexy, wow wow wee wa, just thinking about it gets me excited. I really hope this idea prevails.

Oh and for the lols you gotta call it the legend of link so people for this first time ever will be like "hey do you play as link in that game, and you shout NO YOU PLAY AS ZELDA"

 

[Salem]

Judging by the screen fading to black after Link was attacked, it can be assumed that the same thing happened to him. So using this as something that proves your point is invalid.

Sorry, that statement was more of an attempt at a joke than anything. I find it ironic that the one boss in Oot that doesn't require its dungeon item to be defeated Link fail to defeated it outside of the dungeon, makes me wish I was playing as Link at the time.

Overly sensitive? Possibly, but sensitive characters in general are by no means "dumb". It's nice to see characters have a strong sense of emotion, rather than just being lifeless robots.


By all means defend your opinion, but if change occurs characters and emotions will change with it. That's simply how things work. Let's take Skyward Sword for example. Before playing it, all we knew about Princess Zelda was that she was the Princess of Hyrule and a member of the Royal Family. After Skyward Sword, we found that she was a descendant of the Goddess Hylia. Not only that, but haven't you noticed she exhibited many emotions in SS? Aside from that, with every game comes a new story line, so I don't know why you'd be against that...


Whats so wrong with a more in depth game? :?

The most ironic thing about SS was if it was an Anime/Manga/TV show, these's a high chance I would of liked and cared about Zelda(and fi), but this is a video game, I don't enjoy it when a high school drama gets in the middle of my Zelda game. There's little chance a video game get me to care about these sort of things. Its just a personal preference.

Yet I fail to see how this is in any way bad, you have failed to point out anything bad with this hypothetical situation. Like I previously stated, she doesn't have to be a figure of royalty, I don't know where people have got this idea from.

Explain to me how any of what you mentioned would slow down the pace? Princess Zelda is about as much of a character as Link is, both are pretty unknown and obscure characters. So essentially what you raised about more dialogue etc. doesn't really apply. More dialogue and focus on character should be implanted anyway, the series has differed away from the main protagonist being an avatar, it's diminished the idea of Link being the "link" between the player and the game, this has been done with more focus on Link's personality and more narrative based games. Fact is that Zelda and Link are very alike in terms of unknown obscure characters, there should be more emuput on their character. Plus this whole idea about "pacing" doesn't apply either, Zelda games are very slow paced anyway, adding more dialogue would be a "benefit".

1-Dialoge and focus on character more than necessary sort of what diminishes my interest on the game.
2-Pacing in Zelda has been slow passed since at least WW, TP is the worst offender, I wouldn't like anything that slows the pacing any more, least of which is "story".

 

[Justac00lguy]

1-Dialoge and focus on character more than necessary sort of what diminishes my interest on the game.
2-Pacing in Zelda has been slow passed since at least WW,*TP*is the worst offender, I wouldn't like anything that slows the pacing any more, least of which is "story".

Your interest doesn't account for everyone nor the direction that the series is going in. The Zelda series is moving to a more narrative and stronger focused game - look at the last three home console installments for proof. People may believe that story isn't all that important in a series like Zelda, truth be told, is that story is vital to any given game, if implemented well. Having a story adds gives meaning to the game and what's going on, it helps give the player a better outlook on events, having a story can make the player relate to the events. Essentially having a more narrative based games can enhance what's going on in the game. With a fantasy based game, which is based on legends and tales of a Hero saving a Princess and defeating evil. This series has story written all over it, the way it's set up is the perfect setting for a story to take place.

 

[Salem]

Your interest doesn't account for everyone nor the direction that the series is going in. The Zelda series is moving to a more narrative and stronger focused game - look at the last three home console installments for proof. People may believe that story isn't all that important in a series like Zelda, truth be told, is that story is vital to any given game, if implemented well. Having a story adds gives meaning to the game and what's going on, it helps give the player a better outlook on events, having a story can make the player relate to the events. Essentially having a more narrative based games can enhance what's going on in the game. With a fantasy based game, which is based on legends and tales of a Hero saving a Princess and defeating evil. This series has story written all over it, the way it's set up is the perfect setting for a story to take place.

Alright, this may be true, this could be the direction the series is taking, can't argue with you there, but I still hope they would do a 180 on that, and go back to nes era protagonist. Even if its a slim chance.

 

[Beauts]

Oh dear, Aonuma. Like people already don't get that Link isn't Zelda. Now lets have one game where you actually do play as Zelda so then when all the new fanboys join ZD we will have endless threads where we all have to explain that all other games' protagonist is Link

No I'm kidding. I think maybe they could do a game where you play as Zelda in parts. But I think doing away with Link as the main would be sad

 

[CynicalSquid]

Here are my thoughts.

Good for a spin-off.

Bad for a main title.

 

[The Jade Fist]

Let me clarify, I don't see Zelda as a frontline fighter, she's the princess, potentially a future queen. Being the monarch/leader of her country, she has more important things than to fight, she has to be a beacon of hope for the people, calm people down when there's a crisis(she did a job during TP).

during the series she was NEVER just a damsel in distress, she always did something, sometimes it was more important than using a sword.

In original LoZ, she did a proactive action, she hid the triforce from Ganon
In Loz 2, she refused to tell a secret about the triforce to her brother who was the KING of Hyrule.
OoT, she ploted the downfall of her enemy
In TP, I assume she covered up the crisis that happened.

If Zelda would be a star in a Zelda game, it has to be spin off, Zelda real-time strategy anyone?

Historically many kings and princes have rode into battle, no reason a princess can't do it too.
Besides in the situation I put forth she was still in part the damsel in distress, and fits very much in line as arranged and political marriages happened all the time to royalty.

Its like she can be both.\

Want her to be cunning? Make harder puzzles and require some stealth ninja action. There now we can see how smart she really is for having the triforce of wisdom.

Sorry, that statement was more of an attempt at a joke than anything. I find it ironic that the one boss in Oot that doesn't require its dungeon item to be defeated Link fail to defeated it outside of the dungeon, makes me wish I was playing as Link at the time.

to be fair to he was invisible

 

[Salem]

Historically many kings and princes have rode into battle, no reason a princess can't do it too.
Besides in the situation I put forth she was still in part the damsel in distress, and fits very much in line as arranged and political marriages happened all the time to royalty.

Its like she can be both.\

Want her to be cunning? Make harder puzzles and require some stealth ninja action. There now we can see how smart she really is for having the triforce of wisdom.

I don't like her as a damsel in distress either.

Actually you know what? I think I said all I needed to say on this topic. You can scroll up for the rest my responses.

You can continue to discuss this topic until we reach the part where we discuss the merits of making error from Aol as the main playable character.