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General Zelda A Spin-Off Involving Only Puzzle Solving

With the impending release of Hyrule Warriors outside of Japan, Nintendo and Tecmo Koei have created a spin-off that largely focuses on one key component of the Zelda franchise, combat. Although the presentation is different, the idea of staving off hordes of enemies has been used before for side games such as Link's Crossbow Training.

What if Nintendo decided to toss aside combat completely for one game and instead set their sights on puzzle solving? While combat adds more flavor to the mix, puzzles have always been at the core of the series. In the main games, enemies are simply means to delay the player from reaching the next puzzle or objective. If Nintendo opted for such a plan, the major concern would be that perhaps the game would be boring to some although the creators have consistently managed to concoct fresh ideas while moving away from tedious trials like block pushing.

Would this be a wise idea on Nintendo's part or would it be too alienating and perhaps narrow of an experience?
 

Salem

SICK
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May 18, 2013
That's pretty all of the modern Zelda games.

Actually, that'll be interesting, but would it be better to usa a different character than Link?
 
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Mask-Salesman

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In the main games, enemies are simply means to delay the player from reaching the next puzzle or objective.

I disagree. You could also say puzzles are simply means to delay the player from reaching the next enemy. I've always enjoyed the combat in Zelda games. In fact, I think one of the key factors in the game are the boss fights. Finally solving a difficult puzzle is satisfieing (do I say that right? :P), but that moment when you first step into a boss room and the door slams behind you and you have no idea what you are up against... That is the true Zelda feeling to me!
 

Mercedes

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They could do it, but I don't think typical Zelda puzzles have enough to really work as a standalone game, it'd require a lot more work, so I don't immediately think it's a good idea. Better it be a whole new entity as a new IP rather than be tied to Zelda. I think the game which very much proved this genre is still alive and kicking would be Portal; a unique focal point, very simple to learn but brings with it potential for complexity, an amazing narrative, and bam- success. I'm not sure if Nintendo could really cinch that since all of the "new" items in recent Zelda games tend to either be re-hashes of old items or not very unique/exciting at all. So it could be cool, but I'd rather them do a new thing altogether and not be tied to the Zelda franchise.
 

TheRationalDove

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I think what makes Zelda a great game series for me is the focus of puzzle-solving and combat in a blend. However, I think that the majority of Zelda gaming can be considered Puzzle-solving, including some of the combat, since you have to figure out how to defeat certain enemies. So, I think a puzzle focused spin-off would be sort of redundant since that already makes up a bulk of Zelda games to begin with. With that said, I certainly wouldn't turn down a game exclusively puzzle oriented.
 

Justac00lguy

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I really like this idea for a spin-off sort of game, mainly because it's something a bit different. Focusing on one single aspect allows Nintendo to put the sole emphasis on puzzles without leaving them as an afterthought behind story, overworld exploration etc. Sometimes it seems like puzzles do get lost in the fold and I get the feeling that Nintendo are always afraid, well over the past ten years, to really go all out with puzzle challenge and design. They're always tentative to raise bar, so this gives them the perfect window of an opportunity to push the boundaries of how we think of puzzles.

You could essentially base this idea around tackling dungeons; however make the dungeons specifically puzzle focused. You can have Like tackle dungeon after dungeon, each with new and interesting themes as well as mind-boggling puzzles to test the most experienced of fans.

To expand upon this, you could recreate old dungeons and remake them so to say (possibly add more puzzles and less of the combat). Dungeons like the infamous Water Temple, the Forest Temple and the Stone Tower Temple. You could even go as far as recreating the 2D dungeons and altering the puzzles to fit within the 3D perspective. I see a lot to potential in this idea and, in some ways, I'd actually prefer it to a full Zelda game if executed right.
 

Shroom

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Would there be no combat at all? Or just a focus of say: 80:20, where 80 is puzzle solving and 20 is combat. I mean, most boss fights are a bit of a puzzle themselves in some cases, and for me, personally, I feel like the blending of combat and puzzles keeps the other part fresh and actually makes me want more. They just give you a break from the other, and it works for me.

I'd probably still check it out though.
 
I think what makes Zelda a great game series for me is the focus of puzzle-solving and combat in a blend. However, I think that the majority of Zelda gaming can be considered Puzzle-solving, including some of the combat, since you have to figure out how to defeat certain enemies. So, I think a puzzle focused spin-off would be sort of redundant since that already makes up a bulk of Zelda games to begin with. With that said, I certainly wouldn't turn down a game exclusively puzzle oriented.

Nintendo has gone back and forth with the depth of strategy required to take down enemies and bosses. Zelda II and Skyward Sword are the games that require the most forethought in combat. While the other games have enemies that aren't beaten by a simple slash of the sword, they fall victim to predictability. The issue is that the series is inconsistent in how battling is handled. This lack of consistency in various aspects of the franchise is a topic for a separate discussion, however.

JC said:
You could even go as far as recreating the 2D dungeons and altering the puzzles to fit within the 3D perspective. I see a lot to potential in this idea and, in some ways, I'd actually prefer it to a full Zelda game if executed right.

Huh, I never thought of such a simple way to breathe new life into some of the older games. This would definitely be a good way for Nintendo to promote the top-down Zelda games aside from rereleasing them on the Virtual Console.
 

MW7

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I would certainly love just about anything more puzzle-heavy within the Zelda universe. I could see how it could alienate some fans, but that's basically what you get with a spin-off. Some people will love it and some will not. As for being too narrow of an experience, that's a definite concern for why certain players could be alienated. I would not think of it as too narrow though. I love Professor Layton games which for me boil down to clicking through the story and trying to get from puzzle to puzzle as fast as possible. The potential Zelda spin-off you are talking about could take many forms depending on how much the designers would be willing to deviate from the Zelda formula. It could be like a full-length adventure just with combat left behind, but for something like this even a level-based game could work. For example it could be reminiscent of Goldeneye 007 in which you're dropped into a smaller world/dungeon with predetermined items for that world/dungeon. I could also see something like Super Mario 64 working in which players could tackle different levels selected from a hub. There are endless possibilities. I'd be happy with just about any attempt to bring puzzles more to the forefront of a game within the Zelda universe.
 

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