A Zelda Without an Instrument?

[Skunk]

I was thinking about what a new Zelda would be like without an instrument. It definitely would be an interesting point in the series. I wonder if Nintendo could pull it off? What do you guys think?

 

[DrGraveRobber]

Well Twilight Princess didn't really have an instrument. I don't think it would be that big of a deal.

 

[Heros Temporis]

Not all Zelda games have had instruments, or major ones. Most of them have had some degree of control over music, though. Though most games don't have something as interactive as the Ocarina, Wind Waker, or Harp, or, that is, something you actually play. In many of the old games, music instruments served a simple purpose and could be utilized with a push of a button.
It wouldn't be radical of Nintendo to do it, because it would by no means be a first, but I'm hoping that they continue to make fun, interactive instruments for games (at least the three-dimensional ones) because I love instruments in Zelda, how they sound, the ability to play music, and how they affect the game. I think they're a great contribution, and I hope we continue to see them.

 

[VikzeLink]

I will say it like this: The original TLoZ had a flute which could only play one melody and it was used to teleport around the world. I don't think AoL had an instrument, but not sure.
ALttP had a Ocarina, but in the game it was called a flute. It served the exactly same purpose as the flute in the original game, but it had some backstory to it. Link's Awakening had the first real instrument, an Ocarina which you could learn to play 3 songs on. You didn't play them yourself, you just choose the song you wanted to play and clicked the button.
OOT and MM, do I have to say anything?
I haven't played the oracle games yet, but I'm quite sure that there is instruments in them. In FS and FSA there are no instruments
Then we have WW with a baton, which technically isn't an instrument. I don't know about Minish Cap, but I don't think there is one in it.
In TP there is no real instrument as well, horse grass, hawk grass, the horse call and the howling stones barley counts.
Then there was nothing in PH, the Spirit flute in ST and in SS we have the harp.

 

[ErikElias]

Twilight Princess didnt have an instrument. Just some grass.

 

[Skunk]

Twilight Princess also had howling.

 

[Big Octo]

Both the Four Swords games and Phantom Hourglass didn't have instruments. So... It could work, because it was done before.

 

[WikiEezEpic]

tp didnt have one... it was fine...


ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.... but there was the howling....

well i dont think it would make a huge difference.

 

[ZoraBoy]

Most Zelda's have some form of instrument but not all make it a relevant or essential part of the gameplay. TP had the Howling but it was rarely used. PH had no instrument either. And other Zelda games that have instruments uses them relatively low. A Zelda ithout instrument is possible but it is likely they will implement music one way or another and that is something that should not view as bad. Not only Zelda has amazing music, it manages to use music in the game as no other series has done.

 

[link97]

a lot of games didnt have instruments so it could work

 

[LegendOfUmbreon]

It drives me nuts having to remember one song to go here, and another to go there, and another to make the gorons happy, and another to make it rain

 

[Koosholts]

It drives me nuts having to remember one song to go here, and another to go there, and another to make the gorons happy, and another to make it rain

I agree that the Ocarina of Time had a lot of complex songs that was difficult to memorize your first playthrough (Ocarina of Time). I would not want to see something that complex again.

However, I do enjoy when the Zeldas incorporate a musical instrument into the gameplay. My favorite by far was the Wind Waker. It was simple, easy to use, and produced beautiful music. The harp was also good, although I'd like Zelda to go a bit more in-depth other than simply swinging the Wii Remote back and forth in accordance with a circle of light.

 

[linkbeatmario]

It realy doesn't matter to me as I really never have problems with the instruments(except for the disapointing harp in SS . I would really like to see nintendo pull of something new

 

[jack546]

I think a zelda without an instrument wouldnt be very good because it wouldnt have as much music and puzzles solved by music.

 

[S. Mario]

As has been said, there are a few Zelda games without instruments, and those that have them may not use the instrument that much. The only games that really used the instruments to their fullest are Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, and Spirit Tracks. The other games that had instruments usually just had them as a warp item. In Adventure of Link the instrument only opened paths. I haven't played Skyward Sword very much yet, so I won't say anything about it.

I personally like the games more that use the instrument a lot. I loved how Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask gave us fully playable instruments, although they did need a lot of playing around with to get all the notes. I can see how others wouldn't like all the song memorizing, but since I'm a musician, I liked memorizing the songs. I would like all the future Zelda games to have instruments as complete as the ones in OoT and MM.