Breath of the Wild BotW's new mechanics are not exactly new...

[DarkestLink]

They haven't exacly been "present" in the series, and most of these ideas (like degrading and stamina) were not well received, which makes it jarring that they would try to add onto this.

 

[Spirit]

Some are old, some are new, some are refined... more than a few look like theyve been lifted directly out of other games such as Metal Gear, Monster Hunter and Assassin's Creed...

Had BotW come out ten years ago like it shiukd have we could have called what its doing new and not just new for Zelda.

 

[SinkingBadges]

Let's see, off the top of my head:

• I remember Minish Cap had grass-burning, but it mostly worked as a means to get rid of grass faster. I've heard it compared more to Far Cry 2, which I've yet to play but does look like it has fire spread.
• The hang-glider works kinda like the deku leaf, except you don't need to summon wind for it. They did keep the tornadoes in the form of updrafts (a means of increasing altitude while floating), which have the added touch of letting you make them yourself.
• The slo-mo dodge/witch time thing is new as far as I know.
• Parries with the shield were in SS to my knowledge.
• Stamina bar was SS too.
• Stamina-limited climbing only has SS as a precedent as far as I know, although the freeform nature of BotW's climbing reminds me more of Shadow of the Colossus. Main difference would be that most of what you climb is static walls and cliffs, unlike the Colossi which could move and shake you off. I hope the actual game expands of this a bit, although I have my doubts.

I personally like most of them, but whether they're improvements is debatable. I'd say the slow motion dodge in particular looks too good for how easy it is to pull off.

Anyway, most of what's new seems to be in how they interact with one another. It's been a while since I can genuinely say a Zelda game felt worth waiting for, so I can appreciate them trying something new for the series.

 

[Tibari]

Voice acting is new...
For the "not exactly new" mechanics, we have the riding, the remote bomb is in The Minish Cap, there is a little stealth feature in the Forsaken Fortress in TWW, the way to find koroks seems a little like finding golden skultulas (you may have to do a certain thing or going in a certain place to see them), fire/ice arrow, the HP meter when you scan ennemies is in TWW too

 

[ITheSuperior]

Let's see, off the top of my head:

• I remember Minish Cap had grass-burning, but it mostly worked as a means to get rid of grass faster. I've heard it compared more to Far Cry 2, which I've yet to play but does look like it has fire spread.
• The hang-glider works kinda like the deku leaf, except you don't need to summon wind for it. They did keep the tornadoes in the form of updrafts (a means of increasing altitude while floating), which have the added touch of letting you make them yourself.
• The slo-mo dodge/witch time thing is new as far as I know.
• Parries with the shield were in SS to my knowledge.
• Stamina bar was SS too.
• Stamina-limited climbing only has SS as a precedent as far as I know, although the freeform nature of BotW's climbing reminds me more of Shadow of the Colossus. Main difference would be that most of what you climb is static walls and cliffs, unlike the Colossi which could move and shake you off. I hope the actual game expands of this a bit, although I have my doubts.

I personally like most of them, but whether they're improvements is debatable. I'd say the slow motion dodge in particular looks too good for how easy it is to pull off.

Anyway, most of what's new seems to be in how they interact with one another. It's been a while since I can genuinely say a Zelda game felt worth waiting for, so I can appreciate them trying something new for the series.

This guy gets it

 

[Seystuff]

Interesting, I would've expected you to point out that a lot of mechanics are actually present in other games and franchises since long before BotW was announced. The first time I saw all the changes I was like "so... you are gonna bring innovation by copying what all western RPGs do?" but after looking closely, I started to see the subtle difference and the new things. I also am really excited nonetheless because it wouldn't be the first time Nintendo does something of the like and then puts a very characteristic twist to it that actually makes it feel very Zelda (the wolf transformation comes to mind).

However, I would've never thought to compare all these new mechanics to previous entries, but I guess it makes sense, I mean, Nintendo often toys with concepts, systems and ideas in games and consoles before actually making them centralised to a product. We have all heard stories of "actually, this isn't the first time Nintendo does XXXX or YYYYY." This somehow clicks to me.

 

[Amy Lu Minati]

I can definitely see that. But they do have quite a few new things still. I'm so excited to shield surf, and ragdoll physics. Those are the only things I can think of.

 

[TheTwilightPrincess]

I think by using other games' mechanics and building upon them, Nintendo will be able to create, something innovative, but still relatable /comfortable for people to use. Most mechanics, I'm sure we all agree, are nothing new to the Zelda franchise, but I think that is a good thing. If they started moving away from what made Zelda, Zelda, then the game just wouldn't be as good.

 

[Seystuff]

I can definitely see that. But they do have quite a few new things still. I'm so excited to shield surf, and ragdoll physics. Those are the only things I can think of.

Some people really don't like ragdoll physics. Personally, I think it's a great way to save time and resources, even though custom animations look better.... Also, sometimes they are super funny (dark souls 1 comes to mind)

I think by using other games' mechanics and building upon them, Nintendo will be able to create, something innovative, but still relatable /comfortable for people to use. Most mechanics, I'm sure we all agree, are nothing new to the Zelda franchise, but I think that is a good thing. If they started moving away from what made Zelda, Zelda, then the game just wouldn't be as good.

I'm confident, from what they have shown in the past, that they will manage it in a way that won't diverge from the franchise so much that it feels like a non zelda game with link pasted on top of it xD. I am rather optimistic in this sense.

 

[Retrofire]

I thought jumping was a new mechanic? Ok yes it was used in Zelda 2. But I. General it's nice to see it back. Even I'd link does look like he is skipping more than jumping.

 

[TPALBWSSWWALttPOoTMCMMST]

I think the fact that you can create a see-saw out of a plank of wood and a barrel, and then use it to catapult yourself into a lake is rather new, wouldn't you agree? Seriously, the physics engine in this game is truly innovative (and should be too considering the eon they had to perfect it further).

 

[Seystuff]

I think the fact that you can create a see-saw out of a plank of wood and a barrel, and then use it to catapult yourself into a lake is rather new, wouldn't you agree? Seriously, the physics engine in this game is truly innovative (and should be too considering the eon they had to perfect it further).

I reckon that's new, indeed.
That said, I totally see what people mean, I mean, Nintendo does this a lot, most of what they do is rarely completely "new", but mostly cus they either take something that already exist or something they have been toying with (be it with previous games/consoles or inside the company) and polish it a lot before making the things we sometimes think of as "the first". What I'm trying to say is, it's very normal for Nintendo to polish ideas that we end up thinking of as out of the blue when they aren't always so.

 

[CrimsonCavalier]

If we think about it, the Zelda series has never been at the forefront of gameplay innovation. It has been more in the business of taking existing gameplay conventions and either presenting them in a truly unique way, or perfecting said conventions.

It hasn't always worked, as certain risks in gameplay have been received poorly, but for the most part it has been what has made Zelda such an incredibly popular series.

So for me, this is perfectly fine. Taking concepts that exist already and applying them to a series that is already known for attention to detail can only lead to a really good end product.