Do You Cnosider Zelda As an RPG?

[zack125]

I've been doing some thinking because I have seen this on several occasions and just recently on gameFAQs.

Other than Zelda II (because I think it's obvious), do you consider the Zelda series as an RPG? Whatever you think, what do you tell to the person or persons who believes differently?

I don't consider the series as an RPG. An argument I've seen from those who thinks so is that there are item and health upgrades, just like in any other RPGs. That, personally, is an argument that could be said about any other game that uses those elements (the first game that comes to mind is Resident Evil 4).

I just want to create a topic on the subject because I want to see if other ZD members has seen these arguments before and what they think about it.

 

[Djinn]

In the original LoZ days I believe it was meant to be an rpg. This was before Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy taught everyone how a console rpg would be played minus the paper and dice of a typical rpg. So the closest Nintendo came up with was a heart system that increased when Link defeated a boss or discovered hidden locations. Along with sword upgrades instead of the traditional level system.

However after the fan reaction of Zelda 2 Nintendo went back to the basics and returned to the heart and item upgrade system. Although I do not consider a turn based system or a party of various heroes requirements for a game to be a rpg, I do not consider the Zelda series to be a rpg. Everything other than Zelda Two I would consider to be Hack and Slash Adventure. Along the same Onimusha, Devil May Cry, Assassin's Creed, Dynasty Warriors, or the Mana series. The games are not entirely story driven and give the player much more freedom of movement and control. Your ability to combat another enemy is not based on your level vs their level, although better weapons and more hearts do help. And the power of your attack is not dependent upon a virtual dice roll against the enemy's defense. If Link hits the Ghoma, he hits the Ghoma with the same power he hits anything else with that specific sword.

And even though I listed it, the Mana series really skirts the edge of what is action RPG and Hack 'n Slash. Depending on title.

 

[darunia]

I have always considered the zelda series and rpg.

To me an rpg is a hame where you meet and talk with other characters in the game

There are other ways that make zelda an rpg but i cannot explain right.

 

[Hanyou]

Zelda is not an RPG. It's not even close.

One question that must be asked when assessing whether anything belongs to a particular genre is how closely it sticks to the roots of that genre. The roots of the RPG genre lie in the classic pen-and-paper RPGs such as Dungeons and Dragons. Being a Role Playing Game has less to do with story and more to do with stat building through monster encounters and various other mechanisms. Classic role playing also involved building a character from the ground up yourself within a certain set of rules and giving that character certain types of powers.

By that definition, it is possible for an action game to be an RPG (see The Elder Scrolls series, particularly Daggerfall), and for simplified versions--where, as opposed to building individual stats, you build characters (JRPGs take advantage of this component). Classic JRPGs are simplified versions of Western RPGs (see Final Fantasy I or Phantasy Star II), but many of the elements are there.

JRPGs have strayed from the formula and that's skewed most gamers' perception of what an RPG is. You'll get lots of mixed up definitions, like an RPG is about story or about "playing a role" (whatever that means). While I have little affinity for classic RPG's and I love JRPG's to death, it's important to acknowledge where games stray from the formula. At its core, an RPG is about math. So how much math is there in Zelda? Most games involve stat-building of some kind. Even Pac-man has temporary stat boosts that superpower your character, and Super Mario Bros. features potentially permanent stat boosts through mushrooms and fire flowers. Stat boosting is a component of almost any game, whether it's a board game, card game, or video game, so that alone can't make something an RPG. Yet this is the only thing that really ties Zelda to classic RPG's. There can be no doubt that it is influenced by the basic ideas--go to towns, stock up on items, then head for the nearest dungeon--but at its core lies action and neither classic role playing nor stat boosting.

Awhile ago I ran into a good article about why Zelda isn't an RPG. I still can't find it, but I found another one that I think sums things up well, in spite of its derogatory tone: http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/kyle/zelda-is-not-an-rpg/30-15520/

Even games in which you "level up," like the Metroid-inspired Castlevanias or Zelda II, are not RPGs because the role-playing and stat-boosting are not their focus. The focus is item collection (essential to progress in the game, like Metroid), action, and platforming. Contrast this with a true action-RPG like the Tales or Elder Scrolls games, where the combat could conceivably be turn-based and (in the case of Elder Scrolls) is based on dice rolls--the action is secondary to the stat- or character-building.

 

[flaming pickle]

I don't consider it an RPG. But i'm a fan of RPG's so I would like to see one in zelda.