General Zelda For You, is the Series Story-Centric or Gameplay-Centric?

[Ventus]

asdf

We all know that Nintendo does gameplay first, story last...but do you find the Zelda series to be one where you play for the story of the games, or do you care more about the gameplay? Why?

 

[Dan]

Story-Centric

Definitely game-play centric my dear friend, most likely because it sort of lacks in story, The gameplay is fun!

 

[Spirit]

I've played Zelda solely for the stories for most of my life, i play and keep up with most series to see where the mythology and narratives go and to see which instalments mean what to the franchise.

Zelda however is pretty much one of the worst series to follow for the narrative, i dont know why im still following it, i guess its because each instalment is so different from the other recently that it is still interesting to see the form it takes. As far as both the gameplay and stroy goes though, both appeal to me less and less with each game.

 

[DarkestLink]

I don't want to sound like a prick, but anyone who plays these games mainly for the story has clearly locked themselves in a box and not even explored other franchises.

 

[Hylian_Monolith]

I don't want to sound like a prick, but anyone who plays these games mainly for the story has clearly locked themselves in a box and not even explored other franchises.

Good news. I actually HAVE locked myself in a box and not even explored other franchises. I really don't know what I want form other games, and frankly Portal and Zelda are all I need. Might try Fire Emblem soon, nsy.

I'm 100% story-centric. I'm story-centric about everything--I mean, hel-lo, I'm a thespian. Heavy roleplaying, frequent acting, and being an art geek's gonna teach you to put the story first. Whether or not that's the intention.

 

[Moonstone]

I was going to say that I play Zelda for the story-

But thinking about it, that's not really true. I love the gameplay, and typically love games with similar gameplay when I can find them, even when the story is dramatically different. I really don't even care about Zelda's story at this point, not really.

 

[HylianHero]

Gameplay. Well, I really like the Story too (however bad it is), but I really play it for the gameplay.

 

[MW7]

For me it's gameplay all the way. I mean at least 95% of my complaints about Skyward Sword were somehow related to how the story made the gameplay less than ideal for me such as the treasure/bug notifications pausing gameplay and the lack of a skip cutscene ability in the normal quest. Most of why I play Zelda games to explore unique environments and solve interesting puzzles. I don't mind a story, but I want to be able to maximize the amount of time I'm actually playing the game by minimizing the amount of time the story takes (which doesn't imply a shorter story as long as players can skip and speed through cutscenes and dialogue).

 

[Ventus]

I don't want to sound like a prick, but anyone who plays these games mainly for the story has clearly locked themselves in a box and not even explored other franchises.

Hey, you never know if they're just cavemen

Honestly, though, people play things for different reasons. It's not unbecoming of one to play these games for the story - there is still hope somewhere that the series will pick up. I myself play it for the gameplay, thanks enough to ZSR and TwinGalaxies. :3

 

[ihateghirahim]

Is this even a question? Zelda has always been about gameplay and having fun within it. Now a few games have pulled off some great stories(MM, LA, even OoT), but overall its the fun of gameplay that contributes to the overall experience. The stories usually flow from the gameplay, and this should change, but its the reality of the series. As for whole-series continuity, nonexistent until recently. They're just now trying to put a story together, and it hasn't come out very well. Gameplay has always been the fun of Zelda, and the story has really just been an offshoot. Although it's a fun offshoot to talk about.

 

[DarkestLink]

Honestly, though, people play things for different reasons. It's not unbecoming of one to play these games for the story - there is still hope somewhere that the series will pick up. I myself play it for the gameplay, thanks enough to ZSR and TwinGalaxies. :3

If someone wants to play a game for story, then by all means. I get it. But why...why oh WHY...would you go to the Zelda series for story?

 

[Ventus]

If someone wants to play a game for story, then by all means. I get it. But why...why oh WHY...would you go to the Zelda series for story?

Hell if I know. The story's so weak, Nintendo should drop the act and return to the "dark ages" which, in every respect, are the golden ages. Minimalist story (OoT is the lowest it should get imo, not that it isn't already low), completely solid and FULFILLING gameplay, and a crapton of things to do. Not repetitive things, but things themselves. :I

 

[A Link In Time]

It's hard to believe how far the Zelda franchise has come in terms of gameplay-from its primitive two button NES roots to 1:1 sword maneuvers in Skyward Sword. With the past generation of Zelda games, Nintendo has made it very clear that enjoyment is primarily to be found in gameplay. I'm always excited to see what new mechanics Nintendo institutes.

That said, I wouldn't discount story completely. Yes, Zelda's narrative is very simple-Villain steals princess, Link needs to rescue her-but recently Nintendo has done a better job of crafting a unique atmosphere and backstory. Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess are the franchise's story epitomes but The Wind Waker and Skyward Sword fare decently as well.

 

[Random Person]

I get caught up in both and if either is lacking I will be upset. Obviously with any game, gameplay is most important, but I've always felt that story is a close second. Now, I don't exactly expect a literature masterpiece when it comes to Zelda (even though I feel certain games came close) but I atleast expect to be caught up in the story and not stand up in my chair saying "that made absolutely no sense."

 

[DarkestLink]

Hell if I know. The story's so weak, Nintendo should drop the act and return to the "dark ages" which, in every respect, are the golden ages. Minimalist story.

Mmmmm I disagree. Just giving up because you aren't strong at something? Hell, let's save Nintendo time and go back to N64 graphics. Fans not appreciating SS's orchestra? Well let's just stop making songs and either re-use old ones or using music completely. Sidequests aren't that fun? Let's remove them. Fans think the series is too easy? Let's just give up on difficulty. Give Link infinite heart points and have enemies move at 1/4 speed. Nobody will complain since weren't that good at it to begin with.