General Zelda Friendship As a Central Theme

[Ventus]

something that got me on the wonderstream lately is that Zelda generally does not touch upon themes such as friendship, morality, etc. But i want to focus on friendship. While there are certainly bonds of friendship within questlines and mainquest lines, it isn't friendship that is the central theme moreso as it is duty. Watching some cutscenes from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, I cried a bit as I watched the main character's friendship - and life - basically build up to greatness then crumble to a horrible ruin within just a few days. I would like that sort of friendship in Zelda.

So what is your opinion. DO you think friendship could be introduced in the series? Or ist he series doomed to be the generic "hero saves the day because it's his duty"?

 

[linkypete]

I think that that is a great idea, and I love the kingdom hearts franchise, but I think that zelda should stick with the classic formula, although If there could be a bit of relationship building, maybe a marriage option, that would make a great zelda game.

 

[Maxxy]

When I first read the title:
My Little Zelda, My Little Zelda
Ahhhhhh
My Little Zelda
I used to wonder what friendship could be
My Little Zelda
Until you three shared its magic with me
Tons of power
Go Pig mode!
A part of wisdom
I'm also a boy!
Sharing, courage
It's an easy feat!
And goddesses make it all complete!
Yeah
My Little Zelda
Did you know we're all connected by
FAAAAATTEEEE!


[/offtopic]

While I like the concept (I am a brony, after all), I don't really think it suits Zelda.

 

[DuelMark]

Yeah, that'd be great.

Pokemon X and Y shows the lead character has a group of friends rather than the standard rival, so I think Zelda could give Link, and subsequently the princess herself, a group of friends and shows friendship as a theme.
Let's face it, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic proves that no matter how silly or cliche the "Power of Friendship" is, it is still a strong force and something we all need in life.

 

[Night Owl]

In some games there is a little bit of a friendship theme. SS, MC, TP to name a few.

Though MC is the only one that didn't turn into the hero's duty as his goal was to save Zelda, his childhood friend, from the beginning.

But yes I suppose it could be implemented a bit better.

 

[Salem]

Funny you should mention Kingdom Hearts, cause I smell an obnoxious amount of cutscenes spewing.

 

[Random Person]

I wouldn't say Zelda has never touched up on friendship as it was one of the major themes of MM, however, I have no problem revisiting such a concept or even delving deeper into it. I don't think that making the game about friendship, however, will effect how much it means to us. Parts that didn't make me cry but were supposed to simply didn't because they were done incorrectly. (And it's not difficult at all to make me cry) If Nintendo does a friendship theme incorrectly, it still won't mean that much.

When I first read the title:
My Little Zelda, My Little Zelda
Ahhhhhh
My Little Zelda
I used to wonder what friendship could be
My Little Zelda
Until you three shared its magic with me
Tons of power
Go Pig mode!
A part of wisdom
I'm also a boy!
Sharing, courage
It's an easy feat!
And goddesses make it all complete!
Yeah
My Little Zelda
Did you know we're all connected by
FAAAAATTEEEE!

Similar thoughts ran through my head.

 

[Sir Quaffler]

Hmm, not really. I've seen far too many games that have friendship as a central theme rely far too much on cutscenes instead of gameplay to convey that to the player. Call me old-fashioned, but I would much rather rely on gameplay to convey themes instead of cutscenes, and doing that with friendship seem unfeasible. Like in the previously-mentioned Kingdom Hearts 35... ugh that's such a pretentious title... 358/2 Days. Too many cutscenes. Blegh.

Oh, sure, it's been done pretty adequately in the past, MM chief among them, but even then it wasn't a central tenant of the game. I still prefer the themes of duty, courage, destiny, etc. to be the core of the series.

 

[Snow Queen]

I really don't think friendship, team work, or anything of the sort would work well with Zelda.

 

[ihateghirahim]

Well, maybe. I like the idea of Link getting more involved with the people around him and forming some real friendships. It's a theme we haven't seen too much of in Zelda, and it could really boost the charm and relatability of the series if Link made and depended on friends.

Maybe that's how Aonuma could make the series "more accessible".

 

[onebizarrekai]

I don't want teamwork in a Zelda game, Link is a lone wolf besides his companion who doesn't actually fight.

I wouldn't mind if they made you get closer to some characters though and had some more character development, so you actually care about them. I mean, playing through Twilight Princess, you probably don't feel nearly as worried as Link might when you know the children from Ordon are in danger. No, that doesn't mean I want a longer introduction before the actual game starts, I just want to feel a bit more connected with non-player characters.

 

[Random Person]

I don't want teamwork in a Zelda game, Link is a lone wolf besides his companion who doesn't actually fight.

Why do you feel that Link is a lone wolf? In most Zelda games, he doesn't do things by himself because he wants to. It's because no one else is aware of the situation, or if they are, they're in no position to help him, or someone in authority apoints Link and Link alone to do it. Whenever he can, most of the time, Link gladly receives help from others and makes many friends, so I'm uncertain where you see him as a lone wolf.

 

[DarkestLink]

...That was the main theme of Majora's Mask along with loneliness.