Freedom? Oh freedom... that's just some people talking.
What good is freedom if you don't got anything to
do with it? I disagree that WW had freedom. WW was ultra ham fistedly linear for a sheer 2/5ths of the game at least. And the latter portion is forced arbitrary collectathon b*tchwork (triforce shards). And by the time it does ordain to open up and let you set sail anywhere, all you have by then are dozens of small identical barren rocks in a vast sea of nothingness with little on them but fights with the same enemies you've been encountering the whole time, some familiar puzzles, and the usual collectables (most of which are useless).
I want my Zelda adventure to be as free and open as the next, but all the open exploration in the world means nothing if there isn't anything to discover or anything to
play. Give me sub-bosses, give me trial runs, give me equipment upgrades or enhancements. No, we don't need 101 subtle variations on the same basic shrine. Nor do we need a planet's worth of
junk to fill our pockets with like in every other modern OPIN WHARRLD!!! game ever (especially junk that's going to break after six uses anyway). At the very least give me something interesting to
look at.
The original LoZ's open level structure worked well because everything you could find in the overworld was conducive to your objective. If it wasn't a tool you needed to advance, it was an item or upgrade that made your adventure easier or allowed you to approach challenges differently. ALttP was really the last time we saw essential upgrades and items locked in the overworld that players were free to discover on their own. From then on, overworld discovery was almost completely optional with nothing more than ammo upgrades, hearts, and collectables scattered around and the contents of the overworld only got lazier and more haphazard as the games went on. From Ocarina onward, all of the game's essential path content was found in dungeons or in scripted sequences that only took place in the overworld at specific times.
The next Zelda should have more interconnectivity between dungeons and the overworld. The design should stop treating dungeons as core main game content and the overworld as optional side content (or worse: simply a means of transit!
). Clearing dungeons should not simply be a means to unlock more of the overworld and progress the game. Make players explore the overworld to unlock dungeons. Have players return to dungeons with new items or abilities acquired in the over world in order to delve further. Have parts of the over world open up
new parts of the overworld! Don't just give players new abilities in dungeons. Give players entirely
optional new abilities from the overworld that are fun and/or useful, like the Fire Rod in ALttP or extensions or variations on their existing ones.
And above all don't lead players by the hand towards whatever it is they need to progress. Just give players one of any given direction and let
us choose where to go and what to do! Let
us drive
our adventure and have it unfold naturally.
HEAVEN FORBID someone gets lost for a moment or two!!! We might actually end up in danger of having
fun!!!