Injuries in Zelda

[zeldafan123]

As we all know The Legend of Zelda is a fantasy game and is in no way real (Or is it???) and anything seen in that game should never be attempted in real life. But some things in the games look like they could work in real life. Take the rolling after jumping from high places, it looks like it works but in all honesty, it doesn't. At my local park I tried rolling to break my fall after free running jumps and I damaged my ankle. But on to the main topic. In Zelda Link takes damage that lowers his heart count, but why don't the developers' take it a step further and give Link performance effecting injuries. Like if Link was shot in the leg with an arrow then why not make him limp until he was healed, or if Link crashed into a wall, why not make him stand still and hold his head for a few seconds, like you do in real life. If you have any suggestions, ideas or insults please leave them in the comments below.
In a Bizzle Bras.

 

[JuicieJ]

Hmmm.... I don't know. That could work, but it's just kind of not Zelda, or video-games, for that matter.

 

[Djinn]

A few games in the past have tried this so a small extent. Normally it does not work out so well, since as much as we like realism in games it does not make a very fun gaming experience. If a character is injured and is then hindered in some way based on their injury then it becomes frustrating from the player's point of view. A slower moving or limping character is just more likely to be further hurt by their environment because of the controls. This will only serve to frustrate the players into not wanting to play any longer, or will at least hurt the replay value. A challenging game can be fun, but a game with too much challenge will make someone think twice if they ever want to play something so annoying again.

In this sense people like the fantasy, to have a character do the impossible and defy odds that are completely against them. And while they are hurt, they can easily be healed and not have to be taken out of the game. Injuries are a game mechanic to add challenge to the game, not to display the gritty realism of the setting. It is simply more fun for a game to be capable of healing your character and not interrupting the game because of it, the life bar is only a gauge to show how many more times you can mess up and be hit before you lose the game. It was not a method to display how hurt Link is, although little superficial additions like breathing heavily or leaning over when he is extremely low on hearts does make it a little more interesting. While also showing the player the seriousness of how close you really are to losing the game if you are hurt one more time.

 

[zeldafan123]

Hmmm.... I don't know. That could work, but it's just kind of not Zelda, or video-games, for that matter.

Look at MGS3 if you were injured it would effect the way you shot, your aim and how you healed.

 

[JuicieJ]

Look at MGS3 if you were injured it would effect the way you shot, your aim and how you healed.

I'm saying it just makes it annoying. There is such a thing as too much reality in video-games.

 

[ZeldaDungeon]

I would like it, but not to to much realism......

 

[Shadsie]

Heh... this topic reminds me of an old fanfic I like:

A Link to Phsyics by Wonder-Chef
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4314073/1/A_Link_to_Physics It was apparently a creative answer to a school assignment - Link gets hurt, rolls and so forth and Navi explains the physics behind it. Very cute.

I think it would be interseting if there were more realistic injuries and responses in Zelda, but... it's a video game... if things were too realistic, the mechanics wouldn't work. I mean, I fell and broke my arm once. It took me a month to recover. If Link fell in a way that would break a bone, I wouldn't want to wait a month to play the game again (even a month "game time." ) It wouldn't feel right... so it's better to make Linky-boy tough.

 

[LolGames4U]

I think that would be too realistic and not Zelda-y enough and I wouldn't like it.

 

[MidnaOfTheTwili]

I think whether I would like it or not depends on how extreme it is. If he's injured so bad that he gets hurt a lot easier, if it delayed the missions, and if it affected the gameplay a lot, I wouldn't be too happy. But if it was just a little leg limp or a weaker arm swing that could be healed quickly in the game, I think that could make things more interesting and I'm all for it. It's all about how extreme the realism is.