One of the common complaints I hear about The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is it’s too gritty for its own good. Fans complain about the dull color palette and lack of a magic meter wondering why Nintendo chose to ape Ocarina of Time half-heartedly.
But is realism necessarily a bad thing for Zelda? It’s important to remember that while recent installments have embraced a more “mature” look they continue to be grounded in fantasy.
Skyward Sword took a different approach to realism by not only endeavoring to immerse the player into the experience with its motion controls but also introducing more cunning foes and an increasingly vulnerable Link. Now no longer indefatigable, gamers were forced to ponder Link’s stamina gauge and shield meter in battle.
There probably is a market influence factor affecting realism in Zelda but darker aesthetic and new items as well as character weaknesses aren’t necessarily a fault of the game. Many a gamer pines over the loss of the magic meter as well due to the mechanized nature of more recent adventures yet that has been counterbalanced with a plethora of new and intriguing items like the Sand Wand and Beetle.
What are your thoughts on increased realism in Zelda? Do you believe such a trend is even occurring? Should the franchise become a lighter experience, per se, and shed the gameplay additions from Skyward Sword rendering Link and his gear more believable?
But is realism necessarily a bad thing for Zelda? It’s important to remember that while recent installments have embraced a more “mature” look they continue to be grounded in fantasy.
Skyward Sword took a different approach to realism by not only endeavoring to immerse the player into the experience with its motion controls but also introducing more cunning foes and an increasingly vulnerable Link. Now no longer indefatigable, gamers were forced to ponder Link’s stamina gauge and shield meter in battle.
There probably is a market influence factor affecting realism in Zelda but darker aesthetic and new items as well as character weaknesses aren’t necessarily a fault of the game. Many a gamer pines over the loss of the magic meter as well due to the mechanized nature of more recent adventures yet that has been counterbalanced with a plethora of new and intriguing items like the Sand Wand and Beetle.
What are your thoughts on increased realism in Zelda? Do you believe such a trend is even occurring? Should the franchise become a lighter experience, per se, and shed the gameplay additions from Skyward Sword rendering Link and his gear more believable?