Is There Anything That Zelda Offers You That Other Franchises Don't?

[A Link In Time]

It could be argued that for its first 15 years, the Zelda franchise was one of the biggest innovators of the Action Adventure genre. Then, it settled down and simply became another great franchise.

But perhaps that's an oversimplification or even flat-out not true. Games like The Wind Walker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword are still up there with the highest rated games. While the franchise has become a lot more niche in recent years, dedicated fans continue to support it due to its quality. I've seen a lot of people on general gaming sites claim Zelda is a franchise that never disappoints.

So is the Zelda franchise's appeal in that it has elements that differentiate it from other Action-Adventure games? If so, what are those unique selling points? Or is the series simply just another solid franchise worth investing in?

 

[Dio]

The thing I like about it, and what I find sets it apart from other games is the variety of gameplay presented. You don't just go and kill enemies to progress and level up like in most rpg's, you don't just solve puzzle after puzzle like in a puzzle game. It has a mixed style which I think prevents the player from getting bored. One minute you can be in a big fight with loads of enemies but soon after you might be exploring to find something, solving a riddle or taking in scenery whilst travelling to a destination. It's got lots of things that you can do in other games, but no other game does it quite like Zelda.

 

[Ventus]

Currently, yes, Zelda offers me one thing that other games in its genre do not: fluidity of combat, puzzle solving, and exploration in one package. It never feels like I have to stop fighting in order to solve a puzzle or anything like that even though I technicallyy cannot do more one tha one task at a time. It's for that reason that I prefer Zelda over other adventure titles like say Dark SOuls or he like.

On the flipside, what Zelda simply refuses to offer that other franchises DO is difficulty of combat. If we could keep the Zelda fluidity but introduce really complex and difficulty/challenging enemies for Zeldor veterans, I think the series would be King even if it went unnoticed.

 

[Musicfan]

What I personaly get out of it is the combination of music, I enjoy it on its own, and the story comeing together. Other franchises or even stand alone games do it but each one has a different feel to it that I enjoy.

 

[vengenz]

Agreed with the three previous comments. I can't compare Zelda to other games.
From giving Link masks to control different abilities in MM, to having to learn to ride Epona, Link's Loftwing, the King of Red Lions, etc.
It's the small things make it the best. I don't know of any other games that do dungeons like Zelda does either.
What I like the most is that the games are not just fighting monsters. The puzzles and side quests are what keep me interested.

 

[misskitten]

It's hard for me to put to words. I think it's about how the games in the series combine the different elements more than the individual elements themselves. There are other games out there that have puzzles, that have adventure, that have unique items, that have humor, that have quirky characters and races. But they generally don't have all of these elements. Also, while a lot of other game series tend to go along the same paths with every game, just making minor changes here and there, Zelda games - while may share some elements with prior games - generally feel very different from each other. To quote Forrest Gump, it's like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get.

 

[Garo]

Mostly just puzzles, these days. You don't really get puzzle games quite as robust and beautiful as what Nintendo churns out in the main series. All of the combat and story is mostly window dressing, especially since the former took a nosedive in Skyward Sword and the latter has gotten progressively uninteresting.

 

[Iridescence]

Zelda has a lot of great elements to it. Puzzles, action, lore, setting,and exploration. Sure, there are lots of series that beat Zelda in these individual categories, but none of them are nearly as well-rounded.

 

[onebizarrekai]

I never know what to expect in a Zelda game, but I know they'll always be centered around the whole 'adventure - dungeon - storyline' thing. Rather than being repetitive in each game, like some games tend to be, it's always different in some little way.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

You know...I don't know. I just love it

 

[Jamie]

Currently, yes, Zelda offers me one thing that other games in its genre do not: fluidity of combat, puzzle solving, and exploration in one package. It never feels like I have to stop fighting in order to solve a puzzle or anything like that even though I technicallyy cannot do more one tha one task at a time. It's for that reason that I prefer Zelda over other adventure titles like say Dark SOuls or he like.

On the flipside, what Zelda simply refuses to offer that other franchises DO is difficulty of combat. If we could keep the Zelda fluidity but introduce really complex and difficulty/challenging enemies for Zeldor veterans, I think the series would be King even if it went unnoticed.

Ven just minimalist every game like me. ALBW minimalist was quite difficult at the end.

 

[DarkestLink]

Not really. Every thing I love about Zelda I could find in another franchise. Maybe even better executed. Zelda just happens to have a good combination and balance of these things.

 

[Ventus]

Ven just minimalist every game like me. ALBW minimalist was quite difficult at the end.

ALBW minimalist wasn't hard to me. What WAS hard was ALBW No Damage, it's pretty much impossible without resets. There's always something in the distance off-screen that comes on and hits me :/

 

[Jamie]

ALBW minimalist wasn't hard to me. What WAS hard was ALBW No Damage, it's pretty much impossible without resets. There's always something in the distance off-screen that comes on and hits me :/

I never found it extremely difficult, but a few boss battles were hard. Yuga was difficult (not being able to get hit at all), and moldorm in the closing wall room gave me some trouble. Ice Temple was a tad annoying because almost everything killed me in one hit. I do think that ALBW Hero Mode, however, is not much harder minimalist than normal ALBW, because the enemies do so much damage in the Dark World anyway.

 

[AncientPoe]

Well, I think the answer is one of those "snake eating it's tail" things. Since the franchise is so venerated, Nintendo always puts a ton of effort into making the games of the highest quality (with very limited exceptions). Since they also know any Zelda title will at least sell well, they can also afford to take the risk of adding at least one major new element per game. So they may not reinvent the wheel in terms of innovation each title, but they sure can throw on a sick set of hubcaps. If you look at each title, they all do something interesting that their predecessor didn't do. AoL did sidescrolling and magic, LttP had the duel worlds mechanic, Link's Awakening had a unique story and initiated the series to the handheld, Ocarina broke into 3D, Majora's Mask had the transformation masks, Wing Waker reintroduced open world exploration in a whole new way and tested a superbly beautiful aesthetic experience, the DS titles explored touch screen mechanics and have some of the most memorable and innovative boss fights I've seen in the series, and Skyward Sword spend several years trying to get the Wii Motion controls as tight as they could. It's like they know they can get away with at least one major change or new idea inside a zelda game, like wrapping a pill in cheese.

They innovate because it's a Zelda game, and they know that a Zelda game can afford to risk innovating something.