Is Zelda getting too easy?

[YIGAhim]

The Zelda series was a very difficult series when it came out, especially when the second Zelda game made its way around. It has since released MUCH easier titles, such as Wind Waker, Skyward Sword and of course, Breath of The Wild.

The world has certainly changed since then: with participation trophies being handed out left and right, and everywhere you can imagine, so many games (Not just Zelda) are becoming more and more easy.

Is it getting too easy, or do they still add something new each time that makes it difficult still?

 

[Spirit]

They were getting too easy. Then BotW happened. The only thing with BotW is it doesnt stay hard.

 

[Castle]

Every Zelda since Ocarina has been way too easy. I can sleep through TP and WW. The only part in TP that ever feels remotely challenging to me is raiding the bokoblin camp and that last fight against King Bublin is the games most challenging boss fight just for the amount of health he can knock off if you're not careful.

Ocarina gets a bit challenge around Gerudo Desert and the Shadow Temple is the only dungeon to present any difficulty for me. Wind Waker is by far the simplest- consistently from start to finish. So easy a preschooler can pass. Puzzles are insultingly banal and combat literally has a dedicated "press to win" button.

Suckward gets mildly difficult at times and for none of the right reasons.

BotW looks challenging for all the cheap early game one shots. Once those stop happening you can start coasting with only the occasional uber world boss and lynel giving anyone any trouble.

 

[YIGAhim]

I think TP had its moments of difficulty (At least for my first playthrough)

 

[Mellow Ezlo]

Well I'm not necessarily sure it's getting too easy, but it's certainly getting easier. But is this not a problem with modern gaming in general? Take Mario for example. The early sidescrolling games were really hard, but now they give out 1-ups like there's no tomorrow and Super Mario Galaxy is one of the easiest Mario games of all. The last "hard" Mario game was Super Mario Sunshine back in 2003. And many other series are following this trend too.

In Zelda's case, the last truly difficult games were the Oracle games. While some puzzles in Twilight Princess and some elements of combat in Skyward Sword gave me a bit of trouble, the modern Zelda games (meaning basically since 2003) are quite easy. But it's not necessarily a bad thing. If games are too difficult, many people are turned away from them. Think about how many people refuse to play The Adventure of Link because of its difficulty. Games nowadays are designed to be more accessible for less hardcore gamers. It's a sad reality.

But I don't think the games are too easy. Twilight Princess has some genuinely difficult puzzles in it even if the combat is easy, and A Link Between Worlds is a really hard game to complete a three heart challenge of. I think, overall, while they're generally decreasing in difficulty, I wouldn't say any of them are really too easy. They're still enjoyable games with some elements of difficulty within them.

 

[Aku]

They were getting too easy. Then BotW happened. The only thing with BotW is it doesnt stay hard.

Agreed. People might say politely that the games 'need' to be easy for casuals to jump into them easier, but put it in honest terms, it's just dumbing the games down so that some random doesn't have to *gasp* make an effort.

Problem is though, I'm wondering if the devs might still be greatly underestimating people, especially since that gaming has become a huge hobby and unless someone has really bad motor skills, should not need a perpetual 'easy' level. Especially if that person has been playing games for a while ('years' is quite common now) and might actually even appreciate the challenge.

What would probably help me in the believability of the Zelda games is if the enemies do kick my ass. I doubt a Moblin in real life would hold back during a fight, and dumbing down the fight kind of undermines the monsters (and even Link's heroics) and the danger they could pose.

Besides, they are supposed to be breaking Zelda conventions now. One of them is that Zelda became too easy. I hope, really hope, that they heard the criticism about the Ganon fight and the easy difficulty with the monsters, maybe it might mean that this will be another thing they improve in Zelda.