General Zelda Is Zelda Too Childish to Continue to Flourish?

[DarkestLink]

Even if we're OK with how childish the series is at times, it's clear that this is not the case for everyone and sales have suffered because of it.

 

[CraptainFalcon]

Okay wait. Let's all agree that the sh*tbox 360 is the real kids console.

And yes, ever since WW came out we've gotten more kiddy Zelda games and only one serious game since. Why can't we have more Zelda games like OoT, MM and TP. Serious and not childish.

 

[Tatltael]

I for one, do not find the Zelda series childish. I think that every game that gets denoted as "childish" does have a dark side to it. Take Wind Waker, for example. The colorful setting and lively characters offset the tragedy that's going on within the game. The comic expression of Tetra dismissing Link as a strange islander happens right before we see Link's sister Aryll get kidnapped. Another example from the same game is right after you obtain the Master Sword. Link faces death with Ganondorf, but this is offset by Tetra entering the scene with a confident smirk on her face. We can chuckle a little at this entrance, because we see that Link is still a child in Tetra's eyes.

Skyward Sword has a lot of these moments in connection with Groose and his gang. Groose does at times come off as childish, but remember, he is playing the role of comic relief. The light-hearted moments/more comical moments in Zelda aren't meant to come off as childish. They are meant to balance out the games so that when things get a little too serious, the player has a reason to laugh mixed with the wonder of what's going to happen next. This balance is difficult to do, and I agree that Nintendo could do a darker Zelda game akin to Twilight Princess or Majora's Mask, but I think that they should carefully consider the balance of the game. I've found that each game has it's own balance, too, so to sum up a whole series as childish because of one game is not really fair to the series. Each game is balancing a main theme or feeling, and I think that Zelda's creators are, for the most part, improving on this balance. I found Skyward Sword to be well balanced between wonder and a darker reality, for example.

 

[Hylianhero91]

Zelda games are fine as they are... Zelda games are meant to appeal to thejr hardcore fanbase . Zelda games are always going to sell a few million copies and be a success. They may not sell as well as the latest first person shooter or Grand Theft Auto but the series will always have a relatively large dedicated fanbase. This is why Zelda has been around since '86 and still continues to be popular. Don't change what isn't broken.

Personally, I like the lightheartedness and quirkiness of Zelda games. Twilight Princess was a darker and more serious game and its one of the worst Zelda games imo. Its still a good game but it is missing the whimsical and magical feel most Zelda titles have. And guess what? twilight princess still didnt capture the casual and shallow gamers who like Action and violence.

 

[Jamie]

Zelda games are fine as they are... Zelda games are meant to appeal to thejr hardcore fanbase . Zelda games are always going to sell a few million copies and be a success. They may not sell as well as the latest first person shooter or Grand Theft Auto but the series will always have a relatively large dedicated fanbase. This is why Zelda has been around since '86 and still continues to be popular. Don't change what isn't broken.

Personally, I like the lightheartedness and quirkiness of Zelda games. Twilight Princess was a darker and more serious game and its one of the worst Zelda games imo. Its still a good game but it is missing the whimsical and magical feel most Zelda titles have. And guess what? twilight princess still didnt capture the casual and shallow gamers who like Action and violence.

It can appeal to its hardcore fanbase and still be darker. To use your own example, Twilight Proncess sold very well about twice as well as Skyward Sword. And obviously OoT sold amazingly and it's darker than most of the newer games.

 

[Blue Canary]

...Except that I'm pretty sure children aren't Zelda's target demographic. Everyone ≠ For Kids. A lot of the people buying Nintendo stuff is adults, and the reason the Wii U isn't selling well has nothing to do with it being targeted at kids. It has to do with people simply not wanting to buy it because it doesn't have the games they want yet, which is different.

 

[Mangachick14]

When will people come to realize that appropriate for all ages doesn't mean childish? A childish game is something that either tries to educate you, or something which is so simple it takes no skill. Being devoid of swearing, blood and sex scenes and while also not being completely dark and depressing doesn't = for kids. Besides, every Zelda has a darker side beyond it's colourful and whimsical exterior. Take the main combat gameplay, for example. I mean, just because there's no blood-spatter shown doesn't mean you aren't still killing things. Not to mention, in every game, there's always things trying to kill you. Heck, Wind Waker and Skyward Sword, which are often considered the most light-hearted in the series, actually have some pretty dark and heavy undertones. In WW, you stab Ganondorf in the face in the final battle, which would be extremely brutal had there been blood. SS's events take place because of a long--and likely quite devastating, considering how few humans/Hylians there are--war, which too, would've been brutal had it been animated and shown. In truly childish games--something based off of, say, Dora the Explorer or something--you'd never see that. The gameplay wouldn't allow for you to kill your enemies--if it even contains enemies at all.

People say that Nintendo aims for children as their target audience, but I'm not sure if that's necessarily true. The way I see it, Nintendo aims for everyone as their target audience. Obviously, that includes children, which means gore and other inappropriate themes are a no-no. If people need all that stuff to feel 'grown up', then they're being insecure children imo. Who cares what it's rated as long as you have fun playing it? Why does something need to contain depressing, gory, or vulgar themes to flourish? I personally hate how people dismiss a lot of really wonderful games before even giving them a chance simply because of the 'E for everyone' in that little box on the corner of the package.

 

[Jamie]

truly childish games--something based off of, say, Dora the Explorer or something--you'd never see that. The gameplay wouldn't allow for you to kill your enemies--if it even contains enemies at all.

I don't know about that. Maybe not Dora the Explorer, but I was watching Tom and Jerry today and like 10 people died in it. It even showed their ghosts. I would certainly classify Tom and Jerry as childish.

 

[(◕‿◕✿)]

Clearly, the issue is that Zelda isn't targeting true HARDCORE GAMERS™. Obviously, if Nintendo focused on a PC Zelda release (most likely produced by Bethesda), the series would flourish. A post-apocalyptic Zelda is clearly what the series needs (and PC Zelda would have the benefit of things like oculus rift and the like).

 

[TriFiERCE]

If any thing, it's, too stylish to survive. *Fierce get's pummeled for doing an Oldman joke*

 

[Mangachick14]

I don't know about that. Maybe not Dora the Explorer, but I was watching Tom and Jerry today and like 10 people died in it. It even showed their ghosts. I would certainly classify Tom and Jerry as childish.

I don't know how on earth you could even compare the two. In Tom and Jerry, it's completely played up for comedy. Not to mention, they'll come back to life in the very next episode--heck, maybe even the very next scene. Whenever death happens or is talked about in Zelda, it's 100 % serious and it's usually permanent. There's actually weight put on the death, because its not some throwaway joke. If someone dies, they're dead. If a war happens, a lot of people died. Nintendo doesn't try to gloss over serious issues or turn it into a joke. It's a serious sacrifice in the story, and it's treated accordingly. I doubt anyone was laughing when they came across that dying solider in OoT like they would during the Tom & Jerry sketch.

 

[A Link In Time]

I think lately Zelda games have tended to look more childish and have a more childish feel. I don't mean that like it's not ok for people not kids to play them, I mean I'm not really a child anymore, but I played the crap out of ALBW. But I think Nintendo used to be a lot darker. Just look at Majora's Mask. And a lot of Ocarina of Time. Cough, Shadow Temple, cough cough. I mean personally I think Majora's Mask is one of the most sheerly dark and depressing games of impending doom ever made. I think Nintendo is capable of making dark games, as they have expressed, but for some reason they're trying to stay more towards kids and the "family" setup. I would LOVE to see a dark Zelda game again though. A super serious one that kids wouldn't understand anything past "I got the bow!" I think they have the potential, but they're choosing not to

Nintendo has definitely become a lot more polarizing. Nintendo's franchises have never been dark, per se, but the company currently seems hellbent on cementing themselves on the opposite end of the gaming spectrum from their competitors. It's not only Zelda. Take a look at Mario, for example. Super Mario 64 had some dark undertones and Bowser's depiction was actually imposing. His recent redesign is a lot less menacing. The only franchise that hasn't strayed far from its roots and lost its core aesthetic is Metroid.

Yes, social pressure from kids and adults has an impact on how Nintendo and its games are viewed, but the company itself makes a point of reinforcing this image. Because of Nintendo's long history, there's now a big ideal gap between old and new gamers about what Nintendo stands for, and it's not surprising the Big N receives criticism for changing its gaming fantasy so dramatically over the past few years.

 

[Heroine of Winds]

I don't know about that. Maybe not Dora the Explorer, but I was watching Tom and Jerry today and like 10 people died in it. It even showed their ghosts. I would certainly classify Tom and Jerry as childish.

Since when Tom & Jerry was childish?

 

[Force of Power]

Okay wait. Let's all agree that the sh*tbox 360 is the real kids console.

Couldn't agree more.

And yes, ever since WW came out we've gotten more kiddy Zelda games and only one serious game since. Why can't we have more Zelda games like OoT, MM and TP. Serious and not childish.

SS isn't serious? I mean, I agree, the rest of the Zelda games since (minus TP and SS) have been a little bit more kiddy, but SS is pretty serious, isn't it?

 

[Salem]

SS isn't serious? I mean, I agree, the rest of the Zelda games since (minus TP and SS) have been a little bit more kiddy, but SS is pretty serious, isn't it?

All of the Zelda games have been "serious". All of them had humour as well.

TP, OOT and MM are not more "mature" than SS and WW, ALL of them have a balance of serious, funny and plain silly moments.

I can't fathom how SS can be seen more "childish" than TP.