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[Leonomonn]

A lot of people sound like they want Zelda to become Skyrim or something. While skill trees and all that are a good idea, we have to consider that this is Zelda we're talking about. I'm all for innovation in a series, but with what Zelda's core gameplay is it just wouldn't work. Zelda has almost always focused on puzzle solving and how Link uses special tools and items to get the job done. However, with skill trees and things of the like they would have to either make the upgrades not affect certain aspects of items(which would make it entirely pointless), or the would have to drop a lot of the puzzle solving element from the game entirely. I could maybe see this working, Nintendo has more times than not proven that they can implement new features in games the right way, but I just don't know how far they could take things like this without screwing up the core gameplay that has had us all hooked. I'll say that these ideas would be really cool, but I just can't see it working at this point in time.

 

[Castle]

A lot of people sound like they want Zelda to become Skyrim or something. While skill trees and all that are a good idea, we have to consider that this is Zelda we're talking about. I'm all for innovation in a series, but with what Zelda's core gameplay is it just wouldn't work. Zelda has almost always focused on puzzle solving and how Link uses special tools and items to get the job done. However, with skill trees and things of the like they would have to either make the upgrades not affect certain aspects of items(which would make it entirely pointless), or the would have to drop a lot of the puzzle solving element from the game entirely. I could maybe see this working, Nintendo has more times than not proven that they can implement new features in games the right way, but I just don't know how far they could take things like this without screwing up the core gameplay that has had us all hooked. I'll say that these ideas would be really cool, but I just can't see it working at this point in time.

The problem with puzzles in Zelda nowadays is that they've become extremely formulaic. Puzzle solving has always been part of the series but there was a decreased emphasis in early games but that may be more due to technical limitations on the NES, but even ALttP had more of a focus on Gauntlet-style top down action combat and items could be applied to combat situations with much more variety, whereas more recently items have mostly only possessed very specific puzzle applications. It really wasn't until Ocarina of Time that puzzle solving really got much more prevalent in the series.

I don't want less puzzles per se just different puzzles. Different ways to approach puzzles and more applications for items beyond puzzle solving.

 

[JuicieJ]

The problem with puzzles in Zelda nowadays is that they've become extremely formulaic. Puzzle solving has always been part of the series but there was a decreased emphasis in early games but that may be more due to technical limitations on the NES, but even ALttP had more of a focus on Gauntlet-style top down action combat and items could be applied to combat situations with much more variety, whereas more recently items have mostly only possessed very specific puzzle applications. It really wasn't until Ocarina of Time that puzzle solving really got much more prevalent in the series.

I don't want less puzzles per se just different puzzles. Different ways to approach puzzles and more applications for items beyond puzzle solving.

I actually like how much the puzzle-solving has evolved since the early days. I mean, Majora's Mask and Skyward Sword have arguably the best puzzle-solving in all of gaming. Not saying that they do, just saying that it's arguable. However, I do agree that the series has become too formulaic, and despite SS making an attempt to break away from that modern trend, it didn't escape completely. As a result, what I think we need to see is a proper balance of the classic and modern games' styles. Keep the emphasis of puzzle-solving in, but bring back the flexibility of the past.

 

[Justac00lguy]

I think in order to have this customization is should not affect story plots...

Like for one most Zelda games have an important Sword (master sword) so if we were going to have some sort of customization of weapons like melee weapon's it would mean the Master Sword would have less significance! Since Skyward Sword was based around the Master Sword it gave a lot of customization to shields within the game.

This shield feature was quite neat and even though there wasn't really nowhere to expand on this idea as Shields are not the most exiting item in Zelda. I would however love to see customization of items throughout the game, there is a problem with this because we acquire the Item from set dungeon, however I think there is a way to get around this. You would acquire the item from a dungeon...for example a bow, however throughout the game you would be able to upgrade the bow find new bow's in a sort of RPG way. This could be done with other items as well however customization of Links sword..could be probalamtic if the Master Sword was also in the game.

As for other RPG elements like skill tree's I think this imo is to much of a big step for a Zelda game! We know Zelda as an Action/Adventure game not an RPG! Of course a Zelda game could do with some RPG elements such as a little more customization and non linearity but one step at a time here

 

[The Wanderer]

I'd like to address the issue of whether Zelda is an RPG or not: it actually is, contrary to popular belief. Most people think RPGs mean number-crunching and turn-based combat, but this doesn't always hold true to the action RPG genre. The defining characteristics of an RPG are wide world exploration, improving the protagonist's ability, regular interaction with NPCs, and overall an immersing atmosphere to tell players to play the game at their own paces. Some franchises of other genres have some of these factors, so it really boils down to improving the protagonist's ability. Does Mario get more powerful in his platforming adventures? No, he stays the same; it's the player's skills that scale up. Does the main character in a Call of Duty game get more powerful as the game goes on? No, he stays the same; it's still the player's skills picking up. Does Link get more powerful in The Legend of Zelda? Yes: he increases his health with Heart Containers, upgrades his weaponry, finds unique items, and in some games, learns new spells and sword techniques.

Other games with a focus on action, like Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, are still considered RPGs, and they often play similarly to Zelda. Long story short, then: Zelda is an RPG. It's just not your typical one.