Shortest Zelda?

[NaviSword]

On my first try, it took me 63 hours to finish. On my 100%, it took me 56 hours. On my speed run, it took me about 50 hours. I'd say its pretty long compared to other Zelda games. The only game that I thought was longer ws TP.

 

[JuicieJ]

Shortest? Hell no. Go play the original. I think you'll find it's about 2 hours max.

SS is by far the longest Zelda to date. It takes most people 35-40 hours to finish the story alone, which was about the norm for 100%ing a modern Zelda game before. As far as 100%ing the game goes, the general consensus is about 70 hours. This is not a short game by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[Koosholts]

I don't get it, If the dungeons are small filled with easy puzzles and there were only 4 spots on the map to explore, how exactly this game isn't short? I'm actually amazed at how you guys can find OoT, WW and TP to be shorter than SS, all of those have more dungeons, more exploration and actually requires you to do some effort to 100% 'em.

Let's break the game up into four parts to make it easier for you to understand why it's so long even due to the fact ther are only four places to explore. *SPOILER ALERT*

1. Discovering the three areas and chasing Zelda.

2. Obtaining the Master Sword.

3. Song of the Hero Quest.

4. End Game

All of these sections, especially the first two parts, require a signifigant amount of time. Part of the reason why I explained this game might be so short is because of all the backtracking that you do, but that's also, ironically, why it is so long. Even though there is only three surface areas you constantly go back to each of them throughout the game. You go back to each one three different times to do something different to progress through the story. Playing this your first time and not actually knowing where to go means some people will actually run through the whole part of the surface area to figure out where to go.

For example - When you were gaining the sacred flames to forge the master sword you had to accomplish a "trial" in the spirit realm that the goddeses have created for you. To enter the Spirit World you actually have to go to a certain part of the surface area where a little cirlce of light is shining. My first playthrough I didn't really where the circle was, obviously, so I ran through all three surface areas starting from the beggining to find where it was. That consumed quite a lot of time.

This long main storyline coupled with an array of sidequests you can do means that the game is going to take you a really long time. I actually never even did the sidequests my first playthough because I got fed up with how long it was taking and I just wanted to fight Demise and get it over with lol. I'll get to it my second playhtough.

 

[LegendofZelda88]

I don't get it, If the dungeons are small filled with easy puzzles and there were only 4 spots on the map to explore, how exactly this game isn't short? I'm actually amazed at how you guys can find OoT, WW and TP to be shorter than SS, all of those have more dungeons, more exploration and actually requires you to do some effort to 100% 'em.

I agree with this completely. SS was, in my opinion, shorter than Oot, WW, and TP. Now if we are talkin bout just rushin through the games, I think the GB games win that, Links Awakening, Oracle of Seasons/Ages, and prolly Minish Cap too. Maybe even 100% them too, not sure since its been ages (haha) since ive played the GB games, so if someone can shed some light on my 100% debate please do.

 

[LinkxZelda]

I felt OoT was shorter than SS. I had OoT done in less than a week while it took almost a week for me to beat SS.

OoT: 1. get the spiritual stones and master sword 2. awaken the sages 3. end game. OoT is not that long. I got stuck more in SS than I did in OoT.

 

[Ronin]

Shortest Zelda game? I should say that is not so. It really depends how quickly one is able to get through the game, which would be without weapon upgrades, Gratitude Crystal collecting, Goddess Cube hunting, fetchquests--all side activities in general pretty much--for it to take between 20 to 40 hours. Some members are able to move through with much more skill than others because, well, that's just how they "roll." Skyward Sword is probably the easiest to accomplish a speed-playthough with since it only has three provinces around the central hub, besides Thunderhead and the other aerial islands.

But if not for all the side activity, Skyward Sword would have been much shorter for everyone, unless the player opted to horse around for long bouts. The Silent Realms, on the main, and hunt for the Tadtunes, progressed my playtime quite a bit more than I'd anticipated. With almost 75 hours under my belt you can see how much I wanted to get out of my initial adventure. Now that I have more knowledge on what need be done, the time will probably be cut down drastically, while allowing me to enjoy the second, third, fourth, or so on, plays just as much as the first.

 

[Showtime]

Since the first Zelda can be completed in less than 1 hour, SS definitely is not the shortest, but I think the argument can be made that it is the most linear, hence possibly easiest first playthrough of the series.

 

[Trio the Punch]

Skyward Sword is definitely no where near the shortest Zelda game. This is simply a fact; there are more hours of gameplay in Skyward Sword than many other Zelda games. In fact, more than almost all of the other Zelda games (you clocked Skyward Sword at 24 hours, which is way more than any of the first three games, any of the handhelds, and even Ocarina of Time). Twilight Princess and Wind Waker (and maybe Majora's Mask, I would need to check) are the only ones that even approach the same amount of hours of gameplay (Wind Waker makes the cut because of the massive amount of extra things). You cannot argue the length of something as an opinion. That doesn't make any sense. It would be like saying "An inch is longer than a yard, in my opinion." That can't happen. In terms of total hours of gameplay Skyward Sword is not the shortest (although it did have very few dungeons, which made it seem pretty short).

 

[MW7]

The dungeons may have been shorter than other games (I don't think there's that much difference if I'm honest) but there was much more to do on the outside. Each new section of an area was like a dungeon in itself (think about Lanyru) Similarly there's the song of the hero quest and something like 100 minutes of cutscenes. In my experience SS took 32 hours to complete first time round. OoT took 25, TP took 28 and WW took 18. Amount or length of dungeons doesn't account for even half of Skyward Sword's playing time if you ask me. Whereas with past titles it has been dungeons that were the main focus. The only part of a title I can think of that had comparable out of dungeon exploration was the TP tears of light quest or OoTs bottom of the well. The rest just seems like filler between dungeons in order to ensure you actually spend more than a few seconds in the sunlight.

Yes this is definitely true from my experience. I'm doing a speedrun and the time I've spent outside of dungeons is almost double my time inside of dungeons. Once I get to the Song of the Hero that ratio will go up even more. Skyward Sword definitely had shorter dungeons (compared to TP at the very least), but I think it's because of how much emphasis they put on stuff outside of dungeons.

Actually I think it's funny that TP and OOT come to mind for you for out of dungeon exploration. What jumped to my mind were Majora's Mask and Wind Waker. Majora's Mask had tons of minidungeon-esque areas like the Deku Palace, Pirates' Fortress, Ikana Graveyard, Ikana Castle, Beneath the Well, and others. Wind Waker forces you to really explore every inch of the massive map with the Triforce quest.

Shortest? Hell no. Go play the original. I think you'll find it's about 2 hours max.

What? Really? Try telling that to Aonuma (http://wii.ign.com/articles/119/1193273p1.html). If the guy making Zeldas can't beat it in 25 years, I'm pretty sure it's safe to assume that "2 hours max" is a huge exaggeration. I've beaten the game six times and can't beat it in under two hours yet. Someone who really knows what they're doing could easily beat the game in under 2 hours, but for a first playthrough that's virtually impossible, especially without a walkthrough.

Still you're right about how Skyward Sword is the longest Zelda. Difficulty matters in the average length a gamer would take to beat the game. Taking that into account Skyward Sword still would take most people longer than any other Zelda though IMO. I do think Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are comparable though- Wind Waker only for a 100% run but the main quests of SS and TP are comparable IMO.

 

[JuicieJ]

What? Really? Try telling that to Aonuma (http://wii.ign.com/articles/119/1193273p1.html). If the guy making Zeldas can't beat it in 25 years, I'm pretty sure it's safe to assume that "2 hours max" is a huge exaggeration. I've beaten the game six times and can't beat it in under two hours yet. Someone who really knows what they're doing could easily beat the game in under 2 hours, but for a first playthrough that's virtually impossible, especially without a walkthrough.

Go watch Mases's video guide. I think you'll see what I'm talking about. And just because Aonuma a Zelda developer doesn't automatically mean one of the games can't be hard for him. I actually have an easier time with Zelda II than LoZ due to the limited controls of the game (LoZ, only capable of moving in four cardinal directions). Now of course 2 hours wouldn't be on the first runthrough, but it's still a pretty short game even then.

 

[MW7]

Go watch Mases's video guide. I think you'll see what I'm talking about. And just because Aonuma a Zelda developer doesn't automatically mean one of the games can't be hard for him. I actually have an easier time with Zelda II than LoZ due to the limited controls of the game (LoZ, only capable of moving in four cardinal directions). Now of course 2 hours wouldn't be on the first runthrough, but it's still a pretty short game even then.

I'm just saying that telling a person that they should be able to beat LOZ in 2 hours max when a guy that makes Zelda games can't beat beat it in 25 years is just wrong. Really I just had a problem with the word max because it's totally possible for someone to beat it that quickly on a first playthrough but incredibly unlikely unless they are following a walkthrough step by step (and even then it's unlikely). I'm aware of how short the game is content-wise, and I've seen it beaten in 33 minutes. For a first playthrough including the second quest just beating the game without a guide in of itself is impressive no matter how long it takes.

Skyward Sword has the most content any Zelda game has ever had and therefore is the longest Zelda from a technical standpoint. Legend of Zelda would be the shortest from this perspective (maybe tied with Adventure of Link). From a practical standpoint the amount of time it takes to beat the game depends heavily on the player, and even the relatively simplistic Legend of Zelda could take longer to beat than Skyward Sword.

 

[Patch]

I Think is not about the game being long or short,
is the player skills who make it short or long.

Yes I definitely agree with this statement.

 

[Chibiyu]

I would say this was the shortest zelda game I've ever played (unfortunately, I have not had the luxaury of playing the very first games). My first 100% run took a little over 48 hours, my second in Hero Mode took 24 hours exactly. It is a simple game too, very straightforward with no hidden surprises, minus SkyKeep, which could be difficult for a nonpuzzle thinker. Personally, I am disappointed by the skill level needed. I am on the three heart run (six heart in Hero Mode) and I haven't died once - I just beat Ghirahim for the second time. In, say TP or OoT, I would never be able to do that, especially in OoT (my aim sucks haha).

It is, for sure, all about the players skill in how they play the game and the strenghts such as stealth and timing. But I normally suck at both of these things hahaha. So I was fairy surprised that I could get through this game without a walkthrough glance or dying, or really any help at all. I love the game, but I wish it could be more challenging and longer, ESPECIALLY Demise, but I won't get started on him.

 

[A Link In Time]

I would say this was the shortest zelda game I've ever played. My first run took a little over 48 hours, my second in Hero Mode took 24 hours exactly. It is a simple game too, very straightforward with no hidden surprises, minus SkyKeep, which could be difficult for a nonpuzzle thinker. Personally, I am disappointed by the skill level needed. I am on the three heart run (six heart in Hero Mode) and I haven't died once - I just beat Ghirahim for the second time. In, say TP or OoT, I would never be able to do that, especially in OoT (my aim sucks haha).

While the gameplay is definitely linear, the boss battle and puzzle designs are clever although I will admit that after awhile with the motion controls, sword combat is mastered, and even the toughest of enemies fall easily. For such a combat heavy title, it's a shame Skyward Sword isn't nearly as difficult as Zelda II: Adventure of Link. That simple fix would have greatly increased the game's longevity. As for how, you're able to cruise through the game so quickly on Hero Mode, I honestly have no explanation for that. We must be polar opposite gamers as I perceive Ocarina of Time to be the easiest 3D console Zelda installment. But maybe that's because I've played it the most out of the five.

 

[Chibiyu]

While the gameplay is definitely linear, the boss battle and puzzle designs are clever although I will admit that after awhile with the motion controls, sword combat is mastered, and even the toughest of enemies fall easily. For such a combat heavy title, it's a shame Skyward Sword isn't nearly as difficult as Zelda II: Adventure of Link. That simple fix would have greatly increased the game's longevity. As for how, you're able to cruise through the game so quickly on Hero Mode, I honestly have no explanation for that. We must be polar opposite gamers as I perceive Ocarina of Time to be the easiest 3D console Zelda installment. But maybe that's because I've played it the most out of the five.

Haha, I have a photographic memory for things like this, so it was a breeze to get all the Goddess Cubes and Heart Pieces and Chests in one run. It also helps that in my first game, I was obsessed with the Boss Rush and managed to beat all of them in under three minutes. I do agree, the motion controls seemd to make everything too easy. For me, shield bashing just came naturally in this game, while in TP I hardly used it. OoT is easy for me now, but it was my first Zelda game and I was clueless lol.