General Zelda Should Castle Town Be Made More of a Focal Point?

[Justac00lguy]

The two main Castle Towns that we have seen, in a 3D installment that is, have been rather lackluster in my eyes: odd camera angles (why is this a thing?), quite compact and small, not much to do or see, little side quests and so on... Castle Town should be a large hub, a bustling mini city with lots to do, multiple side quests, new characters to meet etc. Why haven't we got such a Castle Town yet? It jus doesn't make sense to me.

In Majora's Mask we had what was basically the alternate version of Castle Town--neatly named Clock Town--and man it was amazing. Sure it wasn't a huge town with a large, specular castle overlooking it, but the sheer content and that city-like feel made it much more interesting than any town/hub seen before in the series. I use this as an example because this is what the series should look at for inspiration when they come to rebuild an all new Castle Town. It should be a large city in my eyes, the place where every Hyrulean (Hyrulean meaning any race within the country) wants to see with their own eyes. This feeling of grandeur has never really been captured and it's a shame really.

What I essentially want is just for Castle Town to play more of a role within the game and not just be there as an extra town that will only play a part in the story a couple of times, or just an extra place for a few mini games/item shops. I want an actual city like feel, I want a community feeling from the citizens who live there, I want it to act as more of a hub with multiple side quests branching off it - just something more than what we've had before. What are your thoughts on past versions of Castle Town? And what would be your recommendations to make it more of a vocal point in the future.

 

[Triforce Hermit]

In Clock Town, you were involved with almost everyone's lives, they moved around, and their dialogue changed from day to day. It gave a feeling of life to the town like it was an actual town that was always changing.

Castle Town should try to mimic that. The inhabitants should move around and act more alive then just bland NPCs sitting, never moving, with dialogue that almost never changes.

 

[Dimooshky]

Yes yes yes, definitely. Cross the population and hubbub of people from Twilight Princess with the interactivity of Clock Town. Loads of people with whom you can speak/listen to, and loads of sidequests from these dialogues, not just loads of people who only notice you if you're a wolf.

 

[ColdRadio]

I would love to see this. I can imagine a much fuller and more detailed Castle Town being the central hub of an almost sandbox-style Zelda game, sort of in the vein of games like Red Dead Redemption. An open-world Zelda game with a really bustling center could be a ton of fun.

 

[Ocarina_Player]

I thought that's what TP was gonna give us... aaaaaannd it didn't

But definitely, if Hyrule castle is going to be in the next game, the capital should be bursting with things to do and see. Mini games like the shooting gallery, bomchu bowling, and the chest game etc, lots of little side quests given by the townspeople, and have them available at different times. And what's with the camera being fixed once you get in the town? You can't actually look at anything so it's not nearly as immersive as if you were in kakariko village.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

man this was a missed opportunity in twilight princess,at least it was better than the market...

while i don't know if it should be clock town level,but there definitely should be more involvement w/ the castle towns in zelda games;actually i think minish cap did a decent job in this

 

[Farore's Chosen]

I'd like that, in TP i was so psyched when i first got to castle town proper, thinking that there'd be all kindsa things to do and people to talk too, i was a little disappointed, though there were some goodies in Ocarina like finding the lady's dog and the mini games you could play

 

[Azure Sage]

I would love to see Castle Town become a hub town like Clock Town was. I think it'd be really neat to see. There could be lots of sidequests and other things to do. I want to see a city bigger than Lumoise City in Pokemon X/Y was. I don't want that to undermine other towns, though; I think all of the towns should have plenty of things to do. But I would definitely like to see Castle Town be a main point you find yourself returning to a lot.

 

[Ganondork]

While I think that it's cool to see Castle Town have more importance to Link's adventure, I do have to call Clock Town's comparison to Castle Town as a case of false equivalency. The difference between Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask is Link's place in the narrative of that land. In Ocarina of Time, he is on the outskirts, defeating dungeon after dungeon. He is only in Castle Town to head back to the Temple of Time. In comparison, Link's adventure in Termina involves more interaction with the people. He is deeply entwined with the people of Clock Town. His time in Ocarina of Time is far more detached. Even when he reaches the dungeons in Majora's Mask, he is around the focal point of a certain race.

With that being said, I think Twilight Princess handled Castle Town well in respect for Link's role. He was still the hero in the outskirts, doing a thankless job. His lack of involvement with the townsfolk in Castle Town was indicative of his role in Hyrule's story. If you recall, his only real interactions with the people of Castle Town are the outcasts and the eccentric; a ragtag militia leading a resistance, Agatha, and a ghost. He isn't around the common folk, because they aren't the ones who are essential to the completion of his quest. Majora's Mask's people are an integral part of the story, on the other hand.

Now, would I like Castle Town being a focal point in a Zelda game? Yes, but only in one. I like the setup of Link being the hero stalking in the outskirts, doing a thankless job. Link's role in Majora's Mask was the silent guardian, pushing everything into place at the precise time. Perhaps we will see another reason for Link to play this "Silent guardian." I personally would accept it with open arms.

From a gameplay perspective, it's still a good idea. Zelda could do with some more side quests, and Castle Town hosting a plethora of them is a good idea. I think that it's good from a gameplay perspective, but you need to take Link's role in the narrative into consideration.

 

[Mangachick14]

Yes. Yes! And YES!!
As far as I'm concerned, Clocktown is what every Zelda game's largest city/town should be: piles of interesting sidequests, lots of buildings you can go into and explore (I especially love the Inn), and plenty of unique NPCs to meet. As much as I liked Skyloft and OoT's Kakariko village, neither really compares to Clocktown. I understand that MM is a game which largely consists of side-content and that not every game is like that (Actually, most aren't), but I just adore how bustling and alive everything seemed. If nintendo could emulate such a town in Zelda WiiU, I would already be half-sold on the game.

 

[r2d93]

YES YES PLEASE I LOVE CASTLE TOWN. I thought that TP did the best job with castle town with TMC's Castle Town coming in a decently close 2nd. However, neither of these had quite enough exploration. I agree that I want a very large explorable town that is JAM-PACKED with secrets and NPCs and side quests and shops and entertainment and games

 

[snakeoiltanker]

I agree, im about a bustling city with tons of side quest (without sacrificing sidequest in the field and Kakariko Village). but yeah it need to be for lively so yeah i agree with everything in the OP. cuz OoT only game us games and a mask trader. and i dont recall castle town having anything but the hideout in TP! so i dont know, yeah i agree a bustling city is needed