Should Zelda stay Medieval or more Steampunk?

[Flagpole]

I don't really know, I think they should be both mixed in such a way it can be a satisying general theme for both the Medieval fan and the Steampunk fan.

Medieval theme is really great, as I always liked the medieval themes, so it is safe to say I love that age. The weapons, the ambience, the characters, the cities, the stories, I've always liked all that medieval stuff.

But I also like some steampunk stuff, like some technology medieval Zelda pretty much restricts, although many things in Ocarina of Time, which is a medieval Zelda, actually have a technology humainty couldn't have made until some few decades ago (or maybe a few years, although that would be pretty much impossible, as technological stuff is progressing that much Ocarian of Time's technology I think doesn't compare tro today's technology), like the Bombchu Gallery, or the Shooting Gallery. Although I know the technology you people talk about is stuff like trains or motorized boats and/or ships, which I don't really dislike.

So, combining both of the general theme types would make a great, balanced Zelda game .

 

[Lefty]

I think the farthest they should go is the Goron's industy, like in TP. That was fun with the mining and magnetism theme. Otherwise, Fantasy all the way

 

[Michael Heide]

I could live with a scenario in which an upcoming game had one of those Atlantis-like lost civilizations, far more advanced than any nation in Hyrule's present. And when Link travels there, everything is powered by huge steam engines? It'd be just one corner of the game, one temple with ties to the background story. But it'd allow for something that'd feel out of place in the rest of the game.

 

[Hyrulian]

medieval, why anything else? I didn't like the train, cuz I wanted to walk, not drive in a train... in wind waker, there was a good reason for for a boat! not just cuz you didn't want to swim! (cuz you drown!)

 

[zbygy9]

Steampunk elements are certainly welcome in my opinion.

What should be done is a zelda game with this guy...



It's in the future sometime after one of the games (I really haven't looked much into the timeline of the games), and technology has evolved. Imagine running around as old (yet a total bad-***) Link bustin' moblins with a musket. That would be awesome.

 

[Phantom]

I voted steam punk, not necesarily because its my favorite, just because I think it should stay some of both. I liked Spirit tracks and Twilight Princess alot, but Ocarina of Time is still my favorite. I think they should either go back-and-forth between different games on the style they choose, or combine them somehow.

 

[Firice da Vinci]

Medieval because I love those Zelda games. When it more advanced then The King of Red Lions *cough*PH*cough*ST*cough* it was Zelda, but it wasn't Zelda, ya' know.

 

[Donahue]

I dunno, I don't think I could take "The Master Musket" seriously.

 

[Tony]

Medieval for the win I really dislike the steampunk idea I think it just wasn't zelda as we know it and I think Zelda should stay Medieval for ever!

 

[arkvoodle]

Although I really like the medieval atmosphere of Zelda, I would like to see some technological advances. Even if they're just lightbulbs or something. Little things like that would satisfy me, as they're still in with the original atmosphere, but advancing without damaging it.

 

[Michael Heide]

That's funny. Lightbulbs are about the last thing I'd like to see in a Zelda game.

 

[pokemainiac]

Medieval definately. ST was good but I think the train alienated the Zelda image.

 

[Lord Dorian]

The most recent games were already less medieval than the first ones. WW had some 18th century feeling to it, PH and ST followed the same line but added steam engines (so they were somewhat steampunk), and TP was a weird crossover between Medieval (Hyrule Castle Town), 19th century Far West (Hidden Village) and some 20th century industrial touches (Kakariko Village and the Goron Mines), which, by the way, I didn't like at all.

I would like to see more steampunk, although I enjoy the medieval atmosphere as much. After all, if there's a timeline it would seem logical that some games have more modern technology and aesthetics compared to earlier games in the timeline.

 

[Austin]

Wow... very little steampunk steampunk love here, huh? In my opinion, the series would greatly benefit from such a change of pace. Zelda's been around for, what, more than 25 years now? Yet you all still want to see the same tired setting over and over again? Obviously, everyone's entitled to believe what they want to believe but I really can't understand most of these reasons for doing so. The most prevalent one I see is "Zelda has always been medieval and therefore should stay medieval." That makes no sense. We all want something familiar to keep us reminded what game we're playing, I suppose, but a massive overhaul every now and then isn't necessarily crippling. It can actually bring a series to heights it hadn't been able to reach previously.

Additionally, I see some other flawed logic, such as "I like magic and magic can only take place in a medieval setting so therefore Zelda should remain medieval." False. I suppose certain ways of implementing magic would seem out of place in certain settings, but there's always a way to make it work. For example, look at the game Mass Effect. The game was set far in the future, yet they had "magical" elements to this game in the form of advanced technology that gave the users seemingly impossible powers, such as telekinesis, and I believe semi-elemental attacks in the second game. It's not the same kind of "magic" we've seen in Zelda thus far, nor am I suggesting that what was used in Mass Effect is what should be used in a steampunk Zelda game, what I'm saying is that there's a way to have magic in the series without a medieval background. Nintendo needs to experiment with Zelda more in order to prevent the series from becoming stale.

 

[Keats]

I'm for the steampunk themes, to be honest. Like PJ said, Zelda has been stuck in the same stagnant setting since the first game, and in my opinion it's gotten boring enough to be a distraction. I would love to see a change of setting in general, even if the setting isn't steampunk.

Now, the enlightenment era? THAT'S a setting I could stand behind. There's so much untapped potential there, and I can imagine it would be a great chapter in the Zelda canon.