Breath of the Wild The Overworld to Be More Like Twilight Princess or More Like Skyward Sword?

[DuelMark]

Let's compare the two, shall we?

Twilight Princess had a much larger overworld, which I liked but it was pretty empty with few monsters in the area.

Skyward Sword was a more layered game with the overworld of the sky technically being smaller and fewer locations, meaning repeated visits will occur, but it can get a bit tiring to keep going up there.

With that, what do you hope the overworld of Zelda U to be like? Big or more of a layer with transportation?

 

[Ventus]

I don't want a game, I want a world. Neither Twilight Princess nor Skyward Sword quite offered me a world, but TP got closer than SS did. For one, TP's overall geography lent itself well to the idea that I "am" Link. SS' overall geography said "you're playing a game" in quite an obvious fashion (as if the straight lines in odd areas didn't say this enough). Skyward's overworld may have had a lot of content (so much more than TP's anyway), but the fact that I was reminded that I was merely playing a game, not escaping into my own world, turned me off from the thing.

I'd much prefer if Zelda Wii U's overworld was closer to TP's. Just, y'know, give it more content. Worlds > Levels when it's regarding Zelda.

 

[Kirino]

Neither. TP's overworld was empty and bland. There were many small secrets here and there, but the overworld mostly lacked any, you know, exploration and depth. There were very few enemies as well; mostly just moblins and bokoblins. Most of TP's overworld was just a glorified field, with little to do and explore. Not to mention all the bridges connecting the seperate parts. Hyrule Field, which is the largest area of the game, was the worst offender. There was almost nothing to do. At least there's some exploration, items and hidden paths in places like Death Mountain.

SS had a much better overworld, but I wasn't quite satisfied with it. There was a lack of exploration in the overworld, and it was disconnected. There should have been a connection of all 3 provinces without having to fly to get there. Also, the sky in general was rather empty.

I would like an overworld similar to SS's ground area, but one that's actually connected. What I liked with SS was how instead of focusing on size, it focused on depth. SS's overworld was still pretty big, but each area had more in it, similar to the approach SS took to dungeons, with less rooms, but much more inside each room. Besides being connected, I would like said overworld to have a good amount of exploration.

 

[Castle]

Neither. They're two ends of the spectrum. Too open and not open enough. SS's overworld design was an applaudable concept that (like so much of Nintendo's more recent experiments in innovation) didn't exactly work, imo. TPs was a whole lot of nothing much going on. My ideal overworld is one that is large, dense, and open. Neither of those two games fit the bill.

If I had to choose between one or the other, I'd go with TP, although like I said much denser and a lot more open. Visually TP's overworld captures that feeling of wonder that I enjoy so much in Zelda and other adventure games that SS's art style just did not capture. So as long as further Zelda games have more of that, I'm good.

 

[JuicieJ]

The Zelda series really needs to look to The Minish Cap for inspiration in its future overworlds. Skyward Sword sort of did this with its individual surface portions, but the disconnection kind of prevented it from being a true successor.

Or I guess I could just say...

I would like an overworld similar to SS's ground area, but one that's actually connected. What I liked with SS was how instead of focusing on size, it focused on depth. SS's overworld was still pretty big, but each area had more in it, similar to the approach SS took to dungeons, with less rooms, but much more inside each room. Besides being connected, I would like said overworld to have a good amount of exploration.

^ This.

Oh, and definitely not Twilight Princess's. Never EVER give us a hallway-infested, empty, and blah overworld like that again, Nintendo.

 

[DarkestLink]

Definitely TP's world. Only thing I'd change is to put more enemies in it. TP was a step in the right direction in that concept, but it wasn't enough. SS had the right idea on making the worlds feel more dangerous, but it didn't execute it properly. It felt like a mundane dungeon that you had to repeat over and over and over again. I want a world to be dangerous, but not because of some annoying repetitious obstacles. I want it to be packed filled with enemies. Put it under Ganondorf's thumb and let enemies flow through it like NPCs did in TP's Castle Town. Maybe moreso as the player progresses.

 

[JuicieJ]

SS had the right idea on making the worlds feel more dangerous, but it didn't execute it properly. It felt like a mundane dungeon that you had to repeat over and over and over again. I want a world to be dangerous, but not because of some annoying repetitious obstacles. I want it to be packed filled with enemies. Put it under Ganondorf's thumb and let enemies flow through it like NPCs did in TP's Castle Town. Maybe moreso as the player progresses.

I wouldn't say it felt mundane, but the rest of that is absolutely correct. It's been too long since we've had an overworld that functioned like you described. Although I gotta say, I would prefer it to not be like it was in A Link to the Past. I appreciate Nintendo's attempt to make that overworld a treacherous place, but there were flocks of enemies seemingly every five steps, and it really got old by the end of the game. There wasn't any sense of depth to it. Just a bunch of enemies. That's one thing The Minish Cap fixed by having nice and open areas with just enough enemies to keep the game stimulating but not so much that it became a nuisance. Skyward Sword actually improved on the enemy perspective of this concept, but it failed to execute the open world properly. That's where Zelda 3DS and Wii U need to pick the ball back up and run with it.

 

[Blu Ray]

Zelda would be cool with a big and lively overworld, with animals, enemies, hidden optional dungeons and NPCs. There should be things happening there and not just what TP had with nothing going on. In SS the overworld kinda blended itself with dungeon a bit too much, that should never happen again.

 

[JuicieJ]

In SS the overworld kinda blended itself with dungeon a bit too much, that should never happen again.

When discussing the overworld as a whole, you're right, but when strictly discussing the areas leading up to the dungeons? That's a must-have. It's something A Link to the Past had a slight bit of, something The Minish Cap took a bit further, and something Skyward Sword nailed. There's a better sense of transition between the overworld and dungeons with dungeon-like areas, and that allows for a much more streamlined and engaging experience. Simply roaming around until you come across a dungeon is pretty boring. There should be something along the way to bridge the gap. As I said in my recent article, Zelda should go back to being open-world, but not having the puzzle-filled sections in future games would be a waste of potential.

 

[Dukusword]

If we are talking about the over world type then Twilight Princess for sure.

 

[Curmudgeon]

When I played LoZ for the first time at about 9, I did so without the benefit of the included map and there was no internet. It was a marvelous experience being forced to feel out a world of which I had no idea 1) what it looked like 2) how big it was or 3) what to expect. While I'm all for the minimap, as I have a very poor sense of direction 3D environments that aren't the real world, I'd like to go back to revealing it as you explore it rather than "well, here's 75 square miles of territory you've never laid eyes on but are perfectly aware of all of its subtle contours!"

 

[Spirit]

I pretty much agree with what Ventus said.

In a lot of ways TP for me was the last Zelda game to not cater towards a hardware gimmick or be directed at a certain type of player. TP offered me a large and beautiful world, whereas SS just felt as it if offered me places, and not enough of them. The sky felt like an after thought too which added to the disappointment, at least without the layer of transportation and a whole realm in which to integrate it, TP, unlike SS, could focus on the world rather than divided sections of playability.

With WiiU being nintendo's first HD console and Zelda being one of if not the biggest Nintendo franchise (i dont see Mario games when theyre released being such events as Zelda games are) Nintendo are going to have to show off, even if they don't know what gamers want from Zelda all they have to do is look at the sales of previous games and just say to themselves 'lets do that one again' and that is what im expecting from WiiU, im expecting OoT3/TP2 a darker games, a whole connected and large overworld with some epic structures and a feeling of the grandiose and i hope that that is what i get. =]

 

[Terminus]

I wouldn't mind something like TP-size or greater, but I'd also like slightly more content. SS had some areas that were a little small, making it feel like it was oversaturated. Ideally I'd have something several times larger than TP, with Lots of hidden stuff, and a mode or two of easy transportation (never the sky...).

 

[DarkestLink]

I pretty much agree with what Ventus said.

In a lot of ways TP for me was the last Zelda game to not cater towards a hardware gimmick

They spent a year on the extra gimmick...XD

The GC version was fine. Near perfect. But the Wii version was completely made for the sake of a gimmick.

 

[Hero of Time]

Both overworlds definitely had their advantages and disadvantages, meaning there are certainly aspects of both I'd like to see in Zelda Wii U's overworld and others I wouldn't.

Twilight Princess had an immense overworld open to exploration; the problem was, there wasn't much to explore. There was the occasional Piece of Heart or cavern, but little else filled the gaps in the grandiose fields. The dull graphics of the game definitely didn't aid in this, but the fact remains the overworld was very plain - no pun intended. The ability to teleport that the player eventually gains is helpful, and so is Epona, but the overworld should be something greater than a large field that you want to get out of as soon as possible; it should be a land begging you to explore it.

On the other end of the spectrum, Skyward Sword was free of TP's overworld issues, but it still had its own. Instead of compromising, SS completely ridded of the overworld and gave us three hallways connected by the Sky. The Sky was compact with its hub of Skyloft and smaller islands floating around it with mini-games or treasure chests, but it certainly was not anything special or even worthwhile for more than the minute or two you're flying through it. The hallways limited exploration, but they also had their perks; the straightforward approach improved the transition from overworld to dungeon by adding puzzles and other neat gameplay elements, but the whole time it was hard to fight the feeling that the player was being guided by both hands. Like TP's overworld, SS's left much room for improvement.

So what can be taken from these two juxtaposing overworlds to fabricate a unique and superb overworld? The size of TP's overworld can definitely be utilized, as long as the space is filled with numerous caverns and sidequests that are fun and worthwhile to the player; I think an overworld between the sizes of TP's and OoT's could do this very well. I'd be pleased if Zelda Wii U expanded upon what TP attempted with its overworld instead of abolishing it like SS. That being said, the hallway system of SS can also be used; if the hallways are interconnected by the aforementioned overworld that is huge and filled to the brim with things to do, then the hallways can reach their full potential without the player feeling that the game's overworld is lacking. If these two elements can be blended together nicely, Zelda Wii U's overworld has quite a bit of potential. Another thing I'd like to see in the overworld is more cities than just one or two like most games have; if the game has three or four cities - for instance, a Castle Town and Kakariko Village accompanied by a port city and another village like Kakariko - not only will the overworld not feel as empty, but there will be more sources of sidequests and places for shops and perhaps even guilds like some players desire.

In conclusion, if Zelda Wii U is able to combine the best of the overworlds of Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword and add a few more features like caverns and cities, I will be very pleased with the final product.