Too Many Mario-related Things Popping Up?

[avalpsychicguy]

Tarin looks like Mario, and loves Toadstools... BowWows are Chain Chomps... Link fights a CheepCheep or two... isn't that too many on its own? But there are many more, such as Goombas, Bloopers, and many others. What do you guys think? Do all these Mario-related things, along with cheesy moments, make the game feel more like a handheld meant for 7-year-olds? Tell me!

 

[Zeruda]

Tarin looks like Mario, and loves Toadstools... BowWows are Chain Chomps... Link fights a CheepCheep or two... isn't that too many on its own? But there are many more, such as Goombas, Bloopers, and many others. What do you guys think? Do all these Mario-related things, along with cheesy moments, make the game feel more like a handheld meant for 7-year-olds? Tell me!

..no?

These things are there for fun, and I personally think they are enjoyable. While there were various Mario references, Link's Awakening still kept to its roots and felt like a Zelda game, not a Mario game. Additionally, the story itself is pretty complex for a game of its day (early 90's). Heck, it's still pretty complex by today's gaming standards. The significance of the plot alone is not something a 7-year-old is going to comprehend. They'll just beat the game and be proud that they did, but they wouldn't be able to pick up on anything significant about the story until they are older.

That being said, it's a game that a 7-year-old and a 37-year-old can enjoy. It's fun and can really get your brain ticking.

 

[MOTLEYlink]

I don't have a problem with these references to Mario at all, I actually get a kick out of spotting these! I mean these two games (Super Mario, and Legend of Zelda) will always have somethings in common, mostly because the same people are in charge of both games.

 

[Ventus]

The significance of the plot alone is not something a 7-year-old is going to comprehend. They'll just beat the game and be proud that they did, but they wouldn't be able to pick up on anything significant about the story until they are older.

Not necessarily. I beat LA when i was around 7-8, and I actually thought that the game was nothing but a dream, which it pretty much was.

Anyway, the Mario references felt pretty good. I liked seeing the Goombas in the sidescrolling areas, and they even added a Kirby-esque enemy (I think its name was Anti-Kirby?) in the game. The references didn't have much of an impact on the story, so it couldn't really do anything to deter people from the game. In fact, I'd like to see more non-Zelda references in the handheld games.

 

[avalpsychicguy]

Yes, you guys are all correct. I thought the Mario references were all pretty cool, but because of them Link's Awakening didn't have the same feel that most other Zelda games have. And then again, all Gameboy Color games tend to have some sort of cheesy theme around them. The low graphics are probably the cause of that.

 

[Hylian Legend]

Don't forget the Yoshi doll, the Peach picture from the trading quest, and the Bowser's head statues in the sidescrolling screens. I don't mind the Mario references, but what is a little wierd is that there are telephones in the game. I guess it is possible that the Wind Fish could dream up a communication device that it had never seen before, but it is still wierd. And I'd like to see more Zelda references appear in Mario games; the only one I know of is Link appearing in Mario RPG.

 

[Ember Incubus]

Was LA not going to be a zelda game originaly? Maybe it was going to be a mario game. =S

 

[Ninten*]

I saw the pictures in the houses of alttp. It looked a lot alike Mario. One of the characters in LA looked like Mario too.

 

[TheWindFish]

I noticed that too. I actually think that it took away from the game. I mean a couple mario references would have been fine but too many and I think they are trying to promote the mario franchise.

 

[TheGreen]

Least favorite reference:
Kirby in 7th? dungeon.
In my first playthrough I died twice trying to figure out how to kill it.
ZD says to kill it with your magic rod, but you get it in the 8th dungeon, so.....
I'm glad though that none of the mario played major roles in the game (except Bow-Wow)
Their function as easter eggs was good, but if they had been part of major plot points it would have made the game and series seem less serious than Mario.

 

[Ember Incubus]

If you get the item in the seventh dungeon, you can go get the item in the eigth dungeon before actualy finishing the seventh.

 

[Zeruda]

Not necessarily. I beat LA when i was around 7-8, and I actually thought that the game was nothing but a dream, which it pretty much was.

That's not quite what I was referring to. Yes, even children pick up on that it was a dream. However, what I was talking about is that a young child will not be able to pick up on themes like:
Sacrifice: Link sacrificed staying with Marin. He gave up living a more or less carefree life in order to go back to protecting his true home, Hyrule.
Philosophy: Any child is going to pick up on cheerful and sad moments, but it's going to take somebody more developed than a young child to consider elements like "awakening". An example is Marin, who, if you get the special ending, turns into a seagull. Kids will see that her wish came true. Older players will realize that a character from a dream (that is also a separate reality) "awakens" into a new life. It's not only Link who "awakens"

Little things like that. I'd be very surprised and impressed if a 7-year-old could pick up on any of it.

 

[Atheistbigred]

i enjoyed the mario references especially luigi being in there. i wish they had a little more references to other games like having donkey kong chuck barrels at you (like as a mini boss and using the roc's feather to defeat him) and a lttle less mario in it.

 

[MoblinPiglet]

What if link was dreaming about the mushroom kingdom XD.

 

[cmeks]

well, i think the mario references did well to contribute to a dream. When link is in this dream world he sees things that will probly never be real in his world (kind of like how our dreams in real life we experience things that are not real). I saw it as link had to dive deep into his mind and beat the "nightmares" to get back from this dream. Along the way he would pick up items he has used before. And idk about this but im theorizing that some of the dungeons you go through are related in some way to other dungeons from past games.