In the last few weeks I've been absolutely bitten by the Zelda bug again. Thanks to the recent news of upcoming Hyrule Warriors DLC, the release of Twilight Princess HD, and a vague whisper that we'll be getting lots of Zelda related news at E3, I've been binge-watching youtube videos and discussions about the upcoming Zelda title. But I've been hearing a lot of different analyses ranging across a variety of topics, and it sorta got me thinking. There are a lot of things people seem to be expecting or hoping for out of the next game, and the more I think about it the more I feel that the various wish-list items seem to pull in separate directions.
On one hand, you have people clamoring for things like nonlinear dungeon progression, true open world, customizable character appearance/gender, and day, night and even season cycles that seem to put emphasis on building a world to explore.
On the other hand you have things like voice acting and cutscenes, concretely defined character appearance, difficulty curve, relationships, and Link's town of origin that seem like they would lend themselves more to creating a particular narrative.
I can't help but feel that emphasizing some of the articles on one list directly pull from some items on the other list. Whether that is because the items are diametrically opposed to one another (like having a defined Link vs. an Avatar Link), while some merely seem like they'd conflict with each other in development (like voice acting diverting budget and time away from creating more world features).
So what do people think? Are there some things that pull development too far in one direction or another? Is it possible to do almost everything, have an amazing open world and also a tight narrative at the same time?
Author's Note: There may be a few of you who are tempted to emphasize one particular trait in the above list (you know who you are and what I'm talking about). Pro Tip: do not do that thing. I will beat you into an early grave with my Whiffle Bat of Justice.
On one hand, you have people clamoring for things like nonlinear dungeon progression, true open world, customizable character appearance/gender, and day, night and even season cycles that seem to put emphasis on building a world to explore.
On the other hand you have things like voice acting and cutscenes, concretely defined character appearance, difficulty curve, relationships, and Link's town of origin that seem like they would lend themselves more to creating a particular narrative.
I can't help but feel that emphasizing some of the articles on one list directly pull from some items on the other list. Whether that is because the items are diametrically opposed to one another (like having a defined Link vs. an Avatar Link), while some merely seem like they'd conflict with each other in development (like voice acting diverting budget and time away from creating more world features).
So what do people think? Are there some things that pull development too far in one direction or another? Is it possible to do almost everything, have an amazing open world and also a tight narrative at the same time?
Author's Note: There may be a few of you who are tempted to emphasize one particular trait in the above list (you know who you are and what I'm talking about). Pro Tip: do not do that thing. I will beat you into an early grave with my Whiffle Bat of Justice.