Gossip Stone: Is Roc’s Cape Doomed to Handheld Exclusivity?

For the last couple of months, I’ve been playing Oracle of Seasons off and on and there’s something I’ve come to realize: I really enjoy using Roc’s Cape. Roc’s Feather was an interesting item in its own right, but the enhanced mobility that is offered when using the cape makes it superior in every way. After recognizing this, I’ve started to wonder how Roc’s Cape could work on a console title of the Zelda series and for that matter, if it is doomed to forever remain exclusive to handheld games.

How well do you think Roc’s Cape would function in a future Zelda title? Hit the jump to view my thoughts!

Appearing in 3 handheld Zelda games, Roc’s Cape is an upgrade of Roc’s Feather in Oracle of Seasons, and simply its own item in Minish Cap and Four Swords. It grants its wearer the ability to not only jump, but to glide forward to cover even more horizontal distance. Considering most Zelda games have an auto-jump feature instead of a button dedicated to it, being able to leap and glide wherever I please is an invigorating feeling. That sensation is further enhanced when used in tandem with items like the Pegasus Seeds/Boots. In Minish Cap, you are even granted the powerful Down Thrust ability after acquiring Roc’s Cape. Sufficed to say, the cape seems like it would be quite appetizing on other platforms.

However, I can see some difficulties with applying Roc’s Cape to huge console games like Twilight Princess or Skyward Sword. As much as I’d like to soar through the air whenever the moment strikes me, I imagine the core gameplay would take a significant hit. For instance, when I first fought the Darknut in Twilight Princess, it was a tense and suspenseful affair. I imagine that feeling would have been greatly diminished if I had been jumping and gliding around like a madman with the Darknut chasing after me. Although it kind of sounds hilarious, I don’t think the developers would have wanted the fight to transpire in such a way. The Zelda games are also notorious for being buggy and full of glitches; I can’t imagine the possibilities that Roc’s Cape would bring to the table in that regard.

Roc’s Cape functions rather well on handhelds because the worlds aren’t nearly as expansive and it opens up new areas that were previously inaccessible. Additionally, in all of its appearances, Link is on a 2D plane, thus stifling his movement compared to his console counterparts. Roc’s Cape opens up a new venue of motion, almost by necessity, to help even the playing field with 3D Zeldas. Aside from that, I understand that it is probably a wise decision to not have every item be exchangeable in such a manner. Part of the charm of the handheld Zelda games are how differently they play from other iterations in the series, but I digress.

Regardless, it would certainly be interesting to see how Roc’s Cape would be implemented in an upcoming console Zelda game, don’t you think? Do you have any strong feelings towards the item at all?

Let us know via poll and comments!
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