What Zelda U Needs As An Open World Experience

It’s been a few weeks now since Zelda U has been announced as an open world entry in the series. Ever since, everyone has come up with their own ideas of what would make the perfect open world experience across the land of Hyrule. One fan, Mavra Choudhry, wrote an article detailing what she believes Zelda U needs to be a successful open world title.

It goes without saying that Skyrim has set a new precedent of open world gaming, and it’s hard not to make the comparison when talking about a new sand box title. Mavra is no exception either when making this obvious comparison. Her article opens stating,

A massive explorable Hyrule with thousands of locations Skyrim style? Shut up and take our rupees! — Mavra Choudhry

Her “10 Open World Features Zelda U Needs To Have” are as follows:

10. A Customizable Link

9. Dynamic, Interactive NPCs

8. Exploratory, Impactful Sidequests

7. Optional Dungeons and Secret Areas

6. Non-Linear Dungeon Progression

5. Interactive Economy

4. An Interactive Atmosphere With Exploration Potential

3. Complex Combat

2. Overarching, Cause-and-Effect Puzzle Solving

1. Strong Core Narrative

One necessity for the success of Zelda U is something that the series has never failed to bring, and that is an enthralling story. If anything were to push Zelda U over the standard that Skyrim has set, it will be in that aspect. There is nothing but speculation as to what the newest entry in the series will bring as far as narrative or story, but it’s not something that worries me in the slightest.

Where the changes to the Zelda series need to be made in the new installment, as requested in the aforementioned article, is in the concept of choice. One of the things that made Skyrim the new standard of RPGs was its freedom of choice in almost every aspect of the game. Every choice you make affects the character and the overall adventure. Even being spoken to by the race you chose brings a sense of originality to every playthrough. While I don’t believe that level of customization will be made available in Zelda U, small details could make your playthough feel unique to you.

Choice isn’t just personalizing your character’s appearance, however. Choice is having the freedom to do anything you please, as you please, as long as it fits within the boundaries of the story. Mavra speaks a lot on the concept of freedom that Aonuma discussed at E3 2014. Freedom doesn’t have to just be choosing the order in which you take on the elemental dungeons. She explains that many of the things that Zelda U needs to do have to do with optional choices. Optional dungeons with puzzles within, side quests, and dynamic environments all could play a part in making the land of Hyrule a living, breathing environment.

Having side quests that allow us to see the change in a village, instead of NPCs doing the same thing every day for the length of your adventure, could breathe more life into empty characters, much like Majora’s Mask did with the Bomber’s Notebook. It would give them personalities and could even make you feel something personal when your quest leads you to the destruction of the village home of a character for whom you have grown to care. Having accessible, optional dungeons could give players an exciting new way to challenge their minds in order to get that missing piece of heart or weapon upgrade. An experience based leveling system could allow players to play the game with emphasis on their favorite items, by upgrading in ways that better fit their individual play style. This could even implement a new mechanic in combat that emphasizes the uses of other weapons in battle, without taking the priority of the Master Sword out of play. She even brings up a point on “cause-and-effect” puzzle styling. Solving a puzzle may seem like a great way to get something exciting, but it could also be a trap that adds a new challenge to your game.

It’s clear that all, or at least most, of these ideas spawned from games like Skyrim, but how many of these concepts would take the Zelda series so far from its roots that the experience is no longer special? How many RPG commonalities would be too many and deteriorate everything that makes Zelda what it has become? Or is this the kind of change that could break the barrier that Skyrim has set and make Zelda the new high standard in RPG gaming? Don’t forget to check out Mavra’s article here to get her full take, and as always, leave your thoughts and comments down below!

Source: What Culture