Ever since I first tried out my first Zelda-game, I have been hooked. I was about nine years old at the time and English was not really my strong suit, so understanding the instructions given was a challenge, but I still loved it. Ever since I was a little kid, I have had an interest in video games. My first Zelda-game was also my first adventurous video game and it has really impacted me to this day.
The entire franchise of the Legend of Zelda is well-known for a number of reasons. Soundtracks, characters, story and its gameplay, to name a few. The gameplay in particular is something that stays very similar from game to game. Every game includes a mixture of adventure, exploration and puzzle-solving in its own way. These three have been around since the days where the Legend of Zelda was played on the NES.
The whole era began 33 years ago when that first Zelda-game was released, the Legend of Zelda. A bestseller for the company (being Nintendo) as it sold over 6,5 million copies. It was an open world game at the peak of its time, 8-bits and all. However, the formula of the games changed over time. The following games were more linear and this is seen even more when the games were made in 3D with the first 3D-Zelda-game being the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The more the game is centred around a storyline, the more linear it is going to get. Whilst games like Ocarina of Time still are beloved by fans, this con has made fans be very opposed to additions like Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess. Nintendo viewed this criticism as a time to change.
Breath of the Wild was that change, a breath of fresh air for the franchise. The creators went back to the NES-game and took inspiration from those days while still hanging on to other elements that had been introduced in later games. Just like the NES’s open world-game was astonishing for gamers in 1986, Breath of the Wild was just as admirable by today’s standard and now reaching a wider audience. But nothing is perfect and of course, people missed a few of the things that Zelda-games had become known for. The game still includes lots of adventure and puzzle-solving. The gameplay is also very well received by critics. However, the public felt like details like a remarkable soundtrack and traditional dungeons were missing.
Breath of the Wild’s story is set a 100 years back in time, so you as the player get the story told in form of memories and late characters diaries etc. meaning that you weren’t really able to engage in it. As I previously stated, the more story the game is based upon, the more linear it’s going to get. The game needed a story that wasn’t necessary for the player to go through to be able to complete the game and that’s what was given. The story does follow the core of almost the entire franchise. The whole plot is really about saving or, in the case of Breath of the Wild, helping Zelda in the endgame.
To conclude all of this, the Legend of Zelda has developed over the years. The story has stayed pretty much the same, but things such as how you adventure through the world have changed. Nintendo is trying something new and is making a transition from the old formula of Ocarina of Time over to a new and fresh formula, fitting for today’s gaming community. So why did I choose to talk about the Legend of Zelda? Not only because of the impact it has made on my life, but also because of the impact that it has made on the industry itself.