The Sad Wilting of the Legend of Zelda

Back in 1996, when the Nintendo 64 first came out, the excitement towards the next Zelda game was beyond disbelief. The demand for what would eventually be Ocarina of Time was so great that the gamers flocked towards a similar RPG/adventure game that came out before, turning Quest 64 into a surprise hit. While Quest 64 mildly fanned the flames, the explosive demand for Zelda 64 was hogging all the Nintendo Power storylines. When Ocarina of Time finally got its release in 1998, it was one of the biggest stories in the history of gaming. The perfect reviews came flying in, the controversies were rocking the shoreline, and the sales were bringing the Nintendo 64 into the limelight of the gaming war against the Playstation and the Sega Saturn.

Let’s turn the switch into today. With the greatest generation of gaming we have ever experienced (I honestly mean that), the Nintendo Wii is going to receive a second Zelda game in its already-impressive library of games. A second Zelda game in a Nintendo system’s lifetime has only happened twice: the NES (technically...) and the Nintendo 64 (although we can argue that Majora’s Mask would have been much more successful as a Gamecube launch title). The game is scheduled to come out next year. But the hype meter isn’t quite there. In an age in which gamers are stoked about an upcoming release years before its eventual arrival date (See: Gran Turismo 5), the fact that Skyward Sword is receiving no attention whatsoever is quite baffling. Even though Ocarina of Time was not feeding many updates to gamers, our curiosity was running wild. Now, I barely hear anything. Even the applause was a bit muffled when the game was presented in this previous E3.

Remember the craziness surrounding the trailer for what eventually became Twilight Princess? Gamers were sobbing at seeing the next Zelda. Literally sobbing. Now? Nothing. A few claps, a few cheers, but nothing outstanding. So what happened? How did we get from overwhelming hype to mere whispers? I have a theory, and its just a theory. But its one that is not good news for Zelda fans. But I believe that the appeal of the Legend of Zelda franchise has shrunken a bit, is still shrinking. It looks like the maturity of the gaming world has finally caught up to Zelda, and unless Nintendo does an incredible turn-around to their latest installment, we just might see the first Zelda flop.

The Zelda franchise has remained among the best in all of gaming history because it was always multiple steps ahead of the curve, in terms of quality, maturity, storytelling, and technical feats. The original Zelda for the NES was the first to have a save feature, since the original quest was quite lengthy. The second Zelda would be among the first to mix RPG with adventure/action. To add to that, Zelda II would also be among the first games to have many non-player characters play vital roles in the hero’s quest. While Zelda II's impact on the franchise was minimal, it was still a sucess and would alter the way adventure and RPG games are made.


And then we come to Link to the Past, which would be the biggest video game in the history of the 32-bit warfare between Genesis and the Super Nintendo. It was your average epic quest except the storyline was among the most mature of its time, and the budgeting behind this game was among the largest for any product in the early 90s. It wasn’t just a game; it was a benchmark in video game production. To this day it has aged amazingly well and remains one of the best video games in history. The quiet success Link’s Awakening would be the final stab at the Sega Game Gear, destroying it with incredible sales responding to incredibly extensive Zelda gameplay that by miracle was minimized to a couple gigabites. The colorful Game Gear was destroyed by the colorless Game Boy because of games like Link's Awakening. And any game that can overcome the storyline flaw of (Spoiler?) "it was all just a dream" deserves a place in gaming history.


Ocarina of Time would raise the bar even higher by introducing a state-of-the-art camera system, the best graphics for years to come, a targeting system that is used even today, and some of the most expansive and incredibly diverse gameplay in history. The perfect scores from critics and gamers were confirming the fact that the gameplay we were seeing here was something new and something incredibly good for the world of gaming. The Zelda franchise was constantly raising the bar, constantly introducing gameplay elements that forever alter the production of video games. Then with Majora’s Mask, we hit a new high in presentation and execution that to this day, has not been met by any adventure game----and I am including Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.


Majora’s Mask would introduce the gaming world to one of the darkest and most mature stories ever told in the medium, followed by a day/night 3-day system that not enough modern-day video games use. While Ocarina of Time was the first to use the day/night system, Majora’s Mask expanded and perfected it by giving the gamers a three-day time limit to save the world before its impending doom. While it was the least successful Zelda at the time, it was because it came out towards the very end of the N64 lifespan with limited marketing. This would be part of Nintendo’s first heavy push of mature storytelling to combat the Playstation’s array of mature games; as Perfect Dark came out the same year.

However, the gaming world caught up to Zelda. By the time Wind Waker came out, the XBox and Playstation 2 already had a heavy dosage of massive-scale games with deep and involving storylines, state-of-the-art graphics, epic soundtracks, and mature presentation and gameplay that proved that the medium wasn’t just for kids anymore; now teenagers, college-goers, and adults are playing games and enjoying them immensely. Grand Theft Auto III became the new medium-changer, by introducing us to a sandbox-style of gaming that gave gamers full control on what to do. What was Zelda’s reply? Cartoonish graphics, watered-down gameplay, lack of voice acting, and overall, nothing new to the table. All of a sudden, Zelda wasn’t ahead of the curve, it was inside the curve with the likes of Halo, Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy, Splinter Cell, and other major developed franchises.

So now we have Twilight Princess. The trailer years before promised a new-look-no-cartoon-whatsoever Zelda, a much more mature Zelda. A Zelda that can and will match the likes of the competition at the time (Fable was breathing down their necks ---with the developers being their own worst enemy---see Fable III). So we finally get our Twilight Princess after being delayed multiple times (an expected outcome in the Gamecube days) for the Gamecube and for the Nintendo Wii. So what did we get? Same ol’ Zelda, decent game, but not quite bringing anything new to the table yet again.

The mature Zelda we were promised instead became a mild retread of Ocarina of Time and Link to the Past. Majora’s Mask remains the most mature of the Zeldas. Unlike what the Mario franchise experienced with the Mario Galaxy games or what the Metroid franchise experienced with Metroid Prime, the Zelda franchise has yet to have a seemingly fresh rejuvenation since 1998—when Ocarina of Time struck. The sales weren’t the best, and it was a launch title. It was not able to outsell Ocarina of Time, and the market was much much smaller back in 1998.


This isn’t to say that Twilight Princess was a bad game, but the hype for Zelda gameplay had diminished, because it’s starting to become formulaic. Twilight Princess was bigger and badder, but still felt the same. Once the DS games feature more originality and creativity, we have an issue at hand. It barely sold 500,000 copies in Japan, the original country that embraced the franchise. And after releasing multiple consecutive games that can easily be hailed as among the best ever, all of a sudden we see Call of Duty, Halo, and even Mario embracing the epic scale—leaving Zelda in the dust.

So how do we save the Zelda franchise from creating a flop and leveling its reputation to the level of forgotten Nintendo franchises like Star Fox and F-Zero? A major change must be done, and not just in the playcontrol scheme. Super Mario Galaxy’s major success was because of its innovative gameplay, not the innovative motion controls. Mario Galaxy introduced a new way of playing Super Mario, by expanding its creativity to the utmost levels and still tying it to the core charm of the plumber. Miyamoto and the staff found every possible way to sneak in gameplay elements never before experienced in Mario games before and since. Now we have Super Mario riding through space and entering dozens of different planets, each with their own unique obstacles and gravitational pulls. Then add the totally enhanced art style and soundtrack. Mario got an upgrade, one that everyone noticed. Zelda needs this sort of upgrade.

Voice acting I have never found to be too crucial, but with the technology progressing, budgets flying, and presentation of gaming reaching levels I had never anticipated prior to the release of the XBox 360, its time for the Legend to get with the program. It does not have to be all dialogue and heavy voice-acting, and does not have to have sweeping cut scenes similar to Final Fantasy (by the way, is anybody still playing XIII?) Link does not have to talk, he can be the Samurai Jack type, letting his actions deliver his emotions and intentions.

However, the music is no excuse, it has to be orchestrated. If Super Mario and Smash Brothers can do it, so should Zelda. How fitting would it be for Link to travel with a 50-piece orchestra blasting in the background? The Legend of Zelda introduced the world to the beauty of combining music with the gameplay (See: Link to the Pasts’ epic opening song). Koji Kondo is the best composer in all of gaming, and I am sure can crank out a beautiful assortment of music to go with Link’s next quest. But orchestrated music must be done.

Last but not least, this game needs its special niche to separate itself from the usual epic games. Link to the Past had its amazing Dark World. Ocarina of Time had its incredible usage of time travel. Majora’s Mask had its time travel mixed with an impossible time limit--mixed with a beautifully sad story of death, and the emotional perils of being the hero. Oracle of Ages/Seasons used an interconnecting system that allowed you to play two quests in whatever order you choose. Even Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks had their clever use of the DS touchscreen. Wind Waker and Twilight Princess were missing that special edge, that special niche. Not sure what it should be, but the developers need to figure a way to introduce a gameplay element that will have gamers seeing and playing Zelda in a different way.


My recommendation is the Fable effect—in which Link’s decisions alter the way the game is played. What if you choose to live your life a bit longer instead of heading out to save Zelda? What if you choose to join the dark side in order to get closer to Zelda? What if you don’t choose to rescue Zelda at all? Whatever you choose alters the way the game plays out over the years. It would be like Fable, but with the special Zelda charm that Fable has yet to really achieve. This would also pitch the franchise to a maturity level that some of us gamers have been desiring since Majora’s Mask. This would lead to multiple scenarios, multiple endings, and endless single-player replay value that just doesn't exist in modern-games.

Personally, if it were up to me, I would add this level of major decision-making to the game. But whatever the developers come up with, it has to deter itself from your average hero-save-princess quest, because the competition of these types of games are much heavier and deadlier than ever. Nintendo has been mildly suffering amongst the hardcore gamers because of its lack of ability to provide deeper gameplay values into most of its franchises (See: Metroid—going backwards, Star Fox, F-Zero). Skyward Sword can be the beginning of a new good chapter in gaming, much like what Link to the Past did all those years ago.

Bottom Line: I am a big fan of the Zelda franchise, but I admit that I am not at all excited about the next Zelda, because the franchise has seen better days, has seen more innovative days, and is facing some stiff competition. After seeing what Nintendo did to Super Mario (Mario in an epic-like game was unheard of a decade ago…now we have seen two for the Wii), I believe that they can save Zelda. But Skyward Sword has yet to prove this, and I want to be proven wrong in the coming months when we see more details. Otherwise, this might be the first major Zelda release I will not try to purchase opening day.

The Legend of Zelda needs a change, needs a facelift, and needs it soon, for its popularity has taken a mild hit this generation. Zelda will forever be a part of Nintendo history, but in the direction its going, its pulse on the world of gaming is weakening. Skyward Sword can’t just be another quest, it has to truly rise up and give gamers a one-two punch of maturity and incredible gameplay that will bring us back to the 90s Zelda quality. Zelda needs to return to being the frontrunner in how games should be made. I want this game to succeed, but most of all, I want this game to impress me, I want this game to epically and undoubtedly blow me away like what Zelda used to do two gaming generations ago.

Nintendo, impress me. I challenge you.


Allow for Link to rise again.