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I think it's time for a Zelda game where you control Princess Zelda
- Thread starter Guaraná
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I would love to play as Zelda in a mainline game. Just not BotW Zelda. She is possibly the worst version of Zelda.
I disagree. While I wouldn't want to see Zelda simply play 100% like Link at all, there is value in having her perform and acquire many of the same feats and skills as him. I personally think it's important given the history of the series and character to show that just because she is a girl/princess and possesses the Tri-Force of Wisdom that doesn't mean she is incapable of being a hero similar to that of Link. There's value in both being different and in sharing similar traits/abilities.
Link himself across the various entries in the series has had a large variety of skills and abilities. There's no reason that Zelda as well couldn't share certain core gameplay aspects with Link while also introducing unique abilities and novel twists on old ones. I think saying that you need to create an entirely different game for her comes with its own set of issues and problems. It shouldn't be an either or situation, but a both. Zelda can be the protagonist and play similar to Link in a traditional mainline game and they can also create a Zelda spinoff with entirely different gameplay.
I don't mind her at all. The VO wasn't great, but that can be fixed. I think the end of that game positioned her very well to take on a leading role and face the demands of being the hero.
I wouldn't mind it, as long as it's not at the expense of Link being the star. I also wouldn't mind if she got a spinoff series for herself.
Male is the "default" that most games settle on, so a lot of people feel excluded because of that.
Link is not a particularly well-defined character. I haven't paid attention to the Zelda timeline at all, but except for direct-sequels, I believe it's a different Link for every game.
He's a silent protagonist and a blank slate at that. There's absolutely no underlying reason that Link has to be male.
It would be such an easy win for Nintendo to make this an option - or a similar "hero" character like Linkle - though I never did play Hyrule Warriors, so I know nothing about her.
That way they could stick to their typical "save the princess" trope they use for most of the games, without having to make any major changes.
Zelda on the other-hand, is a well-defined character with a specific role - which is why they seem to have been reluctant about making her a playable character in the mainline games.
Now things are more nuanced than that of course. Zelda played a different role in Breath of the Wild than most other Zelda games, and it's looking like she probably will be playable in BotW2.
And many people dislike it when playable female characters are nothing more than a model swap for the male character, rather than being written as a new and unique female character with appropriate personality traits and behaviors.
But the "model swap" might be better than some of Nintendo's previous efforts such as Super Princess Peach, where your abilities were all emotion-based and crying was a gameplay mechanic.
Even if Zelda is playable in BotW2, I would expect them to give her different abilities than Link. Maybe what I want is a female Link, rather than to play as Zelda - especially if it's a co-op game.
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I have never understood why people care about playing as Zelda. What possible reason is there to switch protagonists, other than to say they did it?
People like playing as female characters.
I always chose female when I have the option, and I would like a different move set that comes with a new character.
Obviously she's gonna run and ride a horse and push boxes. Please don't put words in my mouth. All I'm saying is there's a lot of room to be creative with the design rather than retreading what we already have.
Agreed. it would be a most spectacular thing to see unfold. I posted some time ago now how amazing it would be if the opening of the game had us playing as Link up to that scene where we find Ganondorf in the reveal trailer and then he gets fridged and we play as Zelda thereafter. The reactions online would be with it alone.
They could even have a whole E3 showcase and floor demo for people to play through like the Great Plateau with just Link in the opening bit. But I don't think Nintendo is down with that kind of deception and trolling.
Have I got a thread for y'all
www.resetera.com
The Legend of Playable Zelda: Setting Ourselves Up for Disappointment... Together! (Speculation, Discussion, and Wishful Thinking) [Media Heavy!]
Do you like The Legend of Zelda? Do you think it would be cool to play as Zelda herself? Do you think there’s a chance this could happen in the sequel to Breath of the Wild? If you answered yes to these questions, this thread is for you. But if you’re not here to be optimistic and have fun...
www.resetera.com
I assume a game like that would be a spinoff. He need not necessarily be in it (though I would prefer if he was). There are points in the timeline/series (like, say, ruined Hyrule post OoT, his seven year hibernation, MM, pre-WW, the events preceding TP, etc etc) where the dude just wasn't present/did not exist whilst Zelda was dealing with whatever, so it's not too hard to imagine.
Alternatively, they could just be adventuring simultaneously but apart. Or a game with multiple controllable characters like ss.
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Yeah, if the idea is to do a model swap, then I'm totally against the idea. Obviously there'd be some crossover since most (modern) Zeldas are proficient in archery and horseback riding, but a game done well would probably be something of a paradigm shift.
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As interesting and relevant as that sounds, I struggle to find the gameplay of this. Not a hot take, honest consideration. Are we talking Zelda/Sheik? Are we talking Link as support? Are we talking about expanding her magical abilities? Otherwise, I'm not entirely sure what our engagement to interaction is with her, as it almost sounds like a completely different game - which would be fine. Maybe I'm just unfamiliar with her characteristics from an action/adventure point of view, but I just don't want her to be shoehorned as female Link. I'd want her to stand out as her own character worthy of her own adventure.
My theory is that both Link and Zelda got captured(or maybe died?) and it was Zelda's fault again.
The only thing that could be more hype than the original Twilight Princess trailer is one that builds to a reveal of Zelda as the protagonist and a subtitle-less "The Legend of Zelda."
Not a bad idea but i don't see Nintendo wanting to mix up BOTW too much.
Sheik would be the easy choice (and *chef's kiss*) since she could fight and even locomote very differently from link whilst still using a variety of standard weaponry and having access to more magic than Link ever does. I imagine a non-Sheik Zelda could just drop most of the stealth altogether and use magically-generated light weapons and/or have gameplay revolving largely around spell casting and sealing. Which could be amazing, but is far riskier.
r u kidding me
www.resetera.com
The Legend of Playable Zelda: Setting Ourselves Up for Disappointment... Together! (Speculation, Discussion, and Wishful Thinking) [Media Heavy!]
Do you like The Legend of Zelda? Do you think it would be cool to play as Zelda herself? Do you think there’s a chance this could happen in the sequel to Breath of the Wild? If you answered yes to these questions, this thread is for you. But if you’re not here to be optimistic and have fun...
www.resetera.com
Nintendo really needs to remake Spirit Tracks so people will play it. Zelda is amazing in that game.
For Breath of the Wild 2, what they could do is have both Link and Zelda playable. Give Zelda the Sheikah Slate and runes since I feel that kind of thing didn't really fit Link well. Give Link more traditional mechanical items (via the magic hand thing). You control both and switch between them to use their different abilities. Combine their abilities to solve puzzles, etc. Like Spirit Tracks but better.
For Breath of the Wild 2, what they could do is have both Link and Zelda playable. Give Zelda the Sheikah Slate and runes since I feel that kind of thing didn't really fit Link well. Give Link more traditional mechanical items (via the magic hand thing). You control both and switch between them to use their different abilities. Combine their abilities to solve puzzles, etc. Like Spirit Tracks but better.
Does there have to be gameplay differences? Wouldn't the narrative implications and possibilities be sufficient? Not that there couldn't or shouldn't be gameplay differences, but I don't see why that would need to be paramount to justifying the move. For me such a shift would be quite significant due to the series/character's history without doing anything else. And are we talking purely combat wise, as plenty of gameplay exists outside that which could be different while combat could remain much the same. While it's not that hard to imagine some basic magic based attacks or reinterpretations of classic abilities via a magic twist, there are still plenty of things outside of that which could done to differentiate the two characters more than they already are.
Supposing Zelda is the lead in BotW2, interactions with the populace could be very different for her than it was for Link due to her being the Princess, allowing for unique and interesting side quests. This could provide ample justification for Zelda to have a more developed relationship with various NPCs in the world similar to the deeper side quests and interactions we saw in Majora's Mask. Zelda was gone for 100 years and wants to connect with her subjects and allies.
The world of Hyrule in that game was extremely devastated and left to ruin for a century. While numerous entries in the series have featured rebuilding side quests this kind of feature could be expanded for Zelda as she works to rebuild her fallen kingdom. This could be as basic as just having a lot more instances of side quests like Tarry Town or repairing bridges from TP, to having actual missions focused on clearing out areas to be reclaimed and other events focused on reclaiming and rebuilding what was lost and new things.
Then there's the fact that BotW's Zelda was very studious and technically minded, shown to be helping head up excavations and research into the Divine Beasts and Guardians. With this new game looking to potentially have a focus on underground areas, spelunking and archaeological based events could be introduced. Giving just cause for us to pay closer attention and investigate the smaller details in the locations we visit throughout the world. This could be as simple as just letting us interact more with object and locations or as complex as introducing a whole subsystem of collecting runes and ancient script throughout the world to help solve puzzles and unlock things.
None of this needs to be radically different in terms of the overall feel or play of the game, but contextually would come across and feel different as it relates to Zelda. Even bringing back gameplay like Musical Instruments and using songs to interact with the world and playing a song like Zelda's Lullaby would have much different significance coming from Zelda herself than it would from Link.
^ (emphasis mine)
It's literally easy to transfer their individual schtick's from Smash Bros and into a game. They play differently and effectively in Smash, and they could in a new game too.
Please continue discussion here
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The Legend of Playable Zelda: Setting Ourselves Up for Disappointment... Together! (Speculation, Discussion, and Wishful Thinking) [Media Heavy!]
Do you like The Legend of Zelda? Do you think it would be cool to play as Zelda herself? Do you think there’s a chance this could happen in the sequel to Breath of the Wild? If you answered yes to these questions, this thread is for you. But if you’re not here to be optimistic and have fun...
www.resetera.com
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