MAYBE I HATE ZELDA

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Category: Features

Published on Tuesday, 13 March 2012 12:00

Written by Bryan Belcher

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I've only beaten a single Zelda game in my life and that was our of pure boredom, the appeal is there but every single time I drudge my way through the latest or greatest title I get tired at some point and never come back. But like a moth to the flame, I keep coming back for more. Why do I keep buying games I don't care about? Is the appeal for Zelda so great that I always give it a fair shake? Skyward Sword may have put an end to that. 

Recently I had the pleasure of playing the motion controlled Zelda and at first I thought it was pretty awesome and if it weren't for the overbearingly linear and the never ending dungeon mixed with the item chase, I'd probably would have liked it. Unfortunately all the fun of exploring has escaped the games. The NES games were the very best at actually making an adventure out of it. I explored a world filled with danger and mystery but now it's a puzzle that needs to be figured out instead of a living world with things to find. The mystery is gone.

But the story that is always getting better, the presentation and the amazing soundtrack keeps pulling me back in. Every time the hype train gets on the rails, I'm the first to buy a ticket. Especially after hearing about the control method for Skyward Sword, I was really excited since I figured the combat would be really engaging. And the worst part is it is so engaging but in the wrong game! If Nintendo was able to make this game with it's controls and whimsical setting but have a Skyrim feel to the exploration I think I could get back into the series but as it stands I think I'm done trying to like this series. I'm just tired of the overworld feeling like a giant dungeon that I have to get through to do the dungeons. There has to be some light moments to make the trudge work feel like an accomplishment otherwise it just becomes too much.

I felt this way slightly with every 3D Zelda so far. I felt bad about never finishing Ocarina of Time that I bought it a second time for the 3DS. Still haven't beaten it yet, even though I'm in the last dungeon. I just don't care anymore. I don't want to hate Zelda but I don't think I do. I hate this game their selling me with the Zelda name attached. Shigeru Miyamoto made the game out of his love for exploring the woods behind his house when he was growing up and you can completely understand that sentiment with the 2D games but that's all gone now. Now it's just a big puzzle I have to sit down and intricately figure out and I just want to look for cool stuff.