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[rolandss]

Because legions of people keep buying it. Also their target audience is mainly younger kids. Every story is fresh to them.

 

[cartman414]

Instead of drawing the "no unique story bad" conclusion, some of you should consider whether a uniquely told story can save a game with mediocre or flawed gameplay let alone set it apart.

 

[tr1p1ex]

At this point, it looks like a self-imposed limitation. How many variations of the hero, the Master Sword, Ganondorf, saving the princess, and all that jazz that we need?

Two of their most interesting games story-wise are Link's Awakening and Majora's Mask, and know what they have in common? Almost nothing of the traditional Zelda lore. I recall playing Twilight Princess and being invested in the story until that cutscene where, surprise, they revealed that Ganon was behind everything again. I just rolled my eyes.

I just don't get it. I know we don't play Zelda games for the story but there's absolutely nothing preventing them from having an engaging story that doesn't repeat the same storyline over and over again. Nintendo loves new mechanics and each Zelda is very distinct from the last one but for some reason that escapes me, they insist on bringing back the same story when it would just be easier to make new lore and characters. Sure, keep Link as the main protagonist but everyone else, especially Zelda and Ganon, don't need to come back. They simply add to the feeling of retread and similarity. We can still have the Zelda elements that we know and love without having the same thing retold to us for the 50th time.

What do you want? A soap opera?

I think STar Wars begs to differ that there is nothing preventing them from having an engaging story that doesn't repeat the same storyline over and over again. The last 3 movies weren't great. And perhaps the most well received one of the last 3 was the 1st which was a regurgitation of the story in the original 1977 Star Wars movie.

I don't see the purpose of just creating all new lore and characters every time. IT's very easy to blow that task for one. Two, you end up often largely reinventing the wheel as well. Just because you give everything new names and new looks doesn't mean it really is any different nevermind better.

I think another reason they use the same "signposts" is because they act like a familiar guide to get people into the game. And limitations always foster creativity as well. They can riff off those things. Play off expectations. CReate new ways to play.

AS others have said in so many words, stories passed down between generations or just passed amongst people get retold in slightly different forms every time. That's how I see a Zelda story. Even though I guess they happen at different times supposedly? I can't say I keep track.

I also think financially, using the same characters saves $$$$ and creates a stronger brand identity. It allows artists to get really familiar with characters and learn them and animate and draw them better and faster. We've also seen link and ganon and zelda used in other games. And in other Zelda games.

And I think it frees them up to work on adding a few new quality characters/monsters/bosses in each game. ... they aren't reinvesting the wheel every time. And again limitations help creativity.

Last...at the end of the day it's a video game. I don't really know how an rpg or adventure action game, whatever ZElda is, gets out of the explore, defeat monsters, loot, get stronger and ultimately save the world story premise. I don't how making up some new story or premise really changes the game.

LInk's Awakening didn't seem any different of a Zelda game even though you weren't technically saving the world by defeating the boss iirc. Might as well have been tho. Same difference.

 

[cartman414]

What do you want? A soap opera?

I think STar Wars begs to differ that there is nothing preventing them from having an engaging story that doesn't repeat the same storyline over and over again. The last 3 movies weren't great. And perhaps the most well received one of the last 3 was the 1st which was a regurgitation of the story in the original 1977 Star Wars movie.

Hoo boy. This applies to 1 and 3, hard, but not the Last Jedi, not by a longshot. That one subverted expectations so hard they were thrown far off into the galaxy. Little wonder it was the most divisive since The Empire Strikes Back (and best since).

 

[FoxMcChief]

The same reason Sony sticks with sad dad stories. They work.

j/k

 

[YeulEmeralda]

Well, at least Nintendo currently have 1 series that are focused on story: Xenoblade
Even the story in Fire Emblem is pretty simple.

Nintendo always focused on gameplay first and story that can relate to the gameplay. Ocarina of Time have time travel story because Miyamoto wanted both young Link and Adult Link in the same game.

This GMTK video is pretty great on explaining how Nintendo operates

Yeah I wasn't counting the games that Nintendo bought like Xenoblade and Fatal Frame.

 

[LazyParrot]

The story has never mattered in these games.

 

[Majukun]

because that's the entire point of the saga.
also, they already deviated several times from the main story in the past anyway.
also, story is just an accessory in a videogame and doesn't really matter

 

[VAVA Mk2]

Because it sells and people keep buying it?

 

[justiceiro]

?

Link's Awakening was surely considered a success. It's very often cited near the top of fan favorite lists too. And the Switch remake even sold a decent amount.

You are reading too much on my casual disdain for both those game. Both those games share the fact that the world you "save" literally disappears when you leave. Seriously, how can someone get invested in it? It gives the player 0 agency or purpose.

It's funny, because we got just other day a game that does try to tell a totally different story in every game, and has been for as long in this industry as Zelda. Yet, has final fantasy managed to stay as relevant, or even has a memorable story since when? 7, 10?

You will get your weird story Zelda's on smaller scales, sure, but these bizarre attempts have no place on the biggest games of the franchise.

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

You are reading too much on my casual disdain for both those game. Both those games share the fact that the world you "save" literally disappears when you leave. Seriously, how can someone get invested in it? It gives the player 0 agency or purpose.

I honestly don't understand this complaint. Are you saying that there should be some post-game content where the world is different? Maybe I'm misreading. If so, that has no precedent anywhere in the franchise. The moment you save the world it's done, that particular Link's journey is closed -- that's partly why they've always used a kind of "multiple generations / ages of Links" thing, because each game is a reset and the hero's journey doesn't go past saving the world. Even in with Majora's Mask as a direct sequel, they immediately took Link to another land, because the last place the game should show us again is the world from OOT after his journey there completed with defeating Ganon.

 

[D.Signal]

Tloz's lore is constructed on a way that things always repeats, ganon gets back, link is summoned, over and over.
Lazy? Yes ...

 

[IAmRei]

Why reinvent what's not broken?

correct

 

[justiceiro]

I honestly don't understand this complaint. Are you saying that there should be some post-game content where the world is different? Maybe I'm misreading. If so, that has no precedent anywhere in the franchise. The moment you save the world it's done, that particular Link's journey is closed -- that's partly why they've always used a kind of "multiple generations / ages of Links" thing, because each game is a reset and the hero's journey doesn't go past saving the world. Even in with Majora's Mask as a direct sequel, they immediately took Link to another land, because the last place the game should show us again is the world from OOT after his journey there completed with defeating Ganon.

No, the problem is not gameplay, the story don't have a payoff. Do you understand what happens at the end of these two games? Do you know what termina is, what the island is? Look it up.

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

No, the problem is not gameplay, the story don't have a payoff. Do you understand what happens at the end of these two games? Do you know what termina is, what the island is? Look it up.

I don't really care about cross-game lore or the attempt to find an overarching timeline for all games. To me, Zelda's concept of "legend" is just "a loosely associated collection of fables involving a hero Link and a princess Zelda" -- where it doesn't matter at all if the games have a logical connection to each other, as long as they repeat the legend in some new form and give you a world for gameplay.

In the NES days, none of this mattered, and I'm pretty sure that only a small minority of players even read the full story in the instruction booklets.