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[Black Door]

Here's hoping they drop the whole "ease into the adventure" thing too, where you're forced to herd goats, or run through an obstacle course, or whatever, and just dump you in the overworld with no weapons or items. You're the hero, prove it.

One thing I really hope they bring back from a previous game is the ability to equip enemy weapons (from Wind Waker.) Couldn't get through my day when I played that game without taking those fuck-off huge Moblin spears and hitting five targets with one swing

 

[MisterGrey3000]

I could be crazy, but I could have sworn we heard this before Skyward Sword, as well.

We did, and EAD3 delivered.

It had less tutorials and many of them were capable of being skipped, but the story elements got in the way for some players(They also promised a denser world with more of a purpose and they delivered, but some fans wanted big empty fields again)

Some posters often mix up world building aspects with tutorials in these GAF threads.

 

[Starsunder]

For those talking about beginners, again, think old school. Design the game, and in particular, the beginning of the game, to be intuitive and simple to follow.

Zelda 1: drop you in a world with 3 directions to go. See a cave. Enter cave and grab sword. And go. That's it. You know you're on a quest to save Zelda, and that's what you're going to do.

Obviously the game is in 3d so it's more complex in that regard, but in this day and age 3d is the norm. Gamers, even new ones, aren't intimidated by 3d anymore. It's normal. Commonplace. Treat the player like they actually do have a lick of sense and not like they're a bumbling idiot who has to be told how to hit every single fucking button.

 

[Lunar15]

Was that the part where you had to compete with Groose? I actually kinda enjoyed that.

Skyloft in general was actually kinda nice. I mean, I fucking love cats, but Twilight Princess forcing you to fish for one twice was BS.

No, not that one. That one was pretty cool. The one where you first learn to actually fly the Loftwing by attacking the floating targets... THAT was some bullshit.

Look, I'm a dungeon guy. My favorite zeldas are going to be ranked by how strong the dungeons were. SS had great dungeons AND the overworld areas were essentially dungeons themselves. Of course I love SS. I like TP okay too because it also had some sick dungeons. ALBW was a little weak because its dungeons were weak, and as someone who has played ALTTP almost 30 times, it all felt weirdly familiar.

TWW is the only Zelda game I'm fairly lukewarm on, just because it had so few dungeons, and the ones it had were lackluster at best. I used to be cold on MM because it had so few dungeons, but the more I played it the more I found that it's dungeons are really well designed.

But I get that people have different experiences with this series. To a lot of people, the overworld is vastly important, hence why TWW has such a strong following, and why people were turned off of SS. I'm hoping that the new game can bring a nice blend, as I'm always hoping. I think SS was absolutely a step in the direction the majority of the people want, it's just that it's a weird awkward half-step that had a ton of flaws people didn't like.

It's weird nitpicking these games because there really hasn't been a Zelda game I've outright hated. But I'm the outlier. I'm the guy that puts up with bullshit because I know the core game underneath is always satisfying. It's easy to forget how much it annoys people sometimes.

 

[GrotesqueBeauty]

Most of the problems with the Zelda series could be solved in one fell swoop by having a modicum of faith in the audience. It's hard to believe the same guy who helmed Majora's Mask has completely failed at this most basic thing ever since. The irony is that the excessive tutorials and shitty pacing turn off veterans and new players alike. It doesn't make the games even remotely more accessible. When I watched my nephew play LttP for the first time he was engrossed, while TP and SS quickly bored him and he never picked them up again.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

And it happened?

We did, and EAD3 delivered.

It had less tutorials and many of them were capable of being skipped, but the story elements got in the way for some players(They also promised a denser world with more of a purpose and they delivered, but some fans wanted big empty fields again)

Some posters often mix up world building aspects with tutorials in these GAF threads.

Not really a fan of hands-off world-building, I suppose. It's all the same sort of white-noise. Kind of a trite point to make in a Zelda thread, nowadays, but in a sentence: my actions are the world.

 

[LegendofLex]

It had less tutorials and many of them were capable of being skipped, but the story elements got in the way for some players(They also promised a denser world with more of a purpose and they delivered, but some fans wanted big empty fields again)

No one wanted "big empty fields."

They did however want "big fields that are filled with random homes and villages, forests, rivers, lakes, hills, mountains, cliffs - and, most of all, enemies, caves, treasures, and dungeons."

It looks like we're at least getting everything up to the "most of all" part in this new game.

 

[Black Door]

No one wanted "big empty fields."

They did however want "big fields that are filled with random homes and villages, forests, rivers, lakes, hills, mountains, cliffs - and, most of all, enemies, caves, treasures, and dungeons."

It looks like we're at least getting everything up to the "most of all" part in this new game.

The only game where Hyrule felt like a Kingdom and not like a trip to the local national park was Zelda II. I'm shocked that Nintendo never took the time to put that sort of scale in a Zelda game again (especially Wind Waker, which has probably the biggest map in the series)

 

[MisterGrey3000]

No one wanted "big empty fields."

There were some people who wanted big empty fields again, they felt as though it created a great contrast to all the puzzling elements that went on in the dungeons.
Some fans basically argued for a bit of down time between the main objectives, and I have no problem with that(Even if I do prefer Skyward Sword's puzzle filled dungeon-like overworld.)
Sometimes the player needs a break.

 

[Haunted]

Most of the problems with the Zelda series could be solved in one fell swoop by having a modicum of faith in the audience. It's hard to believe the same guy who helmed Majora's Mask has completely failed at this most basic thing ever since. The irony is that the excessive tutorials and shitty pacing turn off veterans and new players alike. It doesn't make the games even remotely more accessible. When I watched my nephew play LttP for the first time he was engrossed, while TP and SS quickly bored him and he never picked them up again.

Exactly this. Preach it, brother.


My nephew got really annoyed and rolled his eyes every time we picked up a bigger rupee/insect/regular drop in a new game session in SS. Finding a new item for the first time was always great and exciting. But popping up the text for the most mundane items every fucking time.... my god Nintendo, why didn't you listen to your playtesters?


YOU FOUND A BLUE RUPEE! ITS WORTH FIVE RUPEES. BETTER DROP IT IN YOUR WALLET FOR NOW
YOU FOUND A BLUE RUPEE! ITS WORTH FIVE RUPEES. BETTER DROP IT IN YOUR WALLET FOR NOW.
YOU FOUND A BLUE RUPEE! ITS WORTH FIVE RUPEES. BETTER DROP IT IN YOUR WALLET FOR NOW.
YOU FOUND A BLUE RUPEE! ITS WORTH FIVE RUPEES. BETTER DROP IT IN YOUR WALLET FOR NOW.
YOU FOUND A BLUE RUPEE! ITS WORTH FIVE RUPEES. BETTER DROP IT IN YOUR WALLET FOR NOW.
YOU FOUND A BLUE RUPEE! ITS WORTH FIVE RUPEES. BETTER DROP IT IN YOUR WALLET FOR NOW.

 

[Neff]

The only game where Hyrule felt like a Kingdom and not like a trip to the local national park was Zelda II. I'm shocked that Nintendo never took the time to put that sort of scale in a Zelda game again (especially Wind Waker, which has probably the biggest map in the series)

Agreed. Crossing the sea was a big deal because the place you left behind was huge, and the place you journeyed to was just as big. No Zelda game before or since has suggested such scale, although Zelda U looks to be attempting something similar.

 

[MisterGrey3000]

The only game where Hyrule felt like a Kingdom and not like a trip to the local national park was Zelda II. I'm shocked that Nintendo never took the time to put that sort of scale in a Zelda game again (especially Wind Waker, which has probably the biggest map in the series)

EAD3 usually puts a lot of detail into Zelda's world.
I'm sorry that it's not on Skyrim's scale, but that is just the series' style.
It's not trying to be a giant LoTR-like epic, it's just trying to be Zelda.

 

[Mango The Magician]

I don't mind tutorials, but if this means less story or world building than I say put them back in.

 

[Spineker]

EAD3 usually puts a lot of detail into Zelda's world.
I'm sorry that it's not on Skyrim's scale, but that is just the series' style.
It's not trying to be a giant LoTR-like epic, it's just trying to be Zelda.

Maybe that is exactly what it needs to take it to the next level. When you think back to Ocarina in 1998, that game felt like this huge epic back then.

Just imagine Zelda the scale of Skyrim. You basically have this huge game that is also better by default. The lore in Elder Scrolls is awesome, don't get me wrong but Nintendo does a better job of blending cool lore with actual amazing gameplay. You will never find copy pasted dungeons in Zelda.

 

[MisterGrey3000]

Maybe that is exactly what it needs to take it to the next level. When you think back to Ocarina in 1998, that game felt like this huge epic back then.

I'm guessing that's because you were younger(As was I), but it was a pretty huge game for it's time.

Zelda games have only gotten bigger and bigger as the series has moved along. They're not any smaller than most other big fantasy games.
EAD3 just has a different approach to world building than most other developers.

 

[decoyplatypus]

I think SS was absolutely a step in the direction the majority of the people want, it's just that it's a weird awkward half-step that had a ton of flaws people didn't like.

I don't think it's true that SS was a step in the direction that people want. SS extended an unpopular trend of locking most of the "overworld" behind plot gates, and the game's most famous structural innovation was to turn overworld areas into linear obstacle courses. Now, most fans probably prefer puzzles to nothing in the overworld, but when fans complain about linearity in SS, they're not talking about a flaw arising from half-steps or technical limitations: they're talking about a core design feature. And here I will speak just for myself: I have been clamoring for a compact overworld for a long time. I'd be happy with a world no larger than MM's if it were densely layered with content. But one of the reasons I want a compact world is because I think it works better for the kind of un-guided, fast-paced exploring and backtracking that makes the early games (and ALBW) so much fun. SS largely eliminates this aspect of the series. It is not a model I want EAD to follow.

 

[Branduil]

ALBW was certainly a big step up from SS and TP in terms of getting you into the game quickly.

Optional tutorials are certainly fine, but for most gamers, we're not in the N64 era any more.

 

[SykoTech]

Good. One of the many things that bogged down Skyward Sword.

Have traditional controls been confirmed yet? Just need those and then it'll be safe to fully jump on the hype train.

 

[xcfrank]

Less tutorial? YES. Make it happen Aonuma!

 

[Mr. Saturn]

I'm using sales as the only objective indicator of consensus. And consensus is obviously an indicator of quality, or at least the kind of quality that people are looking for.

Strong early sales indicate a consensus about quality expectations; long-tail sales indicate the long-term consensus (i.e., the reputation).

Obviously marketing and price cuts drastically obscure how we can analyze sales (short-term and long-term, respectively), but given the way Nintendo handles both, it's not really an issue when looking at their games.



I never said it was a bad number, but it wasn't a SMG-type story where the game outsold its N64 predecessor on the back of its tremendous reputation.

I wouldn't say I disagree with anything else you said.

Fair enough, my tone might have been stronger than I intended. I thought TP was excellent, but I can respect the opinions of those who didn't care for it, since it did have a few flaws, I guess for me the good outweighed the bad.

This just reminds me though making a zelda game that completely lives up to everyone's expectations seems just outright impossible at this point, considering everyone has their own idea of what would constitute the perfect zelda. I do hope at the very least that new zelda will little to no handholding whatsoever, I am in agreement on that issue.

 

[Nickle]

The only game where Hyrule felt like a Kingdom and not like a trip to the local national park was Zelda II. I'm shocked that Nintendo never took the time to put that sort of scale in a Zelda game again (especially Wind Waker, which has probably the biggest map in the series)

To have a Zelda game of that scale, you world need tons of invisible walls and tons of empty space. It could be done, but you would have to make a game that is much more combat oriented if you wanted to make traversing the world somewhat enjoyable. People complained about how empty Hurtle field in TP and OoT were, and I'm not sure that a game of the scale that you are suggesting would make the overworld more interesting.

 

[MisterGrey3000]

SS extended an unpopular trend of locking most of the "overworld" behind plot gates...

I'm pretty sure that the item design had more to do with that than "plot gates"
Even if Skyward Sword didn't close off areas due to the story elements, you'd never be able to traverse the overworld(Every section in the Lanayru Desert immediately comes to mind) or complete most of the dungeons if you didn't find the items in the right order.
:/

 

[LegendofLex]

Fair enough, my tone might have been stronger than I intended. I thought TP was excellent, but I can respect the opinions of those who didn't care for it, since it did have a few flaws, I guess for me the good outweighed the bad.

I think in hindsight TP is more good than bad. But there's really no reason for the bad to have been there in the first place.

This just reminds me though making a zelda game that completely lives up to everyone's expectations seems just outright impossible at this point, considering everyone has their own idea of what would constitute the perfect zelda. I do hope at the very least that new zelda will little to no handholding whatsoever, I am in agreement on that issue.

I see two different Zelda series:

- Classic Zelda. Take up your sword, explore the vast world, survive the dungeons, and use the skills and tools you gain along the way to conquer evil.

- Puzzle Zelda: Follow a story where you'll meet many interesting characters, while using items to move through the environment and solve puzzles.

 

[georly]

No one wanted "big empty fields."

They did however want "big fields that are filled with random homes and villages, forests, rivers, lakes, hills, mountains, cliffs - and, most of all, enemies, caves, treasures, and dungeons."

I'd rather have big empty fields than no fields at all. If it's zone to zone, level to level, that ruins the sense of discovery and adventure. At least big empty fields equate to the same as wind waker with big empty dungeons.

Like you said though, Big fields w/ tons of stuff in them = best, but also means a lot more work.

 

[cascardian]

For those talking about beginners, again, think old school. Design the game, and in particular, the beginning of the game, to be intuitive and simple to follow.

Zelda 1: drop you in a world with 3 directions to go. See a cave. Enter cave and grab sword. And go. That's it. You know you're on a quest to save Zelda, and that's what you're going to do.

Obviously the game is in 3d so it's more complex in that regard, but in this day and age 3d is the norm. Gamers, even new ones, aren't intimidated by 3d anymore. It's normal. Commonplace. Treat the player like they actually do have a lick of sense and not like they're a bumbling idiot who has to be told how to hit every single fucking button.

ALTTP or LADX are still the gold standard for me, though. Minimal story intro where the cutscene before it is skippable, then it immediately thrusts you into the world and intuitively teaches you about having to explore in this game (to search for your uncle at first, your immediate motivation). At the same time, it teaches you about secret pathways right from the get-go by making the main way to progress one of them, which you are gently shepherded into finding by the environment design alone. You then get the sword immediately, along with further cause to push on. In the very next room, it teaches you about combat by gently introducing tough but not unbeatable enemies. For the beginner, they are tough enough to run from in higher numbers, which leads most people to running towards the entrance of the castle as soon as they're outside. It then again very gently shepherds you along to your first mini-boss encounter, Zelda's prison guard. And so on and so on.

All this without interrupting your play at all, really. It's genius how it actually teaches you about the whole game in the escape tutorial until the sanctuary, gradually raising the difficulty to a challenging but comfortable level. As much as SMB1 has books written about its design, the same way ALTTP works. In-context, non-text-heavy tutorial design for a difficult-to-explain, hybrid open-world/item-progression-based system. It still amazes me so much every time I play it. That's how they need to do it.

 

[Refreshment.01]

No tutorials.,but implement the elements and tools so the user community knowledge is easily shared. The Zelda team hinted at the possibilty with the implementation of message bottles in Wind Waker HD. Miiverse and Youtube is a touch away with the gamepad.

Or say implement the ability to take notes, draw maps with the gamepad and share them.

 

[Nemecyst]

All these new tidbits about the new Zelda is the best kind of foreplay. Bring us to boil, slowly.

 

[Oswen]

He has been saying that for a while, ALBW was the first step.

 

[Spineker]

No tutorials.,but implement the elements and tools so the user community knowledge is easily shared. The Zelda team hinted at the possibilty with the implementation of message bottles in Wind Waker HD. Miiverse and Youtube is a touch away with the gamepad.

Or say implement the ability to take notes, draw maps with the gamepad and share them.

It seems one way or another, the Souls games have to make their way into Zelda in some capacity.

 

[MisterGrey3000]

Like you said though, Big fields w/ tons of stuff in them = best, but also means a lot more work.

Work that can take away from the meat of a Zelda game(Well designed dungeons puzzles, and enemy encounters).
Most Zelda games are already packed with geographical landmarks, and towns/villages to visit anyways.
I don't fully comprehend why they need to put random huts in the middle of a field to make Hyrule/WhereEverItTakesPlace feel like a living world, but I guess it's a subjective thing.

 

[Refreshment.01]

It seems one way or another, the Souls games have to make their way into Zelda in some capacity.

In that regard the series should dial down the narrative, plot exposure and cinematics.

It was really stupid, for example, knowing the snow mountain maze layout in TP but not been able to advance through it (withouth the required story item) because the developers wanted to force the player to experience a chunk of the plot. Just look how in Ocarina, you could pass Gerudo dessert withouth needing the lens of truth.

That's an example of the type of freedom that should be brought back. ANd let the people learn by experimenting. Leave the heavy plot to Xeno X Aonuma XD

 

[Spineker]

In that regard the series should dial down the narrative, plot exposure and cinematics.

It was really stupid, for example, knowing the snow mountain maze layout in TP but not been able to advance through it (withouth the required story item) because the developers wanted to force the player to experience a chunk of the plot. Just look how in Ocarina, you could pass Gerudo dessert withouth needing the lens of truth.

That's an example of the type of freedom that should be brought back. ANd let the people learn by experimenting. Leave the heavy plot to Xeno X Aonuma XD

Certainly dial down the cinematics but the plot needs to remain at the forefront. A Zelda game with a simplistic story would feel so soulless (no pun intended)

 

[georly]

Work that can take away from the meat of a Zelda game(Well designed dungeons puzzles, and enemy encounters).
Most Zelda games are already packed with geographical landmarks, and towns/villages to visit anyways.
I don't fully comprehend why they need to put random huts in the middle of a field to make Hyrule/WhereEverItTakesPlace feel like a living world, but I guess it's a subjective thing.

It's nice to have a change of pace. I've only felt a sense of true adventure from a handful of zeldas and those are the ones with the most freedom and the biggest (for the time) open (or semi-open) worlds. Zelda 1, ALttP, OoT and WW. For some reason twilight princess's circular hyrule field made it feel less open than OoT's even though it was bigger. Skyward sword's sky just felt like a hub world which also took away from the great sense of adventure and exploration. I'm honestly OK if for one zelda game there are some compromises made to normal zelda conventions (like dungeons) in order to make the overworld a better place. If this game lives up to what it's promising, I have a feeling it'll be considered the 'next step' after OoT after over 15 years of trying to copy that formula.

I can't WAIT to explore Zelda 2015.

 

[Spineker]

It's nice to have a change of pace. I've only felt a sense of true adventure from a handful of zeldas and those are the ones with the most freedom and the biggest (for the time) open (or semi-open) worlds. Zelda 1, ALttP, OoT and WW. For some reason twilight princess's circular hyrule field made it feel less open than OoT's even though it was bigger. Skyward sword's sky just felt like a hub world which also took away from the great sense of adventure and exploration. I'm honestly OK if for one zelda game there are some compromises made to normal zelda conventions (like dungeons) in order to make the overworld a better place.

I can't WAIT to explore Zelda 2015.

I do agree that TP's open world felt really claustrophobic.

 

[Nickle]

Certainly dial down the cinematics but the plot needs to remain at the forefront. A Zelda game with a simplistic story would feel so soulless (no pun intended)

Every Zelda game has a simplistic plot. You could easily explain the main plot of every Zelda game in a paragraph or two. Zelda games excel in world building and NPC interaction, but the plots are fairly basic.

 

[boiled goose]

SS provided just that, no way you could beat a Moblin by just slashing left and right



0 would be equally "bad", game is supposed to estabilish a story and game world, it's not a bloody IOS game

No wrong. You just make tutorials seemless and art of the gameplay. Examples ocarina of time, a link to the past, half life 2, etc.

In skyward sword for example, the good should hhave started with you fighting in the cave looking for your bird.

Combat tutorial and a compelling opening relevant to the story right off the bat. Instead we got a confusing, slow, overly scripted, shitty snooze fest. I didn't think they could make it worse than tp but they did.

When it comes to 3d Zelda openings, miyamoto and aunouma have lost their way.

 

[MisterGrey3000]

Every Zelda game has a simplistic plot. You could easily explain the main plot of every Zelda game in a paragraph or two. Zelda games excel in world building and NPC interaction, but the plots are fairly basic.

Well, most plots are basic by nature(They're a skeleton to put meat on).
Do you mean the story?
Zelda games don't usually have the most grounded stories, I think I'd have a hard time explaining most of them to the average person.

 

[georly]

Every Zelda game has a simplistic plot. You could easily explain the main plot of every Zelda game in a paragraph or two. Zelda games excel in world building and NPC interaction, but the plots are fairly basic.

Well, most plots are basic by nature(They're a skeleton to put meat on).
Do you mean the story?
Zelda games don't usually have the most grounded stories, I think I'd have a hard time explaining most of them to the average person.

I think we already know the plot of zelda 2015.

"Peaceful world stops being so peaceful and it's up to the main protagonist to make it peaceful again"

 

[DedValve]

Well, most plots are basic by nature(They're a skeleton to put meat on).
Do you mean the story?
Zelda games don't usually have the most grounded stories, I think I'd have a hard time explaining most of them to the average person.

The only thing that anyone should have "trouble" explaining is the triforce and the three timelines BS which is talking about the series at large rather than each individual game.

SS is the only one I haven't played yet but I'd say the most complicated games where MM and OoT and even then it's only complicated when you start talking about the sequels/prequels.

Really story isn't a big thing in the series, the dungeons and exploration are. Your goal is to stop bow--I mean Ganon and this usually involves either saving or working with pea--I mean Zelda.

 

[Albo]

I wasn't commenting on the changes as much as I was commenting on how Nintendo's efforts to supposedly address the fact that the series is "more complicated" are actually the main reasons why getting through the game has become a lot more complicated. And by that I mean the long string of linear tasks they put in front of the player to get him/her from the beginning of an area to the end of it, not just tutorials (though it is especially exemplified in tutorials).

It's no longer "explore until you find the dungeon," with hints from NPCs if you need them (Although ALBW is a huge step in the right direction.) It's recently been more like "follow the NPC instructions until you find the dungeon," with things to interact with ("explore?") as you walk between points A & B.



See, but I often don't feel like I'm fighting monsters, even when I am. I feel more like I'm a lab monkey who's forced to do the same trick (respond to the same weak spot) over and over again. The combat today is more like a puzzle (or a KH-style attack spamfest) than the dynamic, challenging combat of previous Zeldas.



You're right. They responded to TP's vast and empty feeling overworld by making an even vaster and more empty feeling sky through which you must travel (no warping) to reach any of the actual surface areas.

Dungeons have been marked on the map for you since ALTTP. Original zelda even came with a physical map that showed you the location of the first 4 dungeons, and the layout of the first 2 IIRC. I know AOL included a map too but not sure if it was marked.

True, the series did get less open/more linear since OOT probably as a result of going 3D and added emphasis on story, puzzles and NPC interaction but you still have the freedom to explore in most games, albeit with some restrictions. Sure, I would've loved for them to stick to the essence of LOZ/AOL, playing dark souls for the first time now brings back similar vibes, but I think it was just a case of trying to make the series more appealing to a wider market at the time of OOT's release which sucked for fans of the classic games. They could only make retro style zelda games for so long. Seems like they're returning back to that open world focused exploration design of old with new zelda's though.

I feel the same way about recent zelda enemies actually, most of their AI isn't challenging enough to the point where you can mash through most with little penalties. SS did change up combat conventions and added an element of puzzle solving and strategy to it, but it still wasn't challenging because of the simple AI and I rarely felt like I feared enemy encounters like in DS or LOZ/AOL. ALBW did it too with a few bosses requiring you to use the well merging mechanic in neat ways, but it was underutilized. Hero mode is alright as it adds more risk to making mistakes, but still feels somewhat superficial in difficulty. As I'm playing dark souls right now, the enemies actually feel like a puzzle in a sense that I have to solve how to overcome them while adapting to their dynamic, challenging behavior.

I agree, the sky even as a hub area was lacking in terms of content, and forcing you through it to travel between regions was unnecessary, though I was talking about the overworld on the surface. If you consider the sky to be the overworld/field then the game kinda makes up for it as the areas on the surface in SS are more dense and less linear than areas leading up to dungeons in past zelda games.

 

[Rogue_Ledr]

This just very well may be the definitive 3D Zelda.

People have been claiming that of each new Zelda release since Ocarina of Time and been wrong every time, but this time I think you just might be right.

Everything new change sounds wonderful.

 

[SkyOdin]

I think in hindsight TP is more good than bad. But there's really no reason for the bad to have been there in the first place.



I see two different Zelda series:

- Classic Zelda. Take up your sword, explore the vast world, survive the dungeons, and use the skills and tools you gain along the way to conquer evil.

- Puzzle Zelda: Follow a story where you'll meet many interesting characters, while using items to move through the environment and solve puzzles.

I don't think any kind of division like that is accurate. Which of those two is A Link to the Past? Or Ocarina of Time? Or even Wind Waker? It isn't clear to me at all how those games would be divided up.

The series has always been about both. Puzzles were a pretty big part of even the original Legend of Zelda, where every dungeon had a guy hidden in it to give you clues on how to unlock the game's mysteries. Using items to remove obstacles and open up new areas to explore has been a central part of every game. Finding hidden places full of cool treasure has always been a part of the series.

I mean, Link's Awakening was a very plot and puzzle centric game, but you absolutely can't exclude it from being "classic" Zelda.

 

[Elor_Nocudee]

ALBW restored my faith in Aonuma & his team, i've been worried since TP (great game but it dragged on too long) & still haven't even finished SS.

 

[MisterGrey3000]

The only thing that anyone should have "trouble" explaining is the triforce and the three timelines BS which is talking about the series at large rather than each individual game.

I'm not talking about those two elements, they're more of a lore thing.
:/
I'm talking about the stories of the individual games in the series. They're not overly complicated, but they're pretty out there(Dead people in mask, time traveling, dimension hopping, sacred Macguffins, etc.)
People tend to shy away from fantasy stuff, and Zelda's obviously riddled with it.

 

[ReyVGM]

Have traditional controls been confirmed yet? Just need those and then it'll be safe to fully jump on the hype train.

It will be controlled exclusively with the touch screen.

 

[Amazeballs]

It will be controlled exclusively with the touch screen.

Don't forget the microphone. You'll have to yell "Hey! Listen!" whenever you want to switch targets.

 

[Foxy Fox 39]

can someone post all of the "eiji auonuma says"relating or loosely relating to Zelda u.

I'd like a clear picture of what he's planning firvthus game ...

 

[Anthony Soprano]

I passed on the 3DS remake of OOT partly because of the baby ease hand holding they put into it with hints. This news is incredibly pleasing!

People can always use that WiiU feature or consult the net if they need assistance, they're making a very good decision here - I hope they really commit to it.

 

[Chaos17]

Zelda 1: drop you in a world with 3 directions to go. See a cave. Enter cave and grab sword. And go. That's it. You know you're on a quest to save Zelda, and that's what you're going to do.

Last time I read a testemony about Zelda 1 it was a father who had to force his son to play it because his son disliked to have no direction since he started with OoT. The dad had to sit beside him and guide him otherwise his son would have probably dump it.

We should not mix up things, back then it was hard for devs to make a game, there was not dev kit friendly to devellop on the Nes because they were really limited (you should read Nintendo testemonies about that). So I do not think they avoided tutrials because they wanted to. They just couldn't make them.

Also in wich NES games there are tutorials ?
There were none for examples in that damn Turtles Ninjas, lol.

But have no fear, I agree with you.
Games should be intuitive.
But even so, for example : Blizzard do make short tutorials.

 

[georly]

Last time I read a testemony about Zelda 1 it was a father who had to force his son to play it because his son disliked to have no direction since he started with OoT. The dad had to sit beside him and guide him otherwise his son would have probably dump it.

I had to force my younger brother to play it, but he definitely appreciated it.

Back when I was 2-3 years old I watched my dad play it and would play myself while he was at work. I don't think I beat a dungeon in that game until I was 7 or 8. I would just wander and explore. I grew up learning to explore a game even if it meant I accomplished nothing.