Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
It's been awhile, but welcome to another edition of Watch Da Birdie Direct.
Today, I am here to suggest another madcap, yet somewhat workable, in my mind, idea for something that I think Nintendo has totally just opened up to happen. For quite awhile, Zelda was a series that was considered "pure"...outside of some silly cameos, the biggest being in the off-beat Link's Awakening, and outside of Smash Brothers, it didn't really do spin-offs. There was Four Swords Adventure, but beyond that, that JP-only Tetra Tracker, the BS games that were basically official mods, and the cheap tech-demo that was Link's Crossbow Training. Then came Hyrule Warriors, the first really big spin-off that offered up a big spin-off potential, and it did quite well, with Miyamoto expressing Nintendo's interest in other such ventures. And, as of today, we now have Link hanging out in a Karting game, which leads to the obvious conclusion...
Zelda Racing (doo doo, doo doo, doo doo doo doo~). The hole left by Diddy Kong Racing has never quite been filled, an "adventure racing". While Mario Kart could probably do a great mode if they wanted to, the inclusion of the Koopalings alongside Bowser would've fit quite well with some sort of adventure mode, Mario Kart 8 seems to suggest Nintendo wishes to stick to pure racing with the series. But when you look at Zelda, you start to see how it would lend itself quite well to a Diddy Kong Racing, "Adventure Racing", game. Racing while exploring and collecting items, it's totally something Zelda could hit on, just like how it went quite well with Musou.
So, here's me brainstorming the possibility of how such a thing would work.
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The Game
Aesthetically, I'm thinking the game would go for a style that's in-between Wind Waker, and LBW. The designs of the characters would be new designs for the most part like Hyrule Warriors, but really cute and cartoonish, and expressive. It'd take place in a new Hyrule, with elements of previous ones, and would be non-canon, of course.
In this game, Ganondorf has appeared, aiming to find the Triforce by utilizing his army of minions. It's up to Link, Zelda, and Impa, as well as a variety of friends they meet along the way, to race around Hyrule using magical vehicles, and find the Medallions to gain access to the Sacred Realm before Ganondorf does.
So, the game's main feature would be the "Quest Mode", hearkening back to Diddy Kong Racing. You explore a Hub World---Hyrule Field---finding keys to unlock main Hub Worlds by solving little puzzles, each with four normal courses, and a boss. Your goal is to beat each course by racing Ganondorf's minions, finding a piece of the Boss Key by doing so, and then battling a Boss in a Battle Mode using the game's items, scoring you a Medallion, and a new character joining you. Travel through all the Hub Worlds, get all the Medallions, and race Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm. Furthermore, there are other objectives in Quest Mode---eliminating Skulltula, hidden in each course, and finding Fairies to restore the Great Fairy, while still coming in 3rd or higher, adding an extra layer of difficulty. So, like the elements of Diddy Kong Racing, basically.
There'd also be a Grand Prix Mode, allowing you to race through four courses without the exploration elements, VS. Mode, allowing you to race casually with friends, Battle Mode, where you can battle it out with items against other players or take on the Bosses, and Online. There'd be local Co-Op for all the modes as well, including Quest Mode, for up to four players. There'd also be Trial Mode, where you take on a variety of challenge on bit-sized version of courses, like beating a Ghost, hitting a foe with an item a certain amount of times, and other such tasks beyond pure racing.
The Vehicle
Link riding a Kart is goofy, but works in a silly guest appearance. For his own racing game, however, I'd swap out the Kart for a sort of F-Zero type hover racer, powered by Hylian Magic. I call them "Force Racers".
With that in mind, the gameplay would be in-between Mario Kart and F-Zero. For those who played Mario Kart, the game would be instantly familiar and accessible. It's a bit faster paced, however, and the Force Racers handle a bit looser, like F-Zero, but not as strictly difficult as that game. You'd have a simple jump, allowing you to pull tricks off ramps, and you have the drift, and drift boosting. One new element I thought of was transforming the Spin Attack into a racing context. When charging a drift, you can either release it for the boost, or by quickly shifting in the opposite direction, you can pull off a Spin Attack. This doesn't give you a boost, however when timed correctly, it allows you to deflect certain projectiles, adding a new layer of strategy to the item game, and if you hit a foe, you'll knock them away while simultaneously getting a speed boost.
Furthermore, the Force Racers allow for seamless transition regardless of the terrain. You can speed across a variety of terrains, including over water, for lots of different pathways in each course. It's less about worrying about staying on track, and more about going fast, exploring multiple routes, and, you know, adventuring while racing.
Force Racers come in a variety of designs that all the cast can utilize, with their own stats that add or subtract from the stats of the Racers. Some ideas I have for Force Racers are one that's designed after the Red Lion, a set designed after Ricky, Moosh, and Dimitri, and one that's transparent and based on the Chuchu.
The Racers
Unlike Mario, Zelda doesn't quite have a nice sized stable of reoccuring characters to utilize. You got Link, you got Zelda/Sheik, you got Ganondorf, and recently Impa's become a reoccurring character almost on the same level as the Triforce 3, but other than that, you have a bunch of game-specific characters who don't exactly lend themselves well to a Kart Racer.
That's when I had an idea: don't go with set characters (except the primary four), go with species. In Mario Kart, what characters tend to be quite popular among the fans? When you get to play as one of the common enemies like Koopa, Boo, Dry Bones, Shy Guy, and Wiggler, that's always really cool, in my opinion. In the main Mario-series, you never get to play as characters like that, so seeing them playable in a spin-off, well, that's quite swell. The same idea can be applied to Zelda. Plus, if Hyrule Warriors becomes a regular franchise, you've got the named, big characters getting regular appearances as playable there.
On that note, Mario Kart divides its characters by weight, but Zelda has a perfect theme to divide characters by...Courage, Wisdom, and Power. Courage characters accelerate the fastest, getting a nice head start, but naturally can't handle as well, leaving the player at a lot of risk. Wisdom characters plan ahead, so why they aren't the fastest, they have the best handling. And Power characters are all about charging through---they take a bit to accelerate, but once they do, they're a powerfully fast force that can charge through the competition.
With those elements in mind, I quickly threw together a roster idea. The characters are divided into the Forces of Light, and the Forces of Darkness:
Forces of Light: Link (C), Zelda (W), Impa (P), Deku (W), Goron (P), Zora (C), Mogma (P), Anouki (W), and Rito (C)
Forces of Darkness: Ganondorf (P), Stalfos (C), Wizzrobe (W), Moblin (P), Gerudo (C), Poe (W), Lizalfos (C), Redead (W), and Darknut (P).
In the Story Mode, you'd only have access to Link, Zelda, and Impa, but recruit the others are you progressed. Once you beat the game, you can play through again as the Forces of Darkness, with a slightly different story, and mirrored courses. In Vs. Mode, and the Free Modes, everyone is available for use from the get-go.
And there'd be secret characters as well. First, alternate skins for Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf: Dark Link (C), Sheik (W), and Ganon (P). Second, Farore (C), Din (P), and Nayru (W), using their designs from the Oracle/Minish Cap.
Finally, you'd have Mii Characters. There'd be three types of Mii, each dressed like Link---but Purple (C), Blue (W), and Power (R). Furthermore, the Happy Mask Man would appear in the game, and you could buy masks from him that your Mii can wear to show off via online.
Of course, other Zelda characters would appear via cameos, or play other roles. Tingle would serve as the MC, Kaepora Gaebora would be the flag guy, and Scrapper would fish racers out of pits and other hazards.
The Items
You know why Zelda is the perfect Nintendo series to turn into a racer? The wide array of item choices.
Unlike in Mario Kart, items in Zelda Racing wouldn't be as "push A to win". They'd be simpler, projectile effects mainly, and the distribution of items would be more equal, so everyone would have the same chance to utilize them regardless of position. Like in Zelda, you'd be able to lock on foes with certain items, allowing you to choose who you hit. Items wouldn't stall you as much if they hit you either, you can recover quicker. Lock on wouldn't guarantee a hit, it'd just help you aim your weapon.
Rupees would be scattered across the course, and collecting them would allow you to buy new Force Racers and such. They wouldn't serve a game-play purpose like Coins in MK, and thus wouldn't be present in VS and Online Races. You'd get items by running through Treasure Chests. Here's some item ideas:
* Pegasus Seeds: Like Mushrooms, but weaker, would give you a quick burst of speed. Come in single, and triple, varieties.
* Slingshot: Cannot lock-on, but fires three shots forward, and diagonally. Slightly bumps foes, slowing them down.
* Arrow: Can lock-on, and flies at the opponent. Greatly slows them down if hit. However, it flies pretty straight, and while it follows the opponent, eventually it'll lose the target and just fly forward, or if it hits another racer or wall.
* Bomb: Can throw forward or behind, eventually exploding and sending everyone flying in the air, hurting even you. However, if you hit a foe directly with it, it'll explode on the spot.
* Hook-Shot: Lock-On a foe, and fire! If close enough, you'll grab them...pulling yourself right behind them. It doesn't slow them down, though.
* Boomerang: Can throw up to three times, locking on. Just knocks your opponent, slowing them down, but doesn't stop them, but you can hit multiple foes with it quickly if need be.
* Bombchu: Locks-on to foe, and chases them. Hard to dodge, but if it hits anything before it hits the foe, such as another racer, an item, or hazard, it explodes!
* Hammer: Slams down, sending out a shock-wave that causes everyone nearby to be bounced into the air. Low range, but can clear out a herd.
* Ball and Chain: Swings around you, knocking back anyone who comes near, but slowing down your speed slightly.
* Gust Bellows: Sucks in all nearby racers, slowing them down and drawing them towards you.
* Beetle: Lock-on to a foe, and flies at them fast! Doesn't hurt them, but will steal their item right from under their noses!
* Shield: Spins-around you, deflecting one projectile.
* Mirror Shield: Like the shield, but the deflected projectiles flies back at the foe!
* Magic Cape: Gives you a burst of speed, and you turn "invisible", passing through foes, most hazards, and items.
* Force Gems: The "Super Items", Force Gems are scattered around the course, and respawn each Lap. Collecting four of them allows you to use each character's unique Force Attack, which can help turn things around if you're losing. However, get hit by an item, and you'll potentially drop a Force Gem, another racer picking it up.
Courses
The game would contain 32 Courses, divided into eight "themes". Forest, Fire, Water, Earth, Ice, Wind, Light, and Dark. This division would be used for Quest Mode, and Grand Prix mode.
The courses themselves would not be based usually on any specific Zelda locale from a certain game, but would tend to be built around common themes seen in Zelda, with elements from a multitude of sources. For example, a Lost Woods level combining elements from the various versions of Lost Woods, a Great Ocean level with elements from Wind Waker's, Phantom Hourglass's, and Majora Mask's Great Bay, and a Death Mountain that mixes the various version of it seen in the series. The music in each course would be a remix, or medley, of a classic Zelda tune that'd fit the theme. The last course in each theme would always be a Dungeon-type locale.
Courses range from wide-open, and simplistic, to narrow with a lot of alternate paths and shortcuts, such as the case is for most Dungeons. Some levels have Zelda-type gimmicks, such as a "transformation" element, hitting switches to change the course, and even finding keys which open up new pathways.
There's also Battle Courses, roundish areas where you fight the Bosses in Quest Mode, and can be used without the Boss for multiplayer Battle Mode.
In Grand Prix, each Grand Prix is one of the themes, a "Medallion" Cup, or you can for multiplayer purposes create your own Grand Prix of Courses.
---
And, well, that's sort of a quick write-up of how I'd envision such a thing. Hope you enjoy reading the ramblings of a Nintendo fan.
Zelda or not, the "Adventure Racing" of Diddy Kong and Crash Bandicoot is sorely missed, so I would love to see Nintendo have another try with the genre. A new Diddy Kong Racing, if that ever happens? A more accessible, more ambitious version of Kirby Air Ride that has the charm and originality of the original while appealing more to the average racing fan? F-Zero with Captain Falcon exploration mode? Or adding these elements to Mario Kart 9, come on Nintendo, I love Mario Kart 8 for being a pure, fun racing game, but I'd love a bit more depth of the single-player variety. Once you do the Grand Prix, there's nothing left.
Today, I am here to suggest another madcap, yet somewhat workable, in my mind, idea for something that I think Nintendo has totally just opened up to happen. For quite awhile, Zelda was a series that was considered "pure"...outside of some silly cameos, the biggest being in the off-beat Link's Awakening, and outside of Smash Brothers, it didn't really do spin-offs. There was Four Swords Adventure, but beyond that, that JP-only Tetra Tracker, the BS games that were basically official mods, and the cheap tech-demo that was Link's Crossbow Training. Then came Hyrule Warriors, the first really big spin-off that offered up a big spin-off potential, and it did quite well, with Miyamoto expressing Nintendo's interest in other such ventures. And, as of today, we now have Link hanging out in a Karting game, which leads to the obvious conclusion...
Zelda Racing (doo doo, doo doo, doo doo doo doo~). The hole left by Diddy Kong Racing has never quite been filled, an "adventure racing". While Mario Kart could probably do a great mode if they wanted to, the inclusion of the Koopalings alongside Bowser would've fit quite well with some sort of adventure mode, Mario Kart 8 seems to suggest Nintendo wishes to stick to pure racing with the series. But when you look at Zelda, you start to see how it would lend itself quite well to a Diddy Kong Racing, "Adventure Racing", game. Racing while exploring and collecting items, it's totally something Zelda could hit on, just like how it went quite well with Musou.
So, here's me brainstorming the possibility of how such a thing would work.
----
The Game
Aesthetically, I'm thinking the game would go for a style that's in-between Wind Waker, and LBW. The designs of the characters would be new designs for the most part like Hyrule Warriors, but really cute and cartoonish, and expressive. It'd take place in a new Hyrule, with elements of previous ones, and would be non-canon, of course.
In this game, Ganondorf has appeared, aiming to find the Triforce by utilizing his army of minions. It's up to Link, Zelda, and Impa, as well as a variety of friends they meet along the way, to race around Hyrule using magical vehicles, and find the Medallions to gain access to the Sacred Realm before Ganondorf does.
So, the game's main feature would be the "Quest Mode", hearkening back to Diddy Kong Racing. You explore a Hub World---Hyrule Field---finding keys to unlock main Hub Worlds by solving little puzzles, each with four normal courses, and a boss. Your goal is to beat each course by racing Ganondorf's minions, finding a piece of the Boss Key by doing so, and then battling a Boss in a Battle Mode using the game's items, scoring you a Medallion, and a new character joining you. Travel through all the Hub Worlds, get all the Medallions, and race Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm. Furthermore, there are other objectives in Quest Mode---eliminating Skulltula, hidden in each course, and finding Fairies to restore the Great Fairy, while still coming in 3rd or higher, adding an extra layer of difficulty. So, like the elements of Diddy Kong Racing, basically.
There'd also be a Grand Prix Mode, allowing you to race through four courses without the exploration elements, VS. Mode, allowing you to race casually with friends, Battle Mode, where you can battle it out with items against other players or take on the Bosses, and Online. There'd be local Co-Op for all the modes as well, including Quest Mode, for up to four players. There'd also be Trial Mode, where you take on a variety of challenge on bit-sized version of courses, like beating a Ghost, hitting a foe with an item a certain amount of times, and other such tasks beyond pure racing.
The Vehicle
Link riding a Kart is goofy, but works in a silly guest appearance. For his own racing game, however, I'd swap out the Kart for a sort of F-Zero type hover racer, powered by Hylian Magic. I call them "Force Racers".
With that in mind, the gameplay would be in-between Mario Kart and F-Zero. For those who played Mario Kart, the game would be instantly familiar and accessible. It's a bit faster paced, however, and the Force Racers handle a bit looser, like F-Zero, but not as strictly difficult as that game. You'd have a simple jump, allowing you to pull tricks off ramps, and you have the drift, and drift boosting. One new element I thought of was transforming the Spin Attack into a racing context. When charging a drift, you can either release it for the boost, or by quickly shifting in the opposite direction, you can pull off a Spin Attack. This doesn't give you a boost, however when timed correctly, it allows you to deflect certain projectiles, adding a new layer of strategy to the item game, and if you hit a foe, you'll knock them away while simultaneously getting a speed boost.
Furthermore, the Force Racers allow for seamless transition regardless of the terrain. You can speed across a variety of terrains, including over water, for lots of different pathways in each course. It's less about worrying about staying on track, and more about going fast, exploring multiple routes, and, you know, adventuring while racing.
Force Racers come in a variety of designs that all the cast can utilize, with their own stats that add or subtract from the stats of the Racers. Some ideas I have for Force Racers are one that's designed after the Red Lion, a set designed after Ricky, Moosh, and Dimitri, and one that's transparent and based on the Chuchu.
The Racers
Unlike Mario, Zelda doesn't quite have a nice sized stable of reoccuring characters to utilize. You got Link, you got Zelda/Sheik, you got Ganondorf, and recently Impa's become a reoccurring character almost on the same level as the Triforce 3, but other than that, you have a bunch of game-specific characters who don't exactly lend themselves well to a Kart Racer.
That's when I had an idea: don't go with set characters (except the primary four), go with species. In Mario Kart, what characters tend to be quite popular among the fans? When you get to play as one of the common enemies like Koopa, Boo, Dry Bones, Shy Guy, and Wiggler, that's always really cool, in my opinion. In the main Mario-series, you never get to play as characters like that, so seeing them playable in a spin-off, well, that's quite swell. The same idea can be applied to Zelda. Plus, if Hyrule Warriors becomes a regular franchise, you've got the named, big characters getting regular appearances as playable there.
On that note, Mario Kart divides its characters by weight, but Zelda has a perfect theme to divide characters by...Courage, Wisdom, and Power. Courage characters accelerate the fastest, getting a nice head start, but naturally can't handle as well, leaving the player at a lot of risk. Wisdom characters plan ahead, so why they aren't the fastest, they have the best handling. And Power characters are all about charging through---they take a bit to accelerate, but once they do, they're a powerfully fast force that can charge through the competition.
With those elements in mind, I quickly threw together a roster idea. The characters are divided into the Forces of Light, and the Forces of Darkness:
Forces of Light: Link (C), Zelda (W), Impa (P), Deku (W), Goron (P), Zora (C), Mogma (P), Anouki (W), and Rito (C)
Forces of Darkness: Ganondorf (P), Stalfos (C), Wizzrobe (W), Moblin (P), Gerudo (C), Poe (W), Lizalfos (C), Redead (W), and Darknut (P).
In the Story Mode, you'd only have access to Link, Zelda, and Impa, but recruit the others are you progressed. Once you beat the game, you can play through again as the Forces of Darkness, with a slightly different story, and mirrored courses. In Vs. Mode, and the Free Modes, everyone is available for use from the get-go.
And there'd be secret characters as well. First, alternate skins for Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf: Dark Link (C), Sheik (W), and Ganon (P). Second, Farore (C), Din (P), and Nayru (W), using their designs from the Oracle/Minish Cap.
Finally, you'd have Mii Characters. There'd be three types of Mii, each dressed like Link---but Purple (C), Blue (W), and Power (R). Furthermore, the Happy Mask Man would appear in the game, and you could buy masks from him that your Mii can wear to show off via online.
Of course, other Zelda characters would appear via cameos, or play other roles. Tingle would serve as the MC, Kaepora Gaebora would be the flag guy, and Scrapper would fish racers out of pits and other hazards.
The Items
You know why Zelda is the perfect Nintendo series to turn into a racer? The wide array of item choices.
Unlike in Mario Kart, items in Zelda Racing wouldn't be as "push A to win". They'd be simpler, projectile effects mainly, and the distribution of items would be more equal, so everyone would have the same chance to utilize them regardless of position. Like in Zelda, you'd be able to lock on foes with certain items, allowing you to choose who you hit. Items wouldn't stall you as much if they hit you either, you can recover quicker. Lock on wouldn't guarantee a hit, it'd just help you aim your weapon.
Rupees would be scattered across the course, and collecting them would allow you to buy new Force Racers and such. They wouldn't serve a game-play purpose like Coins in MK, and thus wouldn't be present in VS and Online Races. You'd get items by running through Treasure Chests. Here's some item ideas:
* Pegasus Seeds: Like Mushrooms, but weaker, would give you a quick burst of speed. Come in single, and triple, varieties.
* Slingshot: Cannot lock-on, but fires three shots forward, and diagonally. Slightly bumps foes, slowing them down.
* Arrow: Can lock-on, and flies at the opponent. Greatly slows them down if hit. However, it flies pretty straight, and while it follows the opponent, eventually it'll lose the target and just fly forward, or if it hits another racer or wall.
* Bomb: Can throw forward or behind, eventually exploding and sending everyone flying in the air, hurting even you. However, if you hit a foe directly with it, it'll explode on the spot.
* Hook-Shot: Lock-On a foe, and fire! If close enough, you'll grab them...pulling yourself right behind them. It doesn't slow them down, though.
* Boomerang: Can throw up to three times, locking on. Just knocks your opponent, slowing them down, but doesn't stop them, but you can hit multiple foes with it quickly if need be.
* Bombchu: Locks-on to foe, and chases them. Hard to dodge, but if it hits anything before it hits the foe, such as another racer, an item, or hazard, it explodes!
* Hammer: Slams down, sending out a shock-wave that causes everyone nearby to be bounced into the air. Low range, but can clear out a herd.
* Ball and Chain: Swings around you, knocking back anyone who comes near, but slowing down your speed slightly.
* Gust Bellows: Sucks in all nearby racers, slowing them down and drawing them towards you.
* Beetle: Lock-on to a foe, and flies at them fast! Doesn't hurt them, but will steal their item right from under their noses!
* Shield: Spins-around you, deflecting one projectile.
* Mirror Shield: Like the shield, but the deflected projectiles flies back at the foe!
* Magic Cape: Gives you a burst of speed, and you turn "invisible", passing through foes, most hazards, and items.
* Force Gems: The "Super Items", Force Gems are scattered around the course, and respawn each Lap. Collecting four of them allows you to use each character's unique Force Attack, which can help turn things around if you're losing. However, get hit by an item, and you'll potentially drop a Force Gem, another racer picking it up.
Courses
The game would contain 32 Courses, divided into eight "themes". Forest, Fire, Water, Earth, Ice, Wind, Light, and Dark. This division would be used for Quest Mode, and Grand Prix mode.
The courses themselves would not be based usually on any specific Zelda locale from a certain game, but would tend to be built around common themes seen in Zelda, with elements from a multitude of sources. For example, a Lost Woods level combining elements from the various versions of Lost Woods, a Great Ocean level with elements from Wind Waker's, Phantom Hourglass's, and Majora Mask's Great Bay, and a Death Mountain that mixes the various version of it seen in the series. The music in each course would be a remix, or medley, of a classic Zelda tune that'd fit the theme. The last course in each theme would always be a Dungeon-type locale.
Courses range from wide-open, and simplistic, to narrow with a lot of alternate paths and shortcuts, such as the case is for most Dungeons. Some levels have Zelda-type gimmicks, such as a "transformation" element, hitting switches to change the course, and even finding keys which open up new pathways.
There's also Battle Courses, roundish areas where you fight the Bosses in Quest Mode, and can be used without the Boss for multiplayer Battle Mode.
In Grand Prix, each Grand Prix is one of the themes, a "Medallion" Cup, or you can for multiplayer purposes create your own Grand Prix of Courses.
---
And, well, that's sort of a quick write-up of how I'd envision such a thing. Hope you enjoy reading the ramblings of a Nintendo fan.
Zelda or not, the "Adventure Racing" of Diddy Kong and Crash Bandicoot is sorely missed, so I would love to see Nintendo have another try with the genre. A new Diddy Kong Racing, if that ever happens? A more accessible, more ambitious version of Kirby Air Ride that has the charm and originality of the original while appealing more to the average racing fan? F-Zero with Captain Falcon exploration mode? Or adding these elements to Mario Kart 9, come on Nintendo, I love Mario Kart 8 for being a pure, fun racing game, but I'd love a bit more depth of the single-player variety. Once you do the Grand Prix, there's nothing left.
