Eiji Aonuma teases surprise twist on open-world in Zelda U, talks about fan feedback

I wouldn't be lying if I said that the only thing I really really want out of the next title is to not have notifications every time I pick up a new collectable after turning off the game.

Like, this must absolutely never happen again.

I support this.

It's a completely legitimate complain, as opposed to most of the bickering around Zelda games.
 
I think the twist will be more puzzles, making exploration more of a metroidvania type affair.

Ie. needing an item to cut down a tree to fall across a raging river being the only way you can access that new area.

Hard locks are more Zelda formula than Metroid, although, modern metroid entries have been consistantly losing design identity as hard locks became more and more common in favour of how much easier they are to implement.


A metroid style of overcoming that obstacle would be a soft lock like needing a jump power up to leap over the river.

Which of course means the player could then use any manner of tricks of skill to defy directors intent and make it to the other side.

They could lure enemies over and freeze them and jump across

They could do a tricky wall jump on the bank on the other side to get up

Or find a spot to jump off the highest branch of a tree to make it across

or diagonal bomb jump across....
 
The game is, literally, open world and you get the chance to travel to the world's core, with every layer being a new area to explore with dungeons:

5086541.jpg
 
I wouldn't be lying if I said that the only thing I really really want out of the next title is to not have notifications every time I pick up a new collectable after turning off the game.

Like, this must absolutely never happen again.

you'd have thought they'd realize this after twilight princess

but they didn't

I'm expecting tutorials and handholding to be back in full force with zelda u.
 
you'd have thought they'd realize this after twilight princess

but they didn't

I'm expecting tutorials and handholding to be back in full force with zelda u.

Is this a joke post or you just didn't play ALBW/never heard anything Aonuma said about Zelda U?
 
My one unrealistic expectation is just that at the beginning of the game you go to the front gate of the starting town and some guy goes "Hey link you ever done any adventuring before?". Then you can pick no and then he just gives you a notebook with all of the tutorials, lets you through the gate, and then the story/exploration/whatever gets started.

They kinda/sorta did this in SS/ALBW, but we can go deeper. It's not going to happen though and I'm not holding my breath. I haven't really minded the openings to most zelda games, but it'd be good to nip this in the bud so I can stop hearing about it.
 
Haven't most Zelda games been "open world"? I mean, even A Link to The Past had a large overworld that you could navigate and wander around in.

yeah, pretty much.

i'm pretty sure when they say open world this time, they just mean a big, open
empty
field with no load times.

so basically zelda 1

you'd think there will be a mini map with a bunch of icons telling you where to go/where sidequests are/where you can collect a thing like every other open world game but nintendo likes being different from everyone else so who knows
 
The game is, literally, open world and you get the chance to travel to the world's core, with every layer being a new area to explore with dungeons:

5086541.jpg

This is a good idea, but would feel restrictive unless they implement some kind of Ant-man like ability that allows you to explore the subatomic level as well.
 
I'm expecting tutorials and handholding to be back in full force with zelda u.
Yeah... no. That's not going to happen but people will still say that the game is holding their hands even if the game only shows like 3 images detailing basic gameplay info...

Such is fate, I guess.
 
Yeah... no. That's not going to happen but people will still say that the game is holding their hands even if the game only shows like 3 images detailing basic gameplay info...

Such is fate, I guess.

I kind of agree with this. I think a lot of people overreact. But I'm also really, really used to this formula.

Minish cap.

Lets fucking do this.

That'd be hilarious and great. "You thought this open world was big before? Well..."
 
I've been thinking what could be a good addition to the open world formula but also help with some shortcoming the Zelda games have.

One thing that comes to mind is helpful microtransactions where you can buy rupees and bottles for real money. In every Zelda game I've ever played, slashing grass and breaking pots to get no more than 1 or 5 rupees is one of the most unsatisfying feelings in gaming. Seriously, picking up 1 rupee is so unsatisfying, especially when you're going for a 500, 200 or even a 100 rupee item. So, something like:
$9.99 - 100 rupees
$19.99 - 200 rupees
$29.99 - 500 rupees
Collecting empty bottles is also often unsatisfactory. Give me an option to buy 4 empty bottles from the start so I don't have to bother with that for the rest of the game.

The other one is invasions. Links can invade other links. The flow of time is distorted in Hyrule and you can easily find yourself in another player's world. It would also spice up the timeline discussions quite a bit. You can really get crazy with this. Other players will want to kill your Link and get his resources (proposal: maybe you lose half your money). However, you can also prepare your Hyrule, so to speak. Hyrule could be made into the ultimate sandbox playground and you can mold it to your liking to some extent. For example, you can chop trees and collect materials to craft bear traps, pits, etc.
Or they can also implement a perk system. Let's say you choose a stealth perk for Link where he can go invisible for 30 seconds. So you sneak behind the invading Link and spray him with a horse attracting spray. Now, when you turn visible again, you run through some horses, and when he chases after you, they get attracted to him and start chasing him, and potentially the stampede kills him.

So I guess my suggestion is make Hyrule the ultimate sandbox and really streamline the boring stuff that's a staple of the Zelda series, like rupee collecting and empty bottles.

I'm cracking the fuck up at work. Thank you.
 
yeah, pretty much.

i'm pretty sure when they say open world this time, they just mean a big, open
empty
field with no load times.

so basically zelda 1

you'd think there will be a mini map with a bunch of icons telling you where to go/where sidequests are/where you can collect a thing like every other open world game but nintendo likes being different from everyone else so who knows

that was likely the plan before delaying it. now they realized they have to fill the world or else players will get real angry.
 
Considering open world deflated my hype somewhat if anything I'm fully open to whatever crazy twist on the format Aonuma may be gunning for, either it'll shake things up or fall flat but I'm willing to take that chance.

Absolutely. In what world is it ok to remind me what an amber relic is when I have 70 of them?

But you turned off the game and in your absence you may have forgotten! better remind you just in case.
 
You put on the disc and load the game. Instead of a Nintendo logo and a title screen, we get video footage of Aonuma, who says to the player.

"There is no Hyrule, and there is no Zelda on Wii U. The real open world... is out there. Now go outside... and enjoy it."

Then the screen goes black and your Wii U gets bricked.
 
That's Skyward Sword twist, they won't repeat the same twist otherwise it'll be considered as a cliché.

it's a 3D zelda staple at this point! :P

that was likely the plan before delaying it. now they realized they have to fill the world or else players will get real angry.

ehhhh the last time they delayed a 3D Zelda the open world was still empty as fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

pretty sure this delay was strictly to get it out at the same time as NX launch. just like Twilight Princess.
 
it's a 3D zelda staple at this point! :P



ehhhh the last time they delayed a 3D Zelda the open world was still empty as fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

pretty sure this delay was strictly to get it out at the same time as NX launch. just like Twilight Princess.

i'm not saying they will succeed. they haven't really managed to create a truly interesting open world in 3d until now, after all. let's see if wii u's capabilities can change that.
 
The twist is that there is some kind of alternate world that you can switch between and are required to do in order to reach certain areas and solve puzzles.


Surprise
 
I'm guessing it's simply split into areas, but you can travel freely within and between them. Some areas will be locked for story reasons. Kinda like Twilight Princess, but with added openess and more to do.

So basically, as you progress you open up more areas and the world grows bigger.
 
Haven't they already said Link is a male, several times? I'd be okay with a female Link, heck, make a character creator. But I feel like this gender-begging is starting to be as annoying as port-begging.

It's not really something that's ever been ambiguous. Link's a dude, always been a dude.

And you're right, it is getting pretty annoying
 
You can explore the entire universe, but there's nothing interesting outside of Hyrule. You must hold on to a Golden Cucco to fly anywhere.
 
It's kinda crazy we've seen a reveal trailer and gameplay, but we don't know what the game is called yet.

I wonder if it'll have a day-night cycle, and if so, how much it'll affect the world.
 
Maybe its an open world but the decisions you make forces a linear path throughout the game. It would make the game very replayable tho.
 
It's kinda crazy we've seen a reveal trailer and gameplay, but we don't know what the game is called yet.

I wonder if it'll have a day-night cycle, and if so, how much it'll affect the world.

Well it looked like there was a clock in VGA's showing, but there was no visible transition.
 
It's kinda crazy we've seen a reveal trailer and gameplay, but we don't know what the game is called yet.

I wonder if it'll have a day-night cycle, and if so, how much it'll affect the world.

Speaking of the day and night cycle, it always bothered me that the time was never in tune with the real world. I hope there's an option to enable or disable a feature like that, think it would be pretty neat from an immersion standpoint. Definitely should be able to turn it off though for those the want to get to time specific game events fast.
 
I've been thinking what could be a good addition to the open world formula but also help with some shortcoming the Zelda games have.

One thing that comes to mind is helpful microtransactions where you can buy rupees and bottles for real money. In every Zelda game I've ever played, slashing grass and breaking pots to get no more than 1 or 5 rupees is one of the most unsatisfying feelings in gaming. Seriously, picking up 1 rupee is so unsatisfying, especially when you're going for a 500, 200 or even a 100 rupee item. So, something like:
$9.99 - 100 rupees
$19.99 - 200 rupees
$29.99 - 500 rupees
Collecting empty bottles is also often unsatisfactory. Give me an option to buy 4 empty bottles from the start so I don't have to bother with that for the rest of the game.

The other one is invasions. Links can invade other links. The flow of time is distorted in Hyrule and you can easily find yourself in another player's world. It would also spice up the timeline discussions quite a bit. You can really get crazy with this. Other players will want to kill your Link and get his resources (proposal: maybe you lose half your money). However, you can also prepare your Hyrule, so to speak. Hyrule could be made into the ultimate sandbox playground and you can mold it to your liking to some extent. For example, you can chop trees and collect materials to craft bear traps, pits, etc.
Or they can also implement a perk system. Let's say you choose a stealth perk for Link where he can go invisible for 30 seconds. So you sneak behind the invading Link and spray him with a horse attracting spray. Now, when you turn visible again, you run through some horses, and when he chases after you, they get attracted to him and start chasing him, and potentially the stampede kills him.

So I guess my suggestion is make Hyrule the ultimate sandbox and really streamline the boring stuff that's a staple of the Zelda series, like rupee collecting and empty bottles.

slab-cropped-jouster-4012-frymeme.png
 
I've been thinking what could be a good addition to the open world formula but also help with some shortcoming the Zelda games have.

One thing that comes to mind is helpful microtransactions where you can buy rupees and bottles for real money. In every Zelda game I've ever played, slashing grass and breaking pots to get no more than 1 or 5 rupees is one of the most unsatisfying feelings in gaming. Seriously, picking up 1 rupee is so unsatisfying, especially when you're going for a 500, 200 or even a 100 rupee item. So, something like:
$9.99 - 100 rupees
$19.99 - 200 rupees
$29.99 - 500 rupees
Collecting empty bottles is also often unsatisfactory. Give me an option to buy 4 empty bottles from the start so I don't have to bother with that for the rest of the game.

The other one is invasions. Links can invade other links. The flow of time is distorted in Hyrule and you can easily find yourself in another player's world. It would also spice up the timeline discussions quite a bit. You can really get crazy with this. Other players will want to kill your Link and get his resources (proposal: maybe you lose half your money). However, you can also prepare your Hyrule, so to speak. Hyrule could be made into the ultimate sandbox playground and you can mold it to your liking to some extent. For example, you can chop trees and collect materials to craft bear traps, pits, etc.
Or they can also implement a perk system. Let's say you choose a stealth perk for Link where he can go invisible for 30 seconds. So you sneak behind the invading Link and spray him with a horse attracting spray. Now, when you turn visible again, you run through some horses, and when he chases after you, they get attracted to him and start chasing him, and potentially the stampede kills him.

So I guess my suggestion is make Hyrule the ultimate sandbox and really streamline the boring stuff that's a staple of the Zelda series, like rupee collecting and empty bottles.

And there should be an option to pay for the ability to avoid having to deal with online interactions. Like, you could pay a tax for protection. That'd be swell!
 
The twist is that you'll be able to use amiibo to change characters!

Hope ya'll been buying them all! Especially the Mega Yarn Yoshi. Special functionality right there.

;)
 
Honestly, I care much less about "open world" and more that the dungeons are TP-quality again.

I realize that I'm probably asking for too much, since Arbiter's Grounds --> City in the Sky is magic.
 
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