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[pinkurocket]

I'm actually betting on this. Given that Wind Waker HD was a sort of "test" for Zelda Wii U, it makes sense that they are looking into that game for inspirtation. Besides, WW is maybe the only Zelda game with an "Open" overworld (The Great Sea), and a new game with a huge open overworld would be the perfect opportunity for them to show how The Great Sea happened.

Woah. That could explain why they chose to remaster Wind Waker on Wii U. Considering Nintendo also funded the Bayonetta port alongside Bayonetta 2, maybe they wanted Wind Waker to be remembered so that they can follow up the story with Zelda U.

All though that would also mean this title takes place either before or after Spirit Tracks.

I loved the story in WW but for some reason Link's Awakening always stayed with me as the most feelsy Zelda.

I'll never forget you Marin ;_;

Me too, man. It was my first Zelda, so it might be nostalgia... But that story is really emotional. ;~;

 

[RoadHazard]

I don't know, the Dark Souls overworld is pretty damn massive.

It's not really that large. And it's not very open either. I mean, yeah, it's "open" in that everything is connected (except for Anor Londo), but it consists almost entirely of narrow, linear paths that you can't leave. You can't just go off and explore in whichever direction, which is what I think people usually mean by "open".

(Don't get me wrong, I love DkS's world and think it's brilliantly designed. But it's not the same thing as the openness I think many want to see in this game.)

 

[Anth0ny]

People are tired of hearing it, but I also agree that Dark Souls felt an awful lot like an extension of classic, 2D Zelda in many ways. Don't mistake that for condemnation, however, I very much love the 3D games, and I'm one of the few advocates for SS on this board.

Absolutely. I'll never understand the hatred for Dark Souls from Zelda fans in general. Is it that hard to swallow that someone outside of Nintendo has managed to improve on a "part" of the Zelda formula? The series has been around for 27 years.

I wouldn't just bring up a game and start claiming it does things "better than Zelda" willy nilly. Zelda is my favorite gaming franchise. Majora's Mask and Ocarina of Time are my top 2 of all time. So when I say Dark Souls has a better Zelda overworld than modern Zeldas... I mean it. That game kicks ass. Exploring that world is the most fun I've had exploring a world since Majora's Mask.

The weird irony to me is how much people like MM but dislike SS. There are indeed differences, but the two games mirror each other very closely in world design and game progression. Oh well, it can't he helped at this point. I've come to terms with why people disliked SS, and that's that. It helps that I don't think that SS and the new Zelda are of opposing design philosophies, as much as this board would argue otherwise. Going with what Aonuma has said, I think SS is really his blueprint for the new game, except that the new game will have more of the seamlessness that people are craving. I'm very excited.

How so? I'm curious.

Nothing in Skyward Sword really mirrored the mask system of Majora's Mask, which was my favorite aspect of that game. Or the three day system. They tried to have a central hub in Skyward Sword, like Clock Town, but it never felt anywhere near as important.

The characters were far more forgettable in SS than MM. I guess part of that is due to the lack of the three day system and thus inferior side quests/more shallow NPCs. Also, I'll never understand the appeal of Groose.

They did both have weird, short final boss fights in weird rooms, I'll give you that

 

[RagnarokX]

Gamexplain pretty much said everything I said, but I want to point out something:

They point out a white platform surrounded by pillars, which I marked with a white dot. They think this is the location of the tent icon on the map. But the tent icon is only just past the trees, which is where Link is standing when he meets Epona near the torch. The white platform is much further away than that; closer to the tower. The map icon likely represents the torch.

Also, I've updated my comprehensive analysis post:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=142315315&postcount=3759

 

[TheMoon]

Actually it'd have to be further away since Death Mountain looks about as small as it is when viewed from south of Lake Hylia. Also, the geography in that region is full of mountains and valleys and all Link sees in the E3 shot is rolling plains straight ahead. Assuming he was high enough to see over those mountains, which the topography of the map doesn't suggest, he would still see those mountains and valleys.

I'm thinking the E3 shot is ALSO the big central plains. The mountain that's split in half isn't the same one we were looking at before, and if you look at the map there's another one that fits the bill on the west side of the plains.



Link is somewhere near that green dot, imo. It puts him far enough away from Death Mountain and gives him a clear view of it and the western split mountain. Plus it has mountains to the east that would block his view of the eastern split mountain which is why we don't see it and from the footage we can see that Lake Hylia is bordered on the eastern side by high hills that block view of that from this location on the map. It's north of a wooded area that we know from this demo to have ruins and rocks with symbols on them like in the E3 footage. It also has a river where the bridge scene could take place in that same area.

The black circle is Hyrule castle, which is between the western split mountain and Death Mountain. There is a bridge over the river indicated on the map in that area and I believe that this bridge is the castle town drawbridge ala OoT. In fact, I agree with Enduin that everything lines up with OoT. That place I thought was a swamp is Zora's River leading up to Zora's Domain.

I was working on pointing that out myself. I've had this PSD open for hours now, trying to label everything lol

Still gonna post it but I'm glad we already established this now. ;D

The analysis is good, but my god why do they always use him as the voice over, I can't stand it.

Because "they" is him. André "is" Gamexplain. Only in the last year or so has Derek joined when they got bigger and bigger to cover some of the games and take part in discussions.

 

[Lord_Byron28]

Hmm...I'll spoiler tag this I guess. If I had to rank the feels of the Zelda series it would go like this:

1. Majora's Mask -

Spoiler

It simply has a lot of feels

2. Ocarina of Time -

Spoiler

Distopian future. You lose all your friends and Zelda says goodbye to you

3. Link's Awakening -

Spoiler

You lose Marin and the rest of the island

4. The Wind Waker -

Spoiler

Hyrule is dead. Pobre Ganondorf and King Daphnas

Far below that

5. Skyward Sword -

Spoiler

Zelda fell asleep for a few ingame hours. Fi left.

6. Twilight Princess -

Spoiler

Queen Rutela died. Midna left.

It just needs more feels.

Meh this would be my rating:

1. Wind Waker- the cast was great and made that ending all the more bittersweet.
2. OoT- Anytime I hear Zelda's Lullaby, Saria's song or Sheik's harp it gets me. The music, setting and the characters were all very memorable.
3. TP- Midna's story is probably the most fleshed out and interesting characters Zelda has ever done. Her story was sad. The Zora queen and Prince side story was pretty well done. Not that anyone liked it but I found the Ilia story interesting as well. Even though I wouldn't say TP had the best story it easily had the most complex.
4. Majora's Mask- this one was different. The characters were memorable and the sidequests fun. There was this hard to describe uneasiness or creepiness in the game which was awesome. That Mikau scene where you get the mask was pretty dark. Only thing I will say is I didnt care nearly as much about the cast as the other three titles.
5. Skyward Sword- idk what it was but there was something off or different about this story than other Zelda stories. I loved Groose' character progression. Impa was a badass. My favorite look for Zelda (other than Sheik), one thing I hate is how SSB gives Zelda a resting bitch face. Also that scene where Zelda is talking to Link before she seals herself away is the definition of "the feels". With all of that said it felt the weakest out of the 3D Zeldas.

 

[Lunar15]

How so? I'm curious.

Nothing in Skyward Sword really mirrored the mask system of Majora's Mask, which was my favorite aspect of that game. Or the three day system. They tried to have a central hub in Skyward Sword, like Clock Town, but it never felt anywhere near as important.

The characters were far more forgettable in SS than MM. I guess part of that is due to the lack of the three day system and thus inferior side quests/more shallow NPCs. Also, I'll never understand the appeal of Groose.

They did both have weird, short final boss fights in weird rooms, I'll give you that

If you look at the structure of the world, it's a hub and spoke design with a relatively empty field in the center with a central city where all quest lines originate from. Each spoke has extremely linear objectives in order to gain access to the dungeon, some more tedious than anything SS threw at you. I too prefer Clock Town to Skyloft, however I liked the fact that they returned to that kind of side quest hub, which was notably missing from TP and TWW to me. I personally felt that it had the good rhythm of "Explore - Dungeons - Sidequests" that MM had. TWW and TP didn't have as good of a rhythm in my opinion.

But I get why people didn't like SS. It's that you're constantly getting locked into specific activities like the silent world, link losing his sword, carrying the water, etc. It's just that I found these activities enjoyable where others didn't. Your mileage may vary. I completely understand in this case. It's the "oh, I hated how it was such a condense little world with separate zones" complaint that I can't understand when both OOT and MM stick precisely to that design. I don't think that's the case you were making, for the record.

 

[Gsnap]

Absolutely. I'll never understand the hatred for Dark Souls from Zelda fans in general. Is it that hard to swallow that someone outside of Nintendo has managed to improve on a "part" of the Zelda formula? The series has been around for 27 years.

I wouldn't just bring up a game and start claiming it does things "better than Zelda" willy nilly. Zelda is my favorite gaming franchise. Majora's Mask and Ocarina of Time are my top 2 of all time. So when I say Dark Souls has a better Zelda overworld than modern Zeldas... I mean it. That game kicks ass. Exploring that world is the most fun I've had exploring a world since Majora's Mask.

Well we've already seen in this thread that there's a big difference between people who enjoy the modern Zelda formula and don't like the formula of the earlier games. And Dark Souls has much more in common with the earlier games than the newer ones, so it makes sense that they'd oppose it.

I mean, think about what you said in the bolded. The reason Dark Souls has a more interesting overworld than most Zeldas is because it's all overworld. There are no dungeons in Dark Souls in the traditional sense. You seamlessly go from one part of the overworld to the next (and yes, certain parts of the overworld are in buildings or underground), and the only thing you do is fight. So of course they have to make those areas dense and interesting because it's all one thing and that's all there is to it. In fact, it probably shouldn't even be referred to as an overworld, since the whole point of the word is to separate and distinguish between two distinct parts of the game. Dark Souls just has a world, period.

Zelda, ever since the beginning, has had a clear divide between what is a dungeon and what isn't, so it makes sense that the overworld isn't as involved as Dark Souls.

It would be fun if the new Zelda had more seamless dungeons, though. Like ones that you can enter from more than one point, or ones that feel more integrated into the overworld.

But hey, I like pretty much every Zelda and Dark Souls. Any mixture of the two that meshes well is ok with me.

But I get why people didn't like SS. It's that you're constantly getting locked into specific activities like the silent world, link losing his sword, carrying the water, etc. It's just that I found these activities enjoyable where others didn't. Your mileage may vary. I completely understand in this case. It's the "oh, I hated how it was such a condense little world with separate zones" complaint that I can't understand when both OOT and MM stick precisely to that design. I don't think that's the case you were making, for the record.

I imagine most people would have liked each area better if they were actually interconnected and you didn't have to go back to the sky every time you want to switch zones.

 

[ibyea]

If you look at the structure of the world, it's a hub and spoke design with a relatively empty field in the center with a central city where all quest lines originate from. Each spoke has extremely linear objectives in order to gain access to the dungeon, some more tedious than anything SS threw at you. I too prefer Clock Town to Skyloft, however I liked the fact that they returned to that kind of side quest hub, which was notably missing from TP and TWW to me. I felt that it had the good rhythm of "Explore - Dungeons - Sidequests" that MM had.

But I get why people didn't like SS. It's that you're constantly getting locked into specific activities like the silent world, link losing his sword, carrying the water, etc. It's just that I found these activities enjoyable where others didn't. Your mileage may vary. I completely understand in this case. It's the "oh, I hated how it was such a condense little world with separate zones" complaint that I can't understand when both OOT and MM stick precisely to that design. I don't think that's the case you were making, for the record.

Same thing to me. I found those activities enjoyable, The only part I viscerally disliked was the music note collection thing. Also, I thought there was only one time in MM that was horribly tedious, and that was the gibdos item gifting in Beneath the Well.

 

[Interceptor]

Gamexplain pretty much said everything I said, but I want to point out something:

They point out a white platform surrounded by pillars, which I marked with a white dot. They think this is the location of the tent icon on the map. But the tent icon is only just past the trees, which is where Link is standing when he meets Epona near the torch. The white platform is much further away than that; closer to the tower. The map icon likely represents the torch.

Also, I've updated my comprehensive analysis post:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=142315315&postcount=3759

I think the torch is there to mark Epona.
For one simple reason: to find her at night. A bonfire would be more fitting though.

Fakeedit: On a second thought thats nonsense. There are banners and stuff all around the paths in this world. Its propably just a row of torches to mark a path through the mountains and we only see one. Still work in progress.

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

I hope for less NPCs to be honest. If there's one thing that always kind of bothers me in Zelda games is characters that stick in one spot saying the same thing and that is their whole purpose. It's a minor thing, but still. I would prefer it if instead there was more wild life.

Also, I wish the characters could react to your actions a bit. At least more than not at all. Mario games do this nicely.

 

[RagnarokX]

I think the torch is there to mark Epona.
For one simple reason: to find her at night. A bonfire would be more fitting though.

Fakeedit: On a second thought thats nonsense. There are banners and stuff all around the paths in this world. Its propably just a row of torches to mark a path through the mountains and we only see one. Still work in progress.

The tent icon has a #1 next to it. I think it's a fast travel point. Regardless of if it is the torch, the point is that it has to be something in that vicinity and the white platform they pointed out is much further away.

 

[georly]

I think the torch is there to mark Epona.
For one simple reason: to find her at night. A bonfire would be more fitting though.

Fakeedit: On a second thought thats nonsense. There are banners and stuff all around the paths in this world. Its propably just a row of torches to mark a path through the mountains and we only see one. Still work in progress.

There better not be a map marker for epona. That means you have to find epona if you ever get too far. You need to be able to summon epona.

 

[PooBone]

I haven't watched any of the analysis videos yet, but has anyone noticed this yet?

There's a d-pad icon on the box with the arrow. Is this going to be a new way to swap between arrow types or horseback weaponry?

Yeah I think the Gamexplain video mentioned it.

 

[Lunar15]

I imagine most people would have liked each area better if they were actually interconnected and you didn't have to go back to the sky every time you want to switch zones.

This is very true. Hence why I'm excited for the next Zelda. I think it aims to take the better parts of SS and enhance it with the seamlessness people want.

 

[Enduin]

I hope for less NPCs to be honest. If there's one thing that always kind of bothers me in Zelda games is characters that stick in one spot saying the same thing and that is their whole purpose. It's a minor thing, but still. I would prefer it if instead there was more wild life.

Also, I wish the characters could react to your actions a bit. At least more than not at all. Mario games do this nicely.

I think this game is the perfect opportunity to bring in that next level of MM reactivity. With a fully open world NPCs can hopefully move around and not just be locked into a specific loading zone. It would be great to see more NPCs with jobs like Beetle or Postman. Just going about their business. Like someone off collecting apples or herding cattle.

It was the NPC interactions that make MM such a great game, and while it can't reach that level of detail without a repeating 3 day cycle like MM had they still should be able to do some interesting stuff beyond the static positions and samey lines.

 

[Interceptor]

The tent icon has a #1 next to it. I think it's a fast travel point. Regardless of if it is the torch, the point is that it has to be something in that vicinity and the white platform they pointed out is much further away.

Oh has it? Then it should be far more simple: Custom waypoints. You have a button for it and they might be limited. I totally expect some kind of note system as well. Would be a wasted opportunity if they wouldn´t allow custom written notes in a world like this. Especially if you have access to stuff without having the items for it.

 

[ibyea]

This is very true. Hence why I'm excited for the next Zelda. I think it aims to take the better parts of SS and enhance it with the seamlessness people want.

What better part of SS is it going to take? It seems to be aiming for something much different. Which I am okay with because I like that all the Zelda games to do their own stuff.

 

[Anth0ny]

It's not really that large. And it's not very open either. I mean, yeah, it's "open" in that everything is connected (except for Anor Londo), but it consists almost entirely of narrow, linear paths that you can't leave. You can't just go off and explore in whichever direction, which is what I think people usually mean by "open".

(Don't get me wrong, I love DkS's world and think it's brilliantly designed. But it's not the same thing as the openness I think many want to see in this game.)

I suppose. It's definitely more "open" than any Zelda game so far. I'd consider a giant, interconnected world with NO LOADING TIMES (besides Anor Londo) an open world (god damn if the new Zelda has loading times that would be disappointing). It may consist of narrow, linear paths (though this definitely isn't always the case), but it felt like more of a living, breathing, explorable world than anything I've played since Wind Waker, or maybe Majora's Mask.

The exploration aspect is the main thing that gets me. There are actually parts in Dark Souls where you hack away at a random wall, and BOOM, you just opened a HUGE, secret area to explore. It still blows me away that they actually created some of those parts of the world hidden in such obscure places on the map. That's the kind of thing I want from a new Zelda.

Well we've already seen in this thread that there's a big difference between people who enjoy the modern Zelda formula and don't like the formula of the earlier games. And Dark Souls has much more in common with the earlier games than the newer ones, so it makes sense that they'd oppose it.

I mean, think about what you said in the bolded. The reason Dark Souls has a more interesting overworld than most Zeldas is because it's all overworld. There are no dungeons in Dark Souls in the traditional sense. You seamlessly go from one part of the overworld to the next (and yes, certain parts of the overworld are in buildings or underground), and the only thing you do is fight. So of course they have to make those areas dense and interesting because it's all one thing and that's all there is to it. In fact, it probably shouldn't even be referred to as an overworld, since the whole point of the word is to separate and distinguish between two distinct parts of the game. Dark Souls just has a world, period.

Zelda, ever since the beginning, has had a clear divide between what is a dungeon and what isn't, so it makes sense that the overworld isn't as involved as Dark Souls.

It would be fun if the new Zelda had more seamless dungeons, though. Like ones that you can enter from more than one point, or ones that feel more integrated into the overworld.

But hey, I like pretty much every Zelda and Dark Souls. Any mixture of the two that meshes well is ok with me.

Of course, the Zelda dungeons are not in Dark Souls. But you do have areas like Sen's Fortress, which are like lite dungeons.

A new Zelda that takes inspiration from Dark Souls when it comes to overworld design, but tweaks that formula so the masterful, EAD3-produced dungeons still have a place in the game, might just be my dream game at this point.

And that's key. "Takes inspiration" from the Dark Souls overworld design. I think it would be crazy to expect, or want, 1:1 similarities from the Dark Souls overworld. But some things; the exploration aspects I mentioned above, the secrets, the lack of loading time, the fact that there's always something to do (you aren't just riding Epona forward in Hyrule Field, or flying the bird towards a drop zone)... these are all elements from Dark Souls design that would greatly benefit Zelda. I played Dark Souls for the first time just after I finished Skyward Sword in 2011. It was a mind blowing experience because I felt like it did SO MANY THINGS (not everything) that I wanted from a new, modern Zelda game.

If you look at the structure of the world, it's a hub and spoke design with a relatively empty field in the center with a central city where all quest lines originate from. Each spoke has extremely linear objectives in order to gain access to the dungeon, some more tedious than anything SS threw at you. I too prefer Clock Town to Skyloft, however I liked the fact that they returned to that kind of side quest hub, which was notably missing from TP and TWW to me. I personally felt that it had the good rhythm of "Explore - Dungeons - Sidequests" that MM had. TWW and TP didn't have as good of a rhythm in my opinion.

But I get why people didn't like SS. It's that you're constantly getting locked into specific activities like the silent world, link losing his sword, carrying the water, etc. It's just that I found these activities enjoyable where others didn't. Your mileage may vary. I completely understand in this case. It's the "oh, I hated how it was such a condense little world with separate zones" complaint that I can't understand when both OOT and MM stick precisely to that design. I don't think that's the case you were making, for the record.

Hmm, I can see that. There are definitely similarities.

I guess my response would be... Majora's Mask did literally everything better than Skyward Sword. The dowsing and Silent Realm stuff hurt Skyward Sword for me, too. And you had to do that before every dungeon, correct?

 

[Gsnap]

Of course, the Zelda dungeons are not in Dark Souls. But you do have areas like Sen's Fortress, which are like lite dungeons.

A new Zelda that takes inspiration from Dark Souls when it comes to overworld design, but tweaks that formula so the masterful, EAD3-produced dungeons still have a place in the game, might just be my dream game at this point.

And that's key. "Takes inspiration" from the Dark Souls overworld design. I think it would be crazy to expect, or want, 1:1 similarities from the Dark Souls overworld. But some things; the exploration aspects I mentioned above, the secrets, the lack of loading time, the fact that there's always something to do (you aren't just riding Epona forward in Hyrule Field, or flying the bird towards a drop zone)... these are all elements from Dark Souls design that would greatly benefit Zelda. I played Dark Souls for the first time just after I finished Skyward Sword in 2011. It was a mind blowing experience because I felt like it did SO MANY THINGS (not everything) that I wanted from a new, modern Zelda game.

I agree. But you said you didn't understand why people hated it, and I was giving a possible reason.

(Also I think people in general are tired of hearing that everything should be like Dark Souls even though it's amazing and more action/adventure games should take a cue from how it designs a world worth exploring.)

 

[Easy_D]

Yup. Navi wouldn't have existed without the gameplay needing a target system. I think the new archer feel will be a critical part of the story. I'm cool with a slow down time mechanic.

As for the two world thing. I expect to see a nature vs tech world.

If the Tech part means even more Tower of the Gods / TP Temple of Time esque stuff, I'll be really happy. Loved both of those dungeons thanks to the magic fantasy tech-vibe they both had going on.

I hope for less NPCs to be honest. If there's one thing that always kind of bothers me in Zelda games is characters that stick in one spot saying the same thing and that is their whole purpose. It's a minor thing, but still. I would prefer it if instead there was more wild life.

Also, I wish the characters could react to your actions a bit. At least more than not at all. Mario games do this nicely.

I get the feeling characters will react to you just by you being present, I mean the hood has to fill some kind of purpose and if it's to hide your identity to most of Hyrule's populace.


It'd be cool if the opening was basically: Flashback - You're Link, and you're a thief, you steal a horse (of your choice, this is your Epona). You're found out and you flee. Year or so later you return for whatever reason and a friendly old man takes you in and explains current events.
Obviously he needs a favour from you as thanks for helping you earlier and you get caught up in some shit that leads to you becoming a hero.

Before you go out on your journey he's all "Going out with just a bow is not only dangerous, but foolish. Here, take this" and he hands you a sword.

I should totally work for Nintendo.

 

[zeldablue]

If the Tech part means even more Tower of the Gods / TP Temple of Time esque stuff, I'll be really happy. Loved both of those dungeons thanks to the magic fantasy tech-vibe they both had going on.

I'd be even more excited to see the Silent Realm return as some kind of spirit realm for Link to search through.

Maybe ditched the scary timer from SS though.

 

[TheMoon]

I'm stuck trying to figure out the whole map with all the mountains. There are quite a few conflicting formations and you can see certain things from seemingly very different spots but they don't line up between the E3 pic and the new footage. Either we're completely wrong about certain mountains being the same in different scenes or they changed the geography a bit.

I can't let it go though lol.

 

[gamerMan]

Yep, elevation is easily one of the greatest new features. It's been a failing of 3D Zeldas since OoT. It's weird that only now games are able to truly make due on promises made in 1994.

I agree. I am going to spend a lot of time climbing up and looking at the world below. The most impressive part was when they went high on a cliff and peered down at the vast landscape below. It captures the original vision of Zelda.

 

[Lunar15]

I guess my response would be... Majora's Mask did literally everything better than Skyward Sword. The dowsing and Silent Realm stuff hurt Skyward Sword for me, too. And you had to do that before every dungeon, correct?

See, this is another area where I actually find SS and MM to be incredibly similar. Let's look at how you get to the first dungeons in each game:

• SS: Dowsing puzzle to introduce the area with obstacle course esque platforming. Once that's finished you do the silent realm stealth section to open up the dungeon.
  
• MM: Saria's Forest esque puzzle to find the monkey. Stealth section in the Deku Palace to open up the dungeon.

I find it to be incredibly similar, but of course, however much you enjoyed any of these tasks comes down to taste.

Really, MM and SS have very, very similar "dungeon opening quest lines", for lack of a better word:

• Carrying the water up the mountain = Carrying the Bomb Barrel to the Goron Village.
  
• Silent Realm stealth sections/Link loses his sword = Deku Palace and Pirates Hideout
  
• Abandoned Pirate Hideout Mini dungeon = Ikana Castle
  
• Dowsing PuzzlesWoodfall = Maze/Great Bay Maze

Also, the silent realm sections were only for the first 3 dungeons, and then one on skyloft for the final dungeon. You didn't have to do dowsing or Silent realm for 3 out of the 7 dungeons, but there were other tasks associated with them (Lanaryu Desert Hideout, Bringing the water up Death Mountain, Swimming through to the water dragon)

The thing I agree with most people about is that the game could have been much tighter had they dropped the final three "side missions" before the end of the game. It was unecessary padding, regardless of how much you may or may not have enjoyed it. This is the part with the additional timestone dungeon, the tadtone quest, and the part where link loses his sword to the Bokoblins. I enjoyed two out of those three, but the game was getting a little drawn out that point. I'm not immune to its flaws.

 

[RagnarokX]

Oh has it? Then it should be far more simple: Custom waypoints. You have a button for it and they might be limited. I totally expect some kind of note system as well. Would be a wasted opportunity if they wouldn´t allow custom written notes in a world like this. Especially if you have access to stuff without having the items for it.

So perhaps you place the torches yourself and it allows you to fast travel or respawn at them.

 

[PooBone]

If you ask me, this is the first time we get to save the 'TRUE' Hyrule. All other hyrules were Facsimiles of what hyrule was actually supposed to look like.

The next game can have a new setting. Just let me explore a 'full sized' hyrule, and then we can talk about new countries/worlds.

I'm with you on this.

 

[banofypie]

Are the hearts pinker than usual or is that just the off-screen picture messing with me.

Gonna watch the Gamexplain analysis now, will report back afterwards with how hyped it makes me!

 

[Gsnap]

So perhaps you place the torches yourself and it allows you to fast travel or respawn at them.

Maybe the torches are just always there, and you have the ability to light them with some item, and they act as beacons so that you can navigate shorter distances without the need of the map (especially at night).

"I don't remember how to get up there. Oh yeah, there's the torch. So, I just go around this way."

 

[GasProblem]

The more I think about this Zelda the more hyped I get. An open world to explore with hidden secrets here and there, and a couple of awesome dungeons.

This and Xenoblade Chronicles, yum.

 

[PooBone]

Hmm...I'll spoiler tag this I guess. If I had to rank the feels of the Zelda series it would go like this:

1. Majora's Mask -

Spoiler

It simply has a lot of feels

2. Ocarina of Time -

Spoiler

Distopian future. You lose all your friends and Zelda says goodbye to you

3. Link's Awakening -

Spoiler

You lose Marin and the rest of the island

4. The Wind Waker -

Spoiler

Hyrule is dead. Pobre Ganondorf and King Daphnas

Far below that

5. Skyward Sword -

Spoiler

Zelda fell asleep for a few ingame hours. Fi left.

6. Twilight Princess -

Spoiler

Queen Rutela died. Midna left.

It just needs more feels.

Pretty much this. And the handheld games pretty much all go on the bottom list as well.

 

[RagnarokX]

Maybe the torches are just always there, and you have the ability to light them with some item, and they act as beacons so that you can navigate shorter distances without the need of the map (especially at night).

"I don't remember how to get up there. Oh yeah, there's the torch. So, I just go around this way."

I think it's more likely for respawning, hence the tent icon. It would be a pain in the ass if you get killed and have to respawn back at a town or something. Instead you respawn at the nearest torch. Maybe even have a scene where Link packs up camp

You know, Aonuma was talking about how Hyrule Warriors influenced this game and he talked about how interesting it was to take control of areas. Lighting these torches could be a similar concept. Lighting the torch means you've basically claimed that area as safe.

 

[Lunar15]

Pretty much this. And the handheld games pretty much all go on the bottom list as well.

I actually liked the cast of Spirit Tracks, and I thought the story beats, while not as fleshed out as other Zelda games, were enjoyable. It still has the best Zelda of any Zelda game, in my opinion.

 

[Gsnap]

I think it's more likely for respawning, hence the tent icon. It would be a pain in the ass if you get killed and have to respawn back at a town or something. Instead you respawn at the nearest torch. Maybe even have a scene where Link packs up camp

I mean, I think it's just as likely that it's just a normal torch that's just there. haha.

But it's true that they'll have to come up with a different way to handle respawning in this game.

 

[georly]

So perhaps you place the torches yourself and it allows you to fast travel or respawn at them.

Maybe the torches are just always there, and you have the ability to light them with some item, and they act as beacons so that you can navigate shorter distances without the need of the map (especially at night).

"I don't remember how to get up there. Oh yeah, there's the torch. So, I just go around this way."

That's why the new helper will be candle.

We already got sword, hat, fairy, princess (twilight/ghost), boat(king). Time for candle.

Lets you warp to other sources of fire.

 

[Lunar15]

I think it's more likely for respawning, hence the tent icon. It would be a pain in the ass if you get killed and have to respawn back at a town or something. Instead you respawn at the nearest torch. Maybe even have a scene where Link packs up camp

You know, Aonuma was talking about how Hyrule Warriors influenced this game and he talked about how interesting it was to take control of areas. Lighting these torches could be a similar concept. Lighting the torch means you've basically claimed that area as safe.

This plays into my theory of the giant monster from the original teaser being tied to protecting villages from these large beasts. It's 100% speculation, though. You'll probably have to "clear out an area" when you first visit it. A lot of Zelda games have used this idea from time to time, but not quite as fleshed out as this.

I really think that with the whole bow theme and the open world, Link is a hunter this time around. Think about it: In the small area we saw, there were several of those tall viewing platform towers. You'll probably have to go up those to scout out things/beasts, mark them with the beacons, float down to the ground using the sail cloth, and then use your horse to close the gap.

Also, Link going into slow motion once he jumps off his horse is probably to enable you to aim for certain areas on larger beasts. Like that giant octopus robot, you'll likely have to aim directly for the eye using the gamepad. Only way you'd be able to do that effectively while it's chasing you/you're chasing it is to slow down time. It makes a lot of sense.

 

[RagnarokX]

I mean, I think it's just as likely that it's just a normal torch that's just there. haha.

But it's true that they'll have to come up with a different way to handle respawning in this game.

Plus it also explains why Link carries camping equipment on Epona.

 

[InfiniDragon]

I loved the story in WW but for some reason Link's Awakening always stayed with me as the most feelsy Zelda.

I'll never forget you Marin ;_;

Loved Marin.

At least she lived on as Aryll, who in early concepts was gonna be Marin but they decided to make her actually look like she was Link's sister (I agree with the decision) and therefore changed the name. That's why Aryll loves watching seagulls.

 

[zeldablue]

Remember in the reveal trailer, the NPCs were shot at and possibly killed by that laser attack.

Killable NPCs would be a new thing for the series...

 

[Dimmle]

Remember in the reveal trailer, the NPCs were shot at and possibly killed by that laser attack.

Killable NPCs would be a new thing for the series...

nnnnnnnnnnoooooooooo

 

[Mango The Magician]

Remember in the reveal trailer, the NPCs were shot at and possibly killed by that laser attack.

Killable NPCs would be a new thing for the series...

I'm pretty sure that the laser landed closer to the camera compared to where they were, and the flames blocked the image of them running away much like the one on the right does.

 

[georly]

Remember in the reveal trailer, the NPCs were shot at and possibly killed by that laser attack.

Killable NPCs would be a new thing for the series...

They were fine. This new zelda is based off anime, and as we all know, bandages heal all anime characters.

 

[Lunar15]

Also, you can pretty clearly see the two or three villagers flee the scene right as the monster shows up.

 

[Gsnap]

Plus it also explains why Link carries camping equipment on Epona.

Yeah, I'll be really disappointed if that stuff is just for aesthetics. But considering the circumstances, I'm sure it's for something.

There's not really any precedence set to make any real predictions on whether or not they would add details like that without gameplay applications. Like, the only other Zelda games with Epona are OoT, MM, and TP. The N64 games didn't have any extra details so of course the horse wouldn't have a pack on its saddle. And they could have done it in TP if they wanted, but it's just one game, so we can't say that the devs do or do not have a precedence for adding aesthetic details like that without gameplay applications since the sample size is too small.

The boat in WW did have the little chest in the back of it, which was implied to hold your items, since the canon and other things like that came out of the box. So that's something I guess.

 

[Neff]

I agree. I am going to spend a lot of time climbing up and looking at the world below. The most impressive part was when they went high on a cliff and peered down at the vast landscape below. It captures the original vision of Zelda.

Even with that tv's shit desaturated colours, lack of contrast and fuzzy definition...

That's a damn tasty screen.

 

[georly]

Even with that tv's shit desaturated colours, lack of contrast and fuzzy definition...

That's a damn tasty screen.

This will be the game that makes me get a 60+ inch tv. I need it.

 

[ibyea]

Remember in the reveal trailer, the NPCs were shot at and possibly killed by that laser attack.

Killable NPCs would be a new thing for the series...

Grand Theft Zelda?

 

[Ahnez]

Well, judging by the size of the magic meter, I would guess the game will have 20 hearts

But he has 5 in this demo, I wonder if you will start with 3 this time

 

[georly]

Well, judging by the size of the magic meter, I would guess the game will have 20 hearts

But he has 5 in this demo, I wonder if you will start with 3 this time

Number of starting hearts is probably dependent on difficulty of the game. Since there are no motion controls for sword, the difficulty won't come from sword combat.

 

[TwEE-N-Toast]

I really hope this game is not part of the timeline and they don't lean so much on the same races and locations they have since Ocarina. It really takes away a lot of the sense of mystery.

Why not put Zoras, Gorons and forest children on hold and flush out some other races like the Goriya, Fokka, Daira.