Support NeoGAF

[Gaiff]

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

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

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

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

could you say that pokemon or mario bros are similar in that aspect?

 

[V1LÆM]

It's good enough and the games sell. Mario is still all about rescuing Princess Peach.

It offers a basic plot point and goal. It's not about the story really but what the gameplay is like.

 

[acm2000]

because $$$$$$$$$

people lap that shit up just because its a new zelda game.

same goes for mario.

nintendo isnt interested in blockbuster story telling.

 

[Gaiff]

could you say that pokemon or mario bros are similar in that aspect?

Yes but I wanna stick to Zelda. Nobody takes the plot of Mario and Pokemon seriously whereas Zelda did tell some pretty interesting stories.

 

[ckaneo]

Because its what the fans including me want.

 

[Regginator]

Based on the thread title I was sure you meant how Nintendo has re-told (or effectively ret-conned) the Imprisoning War. Established in ALTTP, covered in OOT, heavily hinted at in TP, afterwards ret-conned in Hyrule Historia to having took place after OOT (instead of before), and now with TOTK they've given it another spin. Pretty confusing to keep track of these different versions, but at the same time, we're literally experiencing different Legends of (the Royal Family of) Zelda, and like many myths and legends, there's bound to be discrepancies between them.

Even though that was not your question, I had to put it on paper in order to make room in my head.

 

[Gaiff]

Because its what the fans including me want.

You want the same thing retold despite the endless possibilities?

 

[Cert.in.Death]

*Looks at sales
*Looks at Nintendo fans

Isn’t it self-explanatory?

 

[cireza]

Zelda games have a story ?

 

[fran.fernandez]

Totk was fun but I did skip all cutscenes . It was just templates from one temple to another lol

 

[tkscz]

Because story means next to nothing in the game? For crying out loud you find out what happened to Zelda but tell NO ONE, so all these NPCs keep saying "we need to find out what happen to Zelda."

Story is pointless in a Zelda game that doesn't focus around it.

 

[ahtlas7]

 

[ADiTAR]

Because it's a legend, and a legend is being retold again and again with minor differences.

 

[Wesleyalucard]

The better question is why "journalists" accept it, it's because of nostalgia?

 

[ssringo]

Because the fans keep lapping it up and want more.

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

[Impotaku]

Zelda games have never had a super deep story, it's enough to serve a purpose but i doubt many people play it for that reason. Gannon Zelda & Link are integral to the series the whole part of it been the legend of Zelda, 3 parts of the triforce removing any of them and it kind of stops been a mainline zelda & more of a spinoff game.

If the story is really that important, maybe Zelda isn't the series for you.

 

[lh032]

story telling is not really Nintendo good at.

 

[Gaiff]

Zelda games have never had a super deep story, it's enough to serve a purpose but i doubt many people play it for that reason. Gannon Zelda & Link are integral to the series the whole part of it been the legend of Zelda, 3 parts of the triforce removing any of them and it kind of stops been a mainline zelda & more of a spinoff game.

If the story is really that important, maybe Zelda isn't the series for you.

It's not THAT important but it sure is refreshing when they veer off the beaten path.

Zelda and Ganon are hardly integral. MM is as Zelda as Zelda gets and Zelda appears once and I don't even think Ganon gets a mention. In Link's Awakening, I think Zelda's name gets mentioned once early in the game and that's it. Both manage to create engaging worlds and have a colorful cast of characters and actually a pretty interesting story. Nothing complex or groundbreaking but MM manages to nicely tie the lore into the gameplay for a unique experience. They both have the Zelda feeling to the max without retelling you the same thing for the 50th time.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Please build a sequel to Majoras mask the thread.

 

[Gaiff]

Please build a sequel to Majoras mask the thread.

Eh, I think it's fine as a standalone. I like weird games like MM or Bloodborne with tons of unexplained lore. Adds to the mystery and mystic.

 

[RoboFu]

How exactly is TOTK the same? Lol
I don’t want to spoil it.

It’s not the same unless you mean something as vague as “ save the world “ is The same.

 

[diffusionx]

they're gameplay-first games. That is how most of Nintendo operates to this day. If you really care about story, well, Nintendo really isn't the dev for you.

 

[AmuroChan]

Why reinvent what's not broken?

 

[Outlier]

Because people keep buying them. There is no other reason.

What greater reason exists other than to save the world from doom?

 

[LakeOf9]

Because its a "legend" being retold over the ages

I like the stories in these games. They follow the same template but they do some very different things each time, whether its OOT's time traveling or Wind Waker basically wiping out Ganon, Hyrule, the Master Sword, and the Triforce. BOTW's story was cool for its focus on trying to uncover the lore, and TOTK's story is probably the second best in the series.

 

[March Climber]

Nobody takes the plot of Pokemon seriously

It depends on which part of Pokémon you’re paying the most attention to. The video games could easily mirror the manga/anime/comics/movies if they really wanted to. Honestly some of them already have.

 

[ReBurn]

The better question is why "journalists" accept it, it's because of nostalgia?

That's not a better question. That's a different question.

 

[SmokedMeat]

As long as the gameplay continues to be great, I don’t really care that the big bad continues to be Ganon.

 

[damidu]

wasn’t even aware there is a story.
should i stop skipping all the insufferable grunts and sighs ?!

 

[Paulistano]

Because Nintendo, they have a "free pass" if it was any other company they would be heavily criticized.

 

[Draugoth]

 

[LakeOf9]

The better question is why "journalists" accept it, it's because of nostalgia?

Because, believe it or not, a lot of people dont play a lot of games for the story. it's there for the flavour, but ultimately a lot of people are playing games to, you know, play them.

Wild thought, I know.

 

[SantaC]

That's why Majoras Mask was a fresh take.

 

[Hardensoul]

Based on the thread title I was sure you meant how Nintendo has re-told (or effectively ret-conned) the Imprisoning War. Established in ALTTP, covered in OOT, heavily hinted at in TP, afterwards ret-conned in Hyrule Historia to having took place after OOT (instead of before), and now with TOTK they've given it another spin. Pretty confusing to keep track of these different versions, but at the same time, we're literally experiencing different Legends of (the Royal Family of) Zelda, and like many myths and legends, there's bound to be discrepancies between them.

Even though that was not your question, I had to put it on paper in order to make room in my head.

Also Time travel. Anytime that's involve everything story wise can get rebooted retcon. We have multiple different timelines, Hero wins, Hero dies, Hero fails? Too many to recall.

It's gameplay that brought me back to Zelda. My last Zelda before BotW/TotK was Twilight Princess and I never finished because the gameplay got stale for me. Which I'm told TP story was great?

 

[Hudo]

because the last time they went on telling a different story with Majora's Mask, "fans" were telling them it's shit (even though Majora's Mask is the third-best Zelda).

 

[Shubh_C63]

I guess they want story, basically a fairy tale to be in the background and extremely simple. (Damsel in distress, an Evil spirit and a courageous warrior)

And they throw all their focus on mechanics because a complex story might *might* dissuade young audience which every company wants to attract as new audience. 30-40 year olf guys will just play anything if they had played Zelda when they were young.

 

[Robb]

I definitely think it’s an area they can improve on, but it’s not one I’d want them to put focus on above other stuff. If they got time, make it better. If not, make it as simple as possible and focus on more important stuff.

 

[Gaiff]

Which I'm told TP story was great?

It's not.

Besides that, TP loves wasting the player's time too much. Not surprised you dropped it.

 

[Mister Wolf]

It's a tale as old as time.

 

[Krathoon]

They are also bad about this with Pikmin. The same old shit over and over.

 

[killatopak]

If you think about it Zelda games are basically remakes. And remakes sell a ton to this day.

They really are ahead of the curve.

 

[Ev1L AuRoN]

Because the story is just an excuse for the gameplay, Nintendo focus on that.

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Because story in games doesn’t matter.

 

[Hardensoul]

It's not.

Besides that, TP loves wasting the player's time too much. Not surprised you dropped it.

Yea, I recall at the start of TP was such a chore. I got no opinion of games I don't or didn't play to completion. No comment from me about story of TP.

 

[AV]

I've beaten every mainline Zelda game and the story is the least interesting part 100% of the time. Couldn't tell you the details of most of them.

That said, the most underrated in the series (the Oracle duology) don't even feature Zelda or Ganon until/unless the player does the linked ending thing. Chalk that up as another reason that they're two of the best.

 

[mrmustard]

First Zeldas barely had any story and are still great games. Story is not important at all for a game to be good and fun.

 

[rodrigolfp]

Legend.

 

[Raven117]

*Looks at sales
*Looks at Nintendo fans

Isn’t it self-explanatory?

Basically this.

They are interested in gameplay...not stories.

But that said. Id love to see Nintendo's take on a Zelda/Witcher hybrid...for funzies.

 

[Victor Omega]

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

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

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

"don't change what works."

This is probably the most challenging quote that people don't understand about Nintendo's IPs; in fact, once you don't understand this quote, you become NOT the target audience.

There have been six generations of 5 years olds and three generations of 10 years old since the first Zelda game.