Have recent Zelda games lost the allure of discovery?

NE:

"Mystery is something that’s very important to me in games, movies, books… pretty much everything! With the recent announcement of Zelda for Wii U and how it will be open-world—as in, even more open world than all the other Zelda games that are open world—I’ve been thinking a lot about how it could finally be the game to bring mystery back to Zelda. But what made old Zelda games so mysterious in the first place? And why is the mystery gone now?"

[Wni0]

You do quests to unlock new sections of a level, then backtrack once u find the key

[lilbroRx]

Zelda games have never had levels. There is just one big world.

Quests are predominately for extra content like pieces of heart and upgrades.

[3-4-5]

LoZ needs more towns and villages.

[imtheman2013]

Recent console Zelda titles have, but A Link Between Worlds brought the sense of discovery back in full force.

[lilbroRx]

I'd say the exact opposite of that. A Link Between Worlds was the most boring and simple Zelda game I've ever played. There was nothing to discover. You were given almost everything you need right from the start. Then you just ran through the dungeon, fought a simple boss and repeated until the end.

Skyward sword was the most original Zelda game I've played since Wind Waker almost entirely do to the Wiimote. I felt their was a lot more that they could have done with the items and the Wiimote in that game, though.

[imtheman2013]

That's what I liked about A Link Between Worlds. They gave you the tools to do anything right off the bat. I wasn't forced to go the "Forest Dungeon" or something first, find the Slingshot, then beat the boss with that item. I decided where I wanted to go, in whatever order I wanted, and with whatever items I wanted. I didn't know if I was doing it in the "right" order, and that's what made it feel like I was actually discovering things, not just going through the typical Zelda motions.

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

I haven't played LBWs
BUT
I definitely AGREE with your comment about SS.

To me Zelda 1 and SS are the Best Zelda's I have ever played.

If the NEXT Zelda can bring back the freedom and massive discovery of Zelda 1... I will fly to Japan just to hug Eiji Aonuma- while crying tears of joy.

[lilbroRx]

I liked having to go to the "Forest Dungeon" to find the sling shot. It made me have to use more thought and kept the game fresh by constantly having something new to discover as you progressed and having puzzles that required deeper levels of though.

LBW got stale and repetitive fast. You remember the forest dungeon because the effort you have to put into left an impression on you. There was nothing memorable about A Link Between Worlds. It was a game that you run through, then forget about almost immediately upon it ending.

[imtheman2013]

I'm not saying that I don't enjoy the Zelda formula, because I do. But the recent console iterations just haven't really resonated with me as much as A Link Between Worlds did. To each his own, I suppose. :P

[linkenski]

Seeing everything in a mere 15 hours was unsatisfactory for a zelda game. There weren't even any really standout moments that were not a part of the main quest, plus it was just the same over world as ALttP. Disagree.

[dafegamer]

Zelda is a very great series, but I prefer if the Remove the Item renting mechanic in future installments.
For me Zelda for me was always about exploring the dungeon and finding a specific item to solve the many puzzles

[recto85]

Nope, you're just being silly.

[sk8ofmnd]

Hasn't been a good console zelda since ocarina of time in my opinion. That was what a n64 game? Heres hoping zelda u is amazing. Need more about this game!

[voodoochild346]

You don't play many Zeldas then...

[sk8ofmnd]

Actually I played twilight princess and skyward sword. I love the zelda universe. But notice I said console zelda. Skyward sword was ok but twilight was better and in my opinion oot was better than both. What do you think?

[voodoochild346]

@sk8ofmnd

The point is you can't make that claim if you haven't played them. Majora's Mask and The Wind Waker. 2 very good Zeldas. Both after Ocarina. Ocarina is the Zelda version of FF 7.

Because it was the first 3d Zelda and the first Zelda for a lot of people, they pretend it's the only one that matters even though Wind Waker is every bit as good and A Link to the Past is considered better by many who played it(like FF 6 is considered better than 7 by many who have played it). Though I haven't played Skyward Sword, I have played Twilight Princess. Although the combat was a huge step back from Wind Waker, it is a very good game.

[randomass171]

Since I played Skyward Sword, I've been trying to get myself further into the series. I've only played a few others like ALttP and Minish Cap. So far, I haven't noticed a lack of discovery. The dungeons and characters are all pretty new at least to me.

[desolationstorm]

There is a Zelda formula the series follows. Go to dungeon find weapon use weapon throughout dungoen and progress further in the game.

This is one reason why a lot of peoples favorites tend to be their first fully experienced Zelda. The sense of discovery is new.

[Blacklash93]

For many longtime players, yes. Just because it's gotten so predictable. I get the bow in the dungeon that has a lot of targets I need to shoot, then I go back and hit those switches, etc. That move only works only for so many decades. It's not really even discovery at this point; just the typical flow of Zelda.

A Link Between Worlds managed to help this a lot, though. Renting items meant the power of discovery was revitalized by the power of choice. The player could choose the way the explored the world and dungeons. And the dungeons themselves were more flexibly deisgned. Just finding rupees felt rewarding, because they were actually worth something.

Now, if Zelda U can take what ALBW accomplished and push that forward, that would be great.

[lilbroRx]

Huh?@"Renting items meant the power of discovery was revitalized by the power of choice."

This makes absolutely no sense. If something is being given to you then there is nothing to discover at all. Did the definition of discovery change overnight while I was asleep or something. When you open a chest that you don't know the contents of, that is discovery. Being shown a list of things that you can pick at leisure negates all discovery. You don't discover it anymore. Its already there.

And the rupees felt thrown at me. I ended up with a hoard of money after upgrading everything at the end without even attempting to make any major effort to acquire it. I ran out of things to spend money on less than 3/4 through the game.

ALBW was the most forgettable Zelda game I've ever played. Heck, it was the first forgettable Zelda game I've ever played, specially, because there was nothing at all to discover in it. The only memorable point in that game was the only part that followed old Zelda style where you had to get the sand rod. Aside from that, you just grab all of the items and run through the simple dungeons that have no depth whatsoever. Then you fight an easy boss and go to another one all the way to the end.

It didn't change the Zelda formula. It just super simplified it and removed all depth and structure, so that you could roam around freely. Everything that made Zelda great was gone from that game.

[Blacklash93]

The items aren't the discovery. You discover things for the items, and using the items.

Finding 500 rupees to me was far more satisfying for me than finding the Hookshot for the 20th time. That's because had a real choice in what to do with those rupees, and opened new possibilities in the game world with the item I bought. That's discovery being enhanced by choice. There are useful items you don't even need to get in order to complete the game. It didn't simplify the Zelda structure. It expanded it into a more open structure, and successfully.

ALBW also had some of the best dungeons the 2D series had seen in ages, with only a couple from Spirit Tracks rivaling them. Multiple possible sequences to complete them, shortcuts with non-essential items, full utilizing of the essential item from the start, clever and varied use of the painting mechanic, and much more fluid and overarching structure that encouraged intuition and freedom instead of searching all the doors for the one open path.

The lack of hand-holding I especially appreciated. Skyward Sword cemented itself as one of the worst games in the series for how overbearing its tutorials and hints were on the player, along with other issues such as a multitude of forced collection objectives and backtracking. Everything that made Zelda great was gone from that game, I'd say.

And easy bosses? That's been the norm since Ocarina of Time. The fact that most bosses could be damaged without having to solve an elaborate and strict sequence in order to stun them open their weak point for two combos is a breath of fresh air of the series at this point. At least they actually felt like mobile fights.

[link2Dpast]

Their is some truth to this but i dont think its so much "zelda" fault or the game it self. My point being with the internet and all these sites, everything eventually gets spoiled. Its like smash brothers, in the old days you had to figure out how to unlock these characters, it was a great surpise, same for most games.

Making this new zelda does help in the "allure of discovery" since their is no right set route, you go where you want to

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

a lot of fake zelda fans here