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Originally Posted by Hylian Dan  There needs to be a lot less linearity, but by that I don't mean stuff like doing the dungeons out of order, because I don't think that's necessay. You need to have the chance to get lost in the game.
That was virtually impossible in Twilight Princess. Every area was either a big empty circle or a straight, narrow path. I'd like to see a 3D mountain range that's as difficult and confusing to traverse as the ones in ALttP and LA. Both of TP's mountain ranges were direct paths to dungeons.
You should also be able to access and explore some environments before it is necessary to do so. Tougher enemies and other temporary obstacles would limit your initial progress. When you explore in TP, it feels like the game is artificially restricting you and always holding your hand, and you don't get much of a sense of curiosity. On the other hand, remember how immersive it was exploring the Lost Woods in OoT before going to the Deku Tree? Or venturing into Ikana before gaining the Ice Arrows? There should also be some content to interest players who go into areas like these ahead of time. There was plenty to do early on in Ikana and the Lost Woods, but in TP when you could go to Snowpeak ahead of time, there was absolutely nothing to do.
Dungeons also need to be less linear. At this point, you can basically look at your map once you get it and figure out your entire route through the dungeon. I want more dungeons like Snowhead and Great Bay. You'd go through the same rooms again and again, trying to figure out if you had missed something. You'd know there were certain areas you'd need to reach, but you'd be unsure of how to get to those places. In TP you're just going from one room to the next, one puzzle at a time. I don't remember ever having more than one key at a time. Again, this makes it feel like Nintendo is holding your hand, rather than challenging you to navigate the place on your own.
Playing through TP felt more like a process than an adventure. That needs to change. |
Nicely put, Hylian Dan. That's what was I felt was missing in Twilgiht Princess's dungeons, I just couldn't put my finger on it until you said it. I remember getting lost in the Fire and Forest Temples and Jabu Jabu's Belly in
OoT, all 4 temples in
MM, and the Wind Temple in WW. I never once got lost in
TP because you constantly followed a path, where, like you said, the game just held your hand the whole way through.
For the overworld,
TP's overworld was sickly linear! I didn't like it at all. And damn, the Death Mountain in
TP is literally nothing but a straight path. What ever happened to the style of
ALttP's Death Mountain or
LA's Tal Tal Heights? The same with Faron Woods! It's pathetic, what happened to the endless, non-linear woods seen in the trailer?
I do have to give
TP credit for its Sacred Grove, though. It is the best version of a forest seen in the 3D Zeldas so far. I still get lost in there, and I love that feeling. Being lost in such a stunning environment makes me smile.
Other things I'd change with the series is the same old recycled forumla.
OoT, WW, and
TP still run on the same plot forumla as
ALttP. Get 3 artifacts, dramatic event, get master sword, second quest, kill Ganon, win game. Nintendo needs to change this because it not only makes Zelda games predictable, but it leaves you with a bored feeling of "been there, done that". This has to change because
TP was the straw that broke the cammels back! Nintendo tacked on the Master Sword and Ganon just to make the plot the same again. It's really getting old.