Maybe things are better when they're harder

I've been around this forum for awhile, and I've also read other articles and comments outside this spectrum. As a LoZ and AoL purist and enthusiast, do you guys think these games don't get the love because younger gamers think they are too hard??? These games get ripped for being 2D, they get ripped for being impossible, and they get ripped for being difficult!!!!. Give me a break! It's almost like if the game doesn't take you by the hand and walk you through(OoT, MM, and WW) than it's not worth the time.
I just hope that TP is tough. As a Zelda fan and Homer, we NEED another game in the series that inspires thought and effort!

I can't dissagree with you that Zelda games need to be harder or get new puzzles that need to be less original. For a 2D game, LoZ and AoL are hard. You have less gadgets and abilities that could help get out of tough situations like in other recent LoZ's games.

But after being a Zelda fan for so longe, you get to develope what I call "Zeldasence". Things start to become predictable in gameplay and things start to seem more and more less original. Yes. Nintendo should come up with some more tough puzzles. Zelda is still a great game reguardless of how repetative puzzles are used but Zelda is much more than that to others. Zelda is what you make of it I suppose. Its a game. Enjoy it or quit playing it.

In my personal opinion, Nintendo started making Zelda games less "difficult" when Anouma took complete control over the developement of the WW and the rest of the following cell shaded oriented LoZ's like TMC, FS, and FSA. Those games were not that difficult for me along with WW. The cell shaded age of the LoZ series will always be looked upon by the "older generation" fans as easier games that Nintendo made to attract the "new generation" of fans into the Zelda market. I am a strong believer in this and I understand why someone from the "new generation" will get affended by me saying this. So I am sorry, but as a Zelda fan from the very first LoZ that came out, I see the reveloutions that Nintendo brought to Zelda that some can not see from the "new generation" of Zelda fans. Zelda has become easier for "US".

I totally agree with LOZ Historian, about that "Zeldasence" you are totally right. Once you have already played a few Zelda games the next Zelda game you play will look a lot more easy that the one before. So, i really think a change of plans must be made to Zelda games, i mean more and harder puzzles... or at least some really hard battles when you must really use all the skills you got with your sword.

i agree with your opinion LOZ Historian, since the cel shaded games its been way to easy and didnt really bring out the best in zelda..the MC was also too short for the zelda series...

Yes, we need harder zelda games, like sherm has said (great post btw), the newer generation of zelda fans should not by any means complain about the difficulty of the NES/SNES zelda's.
And like LoZHistorian said, once the cell-shading took ahold of Zelda, things have gotten rather easy, sure they are fun, and can be enjoyable by the masses, but enough with this reimmersion into zelda, the franchise now needs to become more selective, only playable to a select group of gamers, like how Alttp, LA, oracles, and MM were.

I found OOT to be chalenging......MM and WW were to ez though.....

I don't want it to be so challenging that the only way to complete the game is to use a guide. Some things the zelda creaters put into into the dungens you almost NEED a guide to get through.


TP should be hard at some points, and easy at others for a nice mixture of gameplay.

i think the reason for this is because nintendo had no ideas back than except for improving graphics, they did it for MC on gba but it wasnt really that hard, you would sometimes ask for help but the temples were way too easy...and items were easy to get aswell and really when they did change the graphics to cel shaded you didnt feel like you were playing a game, more like watching a cartoon

Most games now are straight forward now, they tell you where to go, which is crap, unlike in ALttP.

And if you can't figure it out and don't like guides, then don't use the guide. Figure it out yourself.

I think Zelda games should be challenging so that you need to think, but not so challenging that that it gets frustating. The fact that LoZ & AoL are so challenging that they can sometimes get frustating is one of the main reasons some people don't like them (but screw anyone who doesn't like the NES Zeldas, I love 'em ).

I agree. I still had fun with the new Zelda games though, but the older ones are definitely harder. Then again, they do lack the "atmosphere" that later games like Majora's Mask give.

All games need to be challenging... Challenge gets you interested and more absorbed in the game. Without it the game would be flat out worthless.

There is a fine line however, between challenge and frustration. I remember a review for Metroid Prime stating that it was "Challenging but not frustrating...".

Challenge will make you think, use trial and error, and finally find the solution, in addition using your skills and abilities to that solution.

Frustration takes the challenge too far. You think, and find the solution, but the puzzle demands you try over and over again using not your skills, but your patience. Something that is so hard that you abandon the game all together is not want you want in a game.

Originally Posted by Sherm

I've been around this forum for awhile, and I've also read other articles and comments outside this spectrum. As a LoZ and AoL purist and enthusiast, do you guys think these games don't get the love because younger gamers think they are too hard??? These games get ripped for being 2D, they get ripped for being impossible, and they get ripped for being difficult!!!!. Give me a break! It's almost like if the game doesn't take you by the hand and walk you through(OoT, MM, and WW) than it's not worth the time.
I just hope that TP is tough. As a Zelda fan and Homer, we NEED another game in the series that inspires thought and effort!

I will admit the 2D Zelda's are harder, and I loved AoL but come on Oot, MM, and WW didn't walk you through the game, now WW was really easy but still fun though. However I found Oot to be quite challenging, and MM with all of its sidequest was pretty tough too, and god those fairies. Dam those stupid fairies, I had to get everyone of you!!!!

Well, maybe because people spend so much time worried about graphics rather than gameplay and puzzles, they forget all about how hard the originals were. Believe me, beating AoL with 0 deaths wasn't easy, but I did it. As well as with LoZ. Because a room full of Blue wizrobes is NOT fun. In 2D. In 3D zelda games, much more options are available. In 2D ones, all we can do is try to move out of the way. In 3D ones, we can jump, sidestep, block, parry, all sorts of things. Back then, you had to take a hit.

I prefer a challenge over a ridiculously easy game. LZ and AL were very challenging and put your sword skills to the fullest. In the newer games, it's simply so easy it is almost at the point of boring. For example, in WW to kill a enemy, all you have to do is L-target and press B three times. And if you got hit, you were pampered with several hearts after defeating every enemies. These new games are not any fun. I prefer the older games, which were ridiculously hard. I say the harder and more challenging the game is, the better.

I reckon the perfect difficulty was AlltP, it was actually really tough, but you always knew what you had to do next, meaning that it didn't get annoying and you didn't give up, if you don't have a clue, it is evidence of bad game design, I'd rather have a game where I get stuck because of being an idiot rather than a game where I get stuck because I don't know where to go (LOZ!)

Lol amen brother, WW was a joke, i think i beat it the first time in like six hours the day i got it. I loved the complexity of ALTTP, and guess what? No epona to get you to places faster hehe just think of the horror. And the bosses were WAY harder in ALTTP than in any of the newer zelda games, the first couple bosses you play, you die against, actually die, and I like it when that happens, because it gives you something much more to shoot for, and the whole tying the Dark/LIght worlds together was pure genious, one of a kind "Treasure" in a nutshell.

I say that they should give you a choice in the matter of difficulty (by that, I mean the whole 'second quest' thing, but instead of only having second quests, they should allow you to re-take/replay the game as many times as possible (with increasing difficulty each time, and maybe a little bit of randomization in dungeons (First time still be the same though.))) That way younger players will gradually get used to the increased "difficulty."

I won't lie, I HATED the difficulty on AoL, but now that I beat it (and all the data now being erased from my memory card,) I wanna play it again (and every other Zelda I've played!)

LoZ reminds me of a giant hedge maze more than a 'land of Hyrule.' ALttP was where I first felt the barriers break--where you weren't caught in the third dungeon before you were ready--where there were few dead ends in the map--where there were real towns! With people! That moved! It was the most revolutionary experience I had felt in the Zelda series.