Brontoforumus

I figure a giant Legend of Zelda dump thread is fine. Because there aren't that many Zelda games and talking about one, it becomes useful to compare it to it's predecessors.

Recently quashed the Link Between Worlds normal mode.

The final setpiece is almost as cool as the Wind Waker final battle. It almost makes me think that the gimmick of the game exists specifically to make this final battle happen.

Saw a thing on Reddit about how some Four Swords Adventure anniversary game is free on the Wii Shop until Feb 2nd. Does anybody know anything about this?

nJSeNLwXNbDRiLVe wrote:Saw a thing on Reddit about how some Four Swords Adventure anniversary game is free on the Wii Shop until Feb 2nd. Does anybody know anything about this?

Four Swords Anniversary Edition is a port of the GBA Four Swords game to 3DS (technically, to DSi, but let's be honest here) with some added content. It is only fun in multiplayer, and the multiplayer is local only. Nintendo seems to use it for some insane promotional stunt where they never sell it - periodically they give it away for free, and then they make it completely unavailable for a while.

There's no reason not to get it if you have a 3DS.

I'm very pleased how in Between Worlds I got to meet all of the sages before they got imperiled. Like, they're all characterized, at least a little, and then after every one I rescue, I get to see them on their little sage plane and check up on how they're doing.

...
Unfortunately, they've got nothing of interest to say and say the same dialogue over and over.

You remember how in Link's Awakening, you had neat item combinations, like bomb arrows? Well, this game eventually gives you two item slots (because why not?) and the first thing I tried to do was make a bomb-arrow.
...
it turns out bombs pop if you hit them with arrows.

I WAS GOING TO MAKE A ZELDA THREAD AND CALL IT 'CHAIN' BUT YOU RUINED IT CLASSIC

Anyway I've been playing the poopbutts out of Link Between Worlds and I'm ready to announce it as the most fun I've had with a Zelda since Link's Awakening. Besides the fact that it's the only game I've played on the 3DS so far that I actually want to turn 3D on for, the world switching mechanic is enough fun that it's convincing me to go back and give LttP more of a chance.

I also want Caroline Rhea and Beth Broderick playing Hilda and Zelda Spellman dressed up as princesses Hilda and Zelda so I can just never stop cumming.

You can make it yourself or pay someone to make it happen for you. The internet it a magical place.

beatbandito wrote:I WAS GOING TO MAKE A ZELDA THREAD AND CALL IT 'CHAIN' BUT YOU RUINED IT CLASSIC

Anyway I've been playing the poopbutts out of Link Between Worlds and I'm ready to announce it as the most fun I've had with a Zelda since Link's Awakening. Besides the fact that it's the only game I've played on the 3DS so far that I actually want to turn 3D on for, the world switching mechanic is enough fun that it's convincing me to go back and give LttP more of a chance.

And just what do you mean by that.

You know, I can't guarantee I'll still be this happy about A Link Between Worlds when I've put more time into it -- maybe the nostalgia goggles will wear off, or maybe the subsequent dungeons' design will be as limited as the first one. But so far? I can't say I've enjoyed a Zelda game this much in 20 years. It's frankly a little embarrassing to think that all I really wanted all this time was LttP: Second Quest, but damned if I've been this excited since Link's Awakening. (The first one. Not the GBC rerelease with two extra hints on each dungeon. That was bullshit.)

I'm really digging how wide-open it seems to be, and how the overworld is, well, like the Second Quest of the original game -- mostly the same but with some shit moved around here and there. It keeps me on my toes, and I'm enjoying the exploration so much that I'm only slightly disappointed that most of the secrets I've found so far are just rupees and not shit that actually matters.

And the stuff that IS new and different is pretty delightful. I love the Donkey Kong vibe to dodging boulders on Death Mountain.

There are a few things that feel a little off -- the viewing window feels tiny and I wish they'd zoom it out a bit, like maybe let me see the switches in bow range WITHOUT me having to actually aim at them first -- but on the whole I'm pretty damn satisfied so far.

I would really like to see this team take a crack at an original Zelda game. Or, failing that, do the same thing with the Link's Awakening map.

ALBW stays good. The dungeon design is fantastic.

(except for Turtle Rock and maybe the Ice Dungeon)

I never figured out what made the rods awesome in that game.
I feel sad about that.

sei wrote:ALBW stays good. The dungeon design is fantastic.

Yeah, I tackled the Tower of Hera next and was pretty blown away by it.

The dungeons DO seem smaller than in the original game, but given that I played through all of the Tower on my lunch break, it's easy to understand why. The ability to make legitimate progress in bite-sized play segments is a real boon to a portable game. I remember it frequently took me multiple sessions to get through dungeons on Link's Awakening; being able to get through in one sitting is better.

At least, for now. We'll see how I feel when it's over.

Wii U Zelda will apparently be open-world.

Okay, Aonuma. You have my attention.

The fact that this is considered a new feature makes me angry.

Yeah, well, Aonuma never played the first four.

To be fair, your ability to explore in Awakening did have a couple mobility tool gates.
I think roc's feather, pegasus boots, flippers, and hookshot do gate the game somewhat.

But I mean, that's still metroidvania style open world-iness.

Well, that's true in the first three, too (raft, hammer, whistle, ladder, bracelet/glove, hookshot, etc.) but they're still crazy wide-open. (Even 2, though that one less than the others.)

By the "go anywhere from (almost) the beginning" rubric, the most open Zelda would be Wind Waker. It's just an open world that's made up almost entirely of empty ocean.

The ocean is actually pretty crowded.
Frankly, any more crowded and I don't know if the game would have been able to stream-load the next area.

Classic wrote:The ocean is actually pretty crowded.

For values of "crowded" where you can just point your ship in a compass direction and go make a sandwich.