The Legend of Zelda is one of gaming's oldest and most esteemed franchises. Originally appearing on the NES in 1987, the series has appeared on every Nintendo console and portable machine with entries such as 1998's Ocarina of Time be lauded as one of the greatest games of all time. I have played the majority of the series and am a solid fan of franchise, however lately something seems amiss. My most recently completed Zelda games are The Minish Cap for the Game Boy Advance and Twilight Princess on the GameCube released in 2005 and 2006 respectively. The Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks for the Nintendo DS remain unfinished as does Wii's motion controlled entry Skyward Sword. Is the Legend of Zelda series losing its spark or did I just lose the motivation to complete these titles?
Phantom Hourglass is the touch screen controlled sequel to 2003's Wind Waker. Sailing remains a key element in this film however instead of controlling the ship directly, players chart a course on the touch screen and the ship moves by itself. The overall world is smaller and the game is plagued by repeated visits to the Temple of the Ocean King. After completing a dungeon, I has to return to the Temple of the Ocean King After so many repeated visits, I simply lost interest. Spirit Tracks, the direct sequel to Phantom Hourglass is an improved experience but even with more evolved controls and combat, I eventually abandoned it.
There are two elements in recent Zelda games that zapped me of my will to complete them.at Nintendo's de-emphasizing of a large explorable overworld and its increased reliance on non traditional control methods has limited its appeal. To transition from the open waters of Wind Waker's Great Sea and the the expanses of Hyrule Field to the fragmented and closed worlds of Phantom Hourglass and Skyward Sword. One of the most enjoyable moments in Twilight Princess was seeing a section of Hyrule Field and discovering it just a smaller part of a larger overworld. Skward Swords worlds were vibrant and imaginative but outside of a few boss battles, it failed to provide that wow moment.
While Zelda's touchscreen controls hindered my enjoyment, the motion controls did add a certain new vigor to the franchise. However controlling certain items such as the Beetle proved problematic and the sword controls felt slightly off. These new control options were meant to provide more immersion instead caused me to feel increasingly disconnected. That being said, parts of Skyward Sword shine brightly but it is riddled with fetch quests and an overworld more barren than a game from two console generations ago. There are parts of a masterful game buried inside the land of Skyloft which make the game all the more disappointing. I have not tried the 3DS's A Link Between Worlds as I plan to hold off until I complete Skyward Sword Overall I have tried to love the more recent Zelda games but at some point during their playtime stopped being enjoyable and simply became a chore.
Phantom Hourglass is the touch screen controlled sequel to 2003's Wind Waker. Sailing remains a key element in this film however instead of controlling the ship directly, players chart a course on the touch screen and the ship moves by itself. The overall world is smaller and the game is plagued by repeated visits to the Temple of the Ocean King. After completing a dungeon, I has to return to the Temple of the Ocean King After so many repeated visits, I simply lost interest. Spirit Tracks, the direct sequel to Phantom Hourglass is an improved experience but even with more evolved controls and combat, I eventually abandoned it.
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There are two elements in recent Zelda games that zapped me of my will to complete them.at Nintendo's de-emphasizing of a large explorable overworld and its increased reliance on non traditional control methods has limited its appeal. To transition from the open waters of Wind Waker's Great Sea and the the expanses of Hyrule Field to the fragmented and closed worlds of Phantom Hourglass and Skyward Sword. One of the most enjoyable moments in Twilight Princess was seeing a section of Hyrule Field and discovering it just a smaller part of a larger overworld. Skward Swords worlds were vibrant and imaginative but outside of a few boss battles, it failed to provide that wow moment.
While Zelda's touchscreen controls hindered my enjoyment, the motion controls did add a certain new vigor to the franchise. However controlling certain items such as the Beetle proved problematic and the sword controls felt slightly off. These new control options were meant to provide more immersion instead caused me to feel increasingly disconnected. That being said, parts of Skyward Sword shine brightly but it is riddled with fetch quests and an overworld more barren than a game from two console generations ago. There are parts of a masterful game buried inside the land of Skyloft which make the game all the more disappointing. I have not tried the 3DS's A Link Between Worlds as I plan to hold off until I complete Skyward Sword Overall I have tried to love the more recent Zelda games but at some point during their playtime stopped being enjoyable and simply became a chore.
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