RE: We chat about videogames and videogame accessories.
11-09-2013, 02:09 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-09-2013, 02:10 AM by Not The Author.)
There are some good points (item utility vs quantity and and the item-as-key plague that causes item atrophy and/or death, especially outside certain dungeons; storytelling via the world rather than or in addition to storytelling via plot; the Zelda series not having as-fully embraced the third dimension as it might; allowing the player to discover their path rather than informing them of it; not being afraid to let the player fail and learn from failure), but they are points others have made more eloquently, more succinctly, and without dancing alongside "should" and "must". Zelda could be doing its shit better, and it could be doing its shit more like it used to, but the two aren't logically equivalent. The argument is an interesting one but I don't think the angle of approach is as accurate as the author might like.
Majora's Mask, I think, approaches his "ideal" Zelda without sacrificing modern... something-or-other. The plot of the game, as a whole, is fairly minimal: There's a mask, it's bad, please get it back for me or the world will end. That's basically it! Every other narrative thread is contained within the world, was already happening before you got there, and will not care if you leave it be. Yes, it's more directly communicated than "what few people yet live must live in caves," but you'll get more direct communication if you want people and townships that feel real. And you do want that, to communicate that there is a world that exists, that is in danger, that you ought to save from the coming apocalypse. The major masks are keys, yes, but the way they're utilized as keys gives a sense of progression as the world opens up before you, and grants them utility with mobility upgrades and modified modes of combat. They have those secrets which, oftentimes, are obscure and obtuse, but the game both gives you a book to keep track of everything with and doesn't require you decode every secret before you can finish the game.
Basically Majora's Mask is great and I'm not sure why he doesn't talk about it more, particularly when he gets to the "where should Zelda look for inspiration" bit. In fact, he seems to avoid talking about, skim over, or sort of dismiss things more recent Zeldas have gotten right. The argument was so broad, so cynical and so rambling that I'm left not entirely sure what the problems are, or if they even are problems.
Majora's Mask, I think, approaches his "ideal" Zelda without sacrificing modern... something-or-other. The plot of the game, as a whole, is fairly minimal: There's a mask, it's bad, please get it back for me or the world will end. That's basically it! Every other narrative thread is contained within the world, was already happening before you got there, and will not care if you leave it be. Yes, it's more directly communicated than "what few people yet live must live in caves," but you'll get more direct communication if you want people and townships that feel real. And you do want that, to communicate that there is a world that exists, that is in danger, that you ought to save from the coming apocalypse. The major masks are keys, yes, but the way they're utilized as keys gives a sense of progression as the world opens up before you, and grants them utility with mobility upgrades and modified modes of combat. They have those secrets which, oftentimes, are obscure and obtuse, but the game both gives you a book to keep track of everything with and doesn't require you decode every secret before you can finish the game.
Basically Majora's Mask is great and I'm not sure why he doesn't talk about it more, particularly when he gets to the "where should Zelda look for inspiration" bit. In fact, he seems to avoid talking about, skim over, or sort of dismiss things more recent Zeldas have gotten right. The argument was so broad, so cynical and so rambling that I'm left not entirely sure what the problems are, or if they even are problems.