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[RCU005]

I say yes.

After BOTW and TOTK, I believe people enjoy more the gameplay aspect of the open world, than the fact that you can do the story in any order. Maybe speed runners loved the fact that you can go straight to Ganon, but the majority of people will enjoy the game normally.

Zelda BOTW and TOTK get many things right with its world freedom. The fact that you can climb anything or go anywhere, it's the main point that people enjoy.

I've been thinking about an Ocarina of Time remake with a BOTW/TOTK world. Having a huge world that you can explore, but still follow the story the way it is intended, is something I believe many would enjoy much more. Of course they would have to add restrictions so that when you start a story quest, you stay there, but other than that, when you are out of a main quest, you can do anything you want.

Something beneficial about it, is that it would allow developers to design true dungeons again, and not those themed copy cats for every thing. Also, and the most important thing: Characters! BOTW introduced voice acting and amazing characters, that I feel were in a way wasted by the way the story was told. BOTW, specially, introduced an amazing lore with its characters, and having a heavy story-focused game would have been great.

Another thing that could return are the classic items. They could design the game so that we could use them either out in the world, and dungeons, paired with new gimmicks that they come up with. Dungeons could be designed to mix both to solve puzzles, and have two or three items to clear it, instead of the classic "solve this dungeon with this specific item you find in here".

Also, they could still have shrine-like gameplay for people that enjoyed solving puzzles creatively (cheesing them).

In short, there is no reason for Nintendo not to use both aspects. Like I said, the openness of the game that people like is in its world, not in the quest design or story order.

I believe it would be a bigger game and more expensive, but Zelda games sell millions anyway.

What do you think?

 

[LordOfChaos]

Linear stories need to have stories, which both games barely do

 

[Lokaum D+]

it would be good if the game at first had any story

 

[cireza]

Add dungeons on top of the story.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Absolutely no.

Zelda games are the epitome of exploration, one of the few open worlds that justify its nature.

On the other hand, its story is as basic as it can get. It worked in a small game like Shadow of the Colossus, but Zelda is a very different thing.

 

[RoboFu]

It the last two Zelda games the general purpose is that you basically make your own story in between main events. If hour long cutscenes are your thing then I suggest lookin here.

https://www.fandango.com

 

[Sakura]

I'm not 100% sure I understand what you are talking about OP, but I would argue that the story in BotW/TotK is linear. Just because you choose to do one area before the other (or skip it for some reason) doesn't really matter. The story itself is still linear. Like when you regain memories in BotW, sure they might be out of order, but the story that is there is linear, and even if you skip it, that doesn't mean the story didn't happen.
A non-linear story, in my opinion, is a story that is multi-branching, which Zelda's is not (though there is a true ending, but that is kind of irrelevant to the order in which you do things).
Even in pre-BotW Zelda games, there are dungeons you can do before or after others.

I don't really think the story has anything to do with dungeon design. They could create awesome dungeons if they wanted to in BotW/TotK but they chose not to. The shrines are better designed/have better puzzles than the dungeons.

 

[StueyDuck]

I say yes.

After BOTW and TOTK, I believe people enjoy more the gameplay aspect of the open world, than the fact that you can do the story in any order. Maybe speed runners loved the fact that you can go straight to Ganon, but the majority of people will enjoy the game normally.

Zelda BOTW and TOTK get many things right with its world freedom. The fact that you can climb anything or go anywhere, it's the main point that people enjoy.

I've been thinking about an Ocarina of Time remake with a BOTW/TOTK world. Having a huge world that you can explore, but still follow the story the way it is intended, is something I believe many would enjoy much more. Of course they would have to add restrictions so that when you start a story quest, you stay there, but other than that, when you are out of a main quest, you can do anything you want.

Something beneficial about it, is that it would allow developers to design true dungeons again, and not those themed copy cats for every thing. Also, and the most important thing: Characters! BOTW introduced voice acting and amazing characters, that I feel were in a way wasted by the way the story was told. BOTW, specially, introduced an amazing lore with its characters, and having a heavy story-focused game would have been great.

Another thing that could return are the classic items. They could design the game so that we could use them either out in the world, and dungeons, paired with new gimmicks that they come up with. Dungeons could be designed to mix both to solve puzzles, and have two or three items to clear it, instead of the classic "solve this dungeon with this specific item you find in here".

Also, they could still have shrine-like gameplay for people that enjoyed solving puzzles creatively (cheesing them).

In short, there is no reason for Nintendo not to use both aspects. Like I said, the openness of the game that people like is in its world, not in the quest design or story order.

I believe it would be a bigger game and more expensive, but Zelda games sell millions anyway.

What do you think?

Can those games be better Zelda games... the answer is yes.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

But the two last Zelda games already have a linear story.
You’re just given the option to break the sequence anytime.

 

[Holammer]

I'm not 100% sure I understand what you are talking about OP, but I would argue that the story in BotW/TotK is linear. Just because you choose to do one area before the other (or skip it for some reason) doesn't really matter. The story itself is still linear. Like when you regain memories in BotW, sure they might be out of order, but the story that is there is linear, and even if you skip it, that doesn't mean the story didn't happen.
A non-linear story, in my opinion, is a story that is multi-branching, which Zelda's is not (though there is a true ending, but that is kind of irrelevant to the order in which you do things).
Even in pre-BotW Zelda games, there are dungeons you can do before or after others.

I don't really think the story has anything to do with dungeon design. They could create awesome dungeons if they wanted to in BotW/TotK but they chose not to. The shrines are better designed/have better puzzles than the dungeons.

Yes. If the story was multi-branching we would have a discussion.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

I am (re)playing Ocarina of Time on an N64 after not touching it for over a decade. It is astounding how they managed to get that open world feel, yet still ground the game in a sequence that requires certain items and interactions to progress. It’s so refreshing. It really makes the Switch games feel far too sloppy and loose.

Breath of the Wild is like someone creating a Zelda game using Minecraft in comparison.

 

[StueyDuck]

I am (re)playing Ocarina of Time on an N64 after not touching it for over a decade. It is astounding how they managed to get that open world feel, yet still ground the game in a sequence that requires certain items and interactions to progress. It’s so refreshing. It really makes the Switch games feel far too sloppy and loose.

Breath of the Wild is like someone creating a Zelda game using Minecraft in comparison.

Couldn't agree more.

And the best part is that you get the wonderful treat now to drop into majoras mask afterwards and it's that one two punch that's just unmatched by today's standards

 

[Robb]

but I would argue that the story in BotW/TotK is linear

Pretty much what I was thinking. There’s no alternative endings etc. You only have the option to skip things on a straight line.

 

[Arsic]

It would suffer from pacing issues if the cut scenes it has were done throughout the main dungeons/beasts.

The nice thing about finding these cut scenes without using a guide is you feel rewarded. Plus you can find them in any order so you get to piece it together yourself. It’s a fun way to tell its tale and works in this context.

 

[EverydayBeast]

BotwTotk linear would be criminal.

 

[RoadHazard]

I think they messed this up in TOTK. It has a much more linear backstory to discover, but you can still view it in any order, which breaks it IMO. It's much better viewed in the correct order. They should have somehow limited it so that you always experience that story in the correct order but still allow you to freely explore etc. Maybe each tear should simply have unlocked the next piece of the story no matter where you found it, not sure.

(I made sure to actually go to them in order because I wanted that linear story experience.)

 

[IAmRei]

Can i talk about spoiler?
There is one weird thing, but im fine with that.

I dont know how to put spoiler tag

 

[Belthazar]

It would have to be a much more guided experience, which might not appeal to the people that liked BOTW.

 

[IDKFA]

On one hand, who gives a shit about the story in a Zelda game?

Saying that, I think it would be a refreshing change to have proper voice acting and a full blown story to mix up the franchise a little, while also getting rid of the Open World aspect. Imagine Jedi Survivor, Death Stranding and God War with a Zelda lick of paint.

As this is Nintendo, they could also really splash out on voice talent. An example would be Chris Pratt to voice Link and Emma Watson to voice Zelda.

 

[AJUMP23]

Sure, you can have exploration discovery and a linear story.

The story is linear in BotW you just probably do not discover it that way.

 

[hemo memo]

Zelda games should be split into 3 styles: OG, BoTW style and 2D.

 

[Kataploom]

In short, there is no reason for Nintendo not to use both aspects. Like I said, the openness of the game that people like is in its world, not in the quest design or story order.

I believe it would be a bigger game and more expensive, but Zelda games sell millions anyway.

What do you think?

All of this, specially the bolded, implies people give Nintendo "a pass" for this, when, in fact, people LIKE it better, I really like the way BOTW and TOTK tell their stories, it's so unobtrusive it's perfect. Those games focus on world building, atmosphere, etc. That's how the story is actually told, you don't have to be constantly thrown a cutscene at your face in order to know the world you're in has a story.

 

[Mozzarella]

It can but it will have to be like Red Dead Redemption 2, meaning every mission will be linear and on rails and give you failure screens if you turn right instead of left.

 

[ByWatterson]

Maybe.

But would that undo the fact that no one in the game seems to remember what happened like two weeks prior?