Should Zelda stay Medieval or more Steampunk?

[ChargewithSword]

We've played Zelda for many years and we know it tends to go to these genres (TP is an example of Steampunk, while OOT is one of Medieval.) In the future should the Zelda games go to focusing more on the Steampunk technological future or stay as a Magic focused Fantasy Medieval game?

I'm Medieval all the way.

[bellum]

well I"m a bit half and half but i kinda liked medievil like OoT more also A poll might have worked also but I'm just giving you a suggestion oops nevermind I never saw the poll sorryO.o but I loved it how Oot was

[Josh]

Medival. Forever. Better everything in that type of game.

[Master Link]

I can't even begin to imagine how horrible a 1800's Zelda game would be. I mean, a Zelda game with Muskets? and other guns? Cannons are ok but not guns.

So having already said that I wouldn't want the "Steampunk" I say Medieval. times.

[El Bagu]

Magic is always nice so I go for and (voted) medival fantasy.

I recognize this topic but I am not sure :hmm:

[Claire]

This is no contest, it will definitely be magical, medieval fantasy that is the winner.

There are more abilities, more loophole logic, more thinking involved in a fantasy inspired game than a game that everything applies to the real world. I think the fantasy within the series is what makes it brilliant, actually. Fighting off monsters and saving the day would be nothing if real life logic was applied, and that is why the adventures are so enjoyable. I do not expect many advances, concerning weapons becoming more modern (i.e. guns), although we already have bombs and cannons.

Let us hope they do not make a wrong move in the future, I'm hoping for the same old fantasy. :)

[Hylian Hobbit]

Definitely Midieval/Fantasy. I thought the cannon was a nice item in PH and WW, but Linebeck's steam boat was on the borderline. It was tolerable for PH, but I don't really want to see another steam boat or anything of the sort in the upcoming Zelda games. The magic and midieval theme is what makes Zelda so great.

[Skull_Kid]

I have to agree with all the other people.... medieval/fantasy FTW
Cannons and steamboats are tolerable, muskets and stuff like that, NOT

[Vincent]

I think a steampunk Zelda would be awesome. They could leave out guns, but keep everything else. It would be a nice twist to the series.

[lonely_moon]

I didn't think TP was really steampunk. If you want steampunk, go Bioshock.

But still, Zelda just wouldn't feel like Zelda in a steampunk environment. Skull_Kid's idea about steamboats and cannons would be fine, but something like Bioshock would NOT be good.

[Midna666]

Zelda should stay medival,as that suits the series better.

[Y2K3]

Zelda should always be magical and medieval, for the reasons everyone else said. Anything else would be not great, IMO.

[blackice_cc]

It should definitely stay medieval. Zelda is not the kind of game that could easily transition into futuristic from where it is now, and if it did, I wouldn't like it. It would just... feel wrong.

[Ver-go-a-go-go]

Of course it should stay medieval. That's what the series began with, and I don't think they should ever change a winning formula.

[Amelie]

Medivel fantasy. That is why I love Zelda ^^ If Zelda changed to more modern like that I dont think I would really like it anymore

[Mike Pothier]

I'm gonna go somewhat against the trend, and say that a limited amount of technology wouldn't harm the franchise at all. As long as they stayed with the whole Kingdom of Hyrule premise, I would allow some form of guns or non-horse powered transportation developed.

[Alder Dragon]

Easiest poll ever :)

Medieval of course. I've thought it over again and again, and there's no way I can imagine Zelda with futuristic things like guns, lasers, or something. In my mind, you can't put a date on a Zelda game. It is better suited to be on some different land, Hyrule, of course, where it is much different from ours.

That is the point of video games, and that's what I love about Zelda :). It's good to use your imagination. Making Zelda "realistic" in the sense of modern for us, would ruin that for me.

[LucarioMaster]

i dnt care as long as zelda,link and gannon are in the game the title,items, and location of parts of hyrule are, as long as they r in the game its a zelda game (if they keep the master sword tht is)

[Linkmaster]

Medieval. No contest. I mean come on. I see Tingle with a jetpack instead of balloons, and I'll go on a killing spree. No joke.

[Axle the Beast]

Medieval fantasy, damn it. I'm sick of this technology crap. Where's the fricken' magic?

Don't get me wrong, I like the Steampunk thing, but I don't think it befits Zelda.

[PhantomTriforce]

MEDIEVAL FANTASY. After all, it is part of what makes Zelda, Zelda.

[Ice6661]

devinatly midevil. it suits the game way more in general.

[Lukish27]

the magic helps to make zelda......well, magical
i don't much care for the machinery, but the lack of magic is just bad

[ItsJustTheChad]

Agreed. Even the train thing kinda threw me off, from Spirit tracks. But that's just me probably. Zelda always had a magical feel because is was a great Knight-in-armor type of adventure. I think the creators can explore of course, but maybe stay within those boundaries.

[Petman1325]

Based upon how I see the games going, I guess I should provide some feedback to this thread as well. I've noticed that more technology has appeared in the cel-shaded Zelda titles instead of the...uuhh...other looking ones. Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Twilight Princess had their own technological innovations (i.e. bombchus, clocks, and a gear-based top), but I don't think any of those games have made reference to the steam engine, which appears quite often in Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks.

To be honest, steampunk works out great in the cel-shaded titles simply because they can pull it off greatly with the cel-shaded visuals without being awkward. However, the art style of games like Twilight Princess make me feel as though it must be restricted to medieval without feeling like it's stepping out of the realm of what was possible back then. I'm starting to enjoy steampunk, but it truly depends on the title and how they pull it off. I can defiantly see the Hero of Winds and his descendants living in a steampunk world; but for the Hero of Twilight, not so much.

So, to answer the question of the thread, it truly depends on if it's an adult timeline game, or a child timeline game...yeah, that was weird saying, for I'm not really a timeline theorist.

[Michael Heide]

I wouldn't mind a single Steampunk Zelda game. It would be a nice breath of fresh air, and lead to an innovative plot, exciting characters and a unique gameplay experience.

BUT...

It's a slippery slope. I mean, look at Final Fantasy. The last time we had a truly fantastic Final Fantasy was IX, ten years ago! Ever since then, it's become more and more futuristic, most likely trying to recapture the success of VI and VII, forgetting that it was the story (VI) and characters (VII) that made those games great, not the setting.

Let's say that a Steampunk Zelda is good. Who is to stop Aonuma San from cranking out sequel after sequel in a non-fantasy setting after that? I don't want to see that.

[kokirion]

Steampunk is fun but not in Zelda. The first game I played was TP, and I loved it because it was medieval. And if they really want steampunk, they can always make another serie instead of changing one

[super link]

if link jumped in to a jeep and bombed gannon's tower with nukes i would never play zelda again so i say no tech more advanced then wagons and what not. canons are fine if u want to launch link across hyrule id b down with that

[Ghosi]

Medieval for sure. It makes the Zelda series more magical than violent. It is also why The Legend of Zelda is what it is.:P

[Erebea]

I wouldn't mind if Zelda went a LITTLE more steampunky, but I wouldn't want a drastic change. That would almost completely change the series, and although many of us don't know what exactly is, it wouldn't really "be Zelda".

[Aero_Dynamic]

Midieval Fantasy!

We've had cannons in Zelda. In TP, in the Snowhead Mansion Temple, there were cannons. We've had trains, FREAKIN TRAINS IN A ZELDA!?!?
It kinda blows my mind Nintendo did that for SP lol, but it's fine. I think that's the farthest Zelda will go with technology, SP felt a little bit steampunked with the steam trains. Stay with fantasy!

[Flagpole]

I don't really know, I think they should be both mixed in such a way it can be a satisying general theme for both the Medieval fan and the Steampunk fan.

Medieval theme is really great, as I always liked the medieval themes, so it is safe to say I love that age. The weapons, the ambience, the characters, the cities, the stories, I've always liked all that medieval stuff.

But I also like some steampunk stuff, like some technology medieval Zelda pretty much restricts, although many things in Ocarina of Time, which is a medieval Zelda, actually have a technology humainty couldn't have made until some few decades ago (or maybe a few years, although that would be pretty much impossible, as technological stuff is progressing that much Ocarian of Time's technology I think doesn't compare tro today's technology), like the Bombchu Gallery, or the Shooting Gallery. Although I know the technology you people talk about is stuff like trains or motorized boats and/or ships, which I don't really dislike.

So, combining both of the general theme types would make a great, balanced Zelda game :) .

[Lefty]

I think the farthest they should go is the Goron's industy, like in TP. That was fun with the mining and magnetism theme. Otherwise, Fantasy all the way

[Michael Heide]

I could live with a scenario in which an upcoming game had one of those Atlantis-like lost civilizations, far more advanced than any nation in Hyrule's present. And when Link travels there, everything is powered by huge steam engines? It'd be just one corner of the game, one temple with ties to the background story. But it'd allow for something that'd feel out of place in the rest of the game.

[Hyrulian]

medieval, why anything else? I didn't like the train, cuz I wanted to walk, not drive in a train... in wind waker, there was a good reason for for a boat! not just cuz you didn't want to swim! (cuz you drown!)

[zbygy9]

Steampunk elements are certainly welcome in my opinion.

What should be done is a zelda game with this guy...

7902

It's in the future sometime after one of the games (I really haven't looked much into the timeline of the games), and technology has evolved. Imagine running around as old (yet a total bad-***) Link bustin' moblins with a musket. That would be awesome.

[phantom]

I voted steam punk, not necesarily because its my favorite, just because I think it should stay some of both. I liked Spirit tracks and Twilight Princess alot, but Ocarina of Time is still my favorite. I think they should either go back-and-forth between different games on the style they choose, or combine them somehow.

[FirevsIce]

Medieval because I love those Zelda games. When it more advanced then The King of Red Lions *cough*PH*cough*ST*cough* it was Zelda, but it wasn't Zelda, ya' know.

[Donahue]

I dunno, I don't think I could take "The Master Musket" seriously.

[Tony]

Medieval for the win I really dislike the steampunk idea I think it just wasn't zelda as we know it and I think Zelda should stay Medieval for ever!

[arkvoodle]

Although I really like the medieval atmosphere of Zelda, I would like to see some technological advances. Even if they're just lightbulbs or something. Little things like that would satisfy me, as they're still in with the original atmosphere, but advancing without damaging it.

[Michael Heide]

That's funny. Lightbulbs are about the last thing I'd like to see in a Zelda game.

[pokemainiac]

Medieval definately. ST was good but I think the train alienated the Zelda image.

[Lord Dorian]

The most recent games were already less medieval than the first ones. WW had some 18th century feeling to it, PH and ST followed the same line but added steam engines (so they were somewhat steampunk), and TP was a weird crossover between Medieval (Hyrule Castle Town), 19th century Far West (Hidden Village) and some 20th century industrial touches (Kakariko Village and the Goron Mines), which, by the way, I didn't like at all.

I would like to see more steampunk, although I enjoy the medieval atmosphere as much. After all, if there's a timeline it would seem logical that some games have more modern technology and aesthetics compared to earlier games in the timeline.

[Austin]

Wow... very little steampunk steampunk love here, huh? In my opinion, the series would greatly benefit from such a change of pace. Zelda's been around for, what, more than 25 years now? Yet you all still want to see the same tired setting over and over again? Obviously, everyone's entitled to believe what they want to believe but I really can't understand most of these reasons for doing so. The most prevalent one I see is "Zelda has always been medieval and therefore should stay medieval." That makes no sense. We all want something familiar to keep us reminded what game we're playing, I suppose, but a massive overhaul every now and then isn't necessarily crippling. It can actually bring a series to heights it hadn't been able to reach previously.

Additionally, I see some other flawed logic, such as "I like magic and magic can only take place in a medieval setting so therefore Zelda should remain medieval." False. I suppose certain ways of implementing magic would seem out of place in certain settings, but there's always a way to make it work. For example, look at the game Mass Effect. The game was set far in the future, yet they had "magical" elements to this game in the form of advanced technology that gave the users seemingly impossible powers, such as telekinesis, and I believe semi-elemental attacks in the second game. It's not the same kind of "magic" we've seen in Zelda thus far, nor am I suggesting that what was used in Mass Effect is what should be used in a steampunk Zelda game, what I'm saying is that there's a way to have magic in the series without a medieval background. Nintendo needs to experiment with Zelda more in order to prevent the series from becoming stale.

[Keats]

I'm for the steampunk themes, to be honest. Like PJ said, Zelda has been stuck in the same stagnant setting since the first game, and in my opinion it's gotten boring enough to be a distraction. I would love to see a change of setting in general, even if the setting isn't steampunk.

Now, the enlightenment era? THAT'S a setting I could stand behind. There's so much untapped potential there, and I can imagine it would be a great chapter in the Zelda canon.

[knowlee]

Sorry, but I'm more for the medieval setting. It was one of the reasons why I was drawn to the Zelda series. I've always been fascinated by the medieval period and love it when games, stories, etc., are placed in that era. I love playing Zelda since it's placed in that time zone and it makes me feel as if I'm getting a glimpse of what life was like back during those times (well minus the magic, triforce, goddesses, gorons, fairies, zoras, etc.).

But that doesn't mean I don't like steampunk. That to me is interesting as well, but I'm more partial to the medieval themes being in Zelda. It may be the nostalgia on my part, but that's just how I feel about it. In my opinion, medieval seems to fit in better with the Zelda series better than steampunk. But that doesn't mean that I would totally reject a Zelda game that has that theme in it. Sure I might be a little upset and what not, but I'd still play it since it's Zelda and just to see how it turns out. And who knows, it might actually turn out to be an awesome game, it's all in according to how the developers made it to fit in with the series.

But all in all, I'm still for the medieval theme being in Zelda over the steampunk.

[thelastsheikah]

Steampunk would suck, especially when you pull out the mastersword to fight somebody and they shoot you with a musket. The NPCs would really be talking about how weird his outfit is while they are all wearing suits and top hats. Medievil all the way.

[Austin]

Steampunk would suck, especially when you pull out the mastersword to fight somebody and they shoot you with a musket. The NPCs would really be talking about how weird his outfit is while they are all wearing suits and top hats. Medievil all the way.
Link's weapons and clothes would likely change with the setting.

[Jlemon21]

I'm for the medieval setting, granted the series seems to be stuck their, Nintendo could really change stuff up a bit if they wanted to. Put a 1800's look imo isn't the way to go.

[February Eve]

Personally I'm like Knowlee - the medieval setting is part of what attracts me. I enjoy all Zeldas, but my favorite settings tend to be the more traditional ones. It's not the only thing that makes the game for me, though. Also, despite some researching, I'm still a bit confused about what steampunk is and what elements would work best in the series. I did read an article about some parts of the series that were already similar to it (like the Goron Mines) and so I'm not opposed to the idea and I think it could do a lot to make a game it appeared in stand out. For example, I went to wikipedia to read up on the genre and came across this picture (see here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk)for source):

http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b428/february_eve/Aerial_house3.jpg

That house looks pretty neat to me and seems to fit the whimsical elements of the series well. It'd be fun to be in a more traditional area of the game and just stumble upon that in our quest, especially if it were more than just a place to meet a character and we could actually explore it. A possible scenario is that it might be the lab of a scientist who was had made technological advances that no one was taking seriously at the time being - which could then provide back story for some of the later elements in the series (like the train).

In short, I probably prefer medieval for the basis of the game, but I don't mind widely branching out from it. We have a lot of reused areas and dungeon themes and I would personally like a balance of the old and the new.


I could live with a scenario in which an upcoming game had one of those Atlantis-like lost civilizations, far more advanced than any nation in Hyrule's present. And when Link travels there, everything is powered by huge steam engines? It'd be just one corner of the game, one temple with ties to the background story. But it'd allow for something that'd feel out of place in the rest of the game.

That sounds pretty cool as well, actually.

[Oracle of Time]

Oh you know I'm going to pick Medieval, just because zelda games like ST and TP and stuff felt off from the zelda series and I'm the "going back to the roots of the series" kind of guy.