Daily Debate: Should Zelda Use More “Skulltula House” Styled Collectibles?

The Skulltula Houses in Majora’s Mask are a unique to the Zelda series in that it offers the player a collectible within a confined space and a time limit. This is drastically different from other optional collectibles in the franchise because collectibles like Gold Skulltulas are generally found all across Hyrule and can be collected at the player’s leisure. Having a specific area be a collectathon space certainly changes the feel of the collectible. Instead of searching an expansive world and solving various puzzles or returning with the appropriate item, all of the prizes are confined within a single area. This puts a much higher emphasis on discovery, especially since the player is under a time limit which, if the player fails, forces the player to remember what has already done.

On the other hand, other collectibles, such as Gold Skulltulas in Ocarina if Time or Korok Seeds in Breath of the Wild instead put an emphasis on exploration of the world as a whole, as well as using the player’s newfound knowledge and arsenal to find new areas. This style of collection brings the player to new parts of the world, but does not give the player the instant gratification of completing a time trial and immediately receiving your reward.

Personally, I prefer searching Hyrule high and low for my precious shinies, and see the confined collectibles as an enjoyable mini game. What do you think? Would you like more Skulltula Houses in future Zelda titles? What do you like or dislike about them? Let us know in the comments!