Daily Debate: What Life Sim Features Would You Like in a Zelda Game?
Posted on February 17 2021 by Andrew Millard
About a decade ago, smart phone games rode the same wave of so-called casual gaming that Nintendo reveled in during the DS and Wii era. In the time since, just about anyone with a phone can rattle off the small handful of profitable genres in the iOS App or Google Play stores. Among them, I have been most happy to see a game type that used to only enjoy cult status and basically require a PC: the life sim.
As a teacher, I witnessed the rise of games like Roller Coaster Tycoon, The Sims, and Stardew Valley to mainstream popularity simply by listening in on gaming conversations in my classroom and hallway. And that makes me happy! Life sim games offer a unique form satisfaction. They encourage you to take on only the tasks that will build the world you want to see play out on your screen.
The genre’s popularity has naturally brought its tropes to more traditional video games, The Legend of Zelda being no exception. In my opinion, life sim gameplay crept into the series first in the form of the Anju and Kafei quest in Majora’s Mask. After that, the inclusion became more overt: reviving abandoned islands in The Wind Waker, romancing a shopkeeper in Skyward Sword. And of course, building an entire town and expanding a home in Breath of the Wild!
Animal Crossing proves that Nintendo knows its sim games. And isn’t afraid to push their own envelope by adding fairly major gameplay additions post-launch. For me, I will admit to liking the idea of meddling in NPC affairs or tending a small-but-profitable garden when not rooting out evil. I would love to see a Zelda minigame that lets Link grow the ingredients he needs to cook. Maybe even give the player-grown produce boosted effects?
So, what life sim gameplay would you like to see included or expanded upon in the Zelda series? How would it interlock with the traditional Zelda formula? Give us your most addictive ideas in the comments below!
Andrew is a writing teacher in the American Upper Midwest. He has been playing Zelda games since 1990.
