Daily Debate: What Makes a Good Zelda Game?
Posted on September 21 2018 by Kat Vadam
With so many entries into the franchise and decades of building and experimenting with different play styles, game mechanics, and story lines, The Legend of Zelda is a series whose very name carries a great deal of weight. But, let’s get Shakespearean for a minute here and ponder what exactly is in a name. What does it take to make not just a good game, but a good Zelda game?
For example, when thinking about what it takes to make a Zelda game, many immediately think about dungeons and puzzles. I mean, that’s been a major element of the series since the very first game, and one whose absence was conspicuous in the most recent canon installment. Others might go into the story, the lore, and the iconic characters – without Link as the main character, could it truly be considered a Zelda title? And then there are those that believe, to be a good Zelda game, it has to have certain weapons and items, and the ability to find those items lying around in the grass or behind a rubble wall.
Really, though, that’s not all that could be considered when coming up with quintessential Zelda traits. Thirty-plus years of games yields no short list of possibilities. So we want to know what you have to say. What, to you, makes a good Zelda game? Let us know in the comments below!
Kat Vadam is a mother of one, proud cat mom, and wife to someone far nerdier than she could ever hope to be. She also works by day as an analyst, writer, and editor. Here at Zelda Dungeon, she is the Head of Social Media and a copy editor, though she still enjoys occasionally writing things. Someday, she plans on giving up all her worldly possessions to move to the forest and become best friends with a korok. Were it so easy.
