Daily Debate: Which Zelda Game Overuses Its Gimmick?
Posted on March 12 2024 by Nick Miller
With the release of each new Zelda game, there typically comes a gimmick. A Gimmick is a gameplay element that is designed to make the game unique or interesting, and that is typically referenced in advertising. Although the word “gimmick” carries unfavorable connotations, they aren’t all bad. Tears of the Kingdom gave us Ultrahand and sky islands, A Link Between Worlds featured wall-merging, and Twilight Princess made Link a wolf. These gimmicks prevent older Zelda titles from being made obsolete by helping each game carve out a unique identity for itself. However, to make a gimmick enjoyable, developers have to use it carefully. It’s their job to ensure that it is integrated well with the Zelda formula so as to not overwhelm the gameplay while also being featured enough to make it a worthwhile mechanic. Making a gimmick useful but not a nuisance or a distraction can be a tricky balancing act.
One game that I thought had mishandled its gimmick was Spirit Tracks. When I first saw promotional material, I was sure they had jumped the shark. I thought, “Trains? Really? Nintendo is so starved for ideas that they’re putting Link on a train?”
Thankfully, I was proven wrong. The developers were able to strike a balance between the gimmick and traditional Zelda themes, which made Spirit Tracks an absolute delight to play. The train element didn’t consume the whole game so that it felt like a railroading game first and a Zelda game second, but its presence was prominent enough to give Spirit Tracks a unique edge — and that tends to be the norm for this series. Usually, Zelda‘s developers are able to strike this balance pretty well, but there are some exceptions.
So, which Zelda games do you think took their gimmick too far? Are there any Zelda games that didn’t do enough with their gimmick? Which gimmicks did you not enjoy at all?
An inevitable talking point in this debate is Skyward Sword‘s ever-controversial motion controls. Whether you love them or hate them, its hard to deny that on a console like the Wii, a Zelda game with prominently featured motion controls was a necessity. Anything less than 1:1 motion-controlled sword combat would be unacceptable five years into the console’s life cycle. How could Nintendo claim any confidence in the Wii if they wouldn’t even use motion controls properly on their flagship sword fighting game?
For the most part, motion controls were integrated well into Skyward Sword. Sword combat usually handled as expected and seeing Link move his sword in time with your remote never gets old. The motion controls were also a natural fit for items like the Slingshot, the Whip, and Bombs. Even if the controls could sometimes be frustratingly unreliable, they were as mechanically competent as could be reasonably expected at the time.
That being said, Skyward Sword went too far with its motion controls by forcing them into every aspect of the game that it possibly could, even when they weren’t a good fit. It’s like the developers were so preoccupied with if they could do it that they never stopped and asked themselves if they should. Things like flying and swimming just feel awkward and imprecise. Playing the Goddess’s Harp is clunky and frustrating. Rotating Golden Carvings to enter boss rooms, though not difficult, isn’t enjoyable and it breaks the game’s pacing. There are just so many places where motion controls feel forced, and where standard controls would be a more enjoyable option.
Now tell us what you think. Which Zelda game overuses its gimmick? Are there any gimmicks in the Zelda series that you wouldn’t find enjoyable no matter how well they were implemented? Is there any Zelda game that you feel didn’t do enough with its gimmick? Let us know in the comments.
Nick is a writer for Zelda Dungeon and a longtime fan of the Zelda franchise. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, archery, skateboarding, and some good ol’ fashioned family time. He’s an advocate for physical media and an avid video game collector. His favorite Zelda game is Ocarina of Time, though Breath of the Wild and the Link’s Awakening remake are close contenders.
