Is Dark Souls Already the Better Zelda? (please Let Me Explain Before You Kill Me ;D)

[Unlucky Monkey]

Greetings Zelda Dungeon. So glad to be back after some hard months.

Critics are pretty harsh with Zelda these times. Don't like to read such things anymore.
These were my thoughts until yesterday, when I was finally able to play Dark Souls (played the predecessor Demon's Souls before).

So, you may ask: "What are you talking? These are two different games".

But they are not. Right after the Tutorial, it was a feeling I'm playing a new interpration of the classic Legend of Zelda. Yes, the very first Zelda.
I think, the most of you are well aware of Dark Souls. So I will spare you with the mechanics of the game. It has pretty much the same style and atmosphere like the first Zelda. Enemies are brutal, you have to find everything by yourself, the overworld is mysterious and the atmosphere melancholic. And the difficulty is beyond casual.
So, yes, the game feels more like a true Zelda than Skyward Sword (these are just my personal thoughts). Playing both games currently.

When I lonely walk, just by myself, across the world of Dark Souls, it reminds me of my Adventure in The Legend of Zelda.

What dou you think? "Crazy Monkey gone weird" or "yes, he got his points in a few aspects"?
Should The Legend of Zelda return to a more open world? I miss the open world in Skyward Sword.
Well, like ever, I would love to hear your opnion.

 

[DuelMark]

You died... Just kidding!!!

Okay you made a comparison, but to be honest it takes more than just similarities to the first Zelda. Not to mention the first Zelda, despite being an open world with nothing but monsters, still had a more optimistic tone to it. You are the adventurer, you are saving the world and the music is fun. Similarities or not, they are still two different games. Also, I wouldn't call the original game's atmosphere "melancholic" as it was an 8 bit game that gave players a sense of being a hero in a fantasy world.

I myself haven't played either "Souls" games but I know OF them and the only real similarity is the fantasy element.

 

[Unlucky Monkey]

I myself haven't played either "Souls" games but I know OF them and the only real similarity is the fantasy element.

Yes. You may be right. But returning to the "Melancholic Atmosphere" topic. Well, it is "just" an 8 Bit game. But the backstory of the game is interesting and some kind of hopeless. A chosen hero, travelling alone through a world full of danger enemies. The mysterious Dark Souls world is similar to the world in Zelda. For both games counts the same philosophy: "It's dangerous to go out alone".

On the other side, it was just my opinion. But I hope the next Zelda will give you again a freedom like in the old days

 

[Awesome]

My roommate is currently playing Dark Souls and from what I've seen, there are a few similarities. There is little to no direction as to where to go, the enemies are a pain in the ***, and you die almost every 5 minutes. In those aspects, yes it is similar to the original Legend of Zelda, but other than I am hard pressed to see how they are related. I can see why you would think that, but I wouldn't say that Dark Souls is a "true Zelda game." Every Zelda game is a "true Zelda game" (minus the CDi games of course) so I'm really not sure what you mean by this comment. Perhaps you mean in the style of Loz, AoL, AlttP, OoA, OoS but that just describes the early days of Zelda.

 

[Unlucky Monkey]

Yes, Awesome, I really do mean the style. Nintendo has moved very far away from the original game. Why not coming back to this style? You can combine this style with the new elements.
I'm not saying Dark Souls plays like an "Original Zelda". But the game features Elements from previous, old Zelda games. Especially the first.

And, for everyone who never heard of Dark Souls:

[video=youtube;nQN1Y6P9bE0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQN1Y6P9bE0[/video]

Zelda Informer is currenty discussing follwing: Is The Legend of Zelda a Dead Franchise?

http://www.zeldainformer.com/2012/02/is-the-legend-of-zelda-a-dead-franchise.html

Well it is a bit hilarious. But, what do you think? No future for Zelda? The problem is Skyward Sword. The Wii is the Dead one here. The game was totally promoted wrong by Nintendo. An upcoming HD experience will let the Franchise shine again. I'm so sure of it.

 

[A Link In Time]

I believe you've correctly and clearly pinpointed some of its traditional aspects the Zelda series is currently missing.

For Skyward Sword in particular, the overworld felt loose and disjointed and Nintendo seems to have tried too hard in making the series appeal to anime fans. >.<

Anyhow, I've never played Dark Soulds but have obviously seen some footage and heard of its berserk difficulty. Dark Souls truly does seem to encapsulate the essence of the original Legend of Zelda. A more open overworld, no hand holding, and monstrous enemies that will make short work of players who don't watch out. I also feel that a darker, grittier style is the natural evolution for the Zelda franchise although I may just be part of a vocal minority in need of a brain check.

Also, welcome back to ZD although I never knew you before. :yes: Always glad to be acquainted with more people.

 

[Trio the Punch]

I honestly don't think that Dark Souls is anything like Zelda. I'd say, if anything, Dark Souls would be much more similar to the Elder Scrolls series than Zelda. I can kind of see where you're coming from with the open world thing, although I do prefer a certain degree of linearity, so I wouldn't say that they should go back to open world. As for style and atmosphere I completely disagree; the first Zelda was no where near brutal and melancholic, in fact I always think of it as a very light-hearted adventure game (but I guess that's just me). I think Dark Souls' atmosphere is, again, a lot more similar to that of Elder Scrolls.

 

[Awesome]

I honestly don't think that Dark Souls is anything like Zelda. I'd say, if anything, Dark Souls would be much more similar to the Elder Scrolls series than Zelda. I can kind of see where you're coming from with the open world thing, although I do prefer a certain degree of linearity, so I wouldn't say that they should go back to open world. As for style and atmosphere I completely disagree; the first Zelda was no where near brutal and melancholic, in fact I always think of it as a very light-hearted adventure game (but I guess that's just me). I think Dark Souls' atmosphere is, again, a lot more similar to that of Elder Scrolls.

I would have to disagree with you that Dark Souls is like Elder Scrolls. The only similarities between the two is the fact that it is an RPG. They are two completely different styles of games. Elder Scrolls features a world that is pretty much open for any exploration where as Dark Souls is a much more dense world with areas interlocked together to provide shortcuts to other areas. I really do not see that many similarities between the two.

 

[Unlucky Monkey]

For Skyward Sword in particular, the overworld felt loose and disjointed and Nintendo seems to have tried too hard in making the series appeal to anime fans.

This is also a flaw for me. Well, I like Anime, but the Anime humour was not my kind of humour. Ghirahim is cool, but even a bad guy like him acts some time like a comedian in Skyward Sword (The scene at The Temple of Time).

Also, welcome back to ZD although I never knew you before.

Thank you. Well, I really enjoyed the last summer here at Zelda Dungeon. But, due to healthy problems, I was not able to come back the last months. Wondered, the reputation System is gone. And, a few many categories in the Forum are gone too.

I think Dark Souls' atmosphere is, again, a lot more similar to that of Elder Scrolls.

In this point, I have to diasagree a bit with you. I've played Skyrim too. But these two games are different in nearly every point. Both games are RPG's. But that's all. Of course, this is just my opinion.
Dark Souls may play like a western RPG, but you can always feel, it's still a japanese game.

In Skyrim, you can challenge a few enemies the same time. But in Dark Souls and the orginal Legend of Zelda, two enemies the same time could be your end

And again: All my comments in this comparioson between Dark Souls and Zelda based on the very first Zelda.

 

[Dio]

I'm going to have to try dark souls now.

 

[Unlucky Monkey]

There was a very nice comment posted by a user from Zelda Informer (proofs, I'm not the only one who compared Dark Souls with the oiriginal Zelda). I think, it's a nice closing comment for this Topic. Well, it should be a nice closing comment for the whole "Zelda is not interesting anymore" topic.

Jean Souki:
I, too, want brand new elements in my Zelda, but I really think people take for granted how unique Zelda is in the grand scheme of things. I thoroughly get that other games have innovated in bold ways, but you know, Zelda is still Zelda. Games like Darksiders and Okami are the copies, not the other way around. There is no formula like Zelda's, and I don't think it should be discarded outright, ever. I hear it said that people want Zelda to be more like Dark Souls, which in turn is apparently a lot like the original LoZ. Or in many cases, that they want it to be more like Skyrim with a whole country to explore seamlessly or whatever. I value Zelda as a unique entity too much to want it to just become "a cartoony Dark Souls" or "a tamer Skyrim." I wanna wait until the Retro Studios rumor reveals itself, and if it's a Zelda game, I will be watching it more closely than any game ever. Retro really knows how to keep the feel while adding entirely new dimensions to the gameplay.

 

[JuicieJ]

There are a few obvious influences, but there are many differences, too. I don't think it's accurate to say that it's a direct reinvention -- I know you didn't say those exact words -- of the original LoZ. To me, it's more like a mix of Zelda and Elder Scrolls, which is awesome.

 

[Unlucky Monkey]

To me, it's more like a mix of Zelda and Elder Scrolls, which is awesome.

I think, I can totally sign this Juicie

Before I've created this Thread, I was even sceptic about my own thoughts. But I'm feeling better now because I'm not the only one who clearly see some influences of the original Zelda in Dark Souls.
Well, anyway, what's going on with the heavy critic against Zelda these days? It was not the Kotaku article which started the whole trouble. This guy from Game Trailers rolled the dice. These are some dark days for the Franchise. I'm not amused to see all these pessimistic articles.

 

[JuicieJ]

Well, anyway, what's going on with the heavy critic against Zelda these days? It was not the Kotaku article which started the whole trouble. This guy from Game Trailers rolled the dice. These are some dark days for the Franchise. I'm not amused to see all these pessimistic articles.

While this is a bit off-topic, I have no problem answering it. The answer is simple. There are haters for every game franchise in the world. Zelda is so heavily targeted because it's one of the largest. (Being owned by Nintendo and thus not being in HD doesn't help, either.) With the release of SS, the criticism was bound to spike. That's just how things are. More people praised the game than criticized it, though, so there's no need to worry.

 

[Unlucky Monkey]

More people praised the game than criticized it, though, so there's no need to worry.

Yes. I hope this flood of weird hater articles will end in a few weeks. And you're right, the answer really was simple
Final Fantasy is currently in an exact same position. Sigh, the Gaming World was more peacefull without the Internet.