Post-Apocalyptic Zelda

[Alter]

Now before you start posting your rants, read this.

Picture it- somehow, the Triforce is destroyed. The sages and their families are killed, setting Ganon free. He no longer has the Triforce of Power, but his magic remains. The Deku Tree has been burned, and Hyrule Castle has been under a five year siege. The land has been poisoned- nothing green grows. Many well-know races have been turned to evil; the Gorons, the Zoras, and the Gerudo.

All of Link's family has been killed. He is only seeking only vengeance and freedom for the land. He may take the path of his ancestors- a hero, or the path that Vaati did, and further destroy the land.

So what would be your thought on a post-Apocalyptic Zelda? Something where evil has almost already succeeded. The above mentioned scenarios are just thoughts, but they are thoughts to fear. I think if Nintendo created a game such as this, they would receive an excellent response, from both fans and casuals, too.

Oh, and here's a picture I created. I like the looks.

 

[MrMosley]

Like, the entire world is about destroyed? Or just that Ganon has pretty much succeeded in his plans? Because we seen the latter in the Adult porton of OoT, with Ganondorf having successfully taken over Hyrule. Your description also makes me think that you are imagining this taking place after OoT, which would be impossible, but ahh, we'll just go with it.

Personally, I think if done correctly, it would be a great idea. However, I would rather it take place like this:

Ganon eventually succeeds in finally taking over Hyrule, with no Hero to be found (just like in WW), but the goddesses do not interfere this time. Ganon finally take over Hyrule completely and eventually gains the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage as well. He makes a wish to combine the pieces of the Triforce so they can never split again. This gives Ganon the ability to control the entire power of the Triforce. No Hero shows up for many years, until eventually, a new Link comes from a different land. By this time, Hyrule, as well as some surrounding lands, have been completely taken over in darkness and is beginning to greatly resemble the Dark World from ALttP.

I think it would be an interesting twist to not only have Ganon gain all this power, but become virtually invincible. Imagine facing off against Ganon, slashing away with the Master Sword, when he grabs it from you and breaks it in two. A game where you could shoot all the Silver and Light arrows at Ganon that you wanted, yet they would just bounce off. For once, a Zelda title would have to break the mold and find another way to reconcile Ganon's rule besides Link defeating him in battle.

 

[Alter]

Actually, I was simply giving out ideas that are "could-be" possibilities. I wasn't really thinking OoT, but any continuation of a game. It could also be a stand-alone. A type of spin-off.

About the destruction, I meant both Ganon "mostly" (Link's or a descendant is still around, right?) succeeded, and the world is essentially ruined.

I actually like your idea. What if it was a really long Zelda game? You go through, get the Master Sword, Light Arrows, etc, only to find defeat in which Link dies. *gasp* Then (in a moment similar to Harvest Moon: Rune Factory 2), you son steps up to *somehow* conquer Ganon. Maybe he could even enlist the help of previously antagonists, such as Vaati or Bellum, who have a score to settle with Ganon.

Now here's an off-kilter thought; What if the Triforce is destroyed, which in turn removes the goddesses connection to the world? Take out the divine intervention, and what do we have?

 

[angelkid]

I like the idea. However, I don't think it should be Ganon (dead on every timeline.) Nor Majora (if it was Majora the world would be long gone.) Zant could never get this far without Ganon pulling the strings. Perhaps, Koume and Kotake or Dark Link, Or Vaati. I think it should be Vaati, He'd suit this perfectly, I'm not talking about his crappy eye form. I mean his human form.

Also, I think this game should be placed straight after MM on the timeline. Say Link comes back to hyrule to discover the whole world is being burnt to the ground. Then I really like the idea of Link going to get the Master Sword, and the Light Arrows. Then, instead of them just bouncing of Ganon, Realising it is actually Vaati he is trying to fight. The weapons he has assembles therefore don't work. He'd then go on an epic quest to find all the elements and assemble them and such.

To me, this would be an amazing game.

 

[Zeruda]

A post-apocalyptic Zelda... wouldn't be bad, really, but I don't think destroying the Triforce would be a good idea. A large part of Zelda is set around balance- destruction and rebirth, a repeated event over many eras that ties in with destiny. Removing the Triforce from the equation removes balance. That means there is no good and there is no evil. No destruction of Hyrule and no rebirth of Hyrule. Basically, it's no longer a Zelda game.

So, I think leaving the Triforce in is definitely important. But it would be interesting to see the world in a completely destroyed state (destruction). But again, it comes back to balance. You have to have a goal, and ultimately, it'd be setting things right... which comes back to rebirth.

I wouldn't want to have a choice between vengeance and freedom. We already have Fable/II- it'd just be Zelda-themed if we were given a choice. Instead, I think it should stick to its core, being centered on balance. But, if the games are going to keep getting darker and darker, then it wouldn't hurt to have a vengeful, emotionally destroyed "hero" who starts his journey in a corpse-riddled wasteland.

 

[Bodo]

I'm not crazy about this idea. I'm all for dark Zelda games, but I agree with Zeruda that a Zelda game with a destroyed Triforce just wouldn't be a Zelda game.

The same goes, in my mind, for a Link driven solely by revenge. That would turn him into an anti-hero, plot-wise, and Link has always been the hero. Another thing that makes Zelda Zelda is the showdown in glorious battle between the hero archetype and the villain archetype.

As far as the Link versus Ganon showdown getting old--I'd like to see Nintendo play the Dark Link card and develop something good with that character. I think he could fit in well with this sort of a Zelda game. Link returns from Termina only to find that Dark Link has terrorized Hyrule in his name, et cetera.

 

[arkvoodle]

I agree with Bodo, if the triforce was destroyed, it just wouldn't be a zelda game, and if link wa only driven by revenge, he would be all anti-hero..

Interesting idea though, it would also be quite good if you could team up with an antagonist (as anglekid said) Vaati's human form would suit perfectly.

anyway, if they did make a game like this, i would definitely buy it.
it just seems so interesting and fun.

 

[angelkid]

I agree with Bodo, if the triforce was destroyed, it just wouldn't be a zelda game, and if link wa only driven by revenge, he would be all anti-hero..

Interesting idea though, it would also be quite good if you could team up with an antagonist (as anglekid said) Vaati's human form would suit perfectly.

anyway, if they did make a game like this, i would definitely buy it.
it just seems so interesting and fun.

I didn't mean that :S. I meant that Vaati would be the antagonist as oppose to it being Ganondorf AGAIN.

I'm against the idea of Link being driven by vengence. One of the main reasons being that you said that his whole family would have been killed. I don't even like the idea of Link having one or two relatives like in WW. A whole family would be... bad. It would completely destroy the mysetery of Links lineage and back ground.

As for destroying the Tri-force.... I don't think it 'wouldn't be a Zelda game' as everyone else is saying. However, I don't think it would be a smart move, the Tri-force is one of the very basises of Zelda. I'm not against one or two games going without the triforce, but if this were to happen it would mean every game after it would have to not include the Tri-force. This would also Epicly confuse the games timeline placement and mean that it HAD to go at the very end of the timeline.

 

[Alter]

A post-apocalyptic Zelda... wouldn't be bad, really, but I don't think destroying the Triforce would be a good idea. A large part of Zelda is set around balance- destruction and rebirth, a repeated event over many eras that ties in with destiny. Removing the Triforce from the equation removes balance. That means there is no good and there is no evil. No destruction of Hyrule and no rebirth of Hyrule. Basically, it's no longer a Zelda game.

I'm not crazy about this idea. I'm all for dark Zelda games, but I agree with Zeruda that a Zelda game with a destroyed Triforce just wouldn't be a Zelda game.

I agree with Bodo, if the triforce was destroyed, it just wouldn't be a zelda game, and if link wa only driven by revenge, he would be all anti-hero.

For the first time ever, I agree with Nathan. Read this article.

No, it wouldn't take Zelda away from the games, nor would it do the same with good and evil. Everything is still the same, only different. That's the point I'm trying to get at. It would still feel like a Zelda game, but only vaguely. Personally, I'm sick of having the same old Zelda/Link/Ganon combo. The series is beginning to lack innovation.

I mean, take a look at Majora's Mask! It was a really different game. Do you think that Nintendo would accept a proposition as wild and crazy as that one today? Probably not. They keep taking the "safe" route. and look where it took them.

Don't forget- I was simply stating one of the possibilities. There were several other scenarios.

I wouldn't want to have a choice between vengeance and freedom. We already have Fable/II- it'd just be Zelda-themed if we were given a choice. Instead, I think it should stick to its core, being centered on balance. But, if the games are going to keep getting darker and darker, then it wouldn't hurt to have a vengeful, emotionally destroyed "hero" who starts his journey in a corpse-riddled wasteland.

Except for three differences.
1. It wouldn't be an m-rated gore and sex fest.
2. It would actually have good storyline.
3. It would have "Zelda" in the title.

In my humble opinion, those differences make it far beyond comparable with the Fable games.

Also, I think this game should be placed straight after MM on the timeline. Say Link comes back to hyrule to discover the whole world is being burnt to the ground. Then I really like the idea of Link going to get the Master Sword, and the Light Arrows. Then, instead of them just bouncing of Ganon, Realising it is actually Vaati he is trying to fight. The weapons he has assembles therefore don't work. He'd then go on an epic quest to find all the elements and assemble them and such.

It's a good idea, but it wouldn't work with the timeline. Link supposedly never returns from Termina.

Interesting idea though, it would also be quite good if you could team up with an antagonist (as anglekid said) Vaati's human form would suit perfectly.

anyway, if they did make a game like this, i would definitely buy it.
it just seems so interesting and fun.

lol actually, I was the one who first suggested that. Anyway, I still think that it could only improve the Zelda series. Also, I mentioned earlier that it could simply be a stand-alone Zelda. I suppose it could even be non-canon, if wanted.

I'm glad that we're getting quite a few responses for this thread. hopefully, it will keep the action going on for a while.

 

[MrMosley]

A post-apocalyptic Zelda... wouldn't be bad, really, but I don't think destroying the Triforce would be a good idea. A large part of Zelda is set around balance- destruction and rebirth, a repeated event over many eras that ties in with destiny. Removing the Triforce from the equation removes balance. That means there is no good and there is no evil. No destruction of Hyrule and no rebirth of Hyrule. Basically, it's no longer a Zelda game.

Well not exactly. See, the idea I'm getting here (at least the idea I had based on my idea for the game in my above post), was that this game would be the final title in what we know of Zelda currently. Ganondorf, Zelda, the Sages, all of the timeline that Ganon has seemingly come back and done the same thing over and over would come to a head, which would be this game. We have Ganon finally winning. My idea for him to combine the Triforce and wish it to be his would make him all powerful, however in the game the idea would be to defeat Ganon by other means than what we have previously saw.

Which brings me to the Triforce idea. What I wrote above basically says that the game would see the end of the 3 piece Triforce. In that sense, it is already unbalanced. Ganon winning already unbalances things, as Power has prevailed. What would need to be done is for the goddesses to finally intervene, destroy the Triforce, then leave Ganon vulnerable to ultimate defeat. The world would have been destroyed by him, and probably most of its inhabitants. So what are the goddesses to do? Recreate the world, and upon leaving it, a new Triforce for a new era.

 

[Steve]

I like the idea. However, I don't think it should be Ganon (dead on every timeline.)

For the time being, as we've seen if that was true, then the 2D games would have no placemnet on the timeline at all.

When I first read this I though to myself, "The Legend of Zelda" (the original), because that basically was this concept, though I would like to see a game a bit more elaborated as you have suggested. I think for the Triforce to have been destroyed... I think that would ruin the series, because that is what drives this main flow of this series.

I also like Zeruda's idea of an alternate path/ending, those are my favorite types of games, because you can play it more than once without getting tired of it. Shadow the Hedgehog, despite being not that great of a game, I do praise it for having about 4 or 5 different storylines with different endings. I guess the problem then, would be the that endings couldn't be radically different, otherwise they'd throw off the timeline.

 

[Zemen]

This basically makes me think of OoT (minus the "Link wanting revenge" part).

The adult part of OoT DOES take place in a post apocalyptic Hyrule. Ganondorf has succeeded in taking over the kingdom and the kingdom has pretty much turned into a barren wasteland where only the undead roam. Many of the Hylians have vanished. All of the races are pretty much scared about how the world has turned out. OoT IS post apocalyptic.

My response to this is that it has already been done.

 

[basement24]

I would agree with Zemen, I think the idea has been done in OoT and would further this by saying the Dark World in ALttP mimicks some of the description you are speaking of. There's also the element of Link's family (presumably, he only had his uncle in his life) dying in ALttP and he then sets out to finish his uncle's quest.

It could be interesting to see a game that is a Hyrule entirely consumed by darkness from the beginning, but there would have to be some kind of progressive restoration of the land as the game went. It would almost be like TP in this respect and the clearing of the twilight from infected areas.

Overall, it's something kind of interesting to flesh out, but I'm not too sure they would go through with it in a drastic manner since it's been somewhat done, and also Zelda games are about hope. I doubt they'd let Link go to the dark side as it were since Link's been described almost as someone who has no concept of being evil. He's just outright good. He only thinks of others and follows a light path.

Maybe one could argue that this is something that has changed in Link if the Triforce has been destroyed, and his family killed, but he is so pure in heart and motivation I don't see him turning evil or seeking revenge.

Zelda games have always been about hope, and one that could only end in despair is something I wouldn't want to see, and one that I don't think the current creative team would create.

 

[fredthehylian]

If this became an actual game, I think taking the path of Vaati would be more interesting.

 

[Zemen]

Overall, it's something kind of interesting to flesh out, but I'm not too sure they would go through with it in a drastic manner since it's been somewhat done, and also Zelda games are about hope. I doubt they'd let Link go to the dark side as it were since Link's been described almost as someone who has no concept of being evil. He's just outright good.

Exactly. Link is portrayed as the perfect, kind hearted, can do no wrong, hero. One of the theories about Link is that Dark Link is his exact opposite and may actually have been created from Link's own darkness and because Dark Link exists, Link is completely pure of heart.