GenGAME: Five Things in Darksiders II that are Missing from Zelda

Earlier this month, Alex over at GenGAME got his hands on a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Darksi- I mean, just Darksiders II. If you don’t know already, this THQ/Vigil created title is heavily inspired by the Zelda series, and Mases has even called it “The best Zelda game since Majora’s Mask.” And like any great game, Darksiders II pulls the good parts out of Zelda and makes plenty of improvements that perhaps the Big N could learn from. Hit the jump to read Alex’s analysis!

As the title would suggest, Alex’s article is split into five distinct ways Darksiders II has improved on the repetitive Zelda formula: Optional Dungeons, Sidequests, Intimidating Combat, RPG Style Character Progression, and Concise Storytelling. All of these observations of the Darksiders II game mechanics could be implemented into future Zelda games, and if done properly, could find its way into the Zelda game formula (until we get tired of that, too).

I suggest before moving on you read the full article on GenGAME. I haven’t played either of the Darksiders titles, but I’ll try to offer my thoughts based on what Alex has said.

I get the idea that all of these mechanics would work well in a Zelda game after being interpreted by Zelda. Though Darksiders and Zelda are similar in gameplay, they still are different games. For example, though more difficult and intimidating combat could be added to a Zelda game, the way Nintendo utilizes the latest console’s materials more governs the gameplay than anything. I can’t imagine constant hordes of enemies throughout the entirety of Skyward Sword, all of our arms would get too tired!

My other main concern is the suggestion of RPG element additions. This is just my thought, but I think Zelda should maintain its very light implementation of RPG gameplay. I don’t always like focusing on that part of a game, and I think that in a Zelda game where I’m more immersed in the art and music than any other game, complicated character development is something that would detract from my experience. Perhaps if this was passed through some kind of magic Nintendo filter, RPG gameplay could be well implemented in a Zelda title, though.

This being said, I think that overall Alex’s ideas are on target. Zelda would benefit from some more heavy gameplay tweaks. Whether Darksiders II should be a source for inspiration, I’m not quite sure.

Should Zelda take some tips from Darksiders? If so, which ones? Tell us in the comments below!