Zelda Dungeon Talks: Is a Zelda Game More Enjoyable to Complete 100%, at Minimum, or Somewhere in Between?
Posted on August 04 2015 by Josh Tasaico
Hey all and welcome to this week’s Zelda Dungeon Talks! This time ’round we are going to be covering whether or not Zelda games are more enjoyable to complete at 100%, at minimum or somewhere in between. Personally, I don’t usually go out of my way to try and find every single gold
skulltula or heart piece, just because I like to enjoy the story as I go a long and if I’m enjoying the story, I’m going to want to keep making quick process.
In this week’s edition of Zelda Dungeon Talks, various staff members will leave us their opinion on the topic, feel free to leave your opinion in the comments also.Question: Are Zelda games more enjoyable when 100% complete, at minimum or somewhere in the middle of the two?
Alexis Anderson – View Profile
I’ve never done a 100% run of a game. As I’ve mentioned, especially with Zelda, I’m more in it for the story than the gameplay. Finding little things like all the Heart Pieces and completing tedious side quests seems strenuous to me. That isn’t to say one should breeze through the game’s main plot course without stopping to smell the roses, though. I did that with A Link Between Worlds and now the game is unremarkable to me because I hardly feel as though I went on an adventure. A healthy mixture of happenstance exploration and main story play is just right for me to immerse myself in any given game and retain the feeling of adventure once I’ve finished.
Jon Lett – View Profile
I actually tend to do all three with most games in the series, in a specific order: basic completion, then 100%, then minimum. At first, I usually just want to see all there is to see, do all there is to do, and get through the game as one normally would. After beating a game, I have often wanted to have one save file where I have everything in the game completed, if anything, for the sake of pride. After that, I sometimes want to make things more of a challenge for myself with minimalist challenges. When I played through, Ocarina of Time 3D’s Master Quest with 3 hearts, I had a great time, and a great deal of pride after finally beating Ganon. Some games will have certain elements that push me away from beating it 100%, like Twilight Princess’ ridiculous amount of Poe Souls, and others will have less minimalist opportunities, like Four Sword Adventures, but mostly, I try all 3 levels of completion.
Andrew Kiser – View Profile
I love Zelda first and foremost for the story and the adventure. For me, once the story is over, I don’t feel truly compelled to get all the extra hearts and items because really most of those items are intended to make your quest easier. So, what better excuse to play the game all the way through a second time without going to the final boss without achieving as much 100% as possible. It’s hard to play Zelda games just once so I try to play through my second or third time as differently as I can.
Kevin O’Rourke – View Profile
As I’ve participated more in the Zelda Dungeon Marathon I find it more enjoyable to go through a Zelda game as quickly as I possibly can whereas before I would attempt to go for extra unlockables and 100% runs. There is a certain satisfaction earned when you can play through a Zelda game with expert precision and complete dungeons and temples without needing to get the dungeon map, compass, or every stone beak. When a new Zelda game comes out I enjoy playing the game to completion at my own pace, and going for the extra unlockables, but when I’m booting up Ocarina of Time 3D for a nice 20th+ time I prefer to go through the game as quickly as possible to see how well I remember how to solve every puzzle or where to go in the overworld next.
Thomas Jacobs – View Profile
Personally I’m a big fan of the 100% run. I just feel like I didn’t see all of the game if I didn’t get 100%. Sure, for me a 100% run in Zelda is all items, pieces of heart and upgrades. I’ve never been able to get the biggest quiver in Ocarina of Time, and I found the kinstones in Minish Cap to be especially infuriating. I am willing to use a guide to get 100% of the items on my first try: I did so with Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. I have to admit that I like to feel powerful and prepared when going out to adventure, so I want to get to the pieces of heart and upgrades ASAP so I can enjoy them for as long as possible before the end of the game. Because after all, what good is stuff that makes Link more than able to deal with the evil that comes his way if you can only use it in the final dungeon?
