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Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I'm LordofGoodness and I want to discuss an important matter with you: I am trying to ask here is how much you can twist the formula of this series, modify the gameplay or develop the characters until The Legend of Zelda... stops being The Legend of Zelda.

I know this question sounds weird, but please bear with me, okay? I promise this will make sense. First, we should probably define what does it mean to be a Legend of Zelda story in the first place. Is it the setting itself? Does a video game really needs to take place in the realm of Hyrule (or a similar realm) in order to qualify as a true Legend of Zelda game or perhaps The Legend of Zelda is defined by the behavior of its characters or the way the story of that game is told?

Does anything Nintendo or Shigeru Miyamoto says influence the integrity or quality of a Legend of Zelda game or perhaps it is Shigeru Miyamoto the only person who can dictate whether or not something qualifies as a true Legend of Zelda experience?

A strong case can be made for either of those options. I personally believe that a Legend of Zelda game should take place in an official location established by Nintendo and that it has to convey a certain feeling. I don't know if a first-person-shooter could take place in Hyrule and a lot of people would genuinely consider it a true Legend of Zelda game.

What am I trying to ask is: can you really push the narrative too far? Can you add so much lore to this universe that The Legend of Zelda loses whatever it is that made it into The Legend of Zelda in the first place? I think an answer to these questions already exists and it was given to us by Robert McKee, who said "Each fictional world creates a unique cosmology and makes its own "rules" on how and why things happen with in it. No matter how realistic or bizarre the setting, once its casual principles are established, they cannot change."

What McKee is trying to say is that consistency is the most important element in world-building. Once you establish rules for your story, no matter how magical or realistic they are, you have establshed your foundation for basically everythng, you can't change them, lest you risk confusing or angering your audience.

For example, the classic games established the basic powers Link could use in his adventures. These powers ranged from super-strength, super-speed, fire, electricity, teleportation, etc. Of course, the way these powers were used were limited by the limited technology of the time these games were produced. Nowadays, Link can perform special attacks that wouldn't look out of place in stories like Final Fantasy or Naruto. The evolution of these powers and the way Link uses them need an explanation beyond just "showcasing what Nintendo's new console can do."

These explanations can vary, like one particular Link being more powerful than another, or using a completely different kind of magic or weapon, or getting a power-boost from an ally or something. An explanation is necessary if you want to avoid inconsistency because once that happens, once an inconsistency happens, your audience will notice.

The reason why franchises like The Legend of Zelda can no longer feel like The Legend of Zelda, and for some people, The Legend of Zelda no longer feels like The Legend of Zelda is because of the story. For these people, the integrity of these stories feels lost. For better or worse, what started as the story of a valiant knight who finds a magical sword sets out on a quest to infiltrate a dark tower and save a beautiful princess from an evil sorcerer now involves concepts like time travel, alternate dimensions, sea exploration, lost technology from an ancient civilization, etc. For some people, the franchise's reach is exceeding its grasp.

The problem with a franchise as iconic as The Legend of Zelda is that it simply isn't allowed to evolve. If it evolves, it will lose the popularity that made it iconic in the first place, but if it doesn't evolve, it will invariably fossilize and lose relevance. The challenge Nintendo constantly faces with The Legend of Zelda is coming up with new, original concepts that allow the franchise to honor its history. You can't tell the exact same stories over and over and over again. Well, the Star Wars sequel trilogy implied that you can, but you probably shouldn't.

Sometimes, creators introduce so many concepts to their stories that the stories look and feel so different from the way they looked and felt during their beginnings. To give these creators the benefit of the doubt, I want to believe that they added these concepts just to keep audiences emotionally invested in their stories but these concepts changed the stories in such a fundamental level that they are fundamentally different. Just look at World of Warcraft.

Long ago, World of Warcraft was a conflict between orcs and humans. Now, it involves concepts like faraway planets, cosmic gods, magical demons and even the afterlife. In the Shadowlands expansion, the players literally visit the afterlife and meet the creators of the universe. In Legend of Zelda terms, Link would visit the Heavens, meet the Golden Goddesses and learn about the origins of the universe but the problem with that story is that once you go there, you have nowhere to go.

A problem with modern storytelling is that creators often try to one-up themselves. In one story, they introduce a big bad villain, but in another story, they introduce an even bigger villain. It happens all the time with DC Comics and Marvel Comics.

Whether fans enjoy or dislike this new development in World of Warcraft, they all can agree that modern World of Warcraft is not the same as classic World of Warcraft and fans are now afraid that this will happen to The Legend of Zelda. Even if a game is set in Hyrule and it features the same characters and the same basic ideas, you can lose your way so badly that The Legend of Zelda doesn't feel like The Legend of Zelda anymore. Even if The Legend of Zelda isn't facing the same problem World of Warcraft is facing, the risk is always there.

Well, that's all I have for you this time. Now, it's your turn to tell me what do you think about this topic. I'm always looking forward to read the opinions of others but I admit I did hijack this particular topic. Even so, I'm just a fan, like all of you. Posting my opinions on this website doesn't mean my opinions are any greater or more valid than yours and I'm just glad I have this privilege and honor to share my opinions with you. Feel free to share your opinions, but please do so in a friendly, civilized manner. We're all Legend of Zelda fans here, we just see things differently. So leave a comment below, thanks for your time and stay safe out there!

Description
Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I'm LordofGoodness and I want to discuss an important matter with you: I am trying to ask here is how much you can twist the formula of this series, modify the gameplay or develop the characters until The Legend of Zelda... stops being The Legend of Zelda.

I know this question sounds weird, but please bear with me, okay? I promise this will make sense. First, we should probably define what does it mean to be a Legend of Zelda story in the first place. Is it the setting itself? Does a video game really needs to take place in the realm of Hyrule (or a similar realm) in order to qualify as a true Legend of Zelda game or perhaps The Legend of Zelda is defined by the behavior of its characters or the way the story of that game is told?

Does anything Nintendo or Shigeru Miyamoto says influence the integrity or quality of a Legend of Zelda game or perhaps it is Shigeru Miyamoto the only person who can dictate whether or not something qualifies as a true Legend of Zelda experience?

A strong case can be made for either of those options. I personally believe that a Legend of Zelda game should take place in an official location established by Nintendo and that it has to convey a certain feeling. I don't know if a first-person-shooter could take place in Hyrule and a lot of people would genuinely consider it a true Legend of Zelda game.

What am I trying to ask is: can you really push the narrative too far? Can you add so much lore to this universe that The Legend of Zelda loses whatever it is that made it into The Legend of Zelda in the first place? I think an answer to these questions already exists and it was given to us by Robert McKee, who said "Each fictional world creates a unique cosmology and makes its own "rules" on how and why things happen with in it. No matter how realistic or bizarre the setting, once its casual principles are established, they cannot change."

What McKee is trying to say is that consistency is the most important element in world-building. Once you establish rules for your story, no matter how magical or realistic they are, you have establshed your foundation for basically everythng, you can't change them, lest you risk confusing or angering your audience.

For example, the classic games established the basic powers Link could use in his adventures. These powers ranged from super-strength, super-speed, fire, electricity, teleportation, etc. Of course, the way these powers were used were limited by the limited technology of the time these games were produced. Nowadays, Link can perform special attacks that wouldn't look out of place in stories like Final Fantasy or Naruto. The evolution of these powers and the way Link uses them need an explanation beyond just "showcasing what Nintendo's new console can do."

These explanations can vary, like one particular Link being more powerful than another, or using a completely different kind of magic or weapon, or getting a power-boost from an ally or something. An explanation is necessary if you want to avoid inconsistency because once that happens, once an inconsistency happens, your audience will notice.

The reason why franchises like The Legend of Zelda can no longer feel like The Legend of Zelda, and for some people, The Legend of Zelda no longer feels like The Legend of Zelda is because of the story. For these people, the integrity of these stories feels lost. For better or worse, what started as the story of a valiant knight who finds a magical sword sets out on a quest to infiltrate a dark tower and save a beautiful princess from an evil sorcerer now involves concepts like time travel, alternate dimensions, sea exploration, lost technology from an ancient civilization, etc. For some people, the franchise's reach is exceeding its grasp.

The problem with a franchise as iconic as The Legend of Zelda is that it simply isn't allowed to evolve. If it evolves, it will lose the popularity that made it iconic in the first place, but if it doesn't evolve, it will invariably fossilize and lose relevance. The challenge Nintendo constantly faces with The Legend of Zelda is coming up with new, original concepts that allow the franchise to honor its history. You can't tell the exact same stories over and over and over again. Well, the Star Wars sequel trilogy implied that you can, but you probably shouldn't.

Sometimes, creators introduce so many concepts to their stories that the stories look and feel so different from the way they looked and felt during their beginnings. To give these creators the benefit of the doubt, I want to believe that they added these concepts just to keep audiences emotionally invested in their stories but these concepts changed the stories in such a fundamental level that they are fundamentally different. Just look at World of Warcraft.

Long ago, World of Warcraft was a conflict between orcs and humans. Now, it involves concepts like faraway planets, cosmic gods, magical demons and even the afterlife. In the Shadowlands expansion, the players literally visit the afterlife and meet the creators of the universe. In Legend of Zelda terms, Link would visit the Heavens, meet the Golden Goddesses and learn about the origins of the universe but the problem with that story is that once you go there, you have nowhere to go.

A problem with modern storytelling is that creators often try to one-up themselves. In one story, they introduce a big bad villain, but in another story, they introduce an even bigger villain. It happens all the time with DC Comics and Marvel Comics.

Whether fans enjoy or dislike this new development in World of Warcraft, they all can agree that modern World of Warcraft is not the same as classic World of Warcraft and fans are now afraid that this will happen to The Legend of Zelda. Even if a game is set in Hyrule and it features the same characters and the same basic ideas, you can lose your way so badly that The Legend of Zelda doesn't feel like The Legend of Zelda anymore. Even if The Legend of Zelda isn't facing the same problem World of Warcraft is facing, the risk is always there.

Well, that's all I have for you this time. Now, it's your turn to tell me what do you think about this topic. I'm always looking forward to read the opinions of others but I admit I did hijack this particular topic. Even so, I'm just a fan, like all of you. Posting my opinions on this website doesn't mean my opinions are any greater or more valid than yours and I'm just glad I have this privilege and honor to share my opinions with you. Feel free to share your opinions, but please do so in a friendly, civilized manner. We're all Legend of Zelda fans here, we just see things differently. So leave a comment below, thanks for your time and stay safe out there!