Final Fantasy 9 ’s Princess Garnet is the closest comparison to Zelda in the gaming world, largely because their circumstances, personality, and overall drive are so similar. Garnet takes a dagger to her hair at a pivotal point in her character arc. Her kingdom is approaching ruin and her mother is gone, so this moment is a reclamation of agency that has long been kept away from her. Gone is the received pronunciation and royal procedures that have long held her back from living a normal, fulfilling life. Travelling with Zidane and company has taught her the importance of this heritage while simultaneously inspiring her to walk away from it. However, blood remains thicker than water, so returning to the city that helped shape her only to solemnly leave it behind is poetic.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but Zelda has always been a wonderfully diverse series. Not to the extent of Mario which has crossed all manner of genres in its years, but it is diverse all the same. It has shaped the RPG genre numerous times since the ‘80s, inspiring the likes of Dark Souls, Secret of Mana, Shadow of the Colossus, and now, the aforementioned Genshin Impact. You can see how much the RPG genre varies with Zelda’s inspirations alone and that’s telling. After Breath of the Wild 2, it needs to do something different again. Going back to the classics might not scream new. In fact, it sounds like a step back, aye? Well, that’s the thing. The triple-A space seems to be scared of its own history, desperate to move past it and become more cinematic, more graphically domineering. It’s all about tech and visual prowess. But art style is just as import
It’s not unlike animation’s seemingly unanimous move toward CGI, leaving 2D behind as a relic of the medium. Disney likely won’t ever make something in the style of The Jungle Book or The Lion King again when Tangled, Moana, and Frozen have such a wide appeal. Anime is huge in its own right but it doesn’t have the same pull in the West as Pixar, Disney, or DreamWorks – all of which have moved toward CGI animation. Indies in gaming hanging onto the old approach is like anime retaining its 2D style. Nintendo taking Zelda back in time would be akin to Disney releasing a new animated film in 2D. It would show that the approach still has a place and it would pave the way for others to do the same in whatever shape or form that might take. I wasn’t particularly optimistic about this ever being a possibility but now, with Metroid Dread , there’s a glimmer of hope on the hori
The game’s music was even made by Joe Hisaishi, a man who has worked on a lot of the music for Studio Ghibli films. The first Ni No Kuni came out in 2010, and the latest in 2018, with about six titles in
One of our editors has said that Breath of the Wild 2 could be teasing two alternate versions of Link , and given how the airborne and land adjacent versions of our protagonist are so aesthetically distinct, perhaps there is some truth to that. Alternatively, Link’s newfound abilities are something that only work in certain environments, requiring an outfit change and flowing golden hair to make specific feats possi
VR remakes like Resident Evil 4 are a much easier sell to non-VR players than other games in the medium. I can preach about how remarkable Half-Life: Alyx is until everyone hates me (which happens often) but it’s impossible to really understand how great that game is unless you play it please click for source yourself. This has always been a huge barrier for VR, which is why Oculus was so keen on developing a wireless model that could more easily be taken on the go and shared with friends. People need to try VR before they really get it, but remakes of classic games like RE4 might just be compelling enough to convince people to take the dive sight unseen. « It’s Resident Evil 4, but you’re actually walking through the village yourself » is easy to wrap your head around, and a pretty intriguing premise
As a VR enthusiast, it’s hard to understand why the Oculus Quest 2 still hasn’t hit critical mass. It’s not a matter of cost: the Quest 2 is half the price of the PS5 and Xbox Series X and less than a third of a 30-series GPU, and unlike all of those, is widely available. It’s not due to a lack of content either. There are hundreds of games on the Oculus store, and at least a dozen I would consider must-plays. There are even more if you have a decent computer to link to, like Half-Life: Alyx , Star Wars Squadrons, and my personal favorite, Insomniac’s Stormland. I don’t think it’s an accessibility issue either – at least not for the vast majority of potential VR players. Resolution and high refresh rates have virtually eliminated the disorientation of early VR, and even if you’re especially squeamish, every game has plenty of settings built in that help eliminate any discomfort. If you ask me, the Quest 2 ought to be as ubiquitous as the equally-priced Nintendo Switch, but as of this past July, the Quest 2 has only sold four million units to the Switch’s
