However, the recent gameplay trailer has me concerned about Princess Zelda’s exact role in the story, and whether she will once again act as a passive heroine who finds herself trapped in Hyrule Castle until Link can muster up the power to save her. Breath of the Wild saw Link venturing into Hyrule Castle to rescue Zelda, who had been holding the evil of Calamity Canon at bay for 100 years. Her power was fading, and she required Link’s help to prevent her kingdom from falling into an inescapable state of r
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
However, while Resident Evil 4 has stood the test of time as a classic in horror games and among the best the Resident Evil franchise offers, none of this has not stopped Resident Evil 4 from being viewed as the series more odd standout in terms of storyline. Not only did Resident Evil 4 completely change the game engine, Elden Ring NG+ Guide controls, graphical style and turn it into a horror game that aligned closer to a third person action-horror game, but its disconnected storyline also helped make Resident Evil 4 feel as if it reboot the series in a large way, at the time of its original rele
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
After Osmund Saddler, a mysterious bio-weapons research expert, shows up in Spain and revives the cult in Resident Evil 4 , he convinces the the 8th Castellan to give him access to the caves hosting the parasite creatures known as the Las Plagas, which he uses to infect the cultists. However, little is known about Osmund Saddlers background or history in Resident Evil’s bio-weapons industry , or how he was drawn to Spain in the first place. This gives Capcom potentially plenty of drawing room to hopefully fit him into the Resident Evil timeline with more defining contr
Now that it has been revealed that the Nemesis parasite has origins or links to the Las Plagas parasite, it’s certainly possible that the Las Plagas parasites also helped create the G-Virus, which has many inclusions in various Resident Evil games. This more closely sews the Resident Evil 4 storyline strongly into the fabric of the Resident Evil universe and its hist
The real wildcard is the new landmass that floats in the sky, a location that could throw everything we know out the window and incorporate a playstyle that is completely different from anything we’ve seen before. Link ( or could it be Ganon or Zelda? ) is capable of morphing through solid objects and flying through the air, so perhaps the need for climbing is obsolete in these circumstances. There are so many questions, but even now it seems Nintendo is acknowledging some of the previous game’s flaws and instead of removing them, is introducing diverse new gameplay ideas that provide other avenues of movement and traversal. Don’t just ditch the encumbrance of climbing in the rain or fragile weapons – instead, provide alternate ways of movement and combat that force you to rethink previously frustrating moments in a new way. Blatant removal feels like cowardice.
The classic approaches weren’t bad or archaic. It’s a common misconception. They often had janky controls, poor accessibility, or even overly difficult game design – but the aesthetic was never to blame. The industry has ironed out a lot of these creases over the years to create much smoother experiences, and the indie space is proof enough that 2D doesn’t mean old and obtuse. The Binding of Isaac takes the original Zelda and makes it a roguelike, even sharing its UI, dungeon format, and item pickup animation – the inspirations ooze. Undertale is a 2D RPG that has combat expressed through a small box that has you avoiding the bullet-hell barrage – it doesn’t rely on fancy graphics. Little Dew is a more comedic Zelda that feels like an HD rendition of the classics with a quaint, cartoony art style. These are all iconic titles, despite not being 3D triple-A blockbusters. Meanwhile, when Nintendo wants to revive its classic library, it does so by modifying its 2D approach, 3Dizing them instead. Look no further than the upcoming Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Pokemon gam
