Zelda Defined

In this Iwata Asks interview, Iwata asks the development team what is Zelda. Iwata declares that Zelda is practically ‘undefinable’. How preposterous it is to make a game that you do not know the definition of! Perhaps that explains Twilight Princess’s eccentricities.

Here are the definitions the Zelda Team gave:

• Iwata:

  There is definitely an action-game aspect to Zelda, but it’s a little different from the type of game where the player simply learns by repeating the movements over and over again.

• Nishimori:

  Up to now I have known Zelda as a player, and what I have always admired about the essence of Zelda games is that when the player wants to see what will happen when they try something, there is always an appropriate response to it in the game. For example, there might be a switch in a dungeon that looks like it should go down if something heavy is placed on it, and the game meets those expectations. Because the game lets the player experiment with so many choices, it doesn’t feel like you are being forced to do things. This gives the player the sense that they are making progress in the game by virtue of their own experiences and working things out on their own. For me, the essence of a Zelda game is that feeling the player gets when they are able to solve puzzles in their own way. This is what I kept in mind when I was working on this project.

  • Miyagi:

    This is a question that I have also struggled with. I even once asked this question to one of the most senior developers in the company who has years of experience with Zelda. You know what I got for an answer? “If the Zelda staff made it, it’s Zelda!” (laughs)

  • Iwata:

    It’s like a Zen riddle! (laughs)

  • Tominaga:

    Apart from what everyone else has said, but I would say that it’s the realism of the game world. In other words, whether or not the player will be able to enjoy the story without feeling that it is unnatural. This is something that Miyamoto-san mentions frequently, but I don’t mean the kind of realism where each individual strand of hair is accurately depicted, but rather the fact that a shop owner is not likely to give a hearty welcome to a child that comes into their shop in the middle of the night.

• Kyogoku:

  I think you can say the same thing Tominaga-san just said about what the characters in the game say. For example, hearing something unexpected when you talk to a character you haven’t talked to in a while, or being surprised when a character gets angry at you for something you casually did. If you overdo it, then it will be a nuisance to players, and there’s also no point in putting something in that no one will ever notice. That’s why I was always trying to think of subtle things that might or might not be noticed by players. These things are silly in a good way, and I tried to put in as many of them as possible.

• Iwata:

  Well, I now understand what Zelda means to each of you. As far as my own opinion is concerned, I have a strong feeling that there are as many definitions of Zelda as there are people. But these definitions are not completely different from each other. Rather they all overlap to some extent with one another. That’s why I feel confident that it will come together nicely in the end. Taking it one step further, I think the fact that there isn’t a perfect definition that can be expressed in words is the reason that Zelda games offer such a rich and rewarding experience.

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What a lame answer Iwata gave at the end. “Zelda cannot be defined.”

Reader, I now hereby declare myself “Honorary Member of Zelda Team”, and I will answer Iwata’s question so hopefully he doesn’t ask it when he does the Iwata Asks interview for Zelda Wii (since it will be sufficiently answered with this beautiful blog post, so amazing this post will be that people will be making screenshots of it and framing it on their walls, yes sirree).

Zelda is a crucible.

What does this mean?

All Zelda games are composed in two distinct parts: the Overworld and the Dungeons. The interaction between the two is what is key.

In the Overworld, the world is at war with you in some way. Even if the enemies are just going in circles shooting rocks. In Zelda II, black figures would appear and try to catch you. In Link to the Past, the guards were after you and later Ganon. The point is that the Overworld is not a nice place to Link.

Link is overwhelmed with the Overworld. The Overworld is more powerful than Link is. Link cannot go anywhere and will be killed pretty fast in many areas. Like Icarus, if he flies too close to the sun, he burns.

This is why the dungeons exist. The dungeons are crucibles for Link to grow. Dungeons are all filled with nasty and devious traps. In many ways, the dungeons aren’t even “fun”.  Link goes through this crucible to get the treasure and the power-ups.

The “moment” of Zelda is when Link exits a completed dungeon and feels the sun of the Overworld. It is then that the player can’t wait to explore his new powers in the Overworld, to explore new places.

The definition of Zelda is in the dungeon/overworld as crucible/world. Link grows in ability and power not in the pleasant overworld but in the dungeons. It is not so much the feeling of growth as it is the feeling of crucible. Link goes through the “hard adventure” for the reward of exiting the dungeon and having that new overworld experience.

This reveals where Zelda games have gone off track. The modern Zelda game is one dungeon after the next with the Overworld being nothing more than road to the next dungeon or a cave to another piece of heart.

Think of the original Legend of Zelda. The Overworld, then, was very vast. Every time Link came up to the surface with a new heart, a new item, or a new upgrade, the overworld changed. Of course, the Overworld did not literally change. It was the same exact Overworld. But Link changed. He can’t wait to re-visit the Overworld again after his “transformation” the dungeon caused him. Zelda games are these crucible and then transformation experiences again and again, one after another.

Think of Zelda II. Finishing a palace guaranteed you at least a new level. Levels were very important in Zelda II since the game was like Dragon Quest in that lower levels limited where you could go. New items opened up new geographical locations.

Think of Link to the Past. While the Overworld in Zelda III was very weak, Nintendo put in two Overworlds. Getting the hammer changed Link. He could now explore the Dark World far more than he ever could. Getting that damn duck really changed Link. He could zip around in the Overworld.

Ocarina of Time. Wind Waker. Twilight Princess. Similar situation but with rapidly shrinking Overworlds. The problem with the shrinking Overworld is that players are going to wonder what the point is to finish a dungeon. Zelda is more than just one dungeon after another.

No other game truly has this crucible/world type thing going back and forth as Zelda does with its Overworld and dungeons. Metroid doesn’t have it. Mario doesn’t have it. The really old RPG games might have had it, but they clearly don’t now.

The only game that comes to mind that does have this crucible/world would be World of Warcraft and perhaps Diablo. The Instance dungeons and Raids are not fun by any means. However, they are designed as crucibles. The player spends time torturing himself in the Raid or Instance for the great loot at the end and during the journey. It is not the Raid that is enjoyable but the transformation that comes when the player returns to the surface.

Ironically, frustration and non-fun are why Zelda is Zelda. It wouldn’t be a crucible if it is easy. And this is perhaps why fans complain about how easy recent Zelda games have been. The complaints about the Overworld also work because a weak or small Overworld diminishes the crucible. Why march into a nasty dungeon to torture oneself to defeat the Evil Monster if the world outside is nothing but a road? Or an ocean?

So when you are watching the credits of “Zelda: Wii” and see: “Honorary Member of Zelda Team: Sean Malstrom for defining Zelda for us” do not be surprised!

Above: Malstrom has declared himself “Honorary Zelda Team member”. Hardcore go bonkers.