Legend of Zelda and endless autonomy
The original Legend of Zelda is an incredibly frustrating game. Dropped in the middle of nowhere given a quick sword to defend against the monsters but other than that the cryptic messages by the old man and endless wandering are the only way to beat the game. The beauty of the game is open autonomy. There is rare uniform, no passerby secrets to direct. Trust your gut and head forward.
The game is a pain. It is difficult and stressful. Wandering in circles searching for some clarity. It could take hours. Perseverance is critical. The game does come together but it takes some time. There are collectibles. Better weapons and items to pass difficult areas. To build up this inventory is to wander aimlessly for hours. It is tedious but it is also reassuring. When that item is found accomplishment soothes in. The greatest feelings of success are from the long tiring tasks. Each collectible is a step in the correct direction. There is no levels only boss stages on a horizontal axis. Everything is on the screen it only need be uncovered. That is not simple nor easy. Yet it prioritises experimentation. Trying different tactics to excel. Maybe there is a secret gem behind this bush, maybe turning left will reach the dungeon. It is a game of chance for the first timer. The newness is Barcelona for a tourist. A paratrooper in the jungle. Take risks and cautiously trot along. It is a bit overwhelming with so many possibilities but it is this openness that allows the creativity and independence of the player.
Many games today have hints or helpers to guide along the way. I remember seeing Madden 20 (I think) having a user catch. Though even A Link to the Past eased the burden of the figuring the game for yourself. Super Mario was a level by level game so it was quite straightforward while that didn’t make the levels the mission was obvious. RPGs provide some latitude but Zelda was just another level of all over the place. Super Metroid has a similar method. There is a lot of running through different areas searching for various items. There is a semi-uniform model but it is adventurous with much to figure out. With Metroid, it felt there was momentum in the correct direction. Each boss felt leading to the next stage. Even after the third boss it didn’t feel that the journey was becoming more linear. It felt that the rest of the game was far in the future. Many RPGs provide a map or NPCs to receive guidance. The old man was the one available asset yet his cryptic messages were ambiguous. The developers had much fun with the puzzle pieces dispersed throughout the game. Hidden treasures to ease the game were placed randomly but creative. There was no guide just persistence. Never give up. Keep moving forward. Keep trying. With enough time in the game, results would show but patience was key. A simple sword against the hoard of monsters constantly respawning. It was too open. Too much space to figure nothing.
The mantra of the game was exploration. Enjoying the gameplay as it gradually unlocked doors to the next stage. It was open for the fun and autonomy sampled to defeat the game in one’s own style. Spending time exploring, killing new monsters on the edge, hitting random trees to open hidden staircases to buy new items. It is a game of experience. A game to delve into the exploration with no guide. Counting the number of screens to recall how far the dungeon was from the original spot. I can’t speak for the older gamers who played it before the modern graphics but as a younger individual, the exploration is not of appearances but of travelling. The cool exotic nature of modern gaming. The realism and the upfront aesthetics are not the pixel generated illustrations. The exploration is a manner of enjoying the journey. A tourist walking down a random road instead of heading straight for the historical site. The experience is the patience of the solo journey. With the exception of the old man’s merchant life in the cave there are no other NPCs. The protagonist is completely alone in the gameplay. It is a lonely for some but for others the wonder of simple examination is worthwhile. Enamouring aesthetics pale in comparison to good gameplay. The story is simple but the gameplay is gruelling. Such a game is a worthwhile puzzle.
Zelda’s experience is heart-wrenching and chaotic. Hairsplitting stress scrambles the positive enjoyment from the game. Anticipating to win, the game is an adversary. The game is trying to destroy the player’s mind. Where is the joy? Where is the fun? The fun is in the dialectical play. It is precisely the difficulty that brings the greatest benefit. It is through displeasure that sublime shines brightly. Awe shoots out of the mundane. The seemingly intolerable is an unpolished gem that needs a quick wipe to see its glory. The mountaintop is realised in the moment of reaching the peak. The mundane mountain is nothing but treacherous. Tiring to climb but its peak is an inexplainable site. Results from toiling only amplify the experience. Expectations heighten the joy. There may be a psychic element but the truth of the beauty is correlated to the normative classic perception. The marvel that sprouts from the unexpected is overwhelming. Yet the expectation itself cannot meet the actual experience. The aspiring potentiality fails to comprehend the actual. The mundane tedious wandering is an art. Piercing the mundane enjoys the moments of mechanical affiliation. The same routine killing monsters and receiving gems is overlayed with the open-ended exploration. Each screen is mimicked with different monsters but the same idea. The creativity is not in the monster type but in the protagonist. To decide his fate is to find pleasure in his path.
A wonderful game for the strategist not the aesthetician. The priorities of the player are pinned against the normal routine of games. Games are to be fun but also realistic. They are to be engaging with the player. NPCs ought to be present to provide guidance. Arcade games were simple straight to the point. Pac-Man has a simple mission but Zelda does not. Zelda is unique since it allows freedom to reach the end. How to reach that end is up to the player. The protagonist has free will in his way to victory. The gameplay is caught in a dialectic since there is no other voices he either decides to beat the game or forever explore. To indulge in eternal trekking all over the map or to search for the dungeons. Yet it is a process game. The dungeons will eventually will be happened upon. Walk in every direction experiment enough and the dungeons will be found. It comes down to patience. The dialectic is apparent because there is so much freedom. Both options are legitimate according to the gameplay. Other games force certain accomplishments to move to the next stage. Zelda observes the player to decide his destiny. Move left, right, up or down. The mindset must be of experience to instil the necessary patience. It is a game of experience not results. Challenging but strategic.
Zelda’s uniqueness is a favourite. It is tough without proper patience. Be strategic and enjoy the journey. Do not think about the steps to win just the gameplay itself. It separates itself with the soloist episode and lonely atmosphere. It is just the player and the game, just the protagonist and the monsters
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