What is Zelda’s ‘formula’? We analyze the secret recipe – Characteristic

Have you ever played a game and thought, “This looks a bit like Zelda?” Just the other week, we described the excellent Eastward as “pretty much like a 2D Zelda game”, and the PC / Xbox game Death gate – a title that our sister site Pure Xbox called “a GOTY 2021 contender“by giving it a score of 10/10 in July, evoked a similar response in reviewers. It is an influence that cuts across all platforms, which is not surprising given the extraordinary history and prestige of the Nintendo series.

But what exactly do we mean when we say that a game is ‘similar to Zelda’? The question brings to mind that famous quote from a judge trying to summarize what constitutes obscenity in a 1960s trial: “I know when I see it”. It’s easy to say “this game feels like Zelda”, but trying to define why is a difficult task.

Homework [of finding a ‘formula’] is complicated by the fact that the Zelda games have changed dramatically in the last 35 years

However, for game designers trying to build on Zelda’s success, determining exactly what constitutes the Zelda formula is essential. So we talk to Acid nerveMark Foster and David Fenn, the designers behind Zelda-like Death’s Door, for their thoughts on what exactly makes a Zelda game feel like a Zelda game.

The task is complicated by the fact that Zelda games have changed markedly in the last 35 years, from top-down 2D affairs to roaming 3D marathons, with a bit of side scrolling included (hello, The Adventure of Link) . Then there is Breath of the Wild. “There’s a discussion on the Steam forums about our game where someone said, ‘This is nothing like Zelda, you can’t cook food, and you can’t scale things,'” says Mark. “They come from the perspective that Breath of the Wild is what they know as a Zelda game.”

But perhaps there are some common ingredients that tie all these games together. We’ll see.

Zelda Ingredient # 1: Dungeons

We’re already struggling to fit into Breath of the Wild, unless you count the shrines. But it’s fair to say that dungeons make up a key component of the traditional Zelda recipe. “Aside from Breath of the Wild, I think everyone else follows the same kind of structure, with this world and dungeon separation. That’s a big part, ”says David.

Ingredient No. Zelda # 2: Items to Help You Explore More

Be it a boomerang or a grappling hook, you will need specific items to overcome certain obstacles and open up the world of Hyrule. You may not always find these items in dungeons, but using them is essential to progress. David says that Acid Nerve didn’t initially set out to make a Zelda-like game; the change came when they were working on the structure and progression of Death’s Door, which ended up tied to unique elements. “I think that’s where Zelda is such a useful reference point.”

Ingredient No. Zelda # 3 – Provocative and Rewarding Level Design

You know when you’re in a dungeon and you can see a treasure chest on a ledge but you can’t get to it? That taunt level structure is a must have in Zelda games, with final rewards you could get later if you grab the right item or find a hidden route. Getting this level structure right was essential when they were working on Death’s Door, says David. “That was a great focus for us, and it’s something we spent a lot of time on. I probably spent around 80% of my time designing levels, because it’s a big task to do levels that way, and make sure you have that satisfying level of deeper exploration if you want to find all the secrets. “

Ingredient No. Zelda # 4 – Bosses that require specific items to defeat

In most Zelda games, bosses act as a kind of tutorial on how to use the item you just acquired in a dungeon. Mark says this was something that Acid Nerve intended to emulate in Death’s Door: “For all the main bosses, we tried to have something that was tied to the power you gained in that area. The frog boss was a direct reference to King Dodongo, where you throw bombs in his mouth to stun him. “But Acid Nerve deviated slightly from the formula by making all bosses also able to be taken down using just your sword, and some items just provide an easier way to defeat them. “So it’s something you discover if you pay attention, but without doing so you can move on with the fight.”

Ingredient No. Zelda 5: Wacky (And Sometimes Haunting) Characters

The Zelda games are full of memorable people, from the singer Marin to the middle-aged fairy Tingle. “One of my favorite characters is the happy mask salesman,” says Mark. “In the same way that it is animated with frozen frames and when the camera cuts [back to him] she’s in a different position. “Mark acknowledges that Zelda’s overall tone was undoubtedly an inspiration” on a subconscious level “for the characters in Death’s Door, and Pothead certainly reminds us of some of Hyrule’s strangest citizens.

Zelda Ingredient # 6: Brief Dialogue

Characters generally don’t talk much in Zelda games; instead, the design does the heavy lifting of characterization. “Every element of a character’s design has so much attention to detail,” says David, “even if they only have a small number of phrases. That’s a really focused way to build a character without a great script. “Acid Nerve used a similar approach in Death’s Door, keeping the dialogue to a minimum. time. I think that’s something Zelda excels at. “

Zelda Ingredient # 7: Crisp Simple Sword Combat

Link starts and ends each game with a sword, and combat is kept incredibly simple, usually with just taps to swing the sword and a charge attack by holding down the button, but combat always feels satisfyingly crisp and responsive. Death’s Door also has simple one-button sword fights, and Mark says they invested a lot to get it right from the beginning of development: “That was the first thing we did: make the combat feel good.”

Zelda Ingredient # 8: Polished on all surfaces

“As you add more things, you break down the old ones and you have to go back and polish them again.”

Screaming games can be fun, but to make something really feel like a Zelda game, you have to give it that Nintendo twist. Mark says they were constantly polishing Death’s Door every time they added new items, but it was a never-ending process: “As you add more stuff, you break down the old stuff and you have to go back and polish it again.” The finishing touches also took a long time, as David describes it: “We finished the whole game about six months before it actually released, then from then on we had a great list of everything we wanted to polish.”

Zelda Ingredient # 9: Unique and Collectible Quests

Generic quest missions have no place in a Zelda game. “I feel like Zelda is really good at customizing all the content in the game,” says David. “You always have this great collection, but it seems like every single item you find is a satisfying find.” Mark explains that it is a format that they tried to reflect in Death’s Door when it comes to collectibles: “If you are going to make someone do that much work, you should at least give them a reward.”

Zelda Ingredient # 10: Stylized Graphics

Every Zelda game looks a little different, but Zelda wouldn’t be Zelda if it had photorealistic graphics. Death’s Door follows a similar approach to avoid too much realism. “There is no focus on realistic details,” says David. “It’s not super cartoonish, but it’s stylish, and we focus on one color scheme in each area.”

Zelda Ingredient # 11: Accessibility

David explains that “Zelda games never intimidate me. You always know that you can progress without messing up your journey, losing an item, or doing the wrong build. “No matter how much time has passed between play sessions, you can easily choose a Zelda game and get stuck without having to remember complicated controls or plots. “There is definitely a comfort to it.”

Zelda Ingredient # 12: Don’t Level Up

Generally, there is no leveling up in Zelda games; the only real level of construction is done by collecting hearts. This is an area where Death’s Door deviates slightly from the formula, David says: “We have minimal build creation, because I think overall we have more of a combat focus, so we wanted to develop that side a little bit more. ” Still, level searching is definitely not a Death’s Door feature, and grinding certainly has no place in a Zelda title.

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