Time for a remake?

Time for a remake?

A reader explains why he thinks Nintendo should remake the least popular Zelda and turn it into a more cheerful version of Dark Souls.

The Legend Of Zelda has always been my favourite video game series. Since playing the original on the NES all those years ago Ive been playing it basically as long as Ive been playing video games. And while some are better than others none of them even get close to being bad. Except for one.

If youre a Zelda fan than you know which one it is, the only numbered sequel and the only other entry to be released on the NES. Its also the only one to deviate wildly from the Zelda formula, because at that time it wasnt really a formula, it was just one game and they wanted to do something different for the follow-up – which in theory Im all for.

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Zelda II has been re-released many times (its currently on the Nintendo Switch Online service) so its not as if they try to pretend it doesnt exist, but very few of its ideas made it into any of the other games. Although Zelda II is where Dark Link and the Triforce of Courage first appeared, and it was also the first to have metered magic abilities and proper non-player characters that are wandering around doing their own things. Important enough additions but ones that couldve come in any of the games really.

What makes it stand out though is that Zelda II is an actual proper action role-playing game. Zelda games often get called role-playing games but theyre really not, not even Breath Of The Wild – which probably comes the closest otherwise. Youre not a role-playing game unless you have stats and an experience point system, where something other than your own innate skill is driving the ability of your player character.

But Zelda II has that. You earn experience points as you compete in random battles and these help raise three separate stats (attack, magic, and life). And yet combined with this completely un-Zelda like system, which is much more like a traditional role-playing game, youve got a combat system that is much more like an action game.

When you get into a fight the view switches from top-down to side-on and youve suddenly got a relatively wide range of attacks to use; while dungeons and other areas are portrayed as full-on 2D platform areas. It really is nothing like the original Zelda or anything that came after (although Links Awakening did have a few short 2D areas).

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Put all together this made the game very difficult and quite frustrating to play – Im not sure suggesting it was a great game by any means – but I think it would be a great foundation for a remake and a way to make a very different feeling, modern Zelda. A remake would almost be like a cheerier version of Dark Souls, except with busier towns filled with people to talk to. Does that not sound like a great direction to take things?

Of course, Breath Of The Wild 2 is the next big game in the series but the remake of Links Awakening shows that Nintendo is not adverse to having smaller projects in-between the big sequels – especially remakes. So If I was advising them Id definitely make the next one Zelda II.

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