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[OutrageousFacts]

Making this thread because a certain other community claims this:

Unless Aonuma and co. have been entirely holding their hands to their ears, they would know that's the kind of thing fans want to see now.

While one could interpret certain scenes from the trailer as hints of Zelda maybe being a 2ndary playing character, I never got the impression that the Zelda-community by and large *wants* playable Zelda. Imo this is a tiny vocal minority, trying to guilt trip Aonuma into giving in to their demands.

Now, *if* it happens, it happens, and it might be fun. But as a long-time fan, I never wished for any character be playable but Link. I'd rather have a character editor than a simple swap of the hero.

So let's ask NeoGAF: Do you *want* playable Zelda in BotW?

 

[Thaedolus]

I’d be fine with whatever if the game is fun... but if it was like another mode...let’s say, a really hard mode like master mode and Nintendo had a bunch of developer interviews which justified it because women are inherently weaker than men? That would be the best case scenario from the lulz standpoint.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Link + Zelda co-op mode running through the open world and through dungeons with little/no limitations would be my dream. Time for mainline Zelda to finally go multiplayer.

 

[kunonabi]

I'm fine with her being playable as long she isn't the Hero and wielding the Master Sword or the Triforce of Courage. I'd much rather see her involved in story/gameplay scenarios that play to her character and talents than just playing Link with boobs.

 

[Yoshi]

I do not care. If they have a great gameplay idea for her, I will be glad, if not, then not.

 

[OutrageousFacts]

Link + Zelda co-op mode running through the open world and through dungeons with little/no limitations would be my dream. Time for mainline Zelda to finally go multiplayer.

You're now my least favorite poster in the citadel :/

Forced multiplayer-Zelda, ewww ...

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

You're now my least favorite poster in the citadel :/

Forced multiplayer-Zelda, ewww ...

Doesn't have to be forced, just like multiplayer in Minecraft isn't forced.

Experimenting with the world and its systems alongside a second player would be a major seller. I'm going in with the assumption that the world in BotW2 will have a higher number of systems to play with and will have more dungeons (maybe even randomized roguelike dungeons) so it'd be fun to bring another player along. I'd play the main game solo and then continue playing for many more months/years with friends and family.

 

[Business]

No I don’t want it but if it happens well, whatever.

 

[Doom85]

I'd rather her be a constant companion akin to Elizabeth in Bioshock Infinite or Ellie in The Last of Us. It could offer a ton of unique puzzles and approaches to combat by having a (if done competently) AI companion on your journey.

Personally, I've seen more butthurt come from people towards those who simply suggest either playable Zelda or a female Link option. Like it would ruin the game which is especially idiotic for the female Link option since you could just pick male Link at the start of the game and never see it in your own playthrough. But big surprise, the LOZ fanbase has some uptight people in it!

"Hey, Zelda fanbase, OoT was never my favorite even when it launched, Wind Waker is my personal favorite, and BOTW was pretty good but couldn't reach its full potential due to the stupid ass weapon durability!"

Certain members of the Zelda fanbase's calm and collected response:

 

[Yoshi]

Doesn't have to be forced, just like multiplayer in Minecraft isn't forced.

Multiplayer in Zelda is bad and then you bring up the busywork garbage that is Minecraft on top of that.

EDIT: And randomised junk on top of that. You must be a parody acc .

 

[Trojita]

Can there just be an answer of Yes?

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Multiplayer in Zelda is bad and then you bring up the busywork garbage that is Minecraft on top of that.

Yet I remember this getting constantly brought up by "Zelda fans" as an underappreciated experiment, something Nintendo should try, something Nintendo should flesh out.

And Nintendo has continued this experiment with the 4 swords DSi port and 3DS port. I didn't see the Zelda fanbase scurry to denounce the official sequel to Link Between Worlds, either, which was multiplayer:

Minecraft is a masterclass in design. More open-world games should imitate it or at least attempt to understand what makes it so entrancing to tens of millions of fans.

 

[OutrageousFacts]

Can there just be an answer of Yes?

No, because no matter what happens, it'll be ONE of these options, and you get the freedom to choose what you want the most. Sorry for letting you decide :]

 

[Yoshi]

Yet I remember this getting constantly brought up by "Zelda fans" as an underappreciated experiment, something Nintendo should try, something Nintendo should flesh out.

Zelda FSA is actually good, yes, but it is nothing like the multiplayer you were talking about. Tri-Force Heroes is not the official sequel to ALBW.

 

[Fbh]

I'd be ok with it either way, it's not something I particularly want or am opposed to.

If they DO make her playable though I would like to see them give her some unique skills and gameplay. In this version she is supposed to be more of a schoolar, maybe give her some gadgets and have her be more puzzle focused while link does more of the fighting and exploring.

Having her be little more than a skin swap for link would be disappointing.

 

[Trojita]

No, because no matter what happens, it'll be ONE of these options, and you get the freedom to choose what you want the most. Sorry for letting you decide :]

I see a difference between "Yes, Zelda in equally important role as Link" and "Yes, but only for small parts of the game". The former gives an expectation of a 50/50 split while the latter sounds like a greatly diminished but playable role. I'm fine with the developers making it 60/40, 70/30, whatever they decide.

 

[Fuz]

She should be the main character in Legend of Link, obviously.

 

[Paracelsus]

In their mind, and only there, the majority of men is for more women characters in terms of empowerment, not because they want fanservice. It's hard to take them seriously.
That said, the best outcome is Resident Evil 0, Ms. Male would be stupid and pointless.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

Poll should have been Yes / No. I'd like to see it, simply because we've played Link so many times. I'm ready for something different and Zelda seems like the obvious choice.

 

[Trojita]

Zelda was pretty awesome to play as in Hyrule Warriors

 

[Abriael_GN]

I can't care the less.

I want the developers to make whatever character they want playable in their own game. Personally, I play characters, not their genders.

 

[OutrageousFacts]

I see a difference between "Yes, Zelda in equally important role as Link" and "Yes, but only for small parts of the game". The former gives an expectation of a 50/50 split while the latter sounds like a greatly diminished but playable role. I'm fine with the developers making it 60/40, 70/30, whatever they decide.

And I'm fine with anything. Still, you get to wish for your most desired outcome. If too much freedom of choice hurts you, I don't care, lol.

 

[iconmaster]

I really like what they did with Zelda in Breath of the Wild. I'd play as her for the whole game if possible. I suspect the most Nintendo would do is make her playable for limited sections, though.

Also, think of the view

 

[Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule]

More and better dungeons ''that's what zelda fans want to see now''. Playable zelda or female link is just what a vocal minority wants imo.

In the case BOTW2 has muliplayer of some sort yeah i want zelda to be the other/one of the other characters (instead of a different color link)

 

[JunkerWoland]

A playable Zelda, whether as the main or in a multi-protagonist role, isn't something I actively want. However, if Nintendo does make Zelda the player character in the next title, that's fine, since I'll assume they've consciously designed the game around her and not simply to appease a certain segment of consumers.

That said, I expect a playable Zelda wouldn't squelch the outcry suggested in the OP, since she'd almost certainly still be a cute, distinctly feminine character. The people bemoaning male Link seem to want something distinctly more androgyne and for some probably more explicitly gender fluid.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

whatever they want to do, fine. if they want to make everyone fish people and have the game take place in Atlantis, i'll play it. i just don't desire to impress any personal demands of mine onto them. to me that seems like a weird way to interact w media. i play the games that are fun and good, BOTW was fun and good.

do whatever yall want w the game. just make it the best!

 

[The Elite]

Yeah, I kind of want it for the sake of shaking up the franchise a little. The protagonist avatar matters very little and I think Zelda is a better option than something like gender swapping Link.

 

[jts]

I want them to make the best game they can without having to cater to any internet whining of the month. If that still means playable Zelda fine, if not fine too.

 

[OutrageousFacts]

Yeah, I kind of want it for the sake of shaking up the franchise a little. The protagonist avatar matters very little and I think Zelda is a better option than something like gender swapping Link.

A franchise couldn't have been shaken up more than what BotW did?

 

[The Elite]

A franchise couldn't have been shaken up more than what BotW did?

From a gameplay perspective, you're absolutely right. I guess I just mean for the sake of perspective. It would be an interesting point-of-view story-wise.

 

[Punished Miku]

Link + Zelda co-op mode running through the open world and through dungeons with little/no limitations would be my dream. Time for mainline Zelda to finally go multiplayer.

Triforce Heroes is the most underrated Zelda game ever made. Playing that online was amazing. Got 100%, and it was one of the most difficult Zeldas ever.

Aonuma also called it the most underrated and underappreciated Zelda.

 

[brian0057]

The protagonist for every game made from this point forward.

 

[Kreen101]

I don't want her to be playable because they would have to make her an action character like Link, when that's not who Zelda is in those games. She's a spiritual, calming, peaceful presence. A passive character. She's a princess, she's royalty, she's not a soldier or a fighter. Not every woman in video games has to be an action badass like freakin' Sarah Connor.

 

[DeceptiveAlarm]

No. I never want to play as a women. I want people to play as women if they want to before I get yelled at. I just don't want to.

On another topic how do I make a poll? I tried to figure it out and I must be blind or stupid.

 

[zeorhymer]

Make a new game and call it Zelda's Awakening, not Legend of Zelda 2

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Zelda FSA is actually good, yes, but it is nothing like the multiplayer you were talking about. Tri-Force Heroes is not the official sequel to ALBW.

I don't pretend to care about Zelda's convoluted timeline but here ya go:

Tri Force Heroes is set several years after A Link Between Worlds and centers on Link, who was originally planned on appearing with the same design as the protagonist of A Link Between Worlds. This was replaced with the Wind Waker styled Link in the final version, as the developers felt it made the models easier to see on the smaller screen of the 3DS family of systems. However the Tri Force Heroes protagonist and the A Link Between Worlds protagonist are still the same Link.[7] In the official Zelda timeline, Tri Force Heroes takes place in an alternative timeline that results from the Hero of Time's potential failure in Ocarina of Time, leading to the events of A Link to the Past. It is the fifth title on this timeline branch (the Oracle games as a joint title), taking place between A Link Between Words and the beginning of a part of this timeline called the "Era of Decline", which involves the events of The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.[3]

 

[Yoshi]

I don't pretend to care about Zelda's convoluted timeline but here ya go:

Tri Force Heroes is set several years after A Link Between Worlds and centers on Link, who was originally planned on appearing with the same design as the protagonist of A Link Between Worlds. This was replaced with the Wind Waker styled Link in the final version, as the developers felt it made the models easier to see on the smaller screen of the 3DS family of systems. However the Tri Force Heroes protagonist and the A Link Between Worlds protagonist are still the same Link.[7] In the official Zelda timeline, Tri Force Heroes takes place in an alternative timeline that results from the Hero of Time's potential failure in Ocarina of Time, leading to the events of A Link to the Past. It is the fifth title on this timeline branch (the Oracle games as a joint title), taking place between A Link Between Words and the beginning of a part of this timeline called the "Era of Decline", which involves the events of The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.[3]

I was not talking about the timeline (and never am) but about it being a spin off rather than a sequel.

 

[buizel]

As long as they build on the open world.

BoTW is a funny one. I couldn't get into it for a while but then it clicked at some point. I think once I ventured out really far it just became really really fun but it really disappointed me initially, ended up loving it and regretting going to Ganon early because I stopped playing after that.

The thing I think would make the game better is just MORE of everything, but specifically they need to make large dungeons integrated into the world seamlessly instead of little Port-to-dungeon thing. The big elephant dungeon and that were cool but they seemed to lack something, was strange ... they need to make many many dungeons like the Earth Temple just blend into the environment.

The one thing that pissed me off was how they kept saying how amazing the "open-air" system was - the arrogance of claiming a new genre when other games had far succeeded at that description. Just Cause 3 had amazing wing gliding that was so so fun and that game you could actually take over a city without touching the ground once with gliding everywhere , and soaring over the rolling hills in that game is beautiful - and that's not saying anything on the Jetpack that basically turned you into Iron Man minus the metal suit or the sequel.

Anyway it doesn't really matter. If they do make only Zelda playable I hope they dont change up the combat much, they might make it more magic based but probably not

 

[Trojita]

I don't want her to be playable because they would have to make her an action character like Link, when that's not who Zelda is in those games. She's a spiritual, calming, peaceful presence. A passive character. She's a princess, she's royalty, she's not a soldier or a fighter. Not every woman in video games has to be an action badass like freakin' Sarah Connor.

Sheik?

Hyrule Warriors Zelda?

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I'd be fine either way, but it could be cool to have a game where you play as Zelda. If they do go with the multi-protagonist route, I think I'd prefer it to be kind of half-and-half rather than just a couple of cameo segments.

I don't want her to be playable because they would have to make her an action character like Link, when that's not who Zelda is in those games. She's a spiritual, calming, peaceful presence. A passive character. She's a princess, she's royalty, she's not a soldier or a fighter. Not every woman in video games has to be an action badass like freakin' Sarah Connor.

There is a ton of potential in making Zelda a playable character even outside of combat action. The adventures of Zelda & Link sounds like an awesome concept to me, especially with how they are portrayed in Breath of the Wild. Having them go on a quest together to rebuild Hyrule could be really cool.

 

[Neff]

I want Nintendo to make the game they want to make.

I don't want them to make the game the internet wants them to make.

 

[ExpandKong]

No, this is not something I have ever wanted.

Now, if that’s the game that Aonuma and crew want to make, that’s fine and I’ll play it.

Tired of entitled assholes trying to bully game devs. “It’s WHAT THE FAAANNNNS WAAAAANT.” Fuck you. You don’t speak for me.

Sheik?

Hyrule Warriors Zelda?

Sheik is fine but canonically has only been in one game and is probably more suited to stealth than straight up asskicking.

Hyrule Warriors is fun but it’s Hyrule Warriors. Not really relevant to the discussion at hand.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I want Nintendo to make the game they want to make.

I don't want them to make the game the internet wants them to make.

More than just about any other company, I think we can rest assured that Nintendo will always make the game they want to make.

 

[TLZ]

Well, why not, I guess? Not the main character of course, but a playable one.

 

[Belmonte]

Link is as iconic as Mario, which means, a lot. He is the hero of series and the avatar of courage.

Yeah, I don't want Nintendo to switch him for anyone.

 

[MAtgS]

More than I want a girl Link.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Breath of the Wild has already made a massive departure from a lot of the series conventions so far. Why not change it up a bit more? I don't have a desire for them to ABSOLUTELY do it 100% but if they do it'd be a refreshing change of pace.

So yes I'm game for it but it isn't necessary.

 

[Bruno_Arrais85]

No

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

It would mark a weak capitulation to the spirit of the moment, where everyone instantly demands all secondary or female characters have major action / hero-oriented yas queen moments in order to seem fair. Zelda doesn't need that--she's an intelligent and devoted member of the royalty and a scholar. Adventuring & combat isn't somehow better or stronger than what she already is, and would make this franchise indistinguishable from all the other fan-oriented trash out there in Marvel etc.

 

[Thabass]

Yes, but I also want to play as Link too. Link is a Zelda staple, you can't just get rid of him. But I think Zelda would be a great change of pace too. As long as Link is the main playable character.