856 replies to this topic

[The Satellite]

Oh, and apparently this little gem was hidden in Hero Mode:

 

Spoiler

[Moonbread]

Spoilers

While yes, I'd probably just chalk it up as Deus Ex Machina, we've seen before that Zelda has the power to grant the power of the Light arrows- in both OoT and TP.  My guess is just that because she was turned into a portrait, that she could grant only grant the bow of light in the form it was.  Still kinda thought it was silly, though.

[TheLegend_njf]

If this game is as short as I think it will be, a hero mode seems appropriate.

I never ever played Hero mode in Skyward Sword because that game was so large, I just grew tired of playing every time I beat the game.

[Avaro]

I wonder if anyone has noticed how each of the Lorule dungeons have a certain part in their melody in common.

 

Also, I love that they made the Lorule castle theme actually a backwards version of the Hyrule castle theme! It makes sense. I know this from an article coolgamer posted a few pages ago. Musical easter eggs are cool to have.

[LinktheMaster]

Yeah, I noticed that. To me, the Swamp Palace and Ice Ruins were pretty easy to spot the similarities in.

[Aevin]

Finally finished this last night, and ... I LOVE IT! The story, the style ...  Just about everything felt wonderfully done to me. There was never a point where I felt bored or too frustrated. I don't know where this falls on my personal list yet, but it's definitely high up there. I want more Zelda games like this one!

 

I was initially skeptical of the rent shop, but it worked fine. Since there were optional items hidden in big chests in the dungeons, I still got the nice feeling of exploration and wondering what's in the chest that I find so exciting. I do think Nintendo's stated reason for the rental shop isn't accurate, though. They say it's to make the game non-linear, but since almost every dungeon focuses on a single item, why couldn't they hide those items within those dungeons? The answer is that takes up space and limits the dungeon's structure. I believe the real purpose of the rental shop was to ensure that when a player walks into a dungeon, they have the required item, so the dungeon can immediately throw out clever puzzles and enemies based on the items. And the dungeons did that VERY well. My only issue with it is ... if you die and haven't bought the item yet, you'll lose it and have to leave the dungeon to recover it. Very annoying if you're working through a dungeon and have to stop to go get your items back.

 

Spoiler

I found the similarities to LttP rather strange ...  Specifically, why does Lorule resemble the Dark World so strongly? They're careful to point out that it's not the same Dark World form LttP, yet it has mostly the same biomes, and many of the places are even named the same. Almost all the dungeons are based on ones from LttP's Dark World, too. And yet ... the style of these dungeons, and their layouts, are completely different. For example, Turtle Rock is now in the middle of Lorule's lake, but has stone walls like a temple instead of the natural stone walls in the original Turtle Rock. It's a lot more lava focused with less darkness and open spaces. So ... why is it called Turtle Rock at all? Couldn't they just name their fire dungeon "Lava Island Temple" or something? It's as if they wanted to make brand new dungeons, but were afraid fans would raise a fuss if they didn't have enough nostalgia in there, so they made new dungeons in the general theme of the old ones and slapped the LttP names on them. The logic of these worlds just doesn't make sense to me. It's not a big complaint, and didn't affect my enjoyment of the game. It's just a little fourth wall breaking, and I found it kind of fascinating thinking about how the development team made these decisions.

 

Anyway, I really loved the game.

Edited by Aevin, 01 December 2013 - 05:53 PM.

[Moonbread]

Well, the reason I think it looks like the Dark World is that Lorule is merely a parallel version of Hyrule.  In that...

 

spoilers

Remember that during Lorule's civil war for the Triforce, they destroyed theirs.  However, as it was revealed, the Triforce is essentially a foundation, and without it, the land starts to crumble.  The land was in a state of decline and decay because of that.  During the events of ALttP, the Dark World was essentially Hyrule formed out of what was in Ganon's heart (or lack thereof).

 

As for the names of locations, well... again, the parallel similarities.  Unless we just want to refer to Turtle Rock in Lorule as "Tortoise Stone" or Thieves Town as "Rogue City".  Not that these wouldn't be cool names since I just came up with them.

[Aevin]

Well, the reason I think it looks like the Dark World is that Lorule is merely a parallel version of Hyrule.  In that...

Spoiler

That's kind of my point. If the Dark World is born out of Ganon's heart, a twisted vision of Hyrule, doesn't it seem odd that Lorule would have the same areas and names? It seems an awfully big coincidence that Lorule would just happen to have an undead-infested forest called Skull Woods, just like in Ganon's vision. Or Misery Mire ... An awfully specific name, and it seems weird that in both cases the ruined version of Hyrule's desert becomes a swamp. Why not a jungle? Or just a more evil desert? The answer to all these questions lie in the development of the game -- the team wanted to evoke nostalgia for these places while still being free to tell a new story in continuity with LttP. I just wish that either there were an in-game explanation, or that Lorule and its dungeons were more distinct from the Dark World.

Actually, in the case of the dungeons, I think their styles are plenty unique and it's only the names themselves that make me wonder.

Edited by Aevin, 01 December 2013 - 05:49 PM.

[Shane]

Lorule Response

I believe that this is the canon appearance of a land without foundation of a source of power. Look at Subrosia for instance, they didn't have a deity or a object of power to make their land look more promising.

 

But something new and fresh would have been cool. But hey, it's cool to see "Dark World in 3D" even though it isn't the Dark World.

 

And now that I think about it a jungle being the desert counterpart would have been sweet. Imagine traveling in it with towering trees in 3D.

 

As for names, I wish they came up with more original names (because some of the dungeons felt so new and different. I mean, they were OK, but House of Gales being the only original named dungeon kinda made it felt out of place. And yes, I know some were slightly renamed... but just that: slightly. The game kinda screamed fan service, but that's not a bad thing at all.

 

I'm guessing the game's nostalgia is also intended for the new generation so when they beat ALBW, and play the prequel for the first time they'll go "Oh! This area!" kinda like how the older generation do the same for ALBW only the opposite way around.

Edited by Shane, 02 December 2013 - 04:10 AM.

[Avaro]

More Lorule responsing

I think Aevin's point was that it's questionable as to why Lorule has so many similarities with the dark world at all. (hopefully I'm not misunderstanding :O)

[Shane]

Ending Spoilers Are In Here

Well, it's a parallel kingdom of Hyrule with many changes both natural and due to the impact of their loss of the Triforce. And without the foundation of their Triforce, the "canon appearance" (refer to my previous post if you're confused) made it look like the Dark World, which was the parallel world of the Light World (Hyrule!). So naturally there is some logic (even if its half theorized. ).

 

Story Idea (Borrows ALBW Spoilers)

It would have been cool if the Sacred Realm was the "link between worlds" and due to the Triforce splitting into Hylians in Hyrule, Lorule suffered. The Triforce being in the Sacred Realm was meant to balance the foundations out to both lands. Yuga discovered Hyrule's existence and convinced Hilda to start a war for the Triforce.

 

The original works, but this would be cool and it would also be another neat semi-origin story.

Edited by Shane, 02 December 2013 - 04:19 AM.

[The Satellite]

I've never tried to do a three-heart run in a Zelda game before, but I'm trying it for this game. Just made it into Lorule and no deaths. Fairy revives, yes. I'm pretty confident I can zero-death this, but we'll see. Should be able to; game's not too difficult, at least not to me, but there may be some tricks thrown at me...

[DCEnygma]

Well, I beat it. It's really good. Four thumbs and an index finger up.

 

The game just has a certain charm to it that makes it really enjoyable to me. The mechanics are used well and in several creative ways, and the dungeons are incredibly well put together. I beat the game with no deaths, so I really don't think the game was hard, but to be fair that could just be because I'm familiar with this style of Zelda engine from beating Link to the Past recently and playing Minish Cap again recently. The story wraps up in a manner that's just a bit too convenient for my tastes, but it's definitely far from being bad in any way. Great game!

[Aevin]

I ran out of game, so I'm replaying it on Hero Mode. I kind of rushed through the first time, so I'm taking it slow and making a much larger effort to explore everything. In replaying it, I'm discovering a really interesting attention to detail. Did you know you can explore almost the entire overworld before being able to use the sword? The first time, I assumed they blocked you into a set path, because Gulley kept shouting at me when I tried to go a different direction, but once you pick up the sword for delivery, you can go all over the place without being able to use it. It's still early morning, the world is covered in light fog, and most of the enemies are missing. It's kind of eerie.

[Moonbread]

Ah, I did that too, on Hero Mode!  I went around killing slimes and crows in the Lost Woods using bushes.  Good times.