Okay, I'm just going to comment now. Why are so many people talking about no NPCs in the town? They're not the focus of the shot. It's called screenshot of the week, not NPC of the week.
The focus is to show off the screen design, not playability.
It's all about the presentation.
Essentially with no characters in the shot, it makes it hard for me to discern a story. I end up seeing a well-constructed game designer's mock of a city street. I would be much more impressed by a shot that convinces me there's something happening in that world.
Overall, I would really suggest having Link in the shot at the very least. You know what would make an incredible presentation of your screenshot? Link standing beneath the light of a street lamp on the quiet, empty, nighttime streets of Hyrule Castle Town. Maybe an NPC stands in the shadows? Such a scene would make me wonder what sort of strange things are happening in Castle Town's underbelly, ultimately making the shot more compelling and more charming.
Another presentation could be simply Link walking through the bustling midday streets of Castle Town. Would make me wonder what the story of NPCs are and would make me wonder what sort of things I can do in Castle Town.
Your screenshot is well designed and the graphics are appealing. The NPC suggestions would mostly help your presentation. And since this is a contest, great presentation can really help the wow factor in your shot.
By the way, having Link/a protagonist in your shot would improve the presentation of nearly everyone's shots this week. Cukeman nailed it on the presentation this week. I love that there are a whole bunch of gorons walking to that race track, it makes me wonder what the race is like, it makes me want to explore the world he's conveying more.
I also love that Link is standing next to that one goron, it makes me think Link is engaged in some sort of conversation with that goron, as he asks what all the fuss about the races is. I ultimately didn't vote Cukeman mostly because the tileset isn't entirely appealing to me, but that came down to personal tastes.
Edited by Strato, 22 March 2016 - 04:31 AM.