Thursday, June 2, 2016

How Multiplayer could work in Zelda U


Sorry for the one day delay, but I was pretty busy yesterday and didn't get the chance to post. But let's not dwell in the past for too long and look forward instead. In less then two Weeks Zelda U will finally be fully unveiled and change the world as we know it. Or at least prove to be a damn good game. When The Legend of Zelda Producer Eiji Aonuma first talked about changing the conventions of the Zelda series he especially mentioned two things.


Link between Worlds answered the first question brilliantly and showed the potential of an Open World Zelda, although it's world was pretty small. It also introduced a long forgotten concept back into the series. Strong enemies as natural limitations. You could explore all of Death Mountain from the start of A Link between Worlds but the Lynels will quickly toast you. I hope this concept will also be used in the upcoming Zelda U.

But the thing I want to focus on today is the second convention. Does Zelda need to be a single player only game? Well the answer basically got already answered several times by Four Sword, Four Sword Adventure and Triforce Hereos. But how could Multiplayer work in classic 3D Zelda Adventure? Because several problems arise. If the game isn't build from the ground up to support co-op play then a second player may make certain puzzles, dungeon or even the whole game trivial. On the other hand it would be really hard to solve puzzles, specially designed for co-op play, alone if there is currently no second player at hand.

A solution for this problem would be specially designed Extra Dungeons, which can only be entered together with a second player. Sort of like Portal 2 had two campains. One for single player and one for co-op play. But then there is the danger of having the game feel disjointed.

Of course any form of Multiplayer in a Zelda game will face challenges, but also offer the possibility of a new experience. So here are three ideas how it could work in Zelda U.


The Helpful Fairy:



This idea is inspired by the Multiplayer in the Mario Galaxy games, and certainly would be the weakest implementation. But I also think this is the most likely. It would offer everything Nintendo likes. Local only Multiplayer. Easy implementation. The possibility for Non-Gamers to enjoy the game.
The basic breakdown of this idea is, that while player number One controls Link with the Wii-U Gamepad, another player controls a Navi like fairy with the Wii-Mote. Just point at wherever she should fly. This companion could pick up items, activate buttons or levers and stun smaller enemies.

It's a simple approach and easy to understand, but of course it would be quite lackluster. It would grow dull quickly. I can't think of anyone I know who has ever tried the Multiplayer in Mario Galaxy, which worked in the same way as this idea.

The good thing about this idea would be that it's easy to understand and practically anyone can hop right in. As we all know that is something Nintendo absolutely loves, but I'm not sure that Zelda is the right place for this. Still it would be the easiest and fastest way to implement a Multiplayer experience into a 3D Zelda.


The Duo:



Next up is an idea, which would prove to be a great integration of co-op, but I fear that it could make Single Player quite tedious. Here Link would be accompanied by a second Character (Zelda?) all the time. Whenever you play alone the computer would control the other character. Maybe they could even allow you to switch between Link and Zelda to capitalize on their unique talents. And if you have a friend he can take control of one of the characters.

Of course here we'd have the problem I talked about earlier regarding the difficulty of the game. If the computer controlled characters aren't smart enough a human teammate could trivialize the game. Also constant switching between characters in Single Player could become quite tedious.

Still I think this would be the best way of implementing a Multiplayer into Zelda. It would allow new and exciting puzzles and Dungeon designs.
As an example there could be a dungeon splitting up Zelda and Link. Zelda is sent into the past, while Link remains in the present. Now everything Zelda changes in the past, also changes the dungeon in the present. Both players (or one player switching between the characters) have to work together to progress. For example Zelda could sabotage an important energy conduit, so that it breaks down after several years, which would lead to the destruction of several robotic enemies in the present. Or maybe she can decide whether to pic up a treasure, which would activate it's guardian, creating an obstacle for Link in the present, or leave it be.

And that's only one idea I came up with on the fly. Just imagine what imaginative dungeons Nintendos team could create. It certainly would be quite demanding and not easy to pull of, but this idea really could make for a great Multiplayer 3D Zelda.


The Invader:



Lastly we have another idea I took from a successful game. This time it's Dark Souls. The Idea here is that your World could be invaded by hostile players or you could summon friendly players to help you. This would also allow for a further segregation of difficulty. If the game or a dungeon is too hard for you, you could use a special item to invite a random player (or a friend) to help you. This player would get some materials or items as a reward.
On the other hand if you equip a special ring (just as an example) you could get invaded by Dark Links. These hostile players can then track you down and attack you. If you kill them you'd get some rare materials or items, but if they manage to beat you they'll get them instead.

Another advantage of this idea is that the dungeons and world don't have to be created from the ground to support co-op play. There are also enough ways of avoiding the trivialization of the game. For exampe the helping player could only fight enemies, but not interact with any switches or levers. This way you'd still have to solve most of the puzzles alone, but would have someone to watch your back while you do that.

On the other hand getting invaded in a dungeon, could create for an intense game of cat an mouse. You'd have to watch out for ambushes or maybe plan an ambush yourself.


I would prefer Number 2 or 3, but I think, if Multiplayer is integrated into Zelda U, it will be something similar to Number 1.

So what are your thoughts about this matter? Which idea would you prefer or do you have an idea of your own? Do you even want Multiplayer in Zelda U?

And as always

thanks for reading
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