Top 10 Clichés In The Legend of Zelda Series
The Legend of Zelda is an amazing series with many games. But with so many of them, surely there are some concurrent trends in the series. Let it be an idea/concept, a mechanic, or whatever, this list counts down the biggest clichés in almost 30 years of Zelda tradition.That's the trend that started with Ocarina of Time. Find bombs in a dungeon? Go fight King Dodongo. Find a bow? Go fight Gohma. Prepare to do this several times. Is the dungeon late in the game? Never use the item again. Don't worry. You can at least pretend to like the Hammer, Spinner, Fire Arrows, etc.
These three dungeon types are very common. The fire dungeon is usually there to burn you. There is normally an ice-based dungeon to make you slip, and a water dungeon to utilize those swim mechanics. Who even needs variety?
I mean, it's cool, and I like the whole elemental thing, but can we have more variety?
Also, forest levels and desert levels are still very overused.
Have you ever played Skyward Sword? In that game, the Wii MotionPlus makes it so that you can swing your sword at precise angles. This means that you rarely, if ever, have to wait. There is usually, if not always, a small opening or a trick to defeating certain enemies quickly. Take, for example, Lizalfos. Some people might just wait for it to taunt and then attack. However, you could attack it and it will block and try to counter-attack. If you are quick enough, you can do a backflip and a jump strike to make it fall on its back. Then, execute a fatal blow.
The rest of the 3D Zeldas? Yeah, there's a lot of waiting.
The only direct sequels in the series are Zelda II, Majora's Mask, and I believe Phantom Hourglass. Everything else has similar characters, but their place on the timeline has led to years of debate. There are 3 branching paths!
A lot of items trend in Zelda games, but these three have been around since the beginning and haven't disappeared since. Boomerangs stun enemies. Bows and arrows kill them from a distance, and bombs do massive damage. What would the series be without them?
Of course, every similar game needs this mechanic. Go back to the Temple of Time to put the sword back! Go back to Clock Town to stop the moon! Go back to... well, anywhere in Skyward Sword! Talk about overstaying your welcome!
You only need to go to the Temple of Time like once before the Spirit Temple. Clock Town is the hub that leads to all other places.
You know what I'm talking about: Majora's Mask and the 3-day cycle, Skyward Sword and the motion controls, etc. These mechanics aren't that bad after a while, but the first impressions are too much for some fans.
Yep, this is the one. Zelda II: Side Scroll. OOT: Z-Targeting. MM: 3-Day Cycle. TP: Alternate Dimensions. SS: Wii MotionPlus. BOTW: Massive world with small dungeons. The list goes on, and on, and on. Of course, every one of these was amazing, but Zelda is definitely a "ground-breaking" type of series.
MM had a very interesting mechanic, but it helped and hindered progress.
There's always at least one female NPC who is attracted to Link, whether it's Ruto, Midna, or Zelda herself, of course. It's usually only a small plot device, but it sure is frequent.
Saria, Zelda (in the majority of the games), and Mipha are just Link's childhood friends.
Why does this happen? Well, you always happen to be the reincarnation of the Hero of Time, and you even keep your looks and voice! Obviously, others have tried to defeat Ganon, but that would mean the game not existing, of course!
Okay, I've got to say, if your main character is the same in every game, this makes sense.
It has to be either an adult or child voice, dude. What else will Link sound like?
This is more evident in bosses, but especially in the 3D games, it becomes quite apparent that there's a single feature, and ONLY that feature, that kills an enemy.
I think it makes it easier. There are so many so true memes about this. Newbies, when in doubt, attack the eye.
This is less common than the others, but how many games in the series had stealth missions? There's Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, Oracle of Seasons, and I might even be missing one. Some are even in broad daylight! But whatever, Metal Gear Zelda for the win!
I liked the stealth mission in Skyward Sword, where the eruption makes you lose all of your items, and you have to find them while sneaking past Bokoblins.
You are forgetting the one from Phantom Hourglass.
This is very common in most Zelda games. It starts out with some disaster happening, and then somehow involves Zelda and her needing saving from a chosen knight (hint: Link). A lot of Zelda game concepts are based on Link finding a way to save Zelda, like in Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time, Breath of the Wild, Twilight Princess, etc.
Now that I think about this, why?!