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Friday 25 January, 2008
GAMEPLAY
First of all, I fixed my TV settings and it helped make the environment a little brighter. However, I still feel that some parts of the game are too dark (even though these moments are rare).
My first game session left me pleasantly surprised at the easy controls and solid world environment. After my second session of playing, I feel I can appreciate these features on a deeper level. Advancing meant reaching more challenging puzzles which I felt had a good learning curve (I feel the game gets more challenging at a good pace). This is important to me, because I easily get frustrated once I feel "stuck" or defeated in a game. After playing for a few hours, I still feel fresh and eager to reach more places.
My comments on the memorable music and appropriate graphics still holds true! However, playing more did allow me to more clearly appreciate this game's unique plot and solid characters.
After advancing further, I feel I can more accuratly comment on the storyline of this game. After my first session I felt comfortably intrigued by the small amount of storyline that had been revealed. Now I feel that the story line of this Zelda is a clear strength. I find the plot easy to follow and, so far, it flawlessly corresponds to the gameplay (which, to me, is important for a game like this). I feel this game has strong characters and does a particularly good job at making characters seems real.For example, we are shown a short cut scene between Link and Saria before you leave the forest. This small scene with simple graphics featuring the ocarina gift is really touching. Though only about a minute long, the game clearly conveys that Link and Saria value each other and that Link's leaving the forest (which is really you) holds great importance to other characters like Saria. Having characters the player cares about helps add to the overall gameplay, and keeps the game interesting. Small moments like this show this game's ability to convey important plot points in creative and memorable ways (which I see as a strong feature of this game).
Overall I feel this game does a great job at creating an environment one would want to spend hours enjoying. The combination of unique places and great music help keep the play fresh, and steer it away from tediousness. I personally really enjoy the storyline of this game. Playing more has given me a chance to appreciate the creativeness of each individual race (from Gorgons to Kokiris) and the overall charm the game has throughout your adventure. Interesting puzzles, and minimalist fighting helped me stay focussed and not frustrated (I liked how the game was less about "keep from dying" and more about "get to the next part!".) All these elements made my gameplay experience well appriciated. I can clearly see why Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time belongs on the classics list.
DESIGN
Although Zelda clearly has many strong design features, I feel the individual level designs truly mark this game as creative. Each level takes you too a fresh and exciting location (which ultimating makes this game challenging and expansive). The game excels at making each individual dungeon level memorable by keeping mini-puzzles unique and connecting a solid storyline through it all.
I was truly impressed by the expanse of level themes. Link in turn travels through a forest, a volcano, an ice cave, and even under water all in one game. Each level provided creative gameplay related to the environment and the theme. For example, in the ice cave you can capture a flame to melt away ice. Link uses this to solve puzzles unique to this level (you won't capture flames elsewhere during the game). Each level is able to have their own creative puzzles and challenges by providing new abilities during the level play. This greatly diminishes the game's boredom factor. Each place holds new experiences and abilities for Link to use during his adventure.
Levels also allow for a game like Zelda to provide a giant gameplay world without being overwhelming. Having a clear level system kept me focused on a specific area. The player is essentially "trapped" in the level until the goal of the level is complete. This conveniently limits the player's options and allows the player to go through the game's intended obstacles; minimizing "what the heck do I do now?" moments. Having a distinct level for me to complete allowed me to experience a creative environment (such as a volcano) that didn't encompass the entire game. I liked being in a unique area for each part of the game. It really kept me interested and I felt that the vast number of mini-puzzles gave the player ample "hooray" moments which help keep frustration levels down. Almost every puzzle gave an item or new area as a reward. I felt that the game designers did a good job at rewarding me after nearly every challenge.
Much of this game's charm comes from the level design. The fun of small victories leading to a level completion, the incorporation of small worlds that together encompass the entire game, and even the unique abilities Link encounters help make this game wonderful. And somehow this game still encompasses a strong storyline and memorable soundtrack. I believe the game designers did their job; they designed a beautiful game.
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