Summary
- Zelda series is highly acclaimed with undeniable hype, but not everyone will find it appealing.
- Despite trying various Zelda games like A Link to the Past and Breath of the Wild, my interest waned quickly.
- While every component of Zelda games is fantastic individually, they fail to capture the interest of some players—like me.
I have bought almost every Zelda game, but no matter what, I lose steam within a few hours and never finish them. Despite this series being so acclaimed, Zelda just doesn’t click for me.
The Zelda Hype Is Real
There’s just no escaping the hype around the Zelda series. Nintendo didn’t have much of an impact in my country growing up, but I did get to read quite a few foreign gaming magazines thanks to my uncle who was an avid gamer.
Zelda games would be heaped in praise by every publication. Readers would express their love for the franchise, and to me it seemed that at some point I would have no choice but to try one.
I Tried a Link to the Past and Liked It, but Didn’t Finish
My first exposure to Zelda was A Link to the Past, which my friend had and let me play. I enjoyed the first few hours, but it my interest fizzled out and I went back to playing Final Fantasy and Diablo II. I could tell it was a good game, made with care. Yet somehow it didn’t keep my attention.
I’ve actually tried to go back to this game, thanks to the Switch Online service, but it seems I’ll never actually get through it.
My 3DS Introduced Me to So Much Zelda
I wouldn’t try another Zelda game until I bought my first 3DS. I had bought the 3DS because I wanted to play Fire Emblem: Awakening which is now one of my favorite games of all time.
Once I had the 3DS, I could get all sorts of Zelda games, so I bought the Game Boy Color titles, I bought the remake of Ocarina of Time, and as well A Link Between Worlds. All started off well, but I just gave up interest less than halfway through.
I Got Breath of the Wild With My First Switch—Still Not Done
By the time the Switch came out, I wasn’t really interested in Zelda games anymore, but the only Switch that was in stock at the time came bundled with Breath of the Wild. This game received rave reviews, and everyone said it was a complete break from the Zelda series in terms of gameplay.
This was a game that aligned more with modern titles and their gameplay in an open world. So I booted the game up with gusto and played it pretty heavily, up until my first divine beast. After playing that, I just felt no motivation to play any further.
I Should Love Zelda Games, but Somehow I Don’t
At this point, I’ve given Nintendo a bunch of money for Zelda games, but it seems I just can’t crack the code of what makes these titles so special to so many people. I thought perhaps that it was my lack of childhood connection to original NES and SNES titles, but there are plenty of people who only started playing Zelda on the Switch, or at least only from the 3D era in the series onward.
All the parts of the Zelda games are great in isolation, but for me, they just don’t hang together in a way that’s appealing to me. Maybe it’s the narratives that fail to keep me hooked, but then I’ve been fine sticking with games that don’t have great stories if the gameplay loop is fun.
I guess this is ultimately a “me” problem, and not every mainstream mega-hit will appeal to everyone, but even though I’m looking forward to the Switch 2 with great anticipation, I think I finally learned my lesson about buying a new Zelda game thinking that I might like it this time around.