We're finally back with another Hyrule Journals. For those confused about the episode 3 business, episode 2, which is on Majora's Mask, is still on its way. I just needed to get this out first. I hope you enjoy the video!
Really exicted for the Majora's Mask essay. I really enjoyed the Ocarina of Time essay-my only small grip with it being the Hero's Shade inclusion at the end feeling a tiny bit unnessecary and out of context-and im ready to see how you interpert Majora's story with its subtext. While Ocarina is more cut and dry with its story and themes, having a bit more direct story telling, Majora's Mask can be seen in multiple lights, with many people having their own thoughts on what the game means, as its story telling is seemingly more vague, making it more interpretational than other Zelda stories. Your videos are always such high quality, and I'm sure your next ones will be just as good as your last, keep it up.
I think Javed's goal on RUclips (in addition to his incredible work at Second Wind) is just to show up every two or three years to make the rest of us look bad 👀
Or maybe he is another eceleb making excuses for bad game design philosophies, corporate big wigs and excuses Miyamoto’s increasingly boomer mindset on video games and being anti-story.
Buddy he is not an eceleb. And eceleb would be someone like pewdiepie, or kai cenat. His appeal is his content, and not some persona he made for himself.
I think that A Link Between Worlds is underrated in this regard. It has the right amount of interesting "theme park attractions" to compliment creative expression. Players are not bottlenecked into the same path since every dungeon in Lorule can be tackled in any order and they can choose which items will be used to tackle the challenges.
Really!? ALBW is insanely overrated if anything, you're just preaching to the masses. Being able to just buy items ruined the difficulty curve. It's not even like you have "creative expression" either. You can't exactly use the tornado rod to solve a puzzle in the bomb dungeon or vice-versa. Each dungeon is more or less you following a script. Being able to go to them in any order is completely arbitrary if they play exactly the same in each playthrough.
At the top of my gaming history wishlist is "Javed interviews Miyamoto" so we can get answers to the real questions. I love the way you think man. Excellent work as always.
I've been racking my brain over how to incorporate the wonder of a Zelda Game into the landscape of my homestead, starting with the triangle theory, going on to map out zones as "regions," Incorporating puzzles and small places of spiritual power, and even coming up with little puzzles that would make even your spare time engaging with the land outside of functional chores, and I kept feeling there was some philosophical element that I was missing entirely. I see it now. Thank you. Excellent video, and what a serious dedication to finding all of the mentions of the Mini Garden in various interviews across two languages. Bravo.
@@darklink986A world design philosophy used by the designers of Breath of the Wild to encourage exploration and make each playthrough unique. Game Maker's Toolkit has a video explaining it.
I finally understand BOTW now. I like many people were frustrated with the design philosophy of the game, as well as the elements that make it feel not like a Zelda title. As a 90’s kid I cling and hold dear the personal stories told in OOT, MM, and TP. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing Breath of the Wild, but it’s never felt like “Zelda” to me. We want the old formula back, but I now realize with this that it’s never coming back, because those games were never the target formula for Zelda. BOTW mimicking and improving upon the original in 1986 is what makes it in Nintendo’s eyes, the perfect Zelda. I can now accept and have a much bigger appreciation for this title and the philosophy Miyamoto strives for. I think videos like this that really give context to the minds behind games are so important, and you’ve done an excellent job once again. You’ve truly changed my mind on this era of games, even if I still hold dear the past titles. Looking forward to more of your work soon!
Your personal favorites are also mine, plus A Link to the Past. ALttP was my first Zelda. Then came OoT, then MM. I really thought i was a zelda fan. Until Wind Waker came out i started to question if i was really a fan of anything Zelda. Dont get me wrong, WW is NOT a bad game. But design, music and atmosphere affects way too much my decision if i like it a lot or not. Cant be Nostalgia because i was still a kid when WW came out. Every thing felt more kiddy and cartoonish, not just obviously the graphics. But even the feel of it. Less mysterious. Twilight Princess then came out and i think that was the last one i would say i genuinely liked it enough to play it several times. Nothing ever convinced me after. Make no mistake, he never fails to deliver, as many fans still enjoy and loves the rest of his zelda games. Just not anymore to my personal tastes. I keep looking forward for his next project. I do hope Miyamoto doesnt shy away from sudden horrors like he did in OoT and MM just to keep it "family friendly".
@@noldorwarrior7791 I never got around to playing wind waker at release (didn’t know about it). But my older brother got me TP and it’s my second favorite in the series, and I’ve replayed it countless times (OOT being #1). I played wind waker on the Wii U (got the Zelda edition) and while I’m not a fan of toon link, I really did enjoy it, though the style of TP I do prefer. I hope we go back to that style soon!
This is how I felt about botw from the start. Like you were truly dropped into a place and the rest is up to you. It's how I imagined adventures and going on quests when I was a kid. Stuff like Conan, Robin Hood, Peter Pan and the like were the heavy influences on my imagination in my formative years. Breath of the wild was the epitome of that boy on a big wide quest feeling in a video game for me. I'm very grateful
Thank you for this. In a time where I have difficulty sticking to even 3-4 minute videos, I watched this from beginning to end in one sitting. Your tamber, writing, and fantastic use of scene transitions with doses of real video clips sprinkled in made this as entertaining as it was insightful to watch. I feel calm after watching this. Thank you again.
Here, here. This is an excellent video that encapsulates so many aspects that make the entire Zelda experience feel much more whole and complete. Thank You
while i on the other hand have no issue watching long ass videos and ended up skipping around for "the question" before watching the video because i know nothing of this channel. i couldn't find it within 25 seconds so i gave no shits because i appreciate when something gives you the answer and explains it thereafter instead of teasing you to watch the end of the video. i'm here i wanted the simple answer to a simple question and wanted to stay if it was a good video. i don't care if it's good now, i'm asking chatgpt.
This video stands alongside your Ocarina of Time one as one of the finest video essays on video games on the platform. Deep, dense, thought-provoking, passionate, stylish, attentive to detail, and inspiring. Thank you for this invaluable contribution to the Zelda community and congratulations on completing this project, Javed!
After three decades of The Legend of Zelda, I would have thought that everything related to the games and their design philosophies would have been said in abundance already. But here Javed is with a 35-minute BANGER of a video talking about a major philosophy of the Zelda team from the very beginning that few have talked about in detail! What an incredible video!
Truly. He did in a deep dive into something that has only really been talked about in passing. I feel like I understand the core ideals of the series much more now which is crazy to say because I’ve been a fan of Zelda all my life!
There was an interview with Aonuma last year where he mentioned that he doesn't understand why fans want to go back to the more limited formula of the old games. I thought he was disconnected from the things that people enjoyed about the Zelda franchise. But watching this video has made me realize that the Zelda team had essentially always been looking to make BotW and they were just stopped by outside limitations. Realizing this is deeply depressing to me because it makes me feel like all the things that I enjoyed about the series so far were at best incidental to them. Like all the cool linear moments and interesting puzzles were merely a placeholder they were forced to put in when they couldn't make the hakoniwa they originally intended to make. This makes me lose almost all hope that they will make the games I like again. Why would they? They finally cracked the code to make the hakoniwa they wanted and it proved to be successful with how much the games have sold.
In that regard, they remind me of the studio Treasure. One of their key philosophies is making the games THEY wanna make, the ones THEY wanna play, then send ‘em out to find people that they resonate with.
This is like the guy who does my literal fav movie analysis "Every Frame A Painting". He left to I think work on actial movies (good for him!!! Sad to see him go though) then dropped a new vid after years away 1-2 months ago!
Huh... This is actually the first time I ever heard of this "miniature garden" thing... Maybe that's just because a lot of the more modern Zelda-related interviews that I pay attention to are with Eiji Aonuma, who I felt was a lot more hands-on with the direction of the Zelda series than Miyamoto has been. Still, that's an interesting way to describe the Zelda series, creating a "miniature garden"... What he means by that is certainly going to take some unpacking. Great video for doing just that!
So my understanding is, they create hakoniwa and the player gets to experience it. The problem became they would create the hakoniwa and say, "This is how you experience it.". You want to get out of this room? Defeat all of these enemies. You want to get past this barrier? Use this macguffin here. You want to get to the end boss? Collect all of these macguffins, but do it in this order. It's not so much that the player is creating the hakoniwa. It's about giving the player a scenario to play in, and the player's creativity comes out through how they do that.
Man I’m sorry but unrelated to this video but you a master class in subtext video is truly the greatest video on all of RUclips, I’ve recommend it to all my friends and siblings who all grew up with ocarina of time. The first time I watched it by the time the cedits rolled I was in tears. It’s the point I’ve Reyes’s to see and a fasting I struggled with and it’s why ocarina of time spoken to me so much and your video helped me understand why
check the Official Music Tracks channel which, although with greater focus on music, also has great insights into both Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask
5 Years ago your video about OoT guide me into game development from other creative areas. Now, when I am already working in the industry and making my own games, I thank you for giving me one of the best game design videos I've ever seen.
I’ve been a Zelda fan for almost 30 years and while I’m deeply conflicted by the design change from past Zelda’s, I can understand it so much more thanks to this beautiful analysis. Always enjoy your video essays on games Javed and how they get me to think about games in ways I never thought of before. I’ve been a fan since your OOT video, keep up the great work!
@@bowi1332 BOTW may not be a good Zelda game, it is a good game in it own right, but , it loses what makes a Zelda game great, it's too broken and sparse, without the all important thread that you follow from start to finish, it lacks the feeling that you feel like you have been part of a huge living world, it also loses the musical aspect that I love about LOZ games, I really hope we see a proper Zelda game again one day, perhaps a full remake of OOT & MM will make that possible.
@@Wobble2007 Any suggestions for games that scratch that satisfy that craving for traditional LoZ gameplay? I appreciate the vision the series devs have, but I really miss that epic heroic fantasy tone, coupled with the metroidvania-style dungeons and world design.
@@TheRealPSKilla502Metroidvanias scratch the same itch for me on terms on exploring and puzzle design for the world. Hollow Knight is an excellent one, as is Metroid dread.
Dude, your content never fails to impress. It's comfy, thought-provoking, nostalgic, and respectful. Good Blood is always an instant watch (and rewatch) for me!
After watching this video, I think I finally understand Nintendo's frustrating ambivalence with the series' lore and timelines, especially with the last few entries. They feel like they finally 'made it' and have realized what their game design goals were all along and as such, have become careless about the parts that didn't matter to them.
It's especially interesting for them because games like BOTW can easily become "forever games" that make customers favour their platform for months. I prefer pre-BOTW Zelda games, but I usually only play them once... (Well... ... Same for most games I buy...) The thing is... Zelda games used to be the killer app, the game that would make me stand in like for the GameCube and the Wii. No more. I even sold my Switch soon after finishing BOTW (which felt like a chore). Obviously, I'm an old dude now and I don't stand in lines to buy consoles or GPUs. 😅
@@Feesh322 The timeline was never important to them, and depending of the director, the individual narratives of each game might not even have a high priority. Bar a few very excellent exceptions narrative has not ever been the focus of the Zelda series, gameplay has.
I wish people would chill about lore and timelines and all that. Especially when it comes to Zelda games. They clearly do not find that important. People should just treat each game as a separate entity in a different alternate universe or something
@@mikehab7453 Exactly! Like related but separate and individual "box gardens". No need to overcomplicate between them all with strict overarching rules, lore, and structures.
@mikehab7453 blame 3 games OoT, Wind Waker and Twilight princess. OoT was stated by multiple developers to be a prequel to the first 3 games and Wind Waker Was clearly developed as a sequel to it but contradicted those early games because hyrule was destroyed and then Twilight Princess came out due to the backlash Wind waker got which further muddied the waters as it was also a sequel to OoT and that paradox and what the implications possibly were captured the imagination of a generation of kids
@@ogelsmogelIt's a meme from a few years ago where people would jokingly suggest Super Mario 64 was somehow haunted and that each copy is different. Some people have actually done some fun stuff with that concept.
I've long wondered the specific reason why the remake of 'Link's Awakening' was made to look like a toy diorama. After this video, it makes perfect sense.
There will always be a Zelda cycle and there will never be a “perfect” Zelda game because the two poles of Theme Park and Garden can never be fully realized in the same game. This is why the Zelda series will always have a future because it will never be finished. This also means everyone will always have their favorite flavor of Zelda.
@@HunnysPlaylists It happens with any work of art. There's always gonna be at least one audience member who takes the work more seriously than the author. Always.
Loved this. I had 3 paragraphs drafted for why, but deleted it to settle for this. Watched 3 times already. Once by myself, once with my wife, once again sharing with friends. Incredible work
Great analysis and excited to see the thoughts of Majoras Mask. I think there is a seperate conflict between a world that feels alive with characters and choice that conflicts some with the sandbox style gameplay. Majoras Mask world feels the most alive to me due to the characters having their lives, daily routines, and how the player has a connection and makes an impact on them. In my eyes seeing a freedom in expression through gameplay and choice along with a world with deep rich characters is the ideal. I took notes on the video today and thanks for the education on hakoniwa! Thanks for these videos, good to see this upload!!
Good point. But I think Majoras Mask can only allow itself to such a high degree of character expression in this lived-in world because you're bound to experience it again and again and again. You can't sensibly do that without the time loop which was very divisive back then, stressing many people out who just wanted to go exploring on their own terms.
@@TheOneFlyron While a lot of fans really like exploration in LoZ, that is not the point of MM, and that's OK. MM is defined by its scripted gameplay, which repeats with the 3 day cycle. It has some of the best sidequests and dungeons in the game, and they more than make up for any lack of player freedom.
@@TheOneFlyron I partially agree! It adds to the depth of the characters and how you interact, similar to BG3 and the depth of characters in the story of the game. I don't think it's necessary to have looping gameplay to make characters memorable or have significant depth. It does help though and I personally love the mechanic.
Wow, it feels like a crime to watch this labor of love for free. Extremely entertaining and informative. It's incredible that Miyamoto had the vision for this miniature garden philosophy sense the first Zelda game, he's truly a pioneer in the gaming industry. Thanks for creating this, I hope one day I can reach this level of quality in my own work.
Yessss Javed finally! I remember watching the “prototype” version of that first minute on patreon. Phenomenal work. You’ll always be an inspiration to me.
Oh my word, this summed up everything I've been feeling recently. I can't believe you were able to articulate so much into a single video. Zelda worlds are like playgrounds (this is something I always knew), but they are also like a garden you can imagine stuff in.
I deeply do appreciate the love and effort you had to put in the making of this amazing video. I felt spirited away for half an hour. Cheers from Switzerland.
This has got to be one of the best-if not _the_ best-video essay that I've ever seen. I imagine I will be returning to watch it again many times in the future. Japanese zen gardens were something that I had never really thought about too deeply; this video gave me an understanding of them and the philosophies behind them that I simply did not have before. Followed by the section on Sandplay Theory, it got me to think about and appreciate how these philosophies might apply to me, the video games I play, and how I choose to play them. All of this, by only two-thirds of the way through the video. By the end, I had reevaluated how I thought about the Zelda franchise as a whole, a series I've known and loved for nearly my entire life. Like the zen gardens, I feel a renewed understanding of, and appreciation for, the work the designers and developers put into these games. This video was thoughtfully researched, _extraordinarily_ written, meaningfully paced, beautifully scored... the whole nine yards. The fact that it is available to watch for free like this is indicative of nothing less than a deep, deep love for the Zelda series and a true passion for sharing it with others. Thank you for doing so, because I love it too. 🙂
This video made me appreciate this series even more. I’ve always loved Zelda’s linear and dungeon heavy type of gameplay, and although I loved BoTW, I still struggled to enjoy ToTK due to how much I missed the older formula. Knowing now that this is what Miyamoto wanted all along made me accept this great change in the series. Also, isn’t it amazing how long he dreamed to make a hakoniwa game decades ago and the team managed to near perfect it with today’s technology, all within his lifetime. One heck of an achievement.
Wow. This was such a joy to watch from start to finish. Thank you for creating this video and for that incredible dive into Miyamoto's design philosophy! I especially loved the live props of opening the various magazines and printed essays. The papercraft interstitials looked appropriately playful, and the overall sound design was so pleasing. Again, excellent work here!
Although Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are some of my favorite Zelda games, I occasionally have that common train of thought: “I hope the next game is more linear” or “I miss traditional Zelda dungeons” but here, you made me see that all of these older games can be appreciated for what they were, even if that style never returns. At the end of your essay I truly feel happy knowing how high an achievement Breath of the Wild must have been for the development team. Completely changed my thoughts about the new sandbox formulas. They are, in essence, the goal of the traditional formula. Thank you for a great video!
When I was very young I used to play the N64 and Gamecube that my dad owned and he was a very meticulous player. He had most of his games fully beaten (Tetris sphere eludes him) and finished with all the optional objectives and collectibles and whenever I'd play one of these games, such as Ocarina of Time, I found myself going to play the fully finished saves as frequently as I would with starting a new one, new ones that I should mention rarely went far in the context of zelda. Everything was already finished of course but I was VERY young and didn't have a strong goal when playing games anyway, so I'd just wander hyrule and mess around with all the items my dad had already collected. I don't have a poignant observation for this comment, this video just reminds me of that time.
Love this. Additionally, the map of BotW is not merely a box garden. Hundreds of what I call "micro-environments" comprise each region of the overall map and I see now that each is itself a box garden. Areas that take up very little space but nonetheless exist as a standalone experience to plan in and explore within the larger context of the region. Perhaps BotW's map is a collection of hundreds, if not thousands of box gardens. A spectacular game.
This is the Zelda documentary I didn’t know I needed. BOTW and TOTK totally are my favourite games of all time exactly for this purpose. I’ve never spent more time playing in a single game world and probably will never be beaten, I love escaping from my day to that miniature garden.
When you were explaining what a box garden/hakoniwa was, I literally thought "Oh my god, _that's_ why BOTW and TOTK are like that." It was a unique kind of satisfaction, and I'm very glad I watched this video.
As a writer, I find the Hakoniwa philosophy viscerally challenging and misleading, yet fascinating. Where the Zelda team struggled with further incorporating the open play element with the theme park attraction and artistic expression elements, when I play a game such as Breath of the Wild, I find myself facing the exact opposite challenge, my mind filling this world in with possibilities and visions of artistic expression that insist upon their ways, that overpower the player with emotion, rather than necessarily inviting them to interpret it. The Hakoniwa method is not to invite the viewer into a barren empty space, neither is it a linear and insistent overcrowded garden. It is an inviting story. I don't believe the perfect Zelda game yet exists. The Legend of Zelda is a masterpiece, not just for its time. Its exploration, tone, and insistence upon an archetypal yet fully expressed story couple beautifully into something that remains iconic to this day. People don't talk about any other classic game the same way they do Zelda 1. It is the closest thing to perfection of the craft. Skyward Sword, inversely, tells a powerful, emotional, and insistent story, and invites players to take part in this fairytale. It is the closest thing to a modern narrative Zelda masterpiece. Breath of the Wild begins with a sandbox philosophy, and creates stories and elements to populate it and serve the gameplay. The perfect Zelda game sets out with the tone and wonder of Zelda 1, and that the developers of the original game did that very first time. It insists upon a nuanced story of right and wrong, creates the world and gameplay outward from that idea and narrative, and invites players both into the boots of the hero, and the adventurer. It guides them along a series of box gardens that they can approach and re explore with the ideas filling their heads. Finally, it overpowers players with an insistent expression of storytelling and emotion that embeds itself into their minds long after they've forgotten how to play. It's a narrative masterpiece. Tears of the Kingdom *almost* does this. In fact, the perfect Zelda game looks something like Hollow Knight, and a little bit like Xenoblade Chronicles.
I'd say Wind Waker's main area of expression, aside from deciding what direction to go in when exploring the islands, was mainly in the combat. Every enemy has unique reactions to each weapon, and experimenting with them is a lot of fun, especially in the later game. Like killing moblins with only the boomerang, by knocking them off the edge.
SICK! I have literally checked back to your channel like every 4 months since I saw your OOT video to see if you had made any new videos! So excited to watch this!
I feel like in some ways the Pikmin games are the perfect evolution of Zelda 1. You're literally tending a miniature garden through the form of raising pikmin and each area has you explore a miniature garden. Each miniature garden is full of surprises, like one day it could be raining and different monsters could appear. The limitations like having a time limit just serve to make the game more thrilling and more theme park like. Even then games like Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 4 are more lenient on time and offer more Zelda-like experiences, with the caves basically serving as Zelda 1 style dungeons. Heck, even the concept of dandori is an aspect of haninowa. Careful planning and arrangement.
I was literally recording a voice over for a video about how Nintendo is a Toy maker rather than a game company, but it looks like you beat me to it! And it's a better video that I could have ever hoped to produce on my own! Well done! You just saved me dozens of hours of work! 🙂 Edit: Thanks for the words of encouragement, y'all. I think I'll go ahead and finish it. Why not, right? 😊
Javed, I hope you see this. I just wanted to say your direction gives inspiration while being informative. This episode has an air of creative passion and energy conveyed through its music choice, script and direction, and I can’t say enough how impactful that is for me. I hope you’re doing well. Thank you from a tired designer.
The frustrating part of Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom is that in the decades of Zelda games where they supposedly "failed" at the hakoniwa philosophy the franchise developed an identity that while lacking the absolute freedom, endeared itself through how rich and densely detailed the "gardens" were. I think the BotW formula may nail empowering the player in creating their own hakoniwa, but it misses out on what an equally fulfilling experience it can be to observe, appreciate and immerse yourself in a garden by someone else's hand. They were finally able to make Zelda what they always intended it to be but at the cost of what it had become. As someone clearly attached to the old formula and not as fond of the open world trend in gaming, it's hard to not wish BotW was something else entirely outside the Zelda series.
I think the real artists were the people who wrote and programmed Ocarina etc. and not this one man who gives interviews about his broad philosophy on games he doesn't even work on
@@djason338 I feel like the team has a lot of stuff they want to do but don't simply because "Eiji Aonuma is only interested in climbing trees". It speaks volumes that they managed to make something so simple be so interesting but it also reveals much of the games failure that it's effectively the only interesting thing it has to offer.
Years in between uploads and each one is a carefully crafted masterpiece. This a nice pacing over the continuous video manufacturing that most RUclipsrs miss out on when cranking out video after video. Thanks.
Thank you so much for that video. Your research is astounding, your understanding of the series is impressive and that topic is so important, so fundamental, to game design or even design itself as a whole. It's such a critical contribution to the industry and the fan community. Please continue your work, it's high quality content like we all so much need these days. It both made me learn and put a smile on my face. Thank you.
Your video does an incredible job explaining the philosophy of Hakoniwa, and exemplifies why BOTW is so special. This philosophy is why I have always pushed back against people calling linear Zelda games as the "traditional games". The Zelda franchise was always about freedom and exploration. The early 3D Zelda games mostly became linear due to the limitations of the hardware. Nonetheless, even in games like OOT and MM, Hyrule/Termina still felt like living breathing miniature worlds. You have done a far better job at delivering this message than I ever could.
I can't even begin to express how much joy this video brings me. I have been studying on the side the concepts of minimalism and I have become attached to the ideas that are raveled up in hakoniwa and other forms of expression from Japan. This video does such an amazing job of capturing something that for Japanese people is culturally understood and doesn't necessarily require a deep explanation, but for Western audiences it is something that has to be acquired through learning. It puts it all together so seamlessly. Great work!
2:43 the japanese here actually says “That is exactly what we were going for(lol) All of the designers wanted to make a landscape that felt somehow familiar. So there really isn’t a model we based it on.” I don’t know where you got the miniature garden quote but it’s not here.
Thanks for pointing this out. Unfortunately I highlighted the wrong paragraph while filming. The miniature garden paragraph is a bit further down the page. The link to the interview is in the description if you wanted to browse. Thanks
the fact that this exists as free video on youtube is crazy the sheer density of choices that feel carefully crafted and intentional in the runtime of this video is ridiculous, don't think i've ever felt such a moral obligation to watch at 1x speed
Perhaps it is the closest thing to a box garden accessible to all(which is also the appeal of legos IRL) but I can’t help but feel like it doesn’t have a sense of adventure or excitement. It’s probably quite close though.
I would argue that that's not quite the case. A box garden tells a story or shows a scene within a confined space, while Minecraft is a procedurally generated nearly limitless play area
@@DiegeticDogmathe point is that the game provides the player with the most infinitely modifiable world possible and asks the player to create their story within it. So yeah Minecraft is more closely related to the box garden concept than any Zelda game has ever been.
lord, what a channel. Over the years since i saw your ocarina video, your videos have continued to be a place of peaceful enjoyment for me. I seem to always circle back to your videos when I need them most.
I think their lack of attention to lore has sortof harmed this goal, it may seem unrelated but its more about sortof keeping up appearances in a way, an issue people have with totk ive seen is that it became clear that they never really cared about the lore and that makes everything feel much faker and cheaper, like its all just fanservice, how am i supposed to immerse myself in this space when it doesnt feel like it has any sense of internal reality. Point being even if it was never the point, when every reference just feels like thats all it is it makes everything feel shallow and its harder to take seriously, it weakens the effect, and it discourages people from imagining more about the world they are put in because knowing that the developers didnt care about the lore pretty immediately makes even any headcanon completely implausible or irrelevant cause nothing ever meant anything. Other than that the direction is nice.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. I just wish Nintendo could level up their storytelling a little, or at least match some of their previous highs with something approaching any sort of real consistency. Nintendo is getting a little too comfortable with using time travel shenanigans to escape actually telling a compelling multi-chapter story and it's becoming boring rather than intriguing or surprising. And I don't even think they do it for fanservice of the theorizers. Nintendo is getting a little too comfortable with using time travel shenanigans to escape actually telling a compelling multi-chapter story and it's becoming boring rather than intriguing or surprising. And I don't even think they do it for fanservice of the theorizers.
By making everyone's head-cannon "correct" they have made a castle with no wall and no floors and no ceiling just a big empty space of nothing but "open doors". By removing the ability to be "wrong" the truth has become indistinguishable from a lie. They claim reading a story is doing work yet they expect writing one to be no work at all. They have given us nothing while claiming to have given us everything. But even that "make your own story" approach fails as the story explicitly states and "shows" exactly what happens in the most unceremonious and unsatisfactory way on multiple occasions. Statements like "it's a mystery" or 'it's supposed to be vague" come across to me as an excuse for plot holes or trying to deny abject failure and deflecting the responsibilities that come with being a "writer" or "artist" onto the beholder.
Very well articulated and similar to my thoughts as the video drew to its conclusion. While the hakoniwa concept is neat and I agree that there is something very enjoyable about absolute freedom of exploration, BotW and TotK fail at really capitalizing on it. Especially since TotK, these games feel like an open admission that there is nothing beyond surface level thought in the games' world and story design. Interesting locations aren't actually points of interest, teased at depth or interaction with the story have not been fulfilled, the player himself has almost been removed from any and all plot significance beyond finishing the game by beating the final boss. Somehow, the dictate of total exploration freedom demands a really flat difficulty curve and most rewards feel meaningless and menial to get. It's a somber mood since I feel it is possible to achieve both Miyamoto's original vision and a lot of players' expectations. Outer Wilds presents a brilliant way of managing non-linear, meaningful, and gripping storytelling in a game all about exploration and puzzle-solving. Elden Ring presents a fleshed-out world that you are free to explore and interpret as much or as little as you care while still clearly being modeled with intent and therefore being believable. It also has good difficulty scaling paired with incredible amounts of player expression through specs and weapon choices. And since this channel introduced me to the excellent subtext of Ocarina of Time, I would hope that even people at Nintendo would crave to create intricate, artful stories again within these miniature gardens.
@@The_Moe_Szyslak_Exp_feat_Homer I feel that way about "The Last of Us", they really took a bat to my interpretation of the story with the show and the second game and made it into one of the most depressing pessimistic stories ever. For "The Legend of Zelda" I wouldn't go as far to say "their only success was an accident", I believe there were a bunch of hard working people with good ideas that they have now deliberately tossed aside or limited, I think it's summed up best with a quote "We had designed a bunch of things to do but Aonuma was only interested in climbing trees."
@@J31 they're just expressing their excitement and driving engagement to the algorithm for a creator they like. I doubt it's for attention seeking, it's not a very attention-seeking comment. This is the kind of thing you should just be able to scroll past and expect to see in all types of comment sections.
This video, man. This is what I think I've _really_ been needing to hear/learn about for awhile now. This feels like unlocking a new dimension for my creative psyche with all the things I'm juggling in it right now.
great video essay! I've found myself playing BotW and TotK again and I really appreciate that the game lets you take on the challenges in your own way, and the rewards for exploration and pursuing goals in the game isn't the acquisition of player power or story progression, but the actual experience of the play itself.
As an aspiring game developer, this documentary was very inspiring! I'm so glad to have discovered this channel! Especially since as a japanese culture enthusiast, I have a miniature Zen Garden in my place. This video made me realise that in a way I had always been a game designer, ever since I was a kid I used to place a big blanket in the living room and placed decorations on top pretending they were islands. The sense of freedom that comes from designing a playground stuffed with secrets to explore is one of the biggest joys a creative person can feel. But what I believe Miyamoto teaches us is that we can gift those sensations to the player as well, making him "play" creatively with our creation and not just forcing him through some obstacles. (Also, what a perfect time to release this video since Zelda EOW interviews are releasing)
I really loved this video. Not only for teaching me about hakoniwa, but the style with which it was made and edited. Simultaneously super relaxing and engaging. Thank you so much for making it.
Shigeru is such a treasure to the gaming community. His contributions have shaped generations. He is such a gem and there will never be anyone like him. Please keep on living as long as you possibly can Miyamoto ♥
I really hope he's working on his swansong for the SWiiTCH, I hope it's a full on Gamecube Resident Evil or Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes style full Remake of OOT & MM, and a launch title for the SWiiTCH, along with a Mario Kart x Pilot Wings collab game.
@@Wobble2007 I highly doubt Miyamoto will be doing much with games anymore, all the way back in the 90s he's emphasized he's more of a toy designer and would like to explore other forms of creating fun outside of video games. The results of this have been seen quite recently with his heavy involvement with the Mario Movie, Super Nintendo World and the Nintendo Museum. I think Miyamoto is well aware the series he created are in good hands and is using the opportunity to explore other mediums.
@Wobble2007 I doubt it, he hasn’t been that involved in the development side of things since the 90s, the last game he directed was mario 64! Of course he still seems to do work as the final supervisor, but i don’t see him working as the main producer of a game again honestly.
This video was beautifull and profound. It popped up in my suggestion box a few times before I watched it. I'm glad I did. It literally changed how I view the franchise for ever.
22:40 this contradiction is the issue we see in TotK. The vast playground somehow contradicts the well-made story moments that would fit better in a more linear game. Even worse, since you can find dragon tears in any order, you can spoil the story and sour the experience for yourself if you get tear #15 before tear #2. Also making the "but where is Zelda?!" companion sequences feel badly written if you do the dragon tear quest early.
Totk tries to be nonlinear while running linear things. Literally all of the main quests are linear to some extent. Did you get to the water temple early? Congratulations! Go back down and get sidon and do the quest properly. Oh, you know Zelda is the dragon? We're just gonna pretend you don't in order to try to drum up some tension in kakariko. It tries to be free and causes massive dissonance because there are major events that just don't work.
@@lagrush9039 You can see where the plot is going from a mile away even without the last tear if you pay attention to what Sonia says in an earlier cutscene. My argument is still valid. If you complete the dragon tear quest early, it renders half the cutscenes and dialogue in the game obsolete. The game still pretends you don't know where Zelda is for the next 20 hours.
@@micahbarrus8406 It's also fascinating that no coder / writer thought about some if-else cases for dialogues when you already know about Zelda and still have multiple story quests to do. Especially Yunobo. And why do I need to watch the same cutscene about the war for 4 times after every dungeon?
@@AriesT1 yup. I did the thunder Temple first, then got all the tears, and I was so frustrated that every single plot point is "wait, there's Zelda!" When I, the player, knew the truth and link did nothing.
30:30 I agree the item change was fun however the cost was an extreme lack of puzzle design. The biggest issue are: 1. the shrines are too short; it would have been better to cut the number of shrines to a 4th of what they are if it means we get more content in the shrines individually. As it stands every shrine has a cool or interesting idea but ends before it can do anything with it. 2. the shrines are not set; it would have been better if the shrines were in a linear order. If you open shrine 4 in a list of seven first, you get the first shrine in the list. if you open shrine 7 after that you would get the second shrine. Because there was no set list this didn't allow the developers to build upon shrines. So, a concept in one shrine can't be used again in another resulting in only beginner concepts for puzzle design on repeat for all shrines.
you're misunderstanding what the shrines are about they're not designed with a single puzzle in mind, a single solution that fits all - obviously there's an intended solution but the player has the creative liberty to solve the puzzle any which way that they want having puzzles in a linear order, with a predefined mechanic present throuhgout completely contradicts this philosophy personally, it feels much more rewarding to me having an "ah-ha!" moment when i've thought of a solution myself that i know is not intended, but still works - its a great way of proving the philosophy's principle
@@excelup5358 Set up a linear order of puzzles regardless of which shrines you go to so that you can introduce new concepts and build upon old ones. Allowing for more complicated and interesting puzzles as the player progresses. OR Do the same shrine on repeat because you can't build on the concepts you have created before.... 21/120 Combat shrines, same fight every time. 29/120 Empty, walk in open a chest take orb yawn. 5/120 Motion control shrines where you just swing your controller for 2 seconds and you’re done. Most of these don’t even work correctly and are broken. The last 65 are “puzzle” shrines 30 of these are hot garbage they are ether repeating shrines that you have already done or poking a concept for the first time, not touching on it poking it. Just you opened a single door, and you are done. These 30 shrines turn into “I’m only here for the orb because this puzzle is a bore.” The other 35 while have some interesting aspect and ideas again also stop short they always resulted “cool I figured it out what’s next” and then the massive disappointment hits of the shrine being over. Because again the gam doesn’t have the ability to build on shrine concepts since they can be done out of order. The shrines are trash. One of the worst puzzle implementations to date and it was all done for stupid excuses.
Okay TLDR cause RUclips can shove it, there are 120 shrines, only 60 of them are puzzles and 30 of those are actually good puzzles the rest is on repeat or puzzles that don't go farther then a single door. This is because again, the Shrines are not set up linearly as a result you can't build on concepts or introduce new concepts and build upon the new concepts it's just shallow garbage.
@@MusicaX79 the point of the game isn't to make up puzzle concepts for you to follow, its to give you tools, and let the player decide how they want to use the tools to tackle a challenge presented to them - this allows every player's experience to be different from the other's
Man, the *production quality* of this video essay is completely jaw-dropping. Bravo! As for the topic, this was immensely informative, enlightening, and rewarding to watch as an aspiring game developer. I'd heard the "miniature garden" phrase before, but your in-depth analysis brought all new meaning to it for me. Thank you for putting together such a well-written & produced journey for us.
What an incredible video!!! Thank you so much for the time and effort. I can't help but admire the more philosophical approach of eastern developers and artists.
When someone else starts making games utilizing the concepts they decided weren't demure or mindful enough for their sacred box gardens and the discarded fans of those concepts go where the dungeons and puzzles are I don't wanna hear any crocodile tears from Nintendo.
I've no real words for this. You've made a beautiful video, and have done a wonderful job. I've gained some true insight into this art form that i love, thank you.
I’m actually surprised by how this take doesn’t account for the garden of creativity that was lost in the wild era. A world that used to be full of solvable puzzles and intriguing mysteries was replaced by one that had practically none. For a creator who I thought truly understood the impact that Zelda worldbuilding could have for a person saying that breath of the wild found the balance is very surprising. While the open world exploration certainly meets this philosophy, there are more things that made a fan want to return to that garden than what’s discussed here.
As someone whose first Zelda game was BotW, I'm surprised to hear you say there were barely any puzzles or mysteries in BotW & TotK, as I would read them as containing many puzzles & mysteries, just in a different format. Every shrine has a puzzle or two, either inside the shrine or for the blessing shrines, there's a challenge to get there in the first place. Plus some of the side quests add a puzzle element to them, as well. Then there's the enemy camps and korok seeds, as well as just navigating the world can take some thinking & planning. You're also trying to learn what exactly happened 100 years ago along with Link who has amnesia in BotW, and also learning about Ganondorf and what happened to Zelda through the dragon tears & the ancient tablets.
I'd say botw DEFINITELY had a ton of mysteries and ruins to imagine what kind of battles took place there or what kind of lives were lived there, but Totk definitely dropped the ball on either delivering answers to some of those mysteries or even creating new intriguing mysteries tbh
@@itskdogPeople who complain about the game's lack of puzzles, also complain about weapon breaks. Defeating camps without breaking your weapons, is the most fun AND PREVALENT puzzle in the game. You can literally approach any camp in the game with an empty inventory and defeat it... SOMEHOW. Every. Camp. They are puzzles.
Yeah, BotW/TotK have the opposite problem to Skyward Sword, in which there us too much freedom and the game is unstructured and becomes repetitive because there isn't scope to unlock new mechanics or build complexity over time. I think they will admit this in a few years and try to build something that is genuinely like a 3D version of Zelda 1-3, incorporating both the open world and metroidvania aspects.
the shrine puzzles are COMPLETE JOKES in comparison to anything the series has done in the past, yes, even simple "move block onto button" puzzles, because at least those didn't reuse the same assets ad nauseam
I shared this video with the most brilliant, amazing person I know. They were gushing about how inspiring it was to them. Just wanted to say thank you again.
We're finally back with another Hyrule Journals. For those confused about the episode 3 business, episode 2, which is on Majora's Mask, is still on its way. I just needed to get this out first. I hope you enjoy the video!
yay i love your videos, they have such a high quality
Really exicted for the Majora's Mask essay. I really enjoyed the Ocarina of Time essay-my only small grip with it being the Hero's Shade inclusion at the end feeling a tiny bit unnessecary and out of context-and im ready to see how you interpert Majora's story with its subtext. While Ocarina is more cut and dry with its story and themes, having a bit more direct story telling, Majora's Mask can be seen in multiple lights, with many people having their own thoughts on what the game means, as its story telling is seemingly more vague, making it more interpretational than other Zelda stories. Your videos are always such high quality, and I'm sure your next ones will be just as good as your last, keep it up.
I thought episode 2 was on your other channel
Beautiful Video
It feels like coming home again
I think Javed's goal on RUclips (in addition to his incredible work at Second Wind) is just to show up every two or three years to make the rest of us look bad 👀
Seriously. This guy's videos are worth a 2 year wait.
Or maybe he is another eceleb making excuses for bad game design philosophies, corporate big wigs and excuses Miyamoto’s increasingly boomer mindset on video games and being anti-story.
Your own videos are also top notch on RUclips RealPixels. Thank you for the immense effort you put in them.
Buddy he is not an eceleb. And eceleb would be someone like pewdiepie, or kai cenat. His appeal is his content, and not some persona he made for himself.
@@Zelink108 No. To everything you just said.
I think that A Link Between Worlds is underrated in this regard. It has the right amount of interesting "theme park attractions" to compliment creative expression. Players are not bottlenecked into the same path since every dungeon in Lorule can be tackled in any order and they can choose which items will be used to tackle the challenges.
This.
Outisde of the dungeons being a bit too short (and easy), I loved the game
Always been one of my favorite Zelda games
ALBW will always be underrated, i only fully appreciated it after playing A Link to the Past
Really!? ALBW is insanely overrated if anything, you're just preaching to the masses. Being able to just buy items ruined the difficulty curve. It's not even like you have "creative expression" either. You can't exactly use the tornado rod to solve a puzzle in the bomb dungeon or vice-versa. Each dungeon is more or less you following a script. Being able to go to them in any order is completely arbitrary if they play exactly the same in each playthrough.
I love this game
At the top of my gaming history wishlist is "Javed interviews Miyamoto" so we can get answers to the real questions. I love the way you think man. Excellent work as always.
I’d pay money like a pay per view fight for that. Truly would be a treat for all gamers.
I've been racking my brain over how to incorporate the wonder of a Zelda Game into the landscape of my homestead, starting with the triangle theory, going on to map out zones as "regions," Incorporating puzzles and small places of spiritual power, and even coming up with little puzzles that would make even your spare time engaging with the land outside of functional chores, and I kept feeling there was some philosophical element that I was missing entirely. I see it now. Thank you. Excellent video, and what a serious dedication to finding all of the mentions of the Mini Garden in various interviews across two languages. Bravo.
I am trying for a similar sort of thing. My place has a few things like shrines or statues scattered around, and “rooms” cut out in the woods.
I wonder how many Little Hyrules there are.
Whats the triangle theory?
@@darklink986A world design philosophy used by the designers of Breath of the Wild to encourage exploration and make each playthrough unique. Game Maker's Toolkit has a video explaining it.
@@OlleLindestad amazing! Thanks for the explanation
"Tears of the Kingdom gives players further freedom"
Players: Creates 999 different ways to torture Koroks
I mean, he ain't wrong.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Koroks.
🎶 You’re havin’ inventory problems?
I feel bad for you, son.
I got 999 Koroks
And I won’t spare one. 🎶
Thank you for this incredible video. It opened my eyes. Every time I look at the overworld map in a Zelda game, it will remind me of Hakoniwa.
Going through the effort to get a paper copy of most of the major sources is super awesome
I finally understand BOTW now. I like many people were frustrated with the design philosophy of the game, as well as the elements that make it feel not like a Zelda title. As a 90’s kid I cling and hold dear the personal stories told in OOT, MM, and TP. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing Breath of the Wild, but it’s never felt like “Zelda” to me. We want the old formula back, but I now realize with this that it’s never coming back, because those games were never the target formula for Zelda. BOTW mimicking and improving upon the original in 1986 is what makes it in Nintendo’s eyes, the perfect Zelda. I can now accept and have a much bigger appreciation for this title and the philosophy Miyamoto strives for. I think videos like this that really give context to the minds behind games are so important, and you’ve done an excellent job once again. You’ve truly changed my mind on this era of games, even if I still hold dear the past titles. Looking forward to more of your work soon!
Your personal favorites are also mine, plus A Link to the Past. ALttP was my first Zelda. Then came OoT, then MM. I really thought i was a zelda fan. Until Wind Waker came out i started to question if i was really a fan of anything Zelda. Dont get me wrong, WW is NOT a bad game. But design, music and atmosphere affects way too much my decision if i like it a lot or not. Cant be Nostalgia because i was still a kid when WW came out. Every thing felt more kiddy and cartoonish, not just obviously the graphics. But even the feel of it. Less mysterious.
Twilight Princess then came out and i think that was the last one i would say i genuinely liked it enough to play it several times. Nothing ever convinced me after. Make no mistake, he never fails to deliver, as many fans still enjoy and loves the rest of his zelda games. Just not anymore to my personal tastes. I keep looking forward for his next project. I do hope Miyamoto doesnt shy away from sudden horrors like he did in OoT and MM just to keep it "family friendly".
@@noldorwarrior7791 I never got around to playing wind waker at release (didn’t know about it). But my older brother got me TP and it’s my second favorite in the series, and I’ve replayed it countless times (OOT being #1). I played wind waker on the Wii U (got the Zelda edition) and while I’m not a fan of toon link, I really did enjoy it, though the style of TP I do prefer. I hope we go back to that style soon!
Imagine BOTW open world with twilight Princess style graphics and darker tones. Can you imagine?
@@ericmay560breath of the wild is darker imo than Twilight princess. Like, everyone is dead. How much more dark do they really need to go?
This is how I felt about botw from the start. Like you were truly dropped into a place and the rest is up to you. It's how I imagined adventures and going on quests when I was a kid. Stuff like Conan, Robin Hood, Peter Pan and the like were the heavy influences on my imagination in my formative years. Breath of the wild was the epitome of that boy on a big wide quest feeling in a video game for me. I'm very grateful
I really admire the quality of this video.
The "Thanks for watching" at the end felt like the "Thanks for playing" after finishing a great game.
Beautiful once again! The writing is just so so good... Thank you for all your hard work!
Every couple of months you find that one video that's so good it sticks with you.
This one of those. ♥
Thank you for this. In a time where I have difficulty sticking to even 3-4 minute videos, I watched this from beginning to end in one sitting. Your tamber, writing, and fantastic use of scene transitions with doses of real video clips sprinkled in made this as entertaining as it was insightful to watch. I feel calm after watching this.
Thank you again.
The comment means the world to me thank you!
Here, here. This is an excellent video that encapsulates so many aspects that make the entire Zelda experience feel much more whole and complete. Thank You
while i on the other hand have no issue watching long ass videos and ended up skipping around for "the question" before watching the video because i know nothing of this channel. i couldn't find it within 25 seconds so i gave no shits because i appreciate when something gives you the answer and explains it thereafter instead of teasing you to watch the end of the video. i'm here i wanted the simple answer to a simple question and wanted to stay if it was a good video. i don't care if it's good now, i'm asking chatgpt.
This video stands alongside your Ocarina of Time one as one of the finest video essays on video games on the platform. Deep, dense, thought-provoking, passionate, stylish, attentive to detail, and inspiring. Thank you for this invaluable contribution to the Zelda community and congratulations on completing this project, Javed!
After three decades of The Legend of Zelda, I would have thought that everything related to the games and their design philosophies would have been said in abundance already. But here Javed is with a 35-minute BANGER of a video talking about a major philosophy of the Zelda team from the very beginning that few have talked about in detail!
What an incredible video!
Truly. He did in a deep dive into something that has only really been talked about in passing. I feel like I understand the core ideals of the series much more now which is crazy to say because I’ve been a fan of Zelda all my life!
Excellent point, and not just 3 decades but 38 years!
Your videos are some of my favorites on the whole of RUclips; this was fascinating and so much fun to learn about!
The feeling is mutual! I’ve been subbed to you for years.
He comes out of nowhere and just drops masterpieces 😂, love the music and ambience of the video. Keep up the good work 👍
There was an interview with Aonuma last year where he mentioned that he doesn't understand why fans want to go back to the more limited formula of the old games. I thought he was disconnected from the things that people enjoyed about the Zelda franchise. But watching this video has made me realize that the Zelda team had essentially always been looking to make BotW and they were just stopped by outside limitations. Realizing this is deeply depressing to me because it makes me feel like all the things that I enjoyed about the series so far were at best incidental to them. Like all the cool linear moments and interesting puzzles were merely a placeholder they were forced to put in when they couldn't make the hakoniwa they originally intended to make.
This makes me lose almost all hope that they will make the games I like again. Why would they? They finally cracked the code to make the hakoniwa they wanted and it proved to be successful with how much the games have sold.
:'(
In that regard, they remind me of the studio Treasure. One of their key philosophies is making the games THEY wanna make, the ones THEY wanna play, then send ‘em out to find people that they resonate with.
I literally purged my RUclips subscriptions last night, saw you hadn't uploaded in years, but kept you around. By the time I was done here you are
This is like the guy who does my literal fav movie analysis "Every Frame A Painting". He left to I think work on actial movies (good for him!!! Sad to see him go though) then dropped a new vid after years away 1-2 months ago!
And here i am waiting for a vid on gow ragnarok
@@jomalcaide6292 Nothing to analyse with GOW Rag. Shallow game, safe sequel.
@@ap4702 A dunk! hah
Huh... This is actually the first time I ever heard of this "miniature garden" thing... Maybe that's just because a lot of the more modern Zelda-related interviews that I pay attention to are with Eiji Aonuma, who I felt was a lot more hands-on with the direction of the Zelda series than Miyamoto has been. Still, that's an interesting way to describe the Zelda series, creating a "miniature garden"... What he means by that is certainly going to take some unpacking. Great video for doing just that!
So my understanding is, they create hakoniwa and the player gets to experience it. The problem became they would create the hakoniwa and say, "This is how you experience it.". You want to get out of this room? Defeat all of these enemies. You want to get past this barrier? Use this macguffin here. You want to get to the end boss? Collect all of these macguffins, but do it in this order.
It's not so much that the player is creating the hakoniwa. It's about giving the player a scenario to play in, and the player's creativity comes out through how they do that.
Man I’m sorry but unrelated to this video but you a master class in subtext video is truly the greatest video on all of RUclips, I’ve recommend it to all my friends and siblings who all grew up with ocarina of time. The first time I watched it by the time the cedits rolled I was in tears. It’s the point I’ve Reyes’s to see and a fasting I struggled with and it’s why ocarina of time spoken to me so much and your video helped me understand why
check the Official Music Tracks channel which, although with greater focus on music, also has great insights into both Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask
HE'S THE OCARINA SUBTEXT GUY? Man I need to donate my life savings to this man, the quality of this content is immaculate.
@@Mb_Drei fr
5 Years ago your video about OoT guide me into game development from other creative areas. Now, when I am already working in the industry and making my own games, I thank you for giving me one of the best game design videos I've ever seen.
Thanks for the suggestion. Imma about to make my own game at well. And Zelda is one of my all time favorite series.
One of the best videos I’ve ever seen; thank you for finally helping me to understand the importance of Zelda 1
I’ve been a Zelda fan for almost 30 years and while I’m deeply conflicted by the design change from past Zelda’s, I can understand it so much more thanks to this beautiful analysis.
Always enjoy your video essays on games Javed and how they get me to think about games in ways I never thought of before.
I’ve been a fan since your OOT video, keep up the great work!
Oh... I'm not conflicted. I'm 100% disappointed by BOTW and I even sold my Switch quite rapidly post-launch. 😅
@@bowi1332 BOTW may not be a good Zelda game, it is a good game in it own right, but , it loses what makes a Zelda game great, it's too broken and sparse, without the all important thread that you follow from start to finish, it lacks the feeling that you feel like you have been part of a huge living world, it also loses the musical aspect that I love about LOZ games, I really hope we see a proper Zelda game again one day, perhaps a full remake of OOT & MM will make that possible.
@@Wobble2007True. Good game. I will probably play it again someday... On Switch 2 or on a PC in 30 years once Nintendo decides to join the fun...
@@Wobble2007 Any suggestions for games that scratch that satisfy that craving for traditional LoZ gameplay? I appreciate the vision the series devs have, but I really miss that epic heroic fantasy tone, coupled with the metroidvania-style dungeons and world design.
@@TheRealPSKilla502Metroidvanias scratch the same itch for me on terms on exploring and puzzle design for the world. Hollow Knight is an excellent one, as is Metroid dread.
Dude, your content never fails to impress. It's comfy, thought-provoking, nostalgic, and respectful. Good Blood is always an instant watch (and rewatch) for me!
After watching this video, I think I finally understand Nintendo's frustrating ambivalence with the series' lore and timelines, especially with the last few entries. They feel like they finally 'made it' and have realized what their game design goals were all along and as such, have become careless about the parts that didn't matter to them.
It's especially interesting for them because games like BOTW can easily become "forever games" that make customers favour their platform for months. I prefer pre-BOTW Zelda games, but I usually only play them once... (Well... ... Same for most games I buy...)
The thing is... Zelda games used to be the killer app, the game that would make me stand in like for the GameCube and the Wii. No more. I even sold my Switch soon after finishing BOTW (which felt like a chore).
Obviously, I'm an old dude now and I don't stand in lines to buy consoles or GPUs. 😅
@@Feesh322 The timeline was never important to them, and depending of the director, the individual narratives of each game might not even have a high priority. Bar a few very excellent exceptions narrative has not ever been the focus of the Zelda series, gameplay has.
I wish people would chill about lore and timelines and all that. Especially when it comes to Zelda games. They clearly do not find that important. People should just treat each game as a separate entity in a different alternate universe or something
@@mikehab7453 Exactly! Like related but separate and individual "box gardens". No need to overcomplicate between them all with strict overarching rules, lore, and structures.
@mikehab7453 blame 3 games OoT, Wind Waker and Twilight princess. OoT was stated by multiple developers to be a prequel to the first 3 games and Wind Waker Was clearly developed as a sequel to it but contradicted those early games because hyrule was destroyed and then Twilight Princess came out due to the backlash Wind waker got which further muddied the waters as it was also a sequel to OoT and that paradox and what the implications possibly were captured the imagination of a generation of kids
The question he's never asked: "Are all copies of Mario 64 really personalized?"
Imagine in a few years with AI this will become a real thing
What do you mean?
@@ogelsmogelIt's a meme from a few years ago where people would jokingly suggest Super Mario 64 was somehow haunted and that each copy is different. Some people have actually done some fun stuff with that concept.
@@clouds-rb9xt Oh, I see. Thanks.
@eag6074 look up B3313. It already is a thing. It's actually pretty cool
I've long wondered the specific reason why the remake of 'Link's Awakening' was made to look like a toy diorama. After this video, it makes perfect sense.
There will always be a Zelda cycle and there will never be a “perfect” Zelda game because the two poles of Theme Park and Garden can never be fully realized in the same game. This is why the Zelda series will always have a future because it will never be finished. This also means everyone will always have their favorite flavor of Zelda.
I can't tell you how much I dislike how zelda fans take themselves so much more seriously than the games do.
@@HunnysPlaylists It happens with any work of art. There's always gonna be at least one audience member who takes the work more seriously than the author. Always.
@@Posby95 it's not just one audience member, it's the entire community.
@@HunnysPlaylists nah, there are people who don't care as much as the author
@@Posby95 do you not see the videos the fanbase makes?
Loved this. I had 3 paragraphs drafted for why, but deleted it to settle for this. Watched 3 times already. Once by myself, once with my wife, once again sharing with friends. Incredible work
Great analysis and excited to see the thoughts of Majoras Mask. I think there is a seperate conflict between a world that feels alive with characters and choice that conflicts some with the sandbox style gameplay. Majoras Mask world feels the most alive to me due to the characters having their lives, daily routines, and how the player has a connection and makes an impact on them. In my eyes seeing a freedom in expression through gameplay and choice along with a world with deep rich characters is the ideal. I took notes on the video today and thanks for the education on hakoniwa! Thanks for these videos, good to see this upload!!
Good point. But I think Majoras Mask can only allow itself to such a high degree of character expression in this lived-in world because you're bound to experience it again and again and again. You can't sensibly do that without the time loop which was very divisive back then, stressing many people out who just wanted to go exploring on their own terms.
@@TheOneFlyron While a lot of fans really like exploration in LoZ, that is not the point of MM, and that's OK. MM is defined by its scripted gameplay, which repeats with the 3 day cycle. It has some of the best sidequests and dungeons in the game, and they more than make up for any lack of player freedom.
@@TheOneFlyron I partially agree! It adds to the depth of the characters and how you interact, similar to BG3 and the depth of characters in the story of the game. I don't think it's necessary to have looping gameplay to make characters memorable or have significant depth. It does help though and I personally love the mechanic.
The production quality for these videos is off the charts. It never fails to impress. Excellent video as always.
Wow, it feels like a crime to watch this labor of love for free. Extremely entertaining and informative. It's incredible that Miyamoto had the vision for this miniature garden philosophy sense the first Zelda game, he's truly a pioneer in the gaming industry.
Thanks for creating this, I hope one day I can reach this level of quality in my own work.
Yessss Javed finally! I remember watching the “prototype” version of that first minute on patreon. Phenomenal work. You’ll always be an inspiration to me.
Oh my word, this summed up everything I've been feeling recently. I can't believe you were able to articulate so much into a single video.
Zelda worlds are like playgrounds (this is something I always knew), but they are also like a garden you can imagine stuff in.
I deeply do appreciate the love and effort you had to put in the making of this amazing video. I felt spirited away for half an hour. Cheers from Switzerland.
This has got to be one of the best-if not _the_ best-video essay that I've ever seen. I imagine I will be returning to watch it again many times in the future.
Japanese zen gardens were something that I had never really thought about too deeply; this video gave me an understanding of them and the philosophies behind them that I simply did not have before. Followed by the section on Sandplay Theory, it got me to think about and appreciate how these philosophies might apply to me, the video games I play, and how I choose to play them. All of this, by only two-thirds of the way through the video.
By the end, I had reevaluated how I thought about the Zelda franchise as a whole, a series I've known and loved for nearly my entire life. Like the zen gardens, I feel a renewed understanding of, and appreciation for, the work the designers and developers put into these games.
This video was thoughtfully researched, _extraordinarily_ written, meaningfully paced, beautifully scored... the whole nine yards. The fact that it is available to watch for free like this is indicative of nothing less than a deep, deep love for the Zelda series and a true passion for sharing it with others. Thank you for doing so, because I love it too. 🙂
This feels like a professional documentary, well worth the wait thank you for inspiring us
This was beautiful. Thank you for making and sharing your research and insights on the Zelda design philosophy.
The Miyamoto interview where he himself asks players to enjoy the theme park attractions really does hit hard. Easily the best moment of the video.
Just discovered this channel and immediately watched all the videos! Great channel, and wish more content on RUclips was like this!
Javed’s work on this platform is so inspiring to me. Such incredible research, writing, and storytelling. I am so grateful this exists.
This video made me appreciate this series even more. I’ve always loved Zelda’s linear and dungeon heavy type of gameplay, and although I loved BoTW, I still struggled to enjoy ToTK due to how much I missed the older formula. Knowing now that this is what Miyamoto wanted all along made me accept this great change in the series.
Also, isn’t it amazing how long he dreamed to make a hakoniwa game decades ago and the team managed to near perfect it with today’s technology, all within his lifetime. One heck of an achievement.
Wow. This was such a joy to watch from start to finish. Thank you for creating this video and for that incredible dive into Miyamoto's design philosophy! I especially loved the live props of opening the various magazines and printed essays. The papercraft interstitials looked appropriately playful, and the overall sound design was so pleasing. Again, excellent work here!
Although Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are some of my favorite Zelda games, I occasionally have that common train of thought: “I hope the next game is more linear” or “I miss traditional Zelda dungeons” but here, you made me see that all of these older games can be appreciated for what they were, even if that style never returns. At the end of your essay I truly feel happy knowing how high an achievement Breath of the Wild must have been for the development team. Completely changed my thoughts about the new sandbox formulas. They are, in essence, the goal of the traditional formula.
Thank you for a great video!
Beautifuly created. Javed’s story telling ability is absolutely incredible. These pieces of art are always worth the wait.
NOBODY asked how he is doing and that broke my heart
Well he's no Saint either so...
@@tomo8940no one is
Very happy to see a video from you after so long!
When I was very young I used to play the N64 and Gamecube that my dad owned and he was a very meticulous player. He had most of his games fully beaten (Tetris sphere eludes him) and finished with all the optional objectives and collectibles and whenever I'd play one of these games, such as Ocarina of Time, I found myself going to play the fully finished saves as frequently as I would with starting a new one, new ones that I should mention rarely went far in the context of zelda. Everything was already finished of course but I was VERY young and didn't have a strong goal when playing games anyway, so I'd just wander hyrule and mess around with all the items my dad had already collected. I don't have a poignant observation for this comment, this video just reminds me of that time.
Amazing and very touching video. Thank you for putting in the time and effort to research, write and produce this video for everyone to see. Much Love
Love this.
Additionally, the map of BotW is not merely a box garden. Hundreds of what I call "micro-environments" comprise each region of the overall map and I see now that each is itself a box garden. Areas that take up very little space but nonetheless exist as a standalone experience to plan in and explore within the larger context of the region. Perhaps BotW's map is a collection of hundreds, if not thousands of box gardens. A spectacular game.
Another stellar video. Well done, sir!
This is the Zelda documentary I didn’t know I needed. BOTW and TOTK totally are my favourite games of all time exactly for this purpose. I’ve never spent more time playing in a single game world and probably will never be beaten, I love escaping from my day to that miniature garden.
He appears once again with some of the best content on the platform
The only thing tears of the kingdom makes me express is screams and swear words. Even when I try to find fun in it it's elusive.
When you were explaining what a box garden/hakoniwa was, I literally thought "Oh my god, _that's_ why BOTW and TOTK are like that." It was a unique kind of satisfaction, and I'm very glad I watched this video.
As a writer, I find the Hakoniwa philosophy viscerally challenging and misleading, yet fascinating.
Where the Zelda team struggled with further incorporating the open play element with the theme park attraction and artistic expression elements, when I play a game such as Breath of the Wild, I find myself facing the exact opposite challenge, my mind filling this world in with possibilities and visions of artistic expression that insist upon their ways, that overpower the player with emotion, rather than necessarily inviting them to interpret it.
The Hakoniwa method is not to invite the viewer into a barren empty space, neither is it a linear and insistent overcrowded garden. It is an inviting story.
I don't believe the perfect Zelda game yet exists. The Legend of Zelda is a masterpiece, not just for its time. Its exploration, tone, and insistence upon an archetypal yet fully expressed story couple beautifully into something that remains iconic to this day. People don't talk about any other classic game the same way they do Zelda 1. It is the closest thing to perfection of the craft.
Skyward Sword, inversely, tells a powerful, emotional, and insistent story, and invites players to take part in this fairytale. It is the closest thing to a modern narrative Zelda masterpiece.
Breath of the Wild begins with a sandbox philosophy, and creates stories and elements to populate it and serve the gameplay.
The perfect Zelda game sets out with the tone and wonder of Zelda 1, and that the developers of the original game did that very first time. It insists upon a nuanced story of right and wrong, creates the world and gameplay outward from that idea and narrative, and invites players both into the boots of the hero, and the adventurer. It guides them along a series of box gardens that they can approach and re explore with the ideas filling their heads. Finally, it overpowers players with an insistent expression of storytelling and emotion that embeds itself into their minds long after they've forgotten how to play. It's a narrative masterpiece. Tears of the Kingdom *almost* does this.
In fact, the perfect Zelda game looks something like Hollow Knight, and a little bit like Xenoblade Chronicles.
I was also about to mention the Xeno series!
@@Dionaea_floridensisYes, that game immediately sprang to mind when I pondered revisiting and repurposing previous areas of a game.
I'd say Wind Waker's main area of expression, aside from deciding what direction to go in when exploring the islands, was mainly in the combat. Every enemy has unique reactions to each weapon, and experimenting with them is a lot of fun, especially in the later game. Like killing moblins with only the boomerang, by knocking them off the edge.
For me, that was Zelda at its "toy"-est. Was really disappointed the video just focused on the sailing and nothing else
SICK! I have literally checked back to your channel like every 4 months since I saw your OOT video to see if you had made any new videos! So excited to watch this!
I feel like in some ways the Pikmin games are the perfect evolution of Zelda 1. You're literally tending a miniature garden through the form of raising pikmin and each area has you explore a miniature garden. Each miniature garden is full of surprises, like one day it could be raining and different monsters could appear. The limitations like having a time limit just serve to make the game more thrilling and more theme park like. Even then games like Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 4 are more lenient on time and offer more Zelda-like experiences, with the caves basically serving as Zelda 1 style dungeons.
Heck, even the concept of dandori is an aspect of haninowa. Careful planning and arrangement.
Woah holy content Batman, that grabbed my attention start to finish, talk about a masterclass in video essays
I was literally recording a voice over for a video about how Nintendo is a Toy maker rather than a game company, but it looks like you beat me to it! And it's a better video that I could have ever hoped to produce on my own! Well done! You just saved me dozens of hours of work! 🙂
Edit: Thanks for the words of encouragement, y'all. I think I'll go ahead and finish it. Why not, right? 😊
You should make it anyway! The more people talk about it, the more people will know :)
@@lpstweetytv5242^Agree!
Agreeing with lps tweet here - while this video focuses on specifically Zelda, you could look at other series/franchises that Nintendo makes
Javed, I hope you see this. I just wanted to say your direction gives inspiration while being informative. This episode has an air of creative passion and energy conveyed through its music choice, script and direction, and I can’t say enough how impactful that is for me. I hope you’re doing well. Thank you from a tired designer.
The frustrating part of Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom is that in the decades of Zelda games where they supposedly "failed" at the hakoniwa philosophy the franchise developed an identity that while lacking the absolute freedom, endeared itself through how rich and densely detailed the "gardens" were. I think the BotW formula may nail empowering the player in creating their own hakoniwa, but it misses out on what an equally fulfilling experience it can be to observe, appreciate and immerse yourself in a garden by someone else's hand. They were finally able to make Zelda what they always intended it to be but at the cost of what it had become. As someone clearly attached to the old formula and not as fond of the open world trend in gaming, it's hard to not wish BotW was something else entirely outside the Zelda series.
I think the real artists were the people who wrote and programmed Ocarina etc. and not this one man who gives interviews about his broad philosophy on games he doesn't even work on
@@djason338 I feel like the team has a lot of stuff they want to do but don't simply because "Eiji Aonuma is only interested in climbing trees". It speaks volumes that they managed to make something so simple be so interesting but it also reveals much of the games failure that it's effectively the only interesting thing it has to offer.
Years in between uploads and each one is a carefully crafted masterpiece. This a nice pacing over the continuous video manufacturing that most RUclipsrs miss out on when cranking out video after video. Thanks.
You're the greatest.
Awesome video.
Thank you so much for that video. Your research is astounding, your understanding of the series is impressive and that topic is so important, so fundamental, to game design or even design itself as a whole. It's such a critical contribution to the industry and the fan community. Please continue your work, it's high quality content like we all so much need these days. It both made me learn and put a smile on my face. Thank you.
Your video does an incredible job explaining the philosophy of Hakoniwa, and exemplifies why BOTW is so special. This philosophy is why I have always pushed back against people calling linear Zelda games as the "traditional games". The Zelda franchise was always about freedom and exploration. The early 3D Zelda games mostly became linear due to the limitations of the hardware. Nonetheless, even in games like OOT and MM, Hyrule/Termina still felt like living breathing miniature worlds. You have done a far better job at delivering this message than I ever could.
This was absolutely wonderful 🖤
12:52 "There is neither growth, nor decay, in this spatially expressed moment."
Oh. That's a quote that might live with me for... ever...
I can't even begin to express how much joy this video brings me. I have been studying on the side the concepts of minimalism and I have become attached to the ideas that are raveled up in hakoniwa and other forms of expression from Japan. This video does such an amazing job of capturing something that for Japanese people is culturally understood and doesn't necessarily require a deep explanation, but for Western audiences it is something that has to be acquired through learning. It puts it all together so seamlessly. Great work!
"The Question No One Asks Shigeru Miyamoto"
"who is scripulous fingore?"
Beautifully written and produced. This should be considered essential viewing for the true Zelda fan.
2:43 the japanese here actually says “That is exactly what we were going for(lol) All of the designers wanted to make a landscape that felt somehow familiar. So there really isn’t a model we based it on.”
I don’t know where you got the miniature garden quote but it’s not here.
Thanks for pointing this out. Unfortunately I highlighted the wrong paragraph while filming. The miniature garden paragraph is a bit further down the page. The link to the interview is in the description if you wanted to browse. Thanks
@@GoodBloodGamesoh okay thank you for clarifying
the fact that this exists as free video on youtube is crazy
the sheer density of choices that feel carefully crafted and intentional in the runtime of this video is ridiculous, don't think i've ever felt such a moral obligation to watch at 1x speed
So what you're trying to tell me is that Minecraft is the perfect videogame according to Myamoto's principles?
Crap, you’re right lol
Perhaps it is the closest thing to a box garden accessible to all(which is also the appeal of legos IRL) but I can’t help but feel like it doesn’t have a sense of adventure or excitement.
It’s probably quite close though.
Almost like there are many reasons not to jump at calling financially successful people "genius."
I would argue that that's not quite the case. A box garden tells a story or shows a scene within a confined space, while Minecraft is a procedurally generated nearly limitless play area
@@DiegeticDogmathe point is that the game provides the player with the most infinitely modifiable world possible and asks the player to create their story within it. So yeah Minecraft is more closely related to the box garden concept than any Zelda game has ever been.
lord, what a channel. Over the years since i saw your ocarina video, your videos have continued to be a place of peaceful enjoyment for me. I seem to always circle back to your videos when I need them most.
I think their lack of attention to lore has sortof harmed this goal, it may seem unrelated but its more about sortof keeping up appearances in a way, an issue people have with totk ive seen is that it became clear that they never really cared about the lore and that makes everything feel much faker and cheaper, like its all just fanservice, how am i supposed to immerse myself in this space when it doesnt feel like it has any sense of internal reality. Point being even if it was never the point, when every reference just feels like thats all it is it makes everything feel shallow and its harder to take seriously, it weakens the effect, and it discourages people from imagining more about the world they are put in because knowing that the developers didnt care about the lore pretty immediately makes even any headcanon completely implausible or irrelevant cause nothing ever meant anything.
Other than that the direction is nice.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. I just wish Nintendo could level up their storytelling a little, or at least match some of their previous highs with something approaching any sort of real consistency. Nintendo is getting a little too comfortable with using time travel shenanigans to escape actually telling a compelling multi-chapter story and it's becoming boring rather than intriguing or surprising. And I don't even think they do it for fanservice of the theorizers. Nintendo is getting a little too comfortable with using time travel shenanigans to escape actually telling a compelling multi-chapter story and it's becoming boring rather than intriguing or surprising. And I don't even think they do it for fanservice of the theorizers.
By making everyone's head-cannon "correct" they have made a castle with no wall and no floors and no ceiling just a big empty space of nothing but "open doors". By removing the ability to be "wrong" the truth has become indistinguishable from a lie. They claim reading a story is doing work yet they expect writing one to be no work at all. They have given us nothing while claiming to have given us everything.
But even that "make your own story" approach fails as the story explicitly states and "shows" exactly what happens in the most unceremonious and unsatisfactory way on multiple occasions. Statements like "it's a mystery" or 'it's supposed to be vague" come across to me as an excuse for plot holes or trying to deny abject failure and deflecting the responsibilities that come with being a "writer" or "artist" onto the beholder.
Very well articulated and similar to my thoughts as the video drew to its conclusion. While the hakoniwa concept is neat and I agree that there is something very enjoyable about absolute freedom of exploration, BotW and TotK fail at really capitalizing on it. Especially since TotK, these games feel like an open admission that there is nothing beyond surface level thought in the games' world and story design. Interesting locations aren't actually points of interest, teased at depth or interaction with the story have not been fulfilled, the player himself has almost been removed from any and all plot significance beyond finishing the game by beating the final boss. Somehow, the dictate of total exploration freedom demands a really flat difficulty curve and most rewards feel meaningless and menial to get. It's a somber mood since I feel it is possible to achieve both Miyamoto's original vision and a lot of players' expectations. Outer Wilds presents a brilliant way of managing non-linear, meaningful, and gripping storytelling in a game all about exploration and puzzle-solving. Elden Ring presents a fleshed-out world that you are free to explore and interpret as much or as little as you care while still clearly being modeled with intent and therefore being believable. It also has good difficulty scaling paired with incredible amounts of player expression through specs and weapon choices.
And since this channel introduced me to the excellent subtext of Ocarina of Time, I would hope that even people at Nintendo would crave to create intricate, artful stories again within these miniature gardens.
This video just convinced me that Ocarina of Time was a complete fluke, and they will never get close to anything like it again.
@@The_Moe_Szyslak_Exp_feat_Homer I feel that way about "The Last of Us", they really took a bat to my interpretation of the story with the show and the second game and made it into one of the most depressing pessimistic stories ever.
For "The Legend of Zelda" I wouldn't go as far to say "their only success was an accident", I believe there were a bunch of hard working people with good ideas that they have now deliberately tossed aside or limited, I think it's summed up best with a quote "We had designed a bunch of things to do but Aonuma was only interested in climbing trees."
Always great seeing you drop a video my friend. Well done
this is why we keep notifications ON
@@J31bro, wtf, they're not a bot, just click the profile, you'll see
@@J31 Your comment seemed more of a bot comment than anything else.
@@J31 they're just expressing their excitement and driving engagement to the algorithm for a creator they like. I doubt it's for attention seeking, it's not a very attention-seeking comment. This is the kind of thing you should just be able to scroll past and expect to see in all types of comment sections.
@@J31 this mf doesn't leave comments on the videos his favorite creators make to help support them in the algorithm
This video, man. This is what I think I've _really_ been needing to hear/learn about for awhile now. This feels like unlocking a new dimension for my creative psyche with all the things I'm juggling in it right now.
great video essay! I've found myself playing BotW and TotK again and I really appreciate that the game lets you take on the challenges in your own way, and the rewards for exploration and pursuing goals in the game isn't the acquisition of player power or story progression, but the actual experience of the play itself.
As an aspiring game developer, this documentary was very inspiring! I'm so glad to have discovered this channel!
Especially since as a japanese culture enthusiast, I have a miniature Zen Garden in my place.
This video made me realise that in a way I had always been a game designer, ever since I was a kid I used to place a big blanket in the living room and placed decorations on top pretending they were islands.
The sense of freedom that comes from designing a playground stuffed with secrets to explore is one of the biggest joys a creative person can feel.
But what I believe Miyamoto teaches us is that we can gift those sensations to the player as well, making him "play" creatively with our creation and not just forcing him through some obstacles.
(Also, what a perfect time to release this video since Zelda EOW interviews are releasing)
I really loved this video. Not only for teaching me about hakoniwa, but the style with which it was made and edited. Simultaneously super relaxing and engaging. Thank you so much for making it.
Shigeru is such a treasure to the gaming community. His contributions have shaped generations. He is such a gem and there will never be anyone like him. Please keep on living as long as you possibly can Miyamoto ♥
I really hope he's working on his swansong for the SWiiTCH, I hope it's a full on Gamecube Resident Evil or Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes style full Remake of OOT & MM, and a launch title for the SWiiTCH, along with a Mario Kart x Pilot Wings collab game.
@@Wobble2007 I highly doubt Miyamoto will be doing much with games anymore, all the way back in the 90s he's emphasized he's more of a toy designer and would like to explore other forms of creating fun outside of video games. The results of this have been seen quite recently with his heavy involvement with the Mario Movie, Super Nintendo World and the Nintendo Museum. I think Miyamoto is well aware the series he created are in good hands and is using the opportunity to explore other mediums.
@@snailymitch We shall see.
@Wobble2007 I doubt it, he hasn’t been that involved in the development side of things since the 90s, the last game he directed was mario 64! Of course he still seems to do work as the final supervisor, but i don’t see him working as the main producer of a game again honestly.
This video was beautifull and profound. It popped up in my suggestion box a few times before I watched it. I'm glad I did. It literally changed how I view the franchise for ever.
22:40 this contradiction is the issue we see in TotK. The vast playground somehow contradicts the well-made story moments that would fit better in a more linear game. Even worse, since you can find dragon tears in any order, you can spoil the story and sour the experience for yourself if you get tear #15 before tear #2. Also making the "but where is Zelda?!" companion sequences feel badly written if you do the dragon tear quest early.
You can get the tears in any order except for the last one that reveals what happens.
That tear is locked away till you find the rest.
Totk tries to be nonlinear while running linear things. Literally all of the main quests are linear to some extent. Did you get to the water temple early? Congratulations! Go back down and get sidon and do the quest properly. Oh, you know Zelda is the dragon? We're just gonna pretend you don't in order to try to drum up some tension in kakariko. It tries to be free and causes massive dissonance because there are major events that just don't work.
@@lagrush9039 You can see where the plot is going from a mile away even without the last tear if you pay attention to what Sonia says in an earlier cutscene. My argument is still valid. If you complete the dragon tear quest early, it renders half the cutscenes and dialogue in the game obsolete. The game still pretends you don't know where Zelda is for the next 20 hours.
@@micahbarrus8406 It's also fascinating that no coder / writer thought about some if-else cases for dialogues when you already know about Zelda and still have multiple story quests to do. Especially Yunobo. And why do I need to watch the same cutscene about the war for 4 times after every dungeon?
@@AriesT1 yup. I did the thunder Temple first, then got all the tears, and I was so frustrated that every single plot point is "wait, there's Zelda!" When I, the player, knew the truth and link did nothing.
Truly an amazing video essay. Thanks!
30:30 I agree the item change was fun however the cost was an extreme lack of puzzle design. The biggest issue are:
1. the shrines are too short; it would have been better to cut the number of shrines to a 4th of what they are if it means we get more content in the shrines individually. As it stands every shrine has a cool or interesting idea but ends before it can do anything with it.
2. the shrines are not set; it would have been better if the shrines were in a linear order. If you open shrine 4 in a list of seven first, you get the first shrine in the list. if you open shrine 7 after that you would get the second shrine. Because there was no set list this didn't allow the developers to build upon shrines. So, a concept in one shrine can't be used again in another resulting in only beginner concepts for puzzle design on repeat for all shrines.
you're misunderstanding what the shrines are about
they're not designed with a single puzzle in mind, a single solution that fits all - obviously there's an intended solution but the player has the creative liberty to solve the puzzle any which way that they want
having puzzles in a linear order, with a predefined mechanic present throuhgout completely contradicts this philosophy
personally, it feels much more rewarding to me having an "ah-ha!" moment when i've thought of a solution myself that i know is not intended, but still works - its a great way of proving the philosophy's principle
@@excelup5358 Set up a linear order of puzzles regardless of which shrines you go to so that you can introduce new concepts and build upon old ones. Allowing for more complicated and interesting puzzles as the player progresses. OR Do the same shrine on repeat because you can't build on the concepts you have created before....
21/120 Combat shrines, same fight every time.
29/120 Empty, walk in open a chest take orb yawn.
5/120 Motion control shrines where you just swing your controller for 2 seconds and you’re done. Most of these don’t even work correctly and are broken.
The last 65 are “puzzle” shrines 30 of these are hot garbage they are ether repeating shrines that you have already done or poking a concept for the first time, not touching on it poking it. Just you opened a single door, and you are done. These 30 shrines turn into “I’m only here for the orb because this puzzle is a bore.” The other 35 while have some interesting aspect and ideas again also stop short they always resulted “cool I figured it out what’s next” and then the massive disappointment hits of the shrine being over. Because again the gam doesn’t have the ability to build on shrine concepts since they can be done out of order.
The shrines are trash. One of the worst puzzle implementations to date and it was all done for stupid excuses.
Okay TLDR cause RUclips can shove it, there are 120 shrines, only 60 of them are puzzles and 30 of those are actually good puzzles the rest is on repeat or puzzles that don't go farther then a single door. This is because again, the Shrines are not set up linearly as a result you can't build on concepts or introduce new concepts and build upon the new concepts it's just shallow garbage.
@@MusicaX79 the point of the game isn't to make up puzzle concepts for you to follow, its to give you tools, and let the player decide how they want to use the tools to tackle a challenge presented to them - this allows every player's experience to be different from the other's
You and HBomberguy kill me in anticipation. I revisit your videos so much!
Man, the *production quality* of this video essay is completely jaw-dropping. Bravo! As for the topic, this was immensely informative, enlightening, and rewarding to watch as an aspiring game developer. I'd heard the "miniature garden" phrase before, but your in-depth analysis brought all new meaning to it for me. Thank you for putting together such a well-written & produced journey for us.
What an incredible video!!! Thank you so much for the time and effort. I can't help but admire the more philosophical approach of eastern developers and artists.
A new Good Blood video is Christmas present levels of hype and excitement🎉❤😆
This video is nothing short of masterful. Bravo Javed and team!
When someone else starts making games utilizing the concepts they decided weren't demure or mindful enough for their sacred box gardens and the discarded fans of those concepts go where the dungeons and puzzles are I don't wanna hear any crocodile tears from Nintendo.
I've no real words for this. You've made a beautiful video, and have done a wonderful job. I've gained some true insight into this art form that i love, thank you.
I’m actually surprised by how this take doesn’t account for the garden of creativity that was lost in the wild era. A world that used to be full of solvable puzzles and intriguing mysteries was replaced by one that had practically none. For a creator who I thought truly understood the impact that Zelda worldbuilding could have for a person saying that breath of the wild found the balance is very surprising.
While the open world exploration certainly meets this philosophy, there are more things that made a fan want to return to that garden than what’s discussed here.
As someone whose first Zelda game was BotW, I'm surprised to hear you say there were barely any puzzles or mysteries in BotW & TotK, as I would read them as containing many puzzles & mysteries, just in a different format.
Every shrine has a puzzle or two, either inside the shrine or for the blessing shrines, there's a challenge to get there in the first place. Plus some of the side quests add a puzzle element to them, as well. Then there's the enemy camps and korok seeds, as well as just navigating the world can take some thinking & planning.
You're also trying to learn what exactly happened 100 years ago along with Link who has amnesia in BotW, and also learning about Ganondorf and what happened to Zelda through the dragon tears & the ancient tablets.
I'd say botw DEFINITELY had a ton of mysteries and ruins to imagine what kind of battles took place there or what kind of lives were lived there, but Totk definitely dropped the ball on either delivering answers to some of those mysteries or even creating new intriguing mysteries tbh
@@itskdogPeople who complain about the game's lack of puzzles, also complain about weapon breaks.
Defeating camps without breaking your weapons, is the most fun AND PREVALENT puzzle in the game. You can literally approach any camp in the game with an empty inventory and defeat it... SOMEHOW. Every. Camp.
They are puzzles.
Yeah, BotW/TotK have the opposite problem to Skyward Sword, in which there us too much freedom and the game is unstructured and becomes repetitive because there isn't scope to unlock new mechanics or build complexity over time. I think they will admit this in a few years and try to build something that is genuinely like a 3D version of Zelda 1-3, incorporating both the open world and metroidvania aspects.
the shrine puzzles are COMPLETE JOKES in comparison to anything the series has done in the past, yes, even simple "move block onto button" puzzles, because at least those didn't reuse the same assets ad nauseam
I shared this video with the most brilliant, amazing person I know. They were gushing about how inspiring it was to them. Just wanted to say thank you again.
the videos so good I get to watch it a second time