The Legend of Souls
A lot of gamers have noticed a striking amount of similarities between The Legend of Zelda and the Dark Souls games. Aside from being 3D action adventures titles, the combat mechanics seem to be fashioned around a similar type of gameplay, even if Souls goes a bit more in-depth.
To me, I’ve never really drawn the comparison until more recently. I think it comes down to the fact that Ocarina of Time laid the groundwork for how a 3D action game should be made, which is something series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki agrees with.
In an interview with Glixel, Miyazaki stated, “If there are similarities, they probably stem from the fact that The Legend of Zelda became a sort of textbook for 3D action games.” It’s funny how certain games become shining examples of their genre and never seem to be topped in terms of innovation.
As for the comparison, Miyazaki added, “When I was a student, The Legend of Zelda was truly monumental. So to be perfectly honest, I feel deeply unworthy of the comparison.” Miyazaki then states that the focus of each game is what truly differentiates them. “Our goal was to allow players to do what they want, define their own goals, make their own discoveries, embrace their own values, and find their own interpretations.”
While some fans have been clamoring for Nintendo to adopt a similar design philosophy for Zelda, I honestly never had an issue with the later, more linear games. Sometimes, great direction and calculated pacing go a long way for creating an interesting environment.
Then you have Souls which prides itself on being overbearing, dark, menacing and obtuse. Neither game is wrong in its approach to design; they are just cut from a different cloth. That being said, I’d love to see what a From Software designed Zelda game would turn out like. For all the issues with motion controls, Skyward Sword had combat that was pretty damn similar to Dark Souls.
‘Dark Souls’ Creator Miyazaki on ‘Zelda,’ Sequels and Starting Out [Rolling Stone]
