Patent Hints Next Zelda Could Be For Casual Gamers
It’s been more than two years since Twilight Princess was released in 2006 and since Nintendo makes a significant portion of their profits from flagship characters like Mario and Link, it’s only a matter of time before we see a new Zelda game. Thanks to the transparency of patent law in this country a patent has been discovered that hints at a new adventure for Link. The patent bears the weighty name of Shigeru Miyamoto and suggests that Nintendo may be trying to do with the Zelda series what they did with Mario Kart Wii.
While many third party Wii games are shovelware or mini-game fests designed to make a quick buck from the casual crowd, Nintendo is striving to create rich game experiences that are deep and complex enough for the more serious crowd while still having the intuitive and fun controls that keep casual gamers from being frustrated. Luckily someone has done the work of translating the lengthy legalese of the patent into actual English for us.
The description outlines a game which has several methods of playing. The first is obviously for gaming veterans and those who desire the most challenging experience; it allows the player to go through the main story from start to finish with an optional hint system. The second mode, ‘digest’ mode allows the player to view the game as a sort of interactive movie. It will play through the important gameplay sequences and cutscenes in the game, allowing the player to stop it at any time and play through the ’scene’ they’re on with the equipment and powers that the protagonist has acquired. The third mode allows you to skip to whatever puzzle or scene you want to play, allowing anyone to replay their favorite part of the game or to practice on a rather difficult section.
There’s no official confirmation what game this will be, but the game is called “Legend of OO”, and the mock screenshots they show look very similar to screens from Twilight Princess. Miyamoto has also said in the past that it was important to bring the Zelda game to the casual crowd, so all signs point to a Legend of Zelda game.