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Metal Gear Twin Snakes Adapter Talks Future
Thanks to Game Informer for its interview with Silicon Knights' founder Denis Dyack, following this week's release of fairly well-received GameCube Metal Gear Solid remake, MGS: The Twin Snakes. Dyack says of the game: "I think we've met the watermark and I think gamers are going to be happy and looking at the responses so far... we think people are fairly pleased", and looks forward to the next Silicon Knights project, suggesting wistfully: "We'd really love to make a hardcore dark Zelda, but at the end of the day, that's something that needs to be discussed with Mr. Miyamoto and his group and that's his baby."
Every Nintendo console Zelda has had dark tones to it.
Zelda 1: Ganon and all the bosses are uniquely intimidating. Level design is such that you can anticipate boss encounters (map & compass), raising anticipation in the player. Dungeon music is hauntingly melodic, and some dungeons are just difficult enough that players can actually fear for their character. Dropping to one heart causes a low-life tone to sound repeatedly, raising player anxiety. Classic dark game in every way.
Zelda 2: Dungeons and bosses are still intimidating, but in a less charismatic way than in Zelda 1. Relies more on difficulty than Zelda 1 to set dark mood.
Zelda 3: Excellent use of music and sound effects. Goes back to Zelda 1's formula (not just in player perspective), but improves on every aspect of the original. Includes a whole dark world to explore, which incorporates both familiarity and enough unknown elements to keep the player interested. Great game.
Zelda OOT: I don't know what you're talking about, this Zelda had its dark moments all over the place. The kidnapping of Zelda, the revelation of Ganon, the huge dark dungeons with freaky music, the oxygen/heat timers, the twisted/corrupt future full of walking undead, the mysterious backstory of Sheik, the revelation of the Sages, etc. This is a very serious game throughout many major story points of the game.
Zelda MM: This game is so serious and gloomy that it's been described as depressing. Nobody has ever called Majora's Mask an overly whimsical game. I love it, personally, and it's the closest we've seen so far to a dark Zelda. Unlike Ocarina of Time, the player gets a sense that he is completely on his own for the majority of the story. Termina is a far more depressing place than the Hyrule of Link's youth in Ocarina, that's for sure.
Zelda WW: When I finish this game (have had to stop mid-game due to a move), I will have comments on it. But there is no sign that Zelda has all of a sudden become a walk through the park, thankfully.
If you ask me, any Zelda game that might take itself more seriously than Majora's Mask does would have to be extremely well done, otherwise it could be seen as an awkward attempt to "extremify" the series. That would be a major backfire.