Hyrule Warriors: The angry backlash

You can find items in chests like other Zelda titles.

Hyrule Warriors has caught my interest when it was initially announced. I have always been a big fan of the Legend of Zelda series and I have discovered the Samurai Warriors series fairly recently, which is pretty well-made as a blend of strategy and 3D beat them up gameplay. The idea of mixing Zelda and the Warriors series together has really made me curious, as we would basically get an action-based strategy Zelda game.

The response to this collaboration has been very mixed, ranging from excitement to flat out anger. Indeed, it appears that some fans have instantly grown to hate this game; some admitting to never having even played a warriors game in their entire life but hating it nonetheless. As a very curious individual, I have wondered “why?”.

First case and point: The existence of Hyrule Warriors does not prevent Zelda fans from getting the experience they want. Nintendo has stated that this was not a main entry in the Zelda series. The flagship Zelda for the Wii U is well under development and will be revealed at E3. Hyrule Warriors is being made by Techmo Koei, and while Mr. Eiji Aonuma is in the role of a supervisor, that mostly means that he is taking a fairly passive role, and that he is mostly there to look at how the game has progressed while making sure that it follows certain standards. He is neither a producer, nor a director. Techmo Koei is doing most of the heavy-lifting. It is very unlikely that Hyrule Warriors has contributed in slowing down the release of Zelda Wii U.

 Impa, playable for the first time.

Second point: Hyrule Warriors can only “help” Nintendo in their current software drought. There is very little room for misinterpretation of the facts here: Hyrule Warriors is an exclusive Warriors game for the Wii U with a heavy Zelda flair and influence. If anything, Wii U owners should logically be happy about this. All this means is that they are getting an exclusive Zelda-themed side game on top of getting an official Zelda title in the future. While a strategy beat them up Zelda may not necessarily be for everyone, it still adds to the software library, which is a positive.

Third point: In days where third parties have given up on attempting to crack the Nintendo home console market, Techmo Koei is making a conscious effort to market its games on those systems. Nintendo system owners have been very vocal about the third party issue; calling out third party publishers on making half-baked ports for Nintendo system, or giving Nintendo timed exclusives only to release a better version of the game on another system a month later. The distrust Nintendo consumers have of third parties is quite understandable, and that frustration must no doubt contribute to their terrible sales. When one thinks of Warner Bros. removing its Wii U DLC season pass for their latest Batman game, forcing Nintendo to reimburse every single person who bought it in the eshop, distrust runs rampant. However, when a company makes an honest effort to provide a quality exclusive experience to Nintendo consumers, it may be in our best interest to keep an open mind. After all, if Hyrule Warriors succeeds and Nintendo gamers become interested in exploring other entries in the Warriors series, this could very well secure Techmo Koei as a long-term partner, add a bit of third party support for the platform.

Wizro, a vilain working for Shea. This sounds a lot like Wizrobe. He also looks a lot like a Poe. Perhaps Koei drew inspiration from these?

No one is advocating buying a game that does not spark your interest. However, third parties will never support Nintendo systems if all we do on Nintendo consoles is buy Nintendo games. It would most likely be to the advantage of Nintendo console owners to sometimes explore games from other companies; perhaps an Atlus RPG, or something made by PlatinumGames. Companies go where the money is. If they can make a decent buck out of Nintendo systems, they will develop for them.

 Valga, an honourable vilain. Looks strangely like a human Volvagia. Heck, even the name is similar.

In conclusion, there does not seem to be any reason to take offense of Hyrule Warriors that is grounded in logic. I for one am excited for it. Techmo Koei has brought in team Ninja in order to make more compelling one on one combat action against boss characters, while Koei will be focusing on the large-scale combat aspect. It will also utilize a Zelda lock-on system, dodging mechanics, various weapon choices, items, heart collecting, and more. It seems to be a Warriors game that also wants to have that special iconic Zelda touch. Knowing this, it seems clear that it will play sufficiently differently from Dynasty or Samurai Warriors and develop its own identity. Getting several of their teams on board also demonstrates that they are taking this game seriously. This may not be a main series Zelda title, but it seems to have much promise at being a new, unique experience.

 I know they were talking about Link finding chests but... yeah... By the way, this is the witch Shea, main antagonist... perhaps until they reveal Ganondorf?

Hyrule Warriors is set to appear and be playable at E3 next month. I have high hopes that a third party game will perform well on the Wii U. With the slow release schedule, this game will be able to tide Wii U owners over for a little while.