I have talked to some people about this topic and they say that I don't care whether the art style will be cartoony or realistic. They just want the game to be a good game; I'm one of those people who don't think that zelda game's art style doesn't think that the game's art style makes the game what it is because there are other factors  besides a zelda game's art style that make a good zelda game. They are Story, exploration and gameplay(sorry if I missed any). I will tell you my opinion on each of them.

 

Story is an element in a zelda game that makes the player really interested in game. Even though a good story is based off of poeple's opinions, this element has been in most zelda games. This element also could change the way a game is played and make the game more linear. For example, Skyward Sword is more story driven  than any other zelda title, making it the most linear zelda game yet. I'm going to add my opinion on this. I really don't care if a zelda game is linear even though I prefer a more linear approach in the zelda series. Also, story is one of the things a really hope for in a zelda game. 

 

Exploration is basically the act of exploration an over-world without being told what to do. Twilight Princess was on the right track, but the land is so empty in that game that it made the overworld seem less interesting and boring. It also made the overworld feel "dead" in my opinion. The wind waker did an excellent job with its exploration. Once you get through certain parts of the story in the game, you are able to sail wherever you want to go and plus there are a lot of islands to see and exploration once you get on it. Skyward Sword had little to no exploration. The story was so linear that it kicked exploration out of the window. To tell the truth, I am not really the "I want to explore just for the heck of it" kind of guy. I prefer linear gameplay over open-world gameplay. That doesn't mean that I shouldn't try Zelda U because who knows, I may end up liking it at the end.

 

Gameplay is how you play the game I guess. I don't really care that much about the gameplay that much because every 3d zelda game (with the exception of Twilight Princess on the wii and Skyward Sword for the wii) have basically the same gameplay but with their own unique innovations. I like Twilight Princess's gameplay more than any other zelda game because it gave you a diversity of special attacks for you to move on bosses and enemies. I also like the wind waker's gameplay too because it finally gave the zelda series a tiny bit on innovation that oot and mm's gameplay had introduced. 

Edited November 26, 201410 yr by Toon Link

I'll just stick to answering your question.

 

No.

Good graphics doesn't make a good game.I don't care how a game looks, as long as its fun to play I'll like it.

Good graphics doesn't make a good game.I don't care how a game looks, as long as its fun to play I'll like it.

Exactly! 

For evoryone who thinks that the art style used in the various Legend of Zelda games matters, I have a simple question for you- do you think that Wind Waker would have the same feel and atmosphere if it had Twilight Princess's art style? Do you think that Twilight Princess would have the same feel and atmosphere if it had Wind Waker's art style? I'm not trying to say that art style should be the deciding factor when someone buys a Zelda game, but it's still a very important factor because it adds to the atmosphere of the game.

Edited November 26, 201410 yr by Captain Arrowguns

Well, to expand on what Captain Arrowguns said, I would say that art style does play a role in how we experience the game on a subconscious level (much like the music does). For some reason our brains receive different signals from different shapes an colors. While we may not be aware of it consciously, angular shapes, such as squares, send a mild signal of 'danger' to our brains (likely because sharp things hurt), while smooth shapes like circles send a signal of safety. Likewise warm colors like red, elicit our more active/aggressive traits, while cool colors like blue make us more relaxed. For example emotionally, red is associated with anger or passion, while biologically, it's an apatite enhancer (hence why so many fast food chains like to use red and yellow in their signage, to make you hungry) Emotionally, blue relaxes us and is an appetite suppressor (likely because many, not all, but many blue plants are poisonous, at least to other animals). Additionally, blue light sends a signal to be alert while amber light tells us to get ready to sleep. This is because we a diurnal animals and dawn tends to be blue while dusk is golden.

So yes, the art style does matter because it affects how we experience it the game. That doesn't necessarily make it any better or worse because the art style depends on what the designers what us to feel.

Because of the bright, vibrant colors and soft shading, I feel like the designers of Zelda U are going for a relaxing, dreamlike feeling (which is a good way to ensure we're off guard when some giant boss starts chasing us), while the dark, muted colors of Twilight Princess where meant to have us constantly on edge.As for what you said about TP's over world, the "dead" feeling actually works in favor of what the game was supposed to accomplish, the feeling of being in a nightmare.

 

In short, does art style matter? Yes. Does it affect the quality of the game? No.

Edited November 26, 201410 yr by Isamu_Kuno

Art style is incredibly under appreciated. These are VIDEO games, not just games, the visual element is key. How a game looks determines who information is relayed to the player, it determines what we think is logical in the game world, and it has a direct impact on our ability to suspend disbelief.

Here's an easy example. Skyward Sword originally was going to have the same art style as Twilight Princess, but the realistic proportions make it hard to judge where to swing your sword in a pinch. So they went with more exaggerated, Wind Waker style designs.

Look and Twilight Princess versus Wind Waker, Wind Waker Link moves much faster than TP Link, but if TP Link moved at the same speed it'd look weird because we recognize Link more as human that Toon Link.

But then there's the meat of a Zelda game, dungeons. The aesthetics are VITALLY important here. How the game looks determines how intuitive a puzzle is. For example, you know how they usually have a little barrier around pushable blocks that makes it so you can't move them any direction you want? Imagine if that wasn't there, or it blended into the environment?

 

Art design is key to any video game, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise

 

To people who say they don't care what a game looks like, as long as it's fun, imagine playing a Zelda game where every object is a light green or pink cube

 

In fact

LET'S NOT IMAGINE

 

Art style is incredibly under appreciated. These are VIDEO games, not just games, the visual element is key. How a game looks determines who information is relayed to the player, it determines what we think is logical in the game world, and it has a direct impact on our ability to suspend disbelief.

Here's an easy example. Skyward Sword originally was going to have the same art style as Twilight Princess, but the realistic proportions make it hard to judge where to swing your sword in a pinch. So they went with more exaggerated, Wind Waker style designs.

Look and Twilight Princess versus Wind Waker, Wind Waker Link moves much faster than TP Link, but if TP Link moved at the same speed it'd look weird because we recognize Link more as human that Toon Link.

But then there's the meat of a Zelda game, dungeons. The aesthetics are VITALLY important here. How the game looks determines how intuitive a puzzle is. For example, you know how they usually have a little barrier around pushable blocks that makes it so you can't move them any direction you want? Imagine if that wasn't there, or it blended into the environment?

 

Art design is key to any video game, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise

 

To people who say they don't care what a game looks like, as long as it's fun, imagine playing a Zelda game where every object is a light green or pink cube

 

In fact

LET'S NOT IMAGINE

 

I'm not saying that I hate art styles or anything of that sort, I'm saying that there are many other factors that contribute its ideas in a video game, not just an art style. Even though an art style contributes to like maybe 80% of the game, there are still other things that the game has to have in order to be a video game. If the video game can't be controlled with a controller, it can't be considered a video game. Now imagine all the other factors that make a video game and see how bad it might be if some were gone. 

Edited November 26, 201410 yr by Toon Link