Game analysis – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/The_Legend_of_Zelda_A_Link_to_the_Past_SNES_Game_Cover.jpg

Production information

• System: SNES
• Year:
• Designer: Shigeru Miyamoto

Initial play through

It can be played online!

https://emulatorgames.onl/snes-the-legend-of-zelda-a-link-to-the-past

Well, it’s hard, because I have played it so many times…

Key reasons I like it are:

• the aesthetic
• sound design
• music
• movement
• exploration

Not so much

• a little more on rails than the original Zelda game (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda_(video_game))

As soon as you open it up into that opening scene – the music, the sound effects, the narrative that dumps you in the middle of a question. For me, they are all elements that inspire and delight on multiple levels. The graphic palette is rich, but not kiddy, not too warm, not too cold, not too light and not too dark. I think it’s just right. It is a well balanced secondary palette… a 16 bit palette.

The impressive part is how they get so much out of the limitations – that I think is very inspiring

There is a level of symbolism which works on my brain to fill in the detail and engage with it I think

I think it is a very cinematic opening

I think a good way to describe it is with an ‘enhanced’ storyboard

Game storyboard

EXT/INT – SCENE TITLE/LOCATION – TIME – WHAT IS ON SCREEN – – TEXT – IN GAME INTERACTION (including getting to other screens OR NOT – from here player can… go through SOUTH door) – GAME (WHAT HAPPENS AT END IF NO INTERACTION)? FLAGS SET OR CHECKED – REFER TO MASTER LIST

---
title: Example
---

flowchart TD
    A[A] -->|Get money| B(Go shopping)
    B --> C{Let me think}
    C -->|One| D[Laptop]
    C -->|Two| E[iPhone]
    C -->|Three| F[fa:fa-car Car]

FADE IN:

INT. LINK’S HOUSE – NIGHT – NO CONTROL –

Sun comes up – cut to…

INT. LINK’S HOUSE – DAY

ITEMS – Three POTS [ITM1, ITM2, ITM3] and a CHEST[ITM4] are here.

NPC – UNCLE [NPC1] is here – but then leaves.

PORTALS – from here Link can go through SOUTH DOOR [e1]

SFX – MUFFLED RAIN(SFX3) can be heard

MUSIC – OVERTURE(MSC1) can be heard

Initially, you have no control – it seems to be night time – we are in bed – uncle is standing there

text appears – you need to interact with game otherwise it sits there indefinitely… have to keep pressing ‘y’

‘sun’ coms up – uncle ‘speaks to you – music changes to plaitiff part of overture – interact with uncle text

Uncle leaves through door

POT [ITM1] – contains HEART – replenished each time you return to room – NO SFX

POT [ITM2] – contains HEART – replenished each time you return to room – NO SFX

POT [ITM3] – contains HEART – replenished each time you return to room – NO SFX

CHEST [ITM4] – contains LAMP – replenished each time you return to room – NO SFX

Collect HEARTS up to your maximum

Just looking at the first section of the game up to

Codify things

UC – user control (a set of what they can do at that current point)

‘in game’ – ‘out of game’ things like accessing the UI screen/ save games etc.

Credits and title sequence

Black screen – white text pops up: ‘Nintendo Presents:’ – accompanying sound is ‘collect item’ sound – fades to black

Black screen – copy right at bottom (c 1991, 1992 Nintendo) – Zelda Triforce icon animates in to the sound of descending chime pattern – once complete – game title appears – triumphal fanfare – sword drops in with ‘collect item’ sound – screen flashes multicolour – background image of mountains/castle/moat etc. appears – PLAYER can use controls…

• NOT – can use controls at any point
  • music reaches final crescendo – lots of sparkles on the words/items – hold… then
  • cut to Epilogue animation – back story – very dramatic overture music – this is also the music that is used in game at the start too but an extended version…
  • starts with the three lines of text – a set of images
  • goes to the 3d map zoom in on castle
  • to interior of castle with puppeted characters – more text on screen
  • a few more location changes
  • the whole game resets to the start again at the end…scene 1
• DO – player select screen…

Player select screen – 3 slots available – option to choose – up/down_ ‘copy player’ or ‘erase player’. – first play – can’t copy or erase – but can make a new player…

players appear with registered name and current health status

register your name

erase player – ‘which player do you want to erase?’

Click button to engage with game

Tutorial section

In this section – there is a limit to where we can go – paths blocked on three sides – so the only way is UP to the castle…

Opening scene – Links house

Initially, you have no control – it seems to be night time – we are in bed – uncle is standing there

text appears – you need to interact with game otherwise it sits there indefinitely… have to keep pressing ‘y’

‘sun’ coms up – uncle ‘speaks to you – music changes to plaitiff part of overture – interact with uncle text

Uncle leaves through door

we are puppeted out of bed…

Allowed control

Game prompt appears every so often – this continues until we get to castle…

Explore the room

Limited options

Move around – open chest, pick up jars, go through door

If you open chest you get Lantern – sets game flag for that item

Outside

Heavy rain sound – we can wander around

Bump into guards – they give you tutorial promots on what to do – they are on a cycle:

• us soldiers have been around…you can learn a lot from us
• go to bed…
• I see you brought a map – how to use it
• You look strong – how to drag/push
• Using a sword – how to use sword
• That mark on your map must be your destination
• Finding valuable – how to open chests

Game prompt appears every so often

Castle

open chest #2 – check flag if you DON’T have lamp, it is given, if you DO, get 5 rupees

Game states

• opening sequence
  • no input allowed
• game title appears
  • input allowed
• player select screen
  • input allowed
• g

Game play is ‘real-time’

Level design

character

levels

tutorial level

difficulty

sound

juice

story/setting etc.

what it is and how it is conveyed

structure of game

opening state

game state

end state

Mechanics

ADSR

yes, it has to feel good, but it is less critical to the game as a platformer is…

Dynamics

Aesthetics

 1. Sensation

Game as sense-pleasure

2. Fantasy

Game as make-believe

3. Narrative

Game as drama

4. Challenge

Game as obstacle course

5. Fellowship

Game as social framework

6. Discovery

Game as uncharted territory

7. Expression

Game as self-discovery

8. Submission

Game as pastime

Game feel

Input—The physical construction of the device through which player intent is expressed to the system and how this changes game feel.

Response—How the system processes, modulates and responds to player input in real time.

Horizontal movement
State change

Ground

Air

Is it the same?

Context—The effect of simulated space on game feel. How collision code and level design give meaning to real-time control.

• High-level context—The impression of space, speed and motion inherent in the overall conception of the game world
• Medium-level context—The immediate space around a character and how the character interacts with objects moving through that space, for example, object avoidance
• Low-level context—The intimate, tactile, personal interaction between objects

Polish—Effects that artificially enhance impression of a unique physical reality in the game.

Animation

Visual effects

Sound effects

Cinematic effects

Tactile effects

Metaphor—How the game’s representation and treatment change player expectations about the behavior, movement and interactions of game objects.

Iconic representation

Rules—How arbitrary relationships between abstracted variables in the game change player perception of game objects, define challenges and modify sensations of control.

• High-level rules consist of broad sets of goals that focus the player on a particular subset of motions, such as collecting coins. High-level rules can also take the form of health and damage systems.
• Mid-level rules are rules for specific objects in the game world that give immediate meaning to an action, such as capturing the flag in a capture-the-flag multiplayer game.
• Low-level rules further define the physical properties of individual objects, such as how much damage it takes an avatar to destroy an enemy.

Collision

Camera

Context

Polish

Metaphor

Rules

RESOURCES

Hunicke, R., LeBlanc, M., & Zubek, R. (2004). MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research. – https://users.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/MDA.pdf

https://www.gamesradar.com/the-making-of-the-legend-of-zelda-a-link-to-the-past

https://www.gamesradar.com/history-of-the-legend-of-zelda