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[Angrist]

Zelda is hardly an RPG... Action-adventure is the right term.

[Jason1]

Yea, I wouldnt call Zelda an RPG either. Not even close really.

[TheGame]

Originally Posted by Jason1

Yea, I wouldnt call Zelda an RPG either. Not even close really.

It has a lot of RPG elements though, the very basic ones that make an RPG a "Role Playing" game. The main character doesn't even have a name, and you progress his equipment and health and whatnot during the game.

Calling it an action/adventure game usually implies its more linear... and implies the game is less about developing your character and "living" through the story... There's not really many action games where there are so many side quests that have nothing to do with progressing the story and everything to do with making your character stronger like Zelda.

There's just no levels and exp and cutscenes.

[DeathsHand]

Originally Posted by TheGame

It has a lot of RPG elements though, the very basic ones that make an RPG a "Role Playing" game. The main character doesn't even have a name, and you progress his equipment and health and whatnot during the game.

Calling it an action/adventure game usually implies its more linear... and implies the game is less about developing your character and "living" through the story... There's not really many action games where there are so many side quests that have nothing to do with progressing the story and everything to do with making your character stronger like Zelda.

There's just no levels and exp and cutscenes.

And that's all nullified by the fact that Zelda's an action/adventure.

[TheSlyMoogle]

Originally Posted by TheGame

It has a lot of RPG elements though, the very basic ones that make an RPG a "Role Playing" game. The main character doesn't even have a name, and you progress his equipment and health and whatnot during the game.

Calling it an action/adventure game usually implies its more linear... and implies the game is less about developing your character and "living" through the story... There's not really many action games where there are so many side quests that have nothing to do with progressing the story and everything to do with making your character stronger like Zelda.

There's just no levels and exp and cutscenes.

That's because Nintendo is generally afraid to make cut scenes that don't use in-game graphics. WTF?

1st. Nintendo has always implied that the main character's name is Link. There has never been any question in that. The second game is titled "The Adventures of Link" I mean... Ok. Yeah. His name is Link. Sorry.

Anyway the only side-quests in the majority of zelda games that weren't progression related were the heart pieces. I mean, all that does to make you stronger is allow you to take more damage. I know there are a couple more like finding great faeries etc. I know. It all comes down to the fact that as far as that goes it's worthless. You don't have to do those things unless it's progression related. I mean, if you're good enough, you can beat the shit out of OoT without ever needing to pick up a heart container. It's all about skill. RPGs rarely allow you to get by that easily. They put that shit in their because for the most part the items and exp you gain in those side quests are amazing and so you do them. Fetch quests, monster slaying, or deeper story element character developing side quests. You do them because you kinda need to, at least to beat the game. In Zelda games I'm like "Whatever" if I find a heart piece I go "Oh Snap" and it's cool. I play the game for the dungeons, the fighting of the enemies, mini-bosses, and bosses. It's an action/adventure game. I don't see an RPG in Zelda at all. Sorry.

[TheGame]

You could call the main character link, yet the games clearly take place in different worlds, and the ones that take place in the same world feature different people as the main character. And he doesn't even have a personality, and you pick his name from the gate.. thus why you're role playing him.

Most RPGs can be beaten without heavily doing side quests, its just a lot harder if you don't do it. Likewise, most RPGs don't enforce the story on you hard, you can just chill out a lot and make money or get a lot of unnessicary perks...

I can see why people would not like to call it an RPG since it doesn't follow the same exact formula of every other RPG... But there is tons of RPG elements in it. Zelda is as much an RPG as Mario tennis is a sports simulation game.

[Angrist]

I guess it depends on what 'RPG' means to you. Is it literally a 'role playing game'? Then yes, Zelda is an rpg. You pretty much roleplay Link, who doesn't utter a word, but lets you, the player, do the talking.

But if you take it purely as a genre, Zelda is far from an RPG. It doesn't use xp, turn/time-based battles, party members, healing spells, etc. I don't think I'd even want to play Zelda if it were a real RPG. I love it because it's an action-adventure.