Wednesday, May 22, 2013

So Much More than Button Mashing

Skyward Sword was lauded for its 1:1 motion controls. For the first time in a Zelda game, you had direct control over Link's sword. Quite obviously, this lent itself to some new combat mechanics, ultimately leading to enemies blocking certain angles of attack, forcing players to change their combat strategy.

The Wind Waker's combat isn't as complex as Skyward Sword's, but it would be hasty to dismiss button-driven combat. Hitting the "B" button to slash, the "A" button to execute a special attack, or the "R" button to bring up your shield does make for some simple combat. Enemies don't block certain angles, or only expose their vulnerabilities on certain planes. But your timing can still be off.

Training against Orca on Windfall, this became crystal clear. Striking him 100, or 300, or 1000 times before he strike you thrice is always a matter of patience. But, if your timing is off then you'll miss a moment to counter, or the animation for Link's flurry of blows will keep you from blocking an incoming blow. Judging distance is also important for Link's counter attacks, since leaving too little room leads to Link getting caught by the very attack you pressed buttons to counter.

I will admit that coming back to a traditional controller after having spent years playing the Wii, it took some getting used to. Especially since my last significant Zelda experience was with Skyward Sword. Nonetheless, there's still challenge to button-driven combat. Hopefully we see a blending of the two in Zelda Wii U that plays up button-driven, and motion controlled combat.

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