What a Wonderful World this could be...

What was the most iconic moment in Zelda: The Ocarina of Time? There are many different choices. From pulling the Master Sword from the stone, to the first time we rode Epona, the game was one awe-inspiring moment after another. But for me there is one that always stands out…the first time I left Kokiri Forest and saw Hyrule Field. The possibilities seemed endless!

So why, after so many years, do I still find Hyrule by far to be the most iconic and beautiful world ever designed? Sure many who have traversed the Wasteland of Fallout 4, or the Northern Realm of The Witcher 3 may well disagree. That’s okay. Each to their own. But after reading the countless comments on Facebook about the new Zelda, with pretty much everyone stating they want a world bigger than both, I feel the need to interject. Bigger doesn’t always mean better – just look at Zelda and the Ocarina of Time.

I could probably play The Ocarina of Time with my eyes closed and still make my way from visiting the Gorons on Death Mountain, to acquiring some milk at Lon Lon Ranch (and telling Talon I’d like to marry Malon – why did he always laugh…) However controlling Gerald and trying to locate Triss can be a mission in itself! I constantly pause to check the map and sometimes even use a search engine to help me! I’m not saying that The Witcher 3 has no iconic locations, but with a map so vast (and fairly empty in a lot of areas) I can’t appreciate the character of an area. For me the small Market Square in Hyrule Castle had much more character than Novigrad…

So please Nintendo, keep Zelda like it should be. Don’t make Hyrule a vast field which takes hours to traverse. Make it an experience. Focus on giving it as much character as possible. Give the younger gamers some iconic childhood memories they’ll never forget.

But feel free to shorten down everything that owl says…We have some exploring to do!