Folius: The Inspiration of "Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" to Web3 Game Design

This article is from:Folius VenturesThis article is from:

, Original Author: Aiko, Translator: Odaily Azuma

On March 28th, Nintendo officially released a 10-minute demonstration video of the super-popular masterpiece "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom", and introduced four new skills that the protagonist Link will have in this new work:

1. Recall for reversing the trajectory of objects (literally translated as "reversing the universe" in Japanese);

2. Fuse for equipment fusion (literally translated as "surplus material construction" in Japanese);

3. Ultrahand for vehicle fusion (literally translated as "research-level hand" in Japanese);

• Odaily Note: Real machine demonstration videoPortal。

PortalOn March 30, Aiko, who focuses on investment and research on the Web3 game track at Folius Ventures, published an articlelong push

, sorted out some composable gameplay shown in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and explored the reference significance of related designs for Web3 games. The specific content of the tweet is as follows, compiled by Odaily (with certain deletions):

• Odaily Note: Research Report "Mobility Sunset Beyond Tax-Based Web3 Games: Using a New Navigation Chart for Gameplay, Resource and Economic Relationship Design"Portal。

Portal

The first conceptual explanation that needs to be done is that Fuse represents the composability of equipment (such as swords, bows, shields, etc.), while Ultrahand represents the composability of vehicles (such as cars, ships).

Fuse is an excellent example of "functional design" (as opposed to "numerical design") in games.

In "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom", the player can get the "sledgehammer" by combining "wooden stick" + "stone" (the special effect is the attack power bonus), and the combination of "wooden stick" + "pitchfork" You can get "spear" (the special effect is the attack range bonus). Weapons with different special effects are combined through different props, replacing the traditional "numerical design" mode that can only be strengthened to increase absolute power (for example, xxx obtained "+ 15 legendary frost enchanted sword" through strengthening).The benefits of Fuse as a "functional design" are:

From the experience point of view, by providing a variety of experiences, it can stimulate players' desire for exploration and creativity, making them pursue new experiences rather than numerical growth; from an economic point of view, low cost, strong composability, and various functions , Basic components with superimposed effects also help to enhance the economic activity and thickness of the game.Furthermore, as mentioned in the study,The equipment composability achieved through the Fuse function can also reduce the player's anxiety about item wear and tear

, Consumable items with a wide variety and large-scale circulation are different from extremely rare durable goods. Players tend to have less wear and tear anxiety and purchase behavior friction for such items. Specifically, it is hard for players to accept that "+15 Legendary Frost Enchanted Sword" will be destroyed by wear and tear, but they are happy to try to use "Wooden Arrow" + "White Mound Jelly" to make "one-time frozen arrow".

Before explaining Ultrahand, it is necessary to explain a little about the Zelda franchise.

The biggest feature of the "Legend of Zelda" series is its extremely free open world, which is achieved based on its highly realistic underlying physics + chemistry engine. Players can interact with any environment in the game, cause chemical/physical reactions and produce corresponding results, which brings unparalleled freedom to The Legend of Zelda. Therefore, innovation in environmental interaction is of great significance (Recall and Ascend actually fall into this category).In open world games like Elden Circle (sorry Miyazaki Hidetaka is my favorite producer) the player can only go to a designated map as there is no underlying physics + chemistry engine , while in an open world game like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,

The vehicle composability enabled by the Ultrahand feature will significantly improve the user experience.

In the real machine demonstration, Eiji Aonuma used the Ultrahand function to make an impressive display-by placing the "fan" in different positions on the vehicle (including the "ship" made of "wood"), you can Driving vehicles on water, land, and air covers almost all scenarios. There is a clean aesthetic behind the design.

Since the energy of each "fan" is limited and can be consumed, this indirectly turns the vehicle, a durable product, into a consumable (need to find a new "fan"). Since players can try almost unlimited combinations through Ultrahand, this makes "fans" expected to become one of the most important basic resources in the game, which in turn indirectly affects players' effective resource management.

The significance of this design is that by trying to cleverly design durable goods as consumables and strengthening the stratification of durable goods, the long-term demand for durable goods at different levels can be maintained. If it continues to be extended, it can unlock its liquidity and increase While the game is fun, the trading space is further expanded.

In short, "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" has significantly improved the game's playability and freedom, and provided valuable experience for the entire game industry.

In the above, I analyzed how Nintendo does "functional design" and consumables, and explained how these logics are consistent with the research content of Folius Ventures (recommended to read the original text).More importantly, I thinkThere are similarities in the basic logic of "creating interesting games" and "economic model design"