How will your favorite series be affected by NX?
News broke early this morning that Nintendo’s NX will boast an impressive lineup of first party games within the console’s launch window. While The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the only first party game officially confirmed for NX so far, reports claim that a new Mario and Pokemon title are in the works and will be ready for release within the first six months of the NX’s lifespan. Dreaming of how these games could play on Nintendo’s new mobile console got me thinking about which Nintendo IPs will benefit the most (and the least) from the NX hardware.
Winner: Pokemon
Mobile gaming and Pokemon have been synonymous since Pokemon Red and Blue was released in 1998, and with the high-powered mobile gaming, the NX provides the beloved franchise’s future has never been brighter. The NX will allow for beautiful in-battle graphics, potentially replacing the simple animations found in X and Y with more detailed visuals more akin to those found in the anime series. Both new and classic regions could be reimagined in high-quality HD graphics, immersing players in the world around them. The scope of the Pokemon universe could be widened, as players will conceivably be able to travel across several regions, tackling countless Pokemon gyms while having access to all 721 pocket monsters in a single play through.
The possibility for such a Pokemon game, one where players can freely explore many of the known Pokemon regions, is certainly there. If the NX can play a game as massive as the newest Zelda, packing a Pokemon game full with locations from Kanto, Johto and Hoenn shouldn’t be a problem. If players were allowed to explore the gigantic world freely, an NX Pokemon game could also resolve the post-game struggle many Pokemon games have. Trainers could spend hours exploring the world after defeating the Elite Four, giving the game life beyond it’s classic “defeat all the gym leaders, catch a legendary, beat the Elite Four” formula. Players have been clamoring for a home console Pokemon RPG, and the NX has the ability to give that to them while still allowing for on-the-go play.
Loser: Metroid
The way the NX is formatted does not bode well for the Metroid fans. It’s certainly possible that the console will bring a top quality core entry to the series, but I’m not so sure that the NX will bring out Samus’s full potential. When I think of Metroid, exploring planets and the emptiness of space comes to mind. A more traditional, higher powered console would provide such an experience far better than the handheld NX. The environments will not be as detailed as one would hope, and for me, that’s one of the series’ biggest draws. The NX may be able to create a great Samus game, but it will not be able to completely scratch the itch of the fan who wants to sit down in front of their TV screen and get sucked into the universe. Ultimately, 3D Metroid games aren’t best suited for mobile gaming.
Winner: Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem Fates is, in my opinion, the best game on Nintendo’s 3DS. It’s the best entry in the Fire Emblem series and deserves the adoration it has received from critics and fans. Still, it has a few shortcomings that could be rectified thanks to the NX’s added power.
Although it got a lot right, many Fire Emblem fans felt that Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (found on the Wii) was one of the series’ weakest entries. One of the game’s greatest strengths was its split-up campaign. This forced players to use all of their different units throughout the adventure, a feature that never returned in future entries.
In Fates, because the game was developed for a smaller budget handheld, players can only use about 16 units throughout the game without worrying about having their army under-leveled and overmatched. In most chapters, just 12 allies can be brought into battle, despite the fact that Birthright and Conquest each have 42 units available. It would take four playthroughs of Conquest, where experience points are a precious commodity, to see what every unit had to offer if you decided to use a totally fresh team in each run through. Since getting to know the members of your army is a major draw to Fire Emblem, this is a serious problem.
The NX will allow Intelligent System more freedom to create a game as large as Radiant Dawn was for Wii. Being able to send different squads of units out on different missions, without the fear of spreading your experience and level-ups too thin, would make the next Fire Emblem game even better than the last. Fire Emblem was made to be played on the go, and the NX will allow for a lengthy home console experience to be enjoyed anywhere.
Winner: 2D Zelda
Zelda games like A Link to the Past would really benefit from the NX experience. A Link Between Worlds for 3DS was a huge critical and commercial hit because it allowed players to explore Hyrule at whatever pace they liked. This concept could be taken to the next level on NX. Giving players a lengthier quest in which their actions, and the order that they do them, shape the world around them could make for an incredible 2D Zelda experience.
While Breath of the Wild is sure to be a smash hit with fans, there will always be a contingent of folks who miss the classic “top-down” Zelda style. In my mind, there’s no doubt that classic Zelda gameplay is better suited for mobile than the home-console. In those games, progress occurs more rapidly. The dungeons are smaller and simpler, and the world is more condensed. A game like A Link Between Worlds for the NX would be the most visually impressive and action packed 2D Zelda adventure ever.
I would not suggest making the world too much bigger than what was found in A Link Between Worlds, because that condensed action is exactly what makes handheld Zelda games great, but it would be interesting to see Nintendo take that style of game and place it in a world where there was a real sense of time. The NX would allow for a compelling story, where the world feels like it is affected by Link’s actions, in an advanced way that the simpler 3DS technology never could. I would love to play a 30-40 hour Zelda game in the “top-down” style, and that’s an experience only the NX could bring.
Loser: 3D Zelda
On the other hand, in the same vein as Metroid, 3D Zelda games will be inherently less than what they could be because they’re being developed on mobile technology. The lengthy travel through Hyrule field is a blast when I’m sitting in front of my TV for hours, and I love exploring every nook and cranny the world has to offer. However, that’s not the experience people want on mobile. They want games that have a sense of constant progress, as they may only be playing for 10-15 minutes. People are not likely to remain engaged if that time is spent traveling across Hyrule field.
While I feel that Breath of the Wild will be an awesome game, I have a hard time seeing myself playing in on short car rides when I could make significant progress on a chapter in Fire Emblem instead. Breath of the Wild and any other 3D Ocarina of Time-like Zelda game are far more enjoyable sitting down in front of the TV. The NX can do that, of course, but it will not be able to provide the very best home console experience imaginable.
Conclusions
At the end of the day, the series’ that feel right at home on handheld devices, like Fire Emblem, Kirby, and the Mario RPG series, will benefit greatly from the NX. Unfortunately, games that are best experienced sitting in front of your TV will not be nearly as captivating as they could be on a traditional console. That means 3D Zelda games, 3D Mario games, Smash Bros and Splatoon may not deliver the top-tier quality experiences people have come to expect from them.
The NX is a major gamble for Nintendo. Whether it succeeds or fails depends solely on whether or not they can use its mobile technology to draw the best out of their most popular IPs.
