In his latest YouTube video, Masahiro Sakurai points out that boss battles in Nintendo games are similar to walkthroughs, noting that he prefers games that offer more strategic freedom.
Aptly titled Mandatory strategy and strategic balancethe video dives into the difference between boss fights that require a set strategy to overcome and those that allow the player to experiment with different weapons and tactics.
He mentions that Nintendo games in particular have a history of providing mandatory strategies for defeating boss battles, and that while this is a perfectly valid way to deliver the experience, he prefers games that allow more freedom, mentioning Konami’s Castlevania franchise as an example.
“Especially in Nintendo titles, the strategy for defeating bosses and the like is usually very clearly defined. Something like punching an enemy in the eye at the right moment, then slashing them with a sword while they’re stunned. These are strategies carefully thought out by the game’s creators.
“But as a player myself, I think I’d prefer to have the freedom to choose how to fight. A strategy that seems mandatory is almost like a tutorial, in a sense. You can tell someone thought about the fight, and that’s one of the reasons why these games are so popular, but personally speaking, I don’t want games telling me how to play. Still, it’s a valid way to make a game.”
He ends the video by highlighting The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a game that largely allows the player freedom over mandatory strategies. Sakurai says this “could be the result of the developers rethinking traditional Zelda conventions”. Yes, we would agree with that.
Which option would you prefer when engaging in a boss battle? (136 votes)
- A certain, mandatory strategy
- More freedom to determine my own method of success
