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rynlingI’m not going to go looking for this, nor am I going to let it find me, but I suspect there are people in the Zelda fandom who are going to attempt to apply some sort of half-baked political reading onto Age of Imprisonment – a game that really, really doesn’t support a political reading.
If the game has any sort of political message, it’s that war is bad. This is very clear. Everyone goes out of their way to avoid fighting Ganondorf, but then he becomes a one-man apocalypse, and the effect that the “war” against him has on normal people is devastating. In addition, the game repeatedly makes the point that even people who are good at fighting don’t benefit from war. Because war is bad.
The story is basic “good vs. evil” fantasy slop, and that’s really all there is. Like:
Why does Ganondorf spend six months at Hyrule Castle? Because he wants a secret stone.
Why does Ganondorf want a magical secret stone? Because he wants power.
Why does Ganondorf want power? Because he’s evil.
Why does the secret stone turn Ganondorf into the Demon King? Because magic.
A deeper reading of this is possible, but it would be speculative, not political. I might ask the question, for example, of how it would be possible for Sonia’s secret stone to have such an incredible and unprecedented effect on Ganondorf. From that question, I might speculate on the nature of Ganondorf’s magic, and what role that magic has in this particular universe. The game isn’t interested in addressing these issues, but perhaps I could make an informed argument based on a close reading of the minor points of lore offered by the story and setting.
But trying to interpose real-world politics onto the basic “good vs. evil” fantasy trope that informs this game is a lost cause, and the attempt is only going to make people unhappy. If you want political nuance in a high fantasy setting, there are many other video games to play! If you want elves and furries teaming up together to defeat waves of monsters with the power of friendship, then Age of Imprisonment does this remarkably well. And that’s cool.
To give an analogy: Redwall could be Game of Thrones, but it’s not. And that doesn’t make Redwall any less valid for being what it is. Two cakes is better than one cake.
Or, more to the point: You can have Breath of the Wild (gorgeous nuance, complex carbs), and you can have Age of Imprisonment (zero nuance, pure sugar). Two cakes!
If the game has any sort of political message, it’s that war is bad. This is very clear. Everyone goes out of their way to avoid fighting Ganondorf, but then he becomes a one-man apocalypse, and the effect that the “war” against him has on normal people is devastating. In addition, the game repeatedly makes the point that even people who are good at fighting don’t benefit from war. Because war is bad.
The story is basic “good vs. evil” fantasy slop, and that’s really all there is. Like:
Why does Ganondorf spend six months at Hyrule Castle? Because he wants a secret stone.
Why does Ganondorf want a magical secret stone? Because he wants power.
Why does Ganondorf want power? Because he’s evil.
Why does the secret stone turn Ganondorf into the Demon King? Because magic.
A deeper reading of this is possible, but it would be speculative, not political. I might ask the question, for example, of how it would be possible for Sonia’s secret stone to have such an incredible and unprecedented effect on Ganondorf. From that question, I might speculate on the nature of Ganondorf’s magic, and what role that magic has in this particular universe. The game isn’t interested in addressing these issues, but perhaps I could make an informed argument based on a close reading of the minor points of lore offered by the story and setting.
But trying to interpose real-world politics onto the basic “good vs. evil” fantasy trope that informs this game is a lost cause, and the attempt is only going to make people unhappy. If you want political nuance in a high fantasy setting, there are many other video games to play! If you want elves and furries teaming up together to defeat waves of monsters with the power of friendship, then Age of Imprisonment does this remarkably well. And that’s cool.
To give an analogy: Redwall could be Game of Thrones, but it’s not. And that doesn’t make Redwall any less valid for being what it is. Two cakes is better than one cake.
Or, more to the point: You can have Breath of the Wild (gorgeous nuance, complex carbs), and you can have Age of Imprisonment (zero nuance, pure sugar). Two cakes!
no subject
Date: 2025-11-19 08:16 pm (UTC)Sometimes the cigar is just a cigar.
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Date: 2025-11-23 01:42 pm (UTC)I guess Age of Imprisonment isn't shovelware in the strict sense of the word, but it's a very stupid game. And that's okay! Sometimes I like to listen to audiobooks while tapping buttons and watching enemies explode. 🍨
A bit off topic, but seeing Nintendo continue to cash in on the popularity of Breath of the Wild in such a half-hearted way makes me appreciate the people at Square Enix for putting so much love and care into their titles of the past decade. Good for them.
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Date: 2025-11-25 06:19 pm (UTC)