Nintendo
Miyamoto rejected the star mechanic of all RPGs in Zelda: “it’s not something to be expressed in a number
The legendary creator admitted in 2000 that he hates “experience points” in role-playing games.
Think Different was once Apple’s slogan to differentiate itself from the rest of the competition. But if you take that idea and apply it to the world of video games, figures like Shigeru Miyamoto fit the bill perfectly. The Japanese creative has been known to leave bugs unfixed in order to take advantage of them and defend video games against the film industry. His different way of thinking was embodied in each of his works, and thanks to this, he defined licenses such as The Legend of Zelda. Hand in hand with Aonuma-san, the mythical producer of the saga, he decided not to use experience points as the main method of progression. It’s all for a very good reason, which perfectly sums up what a traditional video game should be.
Miyamoto-san’s opposition to experience points saved The Legend of Zelda from falling into the standard.
To understand his stance, we need to go back to the year 2000. After the release of Majora’s Mask, Miyamoto-san gave a lengthy interview to a Japanese publication. He bluntly explained why he refused to include the system: “That’s mostly because I didn’t know much about RPGs. (laughs) At that time, there was an action role-playing game called Hydlide, and that game used experience points. But I didn’t want our game to be compared to it, so I wanted to do something completely different.”
But Miyamoto goes even further. Not adopting this system is due to a philosophy of creation that is deeply rooted in his career. The player comes first in the relationship between the user and the video game. “I also personally feel like “experience” is something the player should gain himself; it’s not something to be expressed in a number. I felt it was important that the player himself get stronger and better, not the character,” he concludes.
This standard has been maintained throughout the 29 years of The Legend of Zelda. The only way to see the character itself improve is through the tools or bonuses you find throughout the adventure. Nothing else. More health? A bomb that can destroy rocks and open up new paths? Items you can buy in shops. The last mechanic added is the adaptation to the environment in the form of a body thermometer in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Through equipment, we can survive the problems of each environment.
Miyamoto, think different.
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