Nintendo riktar in sig på oväntad demografi i Quietly Devastating Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Ad

Återutgiven av Platon

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Nintendo har släppt en ny annons för Zelda: Rikets tårar, och när jag först tittade igenom hade jag min tv-spelsreporterhatt på mig och tittade noga på spelögonblicken efter nya ledtrådar.

My efforts didn’t really bring up much new. I now know that for your Ultrahand-made raft to not topple over in the water, you need to make sure it is balanced by some support logs on either side. But that really is about it in terms of gameplay analysis.

Then I watched it again, and this time my mind was drawn not to Link gadabouting through the sky, but to the real life, “everyday” man the advert actually focuses on. It is quite clear what (or who) Nintendo is trying to paint a picture of here.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom släpps fredagen den 12 maj.

Han är en trött man i 40-årsåldern, nedkörd av de vardagliga trivialiteterna i hans normala och händelselösa liv. Han känner sig som en kugge i maskinen, att gå upp och klä på sig för ett jobb han kanske en gång hade en passion för, men det är borta nu. Hans morgoninteraktioner med andra sparas till några artiga halvleenden mot medbusspassagerare, innan hans enda sällskap är hans egen reflektion som tittar tillbaka på honom från fönstret.

Hans dag går vidare och han återvänder hem med en suck. Det är sent, hans fru är redan redo för sängen. När han hänger sitt trötta huvud lågt och fyller ett glas med vatten, ger hon honom en flyktig gnidning på armen innan hon lämnar honom ensam i hans (ganska palatsliknande) kök/vardagsrum. Han suckar igen.

But then, what’s this? The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom! A smile begins to form on our everyday man’s face. Soon, he has thrown off the blanket of sadness, he has shunned the greyness of his world, and embraced the colour of Hyrule. He is alive again, and has a new purpose, all thanks to Zelda.

This is not the usual Pixar/Disney-flavoured advert we are used to seeing from Nintendo, aimed at families with young children, or carefree young adults joyously manipulating objects with Link’s new abilities from their bedroom or the laundrette.

Nintendo is trying to market its game at a different demographic here, and the overall result is rather… depressing. My once excited self, momentarily buoyed by the arrival of another Tears of the Kingdom trailer, was soon left feeling rather devastated for this poor soul. I truly hope this trailer is not indicative of what many middle-aged man feel.

Andra känner uppenbarligen samma sak, och den här annonsen har redan delats om med Donnie Darko-versionen av Mad World i lager över toppen, som du kan se nedan.

Enligt någon bakom marknadsföringskampanjen, via Kotaku, this advert was inspired by inspired by a Japanese Amazon review for Breath of the Wild. While the publication isn’t 100 percent sure, it has surmised it is this, Google translated, review:

“He is a member of society called a so-called businessman. He was hit by the commuting rush hour, bowed to his customers and bosses, Overtime work every day while doing various things while being forced to train his juniors. I get annoyed by mountains I don’t even know the name of that I see on my way to work. When I come back home dizzy, I don’t have the strength to eat, so I drink and sleep. If you have time to play games, you have to go to seminars and get married. Days when I honestly wonder why I’m still alive…

“Yesterday, when I was at work, I saw a mountain I didn’t even know the name of from the window of the train. The moment I thought, “I think I can climb it,” tears overflowed and I couldn’t stop. The businessmen of the same generation who were beside me must have thought, ‘What the hell is this guy?’

It certainly does sound a lot like this Tears of the Kingdom trailer, that’s for sure.

Also, in the words of our Wesley: “Can’t believe Nintendo is promoting people playing switch on a bus with the sound on. You’re better than this.”

Can’t believe Nintendo is promoting people playing switch on a bus with the sound on. You’re better than this https://t.co/5DrkO7mwWf

— Wesley Yin-Poole (@wyp100) Maj 10, 2023