The Next Zelda

[Dre Space Age]

The next Zelda is in production for Nintendo Switch 2. Many people are curious in what direction the next game will go. A safe bet is to imagine that it will build upon the game design and themes that made Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom so popular…but the producers have said they want a different Link and a different Hyrule. The timeline is convoluted. There’s no fixing that shyt so where to from here?

I have a theory that in the same way they looked to Zelda 1 for inspiration for BoTW and ToTK, I think they will now look towards two possible things:

1. A reboot in the vein of Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. Zelda fans are very loud about this. Ain’t no way Nintendo doesn’t know how much fans want this.

2. A revisit of the original design for Zelda. This would be a huge risk in the same way Windwaker was, alienating the whole fanbase like that game originally did when it previewed.

So now your wondering.. what do you mean revisit of the original design? Wasn’t that the point of BoTW? No I mean the Zelda that didn’t pass the cutting room floor.

“Early in the development of
The Legend of Zelda (1986), Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka originally conceived a game with a high-tech, computer-oriented theme.
Key details about this early concept include:

• Time-Traveling Hero: The main character, Link, was originally meant to travel between the past and the future.
• "Link" to Computers: The name "Link" was intended to represent his role as a connecting link between these different time periods, acting as a functional component in a "computer world".
• Electronic Triforce: The pieces of the Triforce were initially imagined as microchips or electronic circuits.

While the final game transitioned to the familiar medieval fantasy setting, these sci-fi origins influenced the concept of the character "linking" worlds, a theme that reappeared in later games like A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds. “

 

[Kamikaze Revy]

We need the Zelda complex themed dungeons and weapon/key item gameplay loop brought back to the series.
We pretty much completely lost what makes Zelda, Zelda in lieu of an open world.
There's no reason both can't exist within the game to make the ultimate video game.
(Now that I think about it, there are a lot of parallels between the OG Zelda games vs BOTW/TOTK and the OG Metal Gear Solid games and MGSV The Phantom Pain.
Both OGs had best in classic interior "dungeons" with thematic boss fights that lead to key items and weapons that were necessary to reach the next areas.
Their later counter parts focused on bringing the experience to an open world format but they sacrificed the spirit of what made the OG games great.)

 

[Dre Space Age]

We need the Zelda complex themed dungeons and weapon/key item gameplay loop brought back to the series.
We pretty much completely lost what makes Zelda, Zelda in lieu of an open world.
There's no reason both can't exist within the game to make the ultimate video game.
(Now that I think about it, there are a lot of parallels between the OG Zelda games vs BOTW/TOTK and the OG Metal Gear Solid games and MGSV The Phantom Pain.
Both OGs had best in classic interior "dungeons" with thematic boss fights that lead to key items and weapons that were necessary to reach the next areas.
Their later counter parts focused on bringing the experience to an open world format but they sacrificed the spirit of what made the OG games great.)

I would like a combination of the OG Loop and physics system of Switch Zelda. Maybe they’ll combine both for Zelda’s 40th anniversary game. There’s 3 things going against the OG Loop though:

1.) During BOTW development Shigeru Miyamoto said they should work on smaller shrine type dungeons instead of big dungeons due to the portable nature of Switch. This idea got repeated in TOTK. They might do it again for Switch 2.

2.) After TOTK Producer Eiji Aonuma said that they worked so hard on the physics system and building mechanics of BOTW and TOTK that a future Zelda might incorporate elements of what they learned from it. These mechanics aren’t reliant on key/item loops.

3.) Aonuma said that working on Age of Imprisonment provided ideas for the series next steps. Uh. I haven’t played the game so what’s he talking about? The next Zelda gonna have character-swapping? Co-op sync techniques? Better story???

 

[rabbid]

Cmon bro. You already know what it is. It’s gonna be Zelda: Voice of the Sea and have some underwater dungeons combined with all the other shyt. We can’t keep acting like Nintendo still knows how to switch it up like Majoras Mask. It’s over

 

[CrimsonTider]

Cmon bro. You already know what it is. It’s gonna be Zelda: Voice of the Sea and have some underwater dungeons combined with all the other shyt. We can’t keep acting like Nintendo still knows how to switch it up like Majoras Mask. It’s over

definitely getting part 3 of BOTW

 

[bigde09]

leave the botw/totk setting that's all I ask

 

[Moesha’s Overbearing Dad]

I wanna see Link on some Old Man Logan type mission. When tf does Princess Zelda become Queen?? Make her age up and totally in charge …make the stakes higher .. Bring back the Triforce and he seeks it out to finally end Ganon/Ganondorf. Maybe he has a son that he passes all his strength and knowledge to and takes up the mantle kinda like Atreus in GoW but he is playable and is capable of holding his own and does his own missions not just running along side you perhaps you can alternate during different missions in the game.. Link achieves his goal and is finally able to rest and his spirit lives on in the Master Sword or he is laid to rest and his bloodline continues

If a county/continent I would like to see them explore another adjacent kingdom like Termina ( I think that’s what it was called) just to add more world/ like. Bring real dungeons back but not just them half ass joints they did in Totk. And please MAKE THE DAMN DUNGEON BOSSES HARDER.

 

[Amo Husserl]

Can we get more human enemies, BoTW and ToTK open world access, and warring kingdoms?
Early in the game Ganon takes control of a human enemy kingdom before defeat and the knights turn into monsters only after they take too much damage and lose armor. Ganon kills the original king. Gimme dungeons, outposts, and puzzles.

Ganon's clique takes over the land making Ganon stronger.

Sheik is back as a robin hood character with an underground force of freedom fighters, he allies with Link to defeat Ganon.
Zelda's not Sheik, Sheik was an advisor in the enemy kingdom before Ganon arrived and convinced the king to get rid of his advisors.
Ganon is turning the tide of the war against Hyrule. He wants to take over Hyrule and marry Zelda to create a legitimate bloodline .

Fight against Ganon's kingdom, defeat members of the clique, get upgrades, ally with Sheik and Zelda to defeat Ganon, Ganon fights them in another dimension and captures Zelda, everybody retreats mid-game. Link gets more powerups, defeats the rest of the clique, and fights his way back to Ganon and defeats him in Hyrule.

 

[THE 101]

Definitely more distinctive proper dungeons. I'd take a smaller open world with better dungeons. Integrate the Shrines style puzzles into actual dungeons.

Have a more in depth combat system. Focus on less weapons but more intricate sword and shield combat.

 

[Microfracture]

I don't rock with the current Zelda games because they want the gamer to make the adventure and create the fun. The games still sell well so I doubt they go back to a more linear style of storytelling anytime soon unless Ocarina of Time remake is announced.