Opinion
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Where Will Nintendo Go Next?
Breath of the Wild is one of Nintendo’s pilot games for their next generation console, the Nintendo Switch. This game essentially re-invented the franchise, going from a top down perspective; exploring a two dimensional world, to an open world exploration game similar to that of Skyrim, with stunning new locations and views.
Due to the massive changes, as well as the overall differences from every other game in the franchise, the community is curious as to where Nintendo could take the series next.
There are multiple different possible directions that the Zelda series could be taken.
Back to the Roots
Nintendo might revert back to the two dimensional format that the series is known for, due to the massive familiarity to the two dimensional Zelda games. This would focus more on puzzle solving (much like the previous installments of Zelda) with hints of exploration, as opposed to a focus on graphics and exploration.
The upside to not bringing back this style would be the fact that fans would feel it has been overused, and that the franchise needs to reinvent itself, and to expand outward from it’s roots, as opposed to using them as crutches.
Open World Focus
Another approach that Nintendo could take is to make a more linear open world, where exploration is an optional. The main focus of the game would be to follow the story line, like saving the princess, beating Ganon, etc.
While the graphics could still be improved and expanded upon, the focus of the game would be dungeons, story, and puzzle solving, much like the previous games; rather than the deep levels of exploration, for example: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask
Skyward Sword
In the past, two other games have tried to capture the open world feel of Breath of the Wild: The Wind Waker and Skyward Sword. However, both of these games were not as open world as they could be, due to most of the map being made up of either open seas, or empty says, with smaller patches of land to explore, and a large focus on story.
To remedy this issue, Nintendo would have to make the story very interesting to the player, to draw them into the conflict without the feeling of an open world.
Assassins Creed Approach
With the amount of content Nintendo put into Breath of the Wild, with primarily open landscapes, the next logical step would be to place the Zelda games in a large scale city, similar to Assassin’s Creed.The city would not be placed in modern day, as the franchise focuses more on a medieval setting. There would be more NPCs, and a small parkour feature added, to make the exploration of the city easier. While the game would have some more open world areas, such as planes or mountains, the min focus of the game would be on the city, and if the story would revolve around saving said world. A weapons crafting mechanic would possibly be added and expanded upon, as well as an armor crafting mechanic that would add an even more openness to the game.
This way, Nintendo would have more realistic feel added to the game, but a toned down emphasis on magic and magical creatures. The only problem with this format would be that it might not be able to be expanded much further. Save changing a few mechanics or changing the map, this formula would stay relatively the same if used to often, though new games could bring new missions and content.
