The Next Zelda Game Needs to Make These Changes.

[@skullkid7989]

I also hope hyrule isn’t destroyed in the next game because I wanna see the kingdom when it’s alive and has people around

[@GameEssays]

Love that

[@artisanjames182]

Hyrule may not even be in the next big 3D game.. could be an all new world..

[@mattwebb9020]

was this a hardware issue? I can’t help but think that RDR2 with Zelda would be perrrrrfect. Now the option of killing everyone would be a stretch but I don’t hate it….

[@mattwebb9020]

Agreed cooking is booooring

[@domidoodleYT]

My two big things: 1. I MISS MY FANTASY! The two newest games were fun but were a little too sci-fi and technology based for me. I miss the more medieval feeling stuff 2. Human life and settlements - BOTW and TOTK are post apocalypse feeling and focus on ambience and wild life. I do love the natural environments, but I really want big bustling towns back like castle town. Obviously the new games have some big towns, but they don’t feel the same as places like Skyloft or Windfall Island

[@simgames9133]

@domidoodleYT The fantasy aspect is so true. I got into the series because i loved the medieval vibes and dark dungeons and castles and stuff. Btw love ur videos

[@cato3277]

I wont deny I love the ancient tech too much to see it go. It won’t ever go completely, that dichotomy is core to Zelda.

[@domidoodleYT]

@@cato3277 I don’t want it to go completely, I think the time shift stones in skyward sword for example was perfect. The game was medieval feeling, but has one sci-fi factory area, which was perfect

[@domidoodleYT]

@@simgames9133 glad someone agrees! And thanks lol

[@facepwnagewtf]

1. Enemy variety just more of it. 2. Linear story 3. Keep the climbing but no climbing in dungeons. just the overworld, and section off parts of the overworld like Ghosts of Tsushima so you have to complete parts of the main quest before the whole map opens up to you. 4. revamped combat and healing, put more of an emphasis on skill or at least have a Master Mode for people looking for a challenge. 5. Traditional Dungeons as well as mini dungeons more naturally scattered across the world more similar to catacombs in Elden Ring. Aside from adjustment to climbing, I agree with you on pretty much everything else.

[@Auvisome]

"Elden ring catacombs" opinion discarded. 😂

[@athorem]

After playing Echoes of Wisdom I agree strongly with taking away the ability to climb. I feel like it's a less tightly designed game because you can just climb over anything with the climbing spider, or really just stack stuff to achieve the same thing. I'd go even further and take away the ability to glide.

[@leftfootfirstpolitics]

My five changes: *1. More diverse and lasting weapons.* I really enjoy chucking half-broken monster weapons at enemies, but the many arguments for permanent weapons have become increasingly persuasive to me over time. In my proposed change, most professionally crafted weapons don't break when they run out of durability, but instead become blunted and deal less damage as well as losing any special effect. (To eliminate some tedium, an attack with a bluntable weapon doesn't deplete any durability if it kills a target with less health than the weapon's damage would be if it was blunted - never fear to use your prized halberd to kill keese again!). Monster weapons break when they run out of durability as in BotW/TotK, so you can still get the fun of chewing through disposable weapons. Armories are added as a new shop type that repairs bluntable weapons as well as selling arrows. And of course, add some new special weapon effects! *2. Reworked cooking and healing.* Cooking is fun, but pausing combat mid-ragdoll to regain full health by instantly eating a five-course meal removes way too much challenge. Instead of restoring your health, eating cooked food would instead grant "buffer" hearts that are slowly spent to refill your regular hearts over time whenever Link is injured. A limited stock of collectable elixir bottles would allow you to carry a small stash of fast-acting healing and stamina potions. *3. Multi-effect armor pieces.* It's frankly a little immersion-breaking for snow boots to not offer any protection from the cold, and this is only the most well-known example of an armor piece not giving benefits it logically should. Armor pieces would be able to grant multiple bonus effects, and set bonuses could be activated by multiple combinations of appropriate armor pieces - maybe a given armor piece could even be usable for multiple sets. *4. More complex and pervasive dungeons.* Everyone has already been saying this, so no further explanation is required. I do enjoy the freeform dungeons of BotW/TotK and new dungeons should have multiple ways to complete them, but some structured series of challenges are in order. A few optional dungeons would also be great. Shrines as a general concept are fine to include, but they should not be the only way to increase health and stamina and each one should feel more special - maybe have about 40 shrines in the world, each with about 3 times more puzzles or combat. *5. Mapping from mountaintops.* Towers are fine and all, but I would love to have Link fill in the game map by climbing a tall mountain and drawing in part of the map based on what's visible from that mountain. This would more organically encourage exploration of the landscape, enhancing the feeling of free exploration beyond what even the last two games accomplished, and it would be a significant step away from Link relying on an in-world tablet to navigate the world.

[@fishyperil2153]

I wouldn't get rid of cooking, I'd just change it to not be so OP - give eating a cool down, make normal food inedible during battle and allow only specal potions to be used while battling. Those would be either limited in number or you would need rare materials to craft them, which would prevent them from being used too much

[@LazyRythm]

Cooking was goated fr 😭

[@carlos412]

I think the next Zelda should borrow elements from games like The Witcher 3, in which your choices directly impact the story. Zelda has actually already done it with Skyward sword, right now I only remember the gratitude gem quest in which you could correspond the girl's love or you could get the gem from her father by breaking her heart, and so the girl's attitude towards you would forever be altered in that game file. The same with the letter quest that you could either give to the hand in the toilet or to the girl you were supposed to give it to. Whatever you choose will impact the little guy's attitude who gave you the quest, for the rest of the game. I simply love those details and they should definitely bring those back. Skyward Sword's npcs just feel so much more alive and human than the ones in btw and totk. Well, not only the npcs, the Link from Skyward sword is the most human and alive Link we've ever gotten, and I love it, his voice acting is everything, in botw and totk I feel like link only makes 5 different sounds. I also need that, I need the world to feel alive, big towns, two games with everything in ruins is enough. I really want to explore a pristine castle. I dont mind the cooking, but the fact you can eat non stop to heal is OP. The Witcher 3 for instance easily solves this by giving you food poison if you eat too much too quickly. I also need them to go back to giving each area the uniqueness they had. In botw and totk, you find the same enemies in every area with just elemental variations. If I'm not mistaken, I believe Gibdos are the only enemies exclusive to one particular area in the overworld map. Previous Zelda games had way more distinguishable and unique areas in the map, but again, that's probably because they weren't nearly as big as botw and totk. For example, the pirates in totk simply being bokoblins is so lazy. They should have made unique characters and maybe a completely separate quest line for that, or at the very least dress the bokoblins in pirate attire. Small things like that go a long way. SS once again sort of does this. That game also has color variations for the enemies, but in the case of the bokoblins, they are dressed differently depending on the area. In the desert they have unique clothing, glasses and weapons, small details like that really enhance the game experience. Overall, just small changes like that, I think TOTK is an incredible game as it is, but the next game could be even better simply by taking elements from previous games.

[@jeffsummers1661]

Not only would the next Zelda be better without a break mechanic, but it would also be nice if they introduced item or weapon recycling. If you find a weapon and don't want it, you could break it down and make it into a better weapon

[@IrishBrotato]

Yeah I feel like skyward sword did item durability perfectly, u could enhance ur shield and make it more durable, u had potions that would repair it instantly and for 10 ruppes u could fix it at the brazzar

[@HipnotikHylian]

Y'all have been crying for 7 years. Enough is enough.

[@cato3277]

@@HipnotikHyliantime doesn’t make people suddenly think a mechanic that discourages fun is suddenly ok

[@tyson3931]

I just want the classic zelda structure back. Dungeons, story, yk like ocarina or twilight princess. I like botw and totk and it was a cool addition of styles of zelda games but i think they should go back to the roots. is it just me???

[@GameEssays]

They could at least do a classic 2D game. I don't think I want full classic 3D Zelda back but definitely many elements of it incorporated in the new style.

[@Themacattack1209]

I’m just burnt out on open world games. They’re fun, but I’ll almost never replay any of them. I prefer more linear progression because there’s a real sense of progression. New items and abilities that open up more of the world is much more satisfying. Like you said, map design and progressive difficulty can be much more refined having more linear gameplay like before. Games like OoT, MM, WW, and TP did a great job at allowing you to explore relatively soon in the story while having certain areas and treasures locked behind progression due to needing certain items or having stronger enemies in areas that are meant for later in the game can be satisfying to deal with them earlier or show progression in skill and strength after playing for a while. I would love something like those games where a map is larger and has more placed into it with worthwhile rewards and optional content like side quests and dungeons. I like BotW and TotK for what they are, but I definitely much prefer the previous games and would like to see a new take on those styles rather than continuing this style.

[@JohnnyHikesSW]

For me open world games aren't about progression so some genres are much more suited to open world maps than others, like GTA is much more of a series of random events than Zelda is

[@TheRealPSKilla502]

Exactly, LOZ for me has always been at its best as a metroidvania, so I’d love something similar to twilight princess for the next game

[@Dave-og2ui]

I'm always so happy when you upload!

[@Dave-og2ui]

as for a change I would like: another game that's not in Hyrule. give me a strange place like Termina

[@Sam_T2000]

1- I do enjoy the memory cutscenes, but I wish they were used either in tandem with a current timeline story, or just as optional character development. even if the present story was events and cutscenes triggered by completing a dungeon or a certain number of shrines, that still would’ve given the gameplay a greater sense of urgency and gravitas. 2- I really like the scavenging and cooking system, so I wouldn’t get rid of it, just refine it… first by limiting Link’s inventory slots, ideally with bottles and the “adventure pouch” and things like that. next I’d give Link a “fullness meter,” so you can only consume a small number of foods or potions in a given period of time. I’d also make resources more scarce, and perhaps have the game world go into slow motion while the player is rummaging through the inventory… so you can stop to heal in the middle of a fight, but if you take too long you’ll still get hit 🤷🏻‍♂️ I’d also including a weapon crafting system similar to cooking, but more intricate, rather than something like Fuse. 3- I wouldn’t get rid of climbing, either… but again limit it. perhaps Link can only climb on rocks and trees at first, but eventually you find items or equipment to help you climb more surfaces, climb faster, etc… and also include traversal items like the Hookshot or Iron Boots as obtainable items opening up the world in new ways is a _must_ in my opinion. I honestly hope the Zonai devices and anything like it don’t return in the next game, or are drastically reduced in number. if they have to return, I’d get rid of the ability to carry devices in the inventory, and force the player to solve the crafting puzzles with the pieces the game gives you… and perhaps the gacha (?) machines and Autobuild ability can be end game rewards? 4- I’ve never been a Souls/Borne guy, but I really love the combat system in _Ghost of Tsushima,_ where throughout the game you learn new fighting styles that allow you to more easily defeat different enemy types… something like that would work well in this new breed of _Zelda_ game, I think. I also wouldn’t get rid of the breakable weapon system, but like I said about the cooking system, I’d make weapon crafting its own system, and give the player the ability to repair, upgrade, or craft a weapon from scratch. 5- of course I’d love a return if “classic dungeons,” with sprawling floor plans full of unique challenges and enemies and giant architectural puzzles, and striking environmental and music theming… even if the game just artificially takes away half your items and abilities, I think it would be worth it. I also wish the shrines were more integrated into the world… I like the system of having micro-dungeons all over the map, but perhaps they could be more difficult to find, have more unique theming, have more variation in size and scope, different rewards at the end (some have a Piece of Heart, some have a Stamina Vessel, some have a bottle, some have armor, some have great weapons, etc). I’d be happy to reduce the number of shrines by 30-40% if the quality of the shrine experience improved 👍 I truly hope Nintendo, Aonuma, Fujibayashi and company hear the fans and understand we miss the gameplay and experience of the old games and keep trying to unite the new and old styles, and don’t just make yet another _BOTW/TOTK_ -style game 😑

[@cuauhtlitorres3742]

A semi-open world would fit the best. Like in Wind Waker, where you could get to most places, but the story restricted you to go deep inside them. Even Zelda 1 had restrictions to certain areas and a weapon progress system. They said they wanted to return to the roots, but they went too far into open world and exploration

[@DidWeWin1]

- Satisfying item progression - A subtle blend of open world and linear play - Well designed, richly themed dungeons - Thought provoking side quests that sometime weave into the main quest - Underwater gameplay Did I miss anything?

[@GameEssays]

Sounds amazing to me

[@Giggles_iJest]

Link is a *SWORDSMAN* make the combat reflect that Edit: also bring back green tunic front-and-center with the cap and bring back Epona lore. She just showed up out of the blue in the recent titles and I hated that. She's supposed to be Link's one&only trusty steed.

[@cato3277]

Link using a variety of weapons keeps visual tedium to a minimum. If you want a variety of play style, other weapons serve that purpose (spears are faster, two handers hit harder). I don’t want to be shackled to just one weapon.

[@Giggles_iJest]

@@cato3277 so make the swordplay dynamic like in Skyward Sword or For Honor

[@cato3277]

@Giggles_iJest I'd love that but I def wouldn't want to sacrifice other weapon types just for swords to be more dynamic. If every weapon type had that complexity it'd be beautiful.

[@dablindscooter1973]

linear dunneons, linear story, some sort of unbreakable weapons/tools for dungeons, change the healing system to add difficulty, better music, less shrines but bigger, more rewards for exploration

[@MattStandley589]

I think making the next 3D Zelda game be linear would inherently make all the changes you listed. I love BOTW and TOTK but I think that formula needs a break. I would love a return to roots “ocarina of time” like game

[@kennycarter5682]

if they bring back sky islands, we need more big giant ones like the Great Sky Island, need to explore the seas as well and underwater

[@slumberfloeey6851]

About the climbing, I did remember what the director himself said about this thing. Climbings were created to remove the "impassable walls" in the overworld, like tall walls, cliffs, and big boulders that were hard to reach. Even when Link gets a hook shot to reach those walls, a hook shot is usually obtainable in the mid-game. This is pretty restrictive for the early game before getting the hookshot (can't reach the area beyond the wall). The director wants to remove a restriction like this to make an exploration seamless and freedom of access to all the overworld. Like in the original zelda where you can go anywhere seamlessly. He talks about this in the botw breaking convention.

[@GameEssays]

I still want an open world I just think climbing makes any surface mean the developers have to spend a lot of time making every part of the map interesting since you can go anywhere. I'd rather it still be open world but less paths to take so each path can have more time put into it. Much like Elden Ring did.

[@jacobsims8307]

That exact thought is why I didn't love TP. It's all narrow paths that lead to one small location surrounded by impassable terrain.

[@miki49]

Just give me actual dungeons back. Gimme a labyrinth with a cool dungeon item again!

[@RipeBanana2]

Yes #MakeZeldaGreatAgain

[@Gigi4u]

2:17 I personally like the idea of cooking food to heal yourself in battle but i do have to agree that it can easily be exploited to be over powerd with late game ingredients. How i would fix the problem is by giving link a hunger meter that if empty can be filled with up to 3 large meals before it is full. Of course early game foods dont fill it up so fast but end game foods will fill it up significantly more. With these changes you would have to still strategies about how often you want to heal and it would make combat actually have stakes. This would also make fairy much more valuable. Maby status effect elixirs and sundlions would be exempt from the hunger meter because they don't directly effect you health.

[@caedencloud3504]

I agree wholeheartedly with climbing. Ultimate freedom was really cool, but some of the best challenges and exploration come from limitation. I'm scared the Zelda team will think a lot of these things are essential to the games, which would mean they're falling back into the same structural pitfalls that made them shake stuff up with botw in the first place.

[@ShaunRF]

One thing I absolutely agree with addition of optional dungeons. So many people seem to want the dungeons to be way bigger, but I would love to just have more of them of a similar size. For example, it made no sense from a lore perspective why your old runes were gone in TotK. What if they had been stolen, and there was a dungeon to get them back? Can you tell how much I missed the bomb rune in this game? 🤣

[@Rancor9000]

Honestly if they just fix the dungeons that's like 80% of my complaints down the drain.

[@justinmadrid8712]

I am weird. In the classic Zelda games, I actually enjoy the overworld stuff more than the dungeons. I like talking to different characters and doing random stuff. When I get to a dungeon, I just want to rush to get to the boss battle, so that I can go back to the overworld stuff.

[@ShadowWizard224]

A live action version of Wind Waker with scattered islands and the entire depths of the ocean to explore would be an excellent trilogy to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

[@BloodyMadPeopleCrew]

While both the older Zelda games + newer Zelda games both have their flaws, I do believe that a combination of both linear and open world Zelda is possible. For instance, I personally think that TOTK would’ve been better had we of unlocked Link’s special arm abilities inside the main dungeons, as opposed to right at the start of the game.This would’ve meant that an ability could act as a ‘dungeon item’ and making it the required method to completing the dungeon or defeating the boss. Having the player unlock abilities as the game progresses gives the player more incentive to want to complete the main dungeons so that by unlocking the abilities we can make traversing the open world more easier or access new areas. Giving us these abilities at the start of the game just felt like we had already kitted out our arsenal and were just using the same abilities throughout the whole game. If we unlocked each one after a main dungeon, it would’ve kept the game more refreshing, similar to unlocking dungeon items and the being able to use those new items to get to new areas in the open world. Equally, whilst I love the open world in both BOTW and TOTK, I do wish that Nintendo could’ve implemented a more linear structure around it. For example, let’s say at the start of the game you could only explore a starting area of the map. The map is huge anyway, so the player has more than enough freedom to roam a limited area and discover loads of things at the beginning. You would then unlock new areas of the world as the story progresses or by completing the required dungeon. It also could’ve helped with the narrative. Let’s say that they still decided to stick with the ‘memory cutscenes’ but as you progressed through the story and unlocked areas of the map, you can follow the story in a linear order which allows for more structure and better story telling. Games like the Wind Waker had a huge open world to explore but it was done in a way that you can explore other islands once you had progressed far enough into the story. By the end of the game, the whole map was unlocked to you, same could’ve been done in TOTK. I’d be interested to see where Nintendo goes with the next Zelda game. I know they have stated that they are going to lean more towards this new formula of ‘open world’ but I do believe they can incorporate old Zelda formula alongside it, rather than just completely discarding it

[@PixelPikmin]

As much as I would love this, this list basically just sounds like Oot or TP. Aounuma said that going forward they’re gonna keep going for that open style, so more cooking, more memories, more breakable weapons, and more openness. I wish we’d go back to a more classic style of Zelda, but it isn’t gonna happen 🥲

[@Snorehog]

Agree with most in the video, I'd like: - New but smaller map with more density of interesting things to do and explore in it - Keep Zonai system but add more/other parts to it. Have them in a less open world. Maybe unlock the parts less freely, e.g. in mmos it's fine that you can fly around the map AFTER you've done more of the stuff in the map. - Add more stuff that is replayable, often because of not having all the resources all the time like those shrines where you lose all your things. Maybe Dungeons should be like that or something? I loved the systems in TotK but often felt like there wasn't reason enought to experiment with it all the way. Limitations that would make you have to experiment more would be fun. Think they could add more ideas from Roguelikes to Zelda, like they started a bit with Cadence of Hyrule. - More puzzles out in the world. - Still wished they'd do more with the sky, more culture in it and more mystery. Was hoping for a huge dungeon in the sky in Totk. Like climbing up over the clouds and finding something unique epic up there.

[@undergroundhiphopfan6335]

So you want to back to old zelda, got it.

[@Multipurpose_Bagel]

I played BotW twice to near-completion years ago; once on Wii U (👁👄👁) and once on Switch. I then played TotK when it came out last year. I just replayed BotW recently, but just did a linear, condensed playthrough: - Completed the Great Plateau - Spent 20 minutes saving and reloading to unlock the Twilight Princess outfit with an old Smash Bros Link amiibo - Began collecting wood for Tarry Town off and on throughout - Collected enough seeds for a few of each expansion, but nothing substantial - Never collected other outfits besides those needed for the main quest, and the snow and sand boots - Unlocked each tower, did some shrines, amounted enough extra hearts for the master sword: Didn't bother doing any more afterwards; I only activated them for teleporting if need be - Never upgraded stamina - no towers need extra stamina, and it made climbs and combat gauntlets more interesting - Did the 4 divine beast quests; got the Master Sword after 2 - Collected the memories in chronological order as I went - Completed Tarry Town - Bought Link's house - Meant to do Eventide Island but literally forgot lol - Wrapped up the Castle and Ganon with ~15 hearts This BotW playthrough took less than 30 hours. If I do TotK again, I'll definitely do something similar. I liked TotK a lot, but it's lows were very low, so cutting out the fat and playing in a linear way like this might be enjoyable. It's commendable that playing the way I did is even possible, but I'd still love to see the next one be all about that.

[@illuminate4]

With the cooking thing, I don't see them doing a full 180 back to bottles. However there are ways to make infinite food still make you die. If you've played tunic, you will know that the game still passes in real time EVEN with your inventory open making it almost impossible to consistently grab healing stuff (and the fact that health bottles have like a 2 second delay before they actually do anything. you also cant attack while youre doing that) Thats probably what I would do another thing. you say how climbing caused dungeons to be cheesed. however in botw you couldn't climb ANY wall in the divine beasts. you could easily just restrict the player to not have their freedom-granting abilities. (albeit revali's gale, other flying machines, etc)

[@theoaremevano3227]

If we're talking changes from where they are now, I would say the following: 1: A change in aesthetic, including different visualizations of Link's powers, and different content distribution. I miss the more mystical visual elements like how using magic looked in Ocarina of Time, and I think it would be helpful in differentiating the feel of the game from the semi-SciFi look of Link's tools Breath/Tears. The map also needs content to be distributed in a more varied fashion, to break up the now overly-familiar scattering of content elements across an area. 2: A change in combat. Love it or not, the method of combat in Breath/Tears has been around more than long enough, and the series could really use a different approach. While the past several games have dabbled in more advanced combat in various ways, they haven't really taken a deeper dive into this aspect of Zelda gameplay, and I wish they would because their smaller experiments show promise, and the series' long history with having items/tools that can give people an edge over dangerous enemy types provides a way to ensure game completion will never be beyond the reach of players that aren't up for more challenging mechanics. I think working on combat more would help the overall experience of the game feel less clunky and menu-heavy. 3: A change in NPC activity. When I think back to NPCs in Majora's Mask and why they were so interesting, I think it had a lot to do with how much you got to see their changes in behavior over a period of time and in response to different events happening around them. I also feel like their lives were a bit more down-to-Earth? Their lives weren't miserable, but they were just tough enough to feel like they weren't just floating in a happy little bubble where only their little side quest matters and they don't really feel what's going on in the world around them, and they're not very self-reflective. I think having large concentrations of them again would help this by allowing a single event to affect more people and get more reactions from them, adding dimensions to their personalities. 4: A change in Link's family. It's been a while since we last had a Link with present relatives, and I think it could help the story to throw in a character who's related to him again. There's so much they could do for an addition like that. Link could have a family member who's a scientist or wizard living out in the woods somewhere, or a sibling with an actual family (imagine getting a visit from your weird Uncle Link? XD ) or he could have a brother/sister who's a Shiekah, or a Hylian officer. I think it'd be nice to have a character around who can fill in details about this next Link because they know all about him. 5: A change in varied type of immersion. My thoughts on the split between BotW style and previous 3D Zelda style gameplay is that BotW leans way into the concept of 'fluid' immersion, favoring emergent properties in gameplay and 'more' solutions of varying quality and complexity, while the older games are more based on 'tangible' immersion, which centers around the world pushing back on the player, and having more limited, carefully thought-out solutions. I think if they really want to satisfy fans of both, 'more freedom' will not help. Rather, I think the solution is more choice between 'a broader range of options' and 'a more narrow range of options'. One way to do it might be a choice in Link's gear upgrades actually diverging which paths the player can take, with one opening a path with more narrow choices and one opening up more freedom of movement.

[@umarsoji19]

I like the points you made, I would also like to see a Zelda game you will feel more threatened. Not the type you will gather resources and prepare to battle the final boss and that's all. I would also like to see some post game content and lesser shrines.

[@wolkeninsel6108]

I miss the duality of Nintendo consoles. I used to have 1-2 big Zeldas and 1-2 small Zeldas in Handhelds. Both together gave me always fun and a diverse experience. With the Switch combining both worlds it feels so different. I miss the old days perhaps a bit too much 😅

[@GameEssays]

Totally agree. Would love a new classic 2d Zelda

[@Matthew_Murray]

I want the next Zelda game to follow the structure of Link Between Worlds.

[@joesmit9766]

I absolutely loved TotK but I was a little upset when they announced a BotW sequel because I REALLY wanted to see what they would do next after BotW, but now I gotta wait longer to see what they do. But don’t play, I LOVE TotK. Banger game

[@JohnnyHikesSW]

I think the Zelda team thinks open world means "as open as possible", but GTA has a lot of linear missions that work really well without taking anything away from the open world

[@vianabdullah2837]

My biggest hope is something unexpected and for the game to not feel like BOTW 3. A story and setting as strange as Majora's Mask or Link's Awakening and art direction as unique as The Wind Waker. It'd be a letdown if the game is set in a regular Hyrule where Ganon is the villain again. Have a unique twist like the map being an archipelago or perhaps a steampunk/sci-fi setting. Though I don't think climbing and other traversal mechanics should be removed for more structured dungeons. Bowser's Fury manages to blend together the free movement of sandbox Mario (64, Sunshine, Odyssey) with the precise platforming of linear Mario (Galaxy & 3D World). The Zeda team can get some good pointers from the Mario team.

[@painuchiha2694]

A new world to explore is enough for me to be happy New artstyle and better visuals on next gen too. Even if the same issues are still here it will feel fresh enough being a new thing instead of a sequel

[@capgangchannel6309]

I disagree with the cooking opinion, cooking should stay, however i have an easy fix for Nintendo to allow cooking to exist while getting rid of the excessive healing. Implement a hunger/stomach bar. When the bar is filled you cant eat anything anymore (it will display a message saying: link is stuffed) so that way you can still pause the game and heal with food but you can only do it a certain amount of time before the hunger bar is completely filled, and after that you can’t heal anymore (except with fairys). The hunger bar would slowly deplete back to 0 over time.

[@ChaosNew]

Sadly now many more players like these waste of time open worlds... its incredible how they find it more facinating to do whatever they want then the scripted but yet intriguing feeling of what it is to find something you actually cant deal with and need to comeback once your character has grown in abilities and story wise. Call it linear, but that feeling is still good till this day, while the, wow, look at how good that mountain looks is getting pretty much stale. So back to the point me myself, wouldnt mind Zelda being more like Zelda and less open world, they did somethings right in totk but yet filled it with the same "do whatever you want", same beginning and pretty much same game as botw and that said same as any other open world, Zelda was Zelda, now Zelda is just another open world game, throw some shrines, some koroks, charge 70 and call it a day. If they could keep it as big but filled of actually useful things and that said new things as well.

[@ChaosNew]

The bottle example is the best of the mentioned, cause its one not strictly tied to just being like before, but limiting your healings is something the game needs, because basically the arguments of who defend this game is that you can play it as you like, you dont need to cook, you want a challenge, dont cook nor farm at all, you dont like koroks, dont search them, you just want stor, focus on the main quest, etc. I think thats not a fair argument specially for those who like to complete 100 % their games.

[@ChaosNew]

They can keep it big, but who about they take the aproach of the best open like Zelda, ALBW, there you basically can tackle the game in the order you want, but you do have limitations. They can just do theyre 4 to 5 abilitied, but make you choose one, and once you have tackled enough shrines intead o hearts and stamina, you can access a mew ability through a trial or so, fixing right there two problems at once, going for enough shrines to be able to explore further or diffrent areas in the map, and giving you a desire to be able to go to the new area with new things to tackle and open new things to do in the area you already comb as much, these giving you the heart peaces or any other collectable.

[@ChaosNew]

The weapons need to stop breaking, finding an awesome elemental weapon should make you rejoice because you now have a cool looking weapon that will give you an advantage in battle with certain enemies, not just a weapon with little to no value... its crazy how you explore and end up finding a shield or sword thay doesnt provide any satisfaction at all...

[@ChaosNew]

And this alone would make these open world great again and also classic zelda fans happy. Me myself would like the focus on a musical intrument again, just that at least, music in Zelda is also one of the main things that make you remeber your play time with the game, now every time i remeber botw or totk i only remember the main theme and koroks.

[@ChaosNew]

Theres much more to say and be done, but that said, Im happy many other gamers can now enjoy a "Zelda" game, but its just not the same, and compared to what they did between OoT and MM, or ALTTP and ALBW. BOTW to TOTK was extemely disappointing and not at all comparable.

[@tyg-zw7nn]

Eh I mean there are so many ways to limit cooking. They just didn’t do it. They could 1) limit the dishes you can hold 2) make link get “full” and only allowed to consume a certain amount of food within a set time. Cooking is still a more interesting system that just having 3 diff potions. Keep it. Just balance it.

[@chacal1100]

This critique of BotW and TotK duology generally just doubles down to the "let's remove everything that makes BotW and TotK unique and just go back to the ". I understand that it comes from the old fan of the series and I agree with parts of the statement here (OPness of the cooking, lacking in the dungeon design and story in the contemporary story of both games),but as someone who started his journey with Zelda from BotW, most of the solutions for repairing Zelda presented here are just ... effect of nostalgia and attempts at going back in time, made in vacuum. Both breath of the wild and tears of the kingdom sold more copies that and other Zelda before them. BotW sold 2 times more copies than previous best selling game in the series - Ocarina of time (so one of the most influential games in the history). There is no going back ro the times when Link couldn't climbe, there's no going back to the linear world in main line Zelda. Zelda has evolved , as must every series in order to stay relevant. Maybe in the future we will get another linear Zelda, as we got another "classic" Assassin's creed after the revolution of Origins. But it will still be "post open air revolution" Zelda, with marks of its influence.

[@Aurora-qn2dx]

I have written several essays,complaints,reviews on what i think Zelda used to be all about and what made it great and what we should get in the future..and of course things i dislike about TOTK and BOTW and things i dislike about majoras mask and twilight princess..i wont list anything but shout out in bold KEEP THE CURRENT FREEDOM but BRING BACK HYRULE in its PRIME and that classic,fantasy theme ocarina of time and a link to the past had..less technology more magic..less mechanics more fairys less temples ,Islands and mines more castles,forests and traditional castle towns...bring back what Zelda is all about ,mr Aunoma Is very talented and quote genious and i love the open world total Freedom ..but has staryed away from what Zelda is all about..less rust and robots more swords and princesses.

[@stuffz1757]

I think the story needs to be linear. They've proven that they don't know how to handle a story otherwise. As for cooking, it could stay and in fact probably should as otherwise you need to cut stuff like apples and fruit and whatnot which means less to discover in the world, it just needs to be heavily reworked. The player should have to find recipes instead of just being able to throw shit in a pan and cook it, and different recipes should do different things. Likewise they should borrow from the bottle idea by allowing the player to only have six or so meals cooked at a time and restrict the ability to eat anything inside of combat. The only thing that should be edible in combat should be potions. Which could be bought or made should the player find/buy the potion recipe. Climbing is fine but needs to be reworked as well. Link should only be able to climb certain surfaces, not any given mountain, and gliding should be only possible via what you can find, the player shouldn't have constant access to a paraglider.

[@ZaphielSahaquielSariel]

There's only 1 change we really need. Getting rid of everything that BotW/TotK stand for and actually having a REAL Zelda game. If you wanna break it down: No open world boring crap No breakable weapons/useless items Actual DUNGEONS Progression through new items THROUGHOUT the entire game, not within 15min inside the tutorial area and then never again for the next 200h Good music like back in the day

[@NicolaStacey-n7x]

Zelda needs to have a come pleatly new adventure

[@_Neogears]

Thanks for the interesting video. :) Concerning the cooking issue: I really understand your opinion regarding the availability of healing though food at anytime. But I cannot totally agree on the point that through the food system the boss fights were too easy, because zelda bosses in recent 3D-Zelda games are in general all pretty easy and beatable first try. I believe this is just mainly a consequence of the philosophy regarding difficulty in zelda games. I for my part look for an appealing world and cool riddles in a zelda game and not for a challenging experience in terms of difficulty. Others may think differently here. But I agree that the system can't stay like it was in BotW and TotK and hopefully the next zelda is a fresh experience.

[@GameEssays]

It doesn't necessarily have to be that much more difficult but pausing the game when you're under attack and watching Link eat 5 meals just feels wrong lol. It's immersion breaking.

[@spacelem]

Nothing to disagree with there! Also as a fan of both pugs and Zelda, I love your profile pic :)

[@igorcosta5482]

Climbing is needed. Cooking should be nerfed hard. Breakable weapons should have another machanic so the player feel satisfied with new resources. Divine beasts and shrines already negate climbing. We need more challenge and less build up. More immersive map with diverse quests instead of another hurdle full of nothing and repetitive tasks.

[@gustafadolfsson4904]

I have no love for being able to solve the puzzles in unintended ways

[@moritzmack3579]

Where can I find the picture of the thumbnail?

[@GameEssays]

It was new official art from the game awards. Just google tears of the kingdom game awards art.

[@pretzelman945]

I want twilight princess and wind waker on switch so i can finally play them bc botw+totk was my introduction to zelda and those two look the coolest and i want to pkay them the most

[@skyhavender]

Tbh i just want to go back to 2011 😅😅 when twilight Princess was old but not that old. And skywardsword was just around the corner. But now on to what i want in the next game. plz bring back Dungeons, items, the green tunic and a darker tone to the whole game. Maybe a story where link is a living failure of the legendary hero and he has to work hard in order to earn his status as "the hero of legend". 😊

[@mbii7667]

2:00 no thanks. I don't get how "not dying" is a bad thing.

[@GameEssays]

You're right, on second thought let's just remove every enemy too.

[@mbii7667]

@@GameEssays don't be gay

[@curtismiller7959]

i think the combat could be improved though, to be fair when you look at all the basic attacks over all the weapons they are rather bland compared to other 3d zelda games.

[@ViniciusGFerrarez]

Good video bro… makes a lot of sense

[@wert556]

I think TOTK is gonna be my last Zelda game. I would definitely l9ve to see more DLC lore especially avout the Dragons and Zonai Civilization

[@Mut4ntG4m3r]

I think the food system is great the way it is. The game doesnt have to be hard if you want it to be easy. If you want a challenge, noone forces you to eat the food...so you can just play without it.but I understand not wanting to farm this, that I agree with :D i dont think its posible to change zelda back from the open world design. new players (which should be a lot) would see anything else as a huge step back. They need to find a middle ground... honestly listening to your changes sounds like you want to darksouls-a-lize zelda :D which...may be a great and interesting game :D but definitely not quite zelda in my opinion

[@GameEssays]

I do want a dark souls type Zelda. But it doesn't have to be as hard. Elden Rings open world style but Zelda would be perfect.

[@Zeldahol]

Yo Essay. You know what's up. Bottles.. You had me at bottles. I Don't want to climb the cliffs around Ordon or Kakariko anymore. I want to hang out with Linebeck or Midna again. I want Zelda and the Triforce. Can't go there yet? Epona is a horse. Good to see ya Essay. I'm pretty confident that Nintendo knows. TOTK is awesome. Story bad. 500+ hours... Good. It would be almost impossible to make a new game, keep it modern and please us OG fans. 2D if they expand on blocks and torch puzzles without weird (but amazing) Oracle items... love them.. but ya... hookshot as opposed to a seed bag. (Again.. fan of all the Zelda, born in 84) Yo. I'm going to play Link Between Worlds before you review it. Somebody told me it may beat Link to the Past... I don't believe them. See ya Essay.

[@GameEssays]

You need to play a link between worlds, dude. It may not live up to ALTTP but I think you will still love it.

[@muhammetdegirmenci6828]

NO SHRINES give me elemantal temples and items as reward give me characters and great music and weapons dont breake please traditional zelda games are just the best i enjoy botw and totk aswell but i miss the old way so much something that is perfect dont need to change

[@hansfranzwilli1958]

I do agree about the healing, but that seems unlikely, Zelda is (and that is just a fact) targeting a much younger audience and ngl if I were 7-8 years old and I would have to fight with the system of Dark Souls I would just be super confused (also I actually like that Zelda is so chill and easy in that way, when I want a challenge, I play Elden Ring)

[@GameEssays]

Kids for 3 decades dealt with harder Zelda games and were fine.

[@hansfranzwilli1958]

@@GameEssays I guess so, I am not saying it’s impossible but I think maybe do it with a master mode that has a more complex healing system- or make an easy mode for me pls, I sometimes need this super easy stuff

[@Sam_T2000]

I think _Tears of the Kingdom_ might’ve been the most disappointing _Zelda_ experience I’ve ever had, at least with a new game… not that it wasn’t a great game and a fun experience that made improvements over _Breath of the Wild…_ but it was really just too similar to _BOTW,_ without pushing the formula forward, returning to “classic _Zelda,”_ or even giving us a new world to explore. I’m in the _”TOTK_ is $70 DLC” camp, and I think it’s a shame that we’ll likely have to wait another five-seven years before for the next big game, and it’s so unclear what direction that game will take the franchise. I’d be fine if Nintendo just kept refining the open-air/survival style of gameplay and kept refining it and hopefully bringing back more traditional elements, primarily dungeons… but I also wish they’d give us another 2D game, or even linear 3D game in the mean time. remakes and high-quality remasters would be appreciated as well 👍 (also, I know the Ultrahand mechanic is incredibly and really fun, I just don’t think it embodies the spirit of what a _Zelda_ game has always been.)

[@ShadowWizard224]

Breath of the Wild was better and overall more impactful. The story was more balanced. The Divine Beasts are under appreciated. The soundtrack is underrated. The champions from Breath of the Wild are way more interesting. Etc etc… Breath of the Wild felt like an actual Zelda game and Tears of the Kingdom felt like a completely different game almost like I was playing Minecraft. I’ll never forget the first time I ever played Breath of the Wild because it was one of the greatest experiences I ever had playing a video game and I didn’t have that same feeling with Tears of the Kingdom. The fact that we had to wait 7 years just for it to come out and ended up being just more of the same thing was a huge let down because it was just so similar.

[@Sam_T2000]

@@ShadowWizard224 - I think _TOTK_ is a better game from a technical, active gameplay perspective (which is what I was referring to in my post), but I think _BOTW_ is definitely the better game from the perspective of intangibles, like tone and the feelings it evokes, and probably the story, too. exploring the map in _BOTW_ felt like an adventure, even if at times it was tedious and uneventful, while _TOTK_ just felt like playing in a sandbox 🤷🏻‍♂️ I’d say the other things you listed, like dungeons and characters, are a toss-up, though, and neither game handled any of those components very well, sadly.

[@unsterino]

tbh i'd want it to keep the open world aspect along with the ability to climb off the bat, exploring everything whenever nd wherever was one of the most fun (if not THE most fun) things in botw/totk. i def agree that a more linear story would be nice, tho, and there can absolutely be a balance between the two. it may be tricky, but it can be done, and it'd be worth it but i 100% agree on the memories aspect being iffy, it was cool but you could very easily have things spoiled for you that way. i mean hell, i had a couple massive plot points for totk spoiled for me because of finding them before i was supposed to and it SUCKS

[@matthewlawton9241]

Imagine being this wrong in public.

[@GameEssays]

💀

[@TomMooreT2S]

Changes I would make: - Completely ignore everything we’ve learned from BOTW and TOTK - Make a finishing touch on the end of the Child Timeline (albeit NOT a sequel to TP, but rather a successor that follows the events since… in a more implied way.) - Keep the grand scale size of BOTW’s world and bring it over to the new version of Hyrule. - DO AWAY WITH THE GODDAMN SHRINES AND TRIAL! - Korok population… 75% fewer than BOTW/TOTK (and stop rewarding us with gold sh!t) - MAKE PRINCESS ZELDA PLAYABLE! - SMASH BROS. ULTIMATE ZELDA is THE Princess Zelda for the game (and keep the American accent from WOL intro as opposed to “Wild” Zelda’s atrocious fake British accent…) - Customize Zelda’s appearance (ranging from hair, dresses, colors, and legacy appearances of past Princess Zeldas)(and pictures galore!) - Zelda can combat using elemental magic: fire, water, ice, wind, lightning, shadow, twilight, light, and can manipulate time itself (Recall can make a comeback exclusively to her) - Miss flying around Hyrule with Zonai devices? Zelda can just fly around with her magic; Link will have to use other methods of getting around. - Reintroduce Aryll (Link’s sister) as a grownup bada$$! And make her playable. - Aryll’s character design loosely based from Linkle’s from Hyrule Warriors (love for Cuccos, crossbow-wielding bada$$, and a tendency to lose sense of direction) - Customize Aryll’s appearance too - Bring forth a newer version of Hyrule (do away with the post-apocalypse theme and make it more civilized and organized) - Venture BEYOND Hyrule; from the Gerudo Sand Sea to the islands of Hyrule’s ocean. - Bring back the hidden skills for Link - Make the dungeons more complex and elaborate - bring back the ReDeads and their horrific screech - Bring back the Leviathan Skeletons and the Dark Skeletons that correspond beneath them. (Rewards: For Link: Ice Mage’s Axe, Fire Mage’s Sword, Lightning Mage’s Spear For Zelda: Ice Mage’s Robes (cold resistance), Fire Mage’s Robes (heat resistance/flame guard), Lightning Mage’s Robes (shock resistance) Chest theme: The Three Mage Sisters Repay Their Debts Yes, all Kirby: Star Allies references) - No Ganon/Ganondorf this time; NEW VILLAIN! - I want my items back - STOP BREAKING MY WEAPONS, BOWS, AND SHIELDS! - Linear story (albeit nonlinear approach towards objectives) - NO RECYCLED CUTSCENES! - Special dialogue depending on what players learned throughout the journey (Seriously, Link. STOP LEAVING YOUR FRIENDS IN THE DARK FROM YOUR KNOWLEDGE!)

[@Haruckio]

TotK was so similar to BotW that I got bored with it and haven't finished the game, because I don't find it fun to explore since it's basically not much new nor fun stuff to explore for me. Also the story so far has sucked, the same cutscene after every "temple"? Really boring 😭 I miss the dungeons and the bosses and the cool items you get (that don't break!!), I agree on the story part that unfolds then and there, and the bottles too! I also don't like the high-tech stuff that has been in the new games, I want it to be fantasy. I also find the voiced characters uhm not to my liking. Well basically I need it to be more of a Zelda game again, cause that's why I liked Zelda😅 oh and soundtrack, i need a good soundtrack again

[@Xile179]

Im glad were done praising the original game, one of the most boring games i played and i love zelda. Also skyward sword had real time healing where the world didnt freeze

[@Omgitssoup]

so pretty much you just want them to make a game like OOT or TP again? idk just me personally i kind hope it's a while before they touch the older formula again. Like give it another 15-20 years before they go back. Zelda BotW and TotK made so many good changes to a old stale game series. I really rather not go back into the predictable formula where there's 3 starting dungeons then something happens and then you have to do 4-7 more dungeons all giving you a key item that's used to not only progress through the dungeon but to Kill the Boss as well. I just have far more enjoyment being able to do whatever whenever and have next to no artificial progression gates.

[@GameEssays]

Actually I want to have it more like Elden Ring... but Zelda. Open world but with a more linear story.

[@PixelPikmin]

I understand you’re point but your logic is kind of flawed. By waiting 15-20 years to make another linear Zelda game, it’ll be around 20 years of open air Zelda games, which will definitely be stale. We’re already seeing it with Totk, the same starting island with 4 new abilities, games story being told with memories, etc, is definitely gonna get stale if they do it again. I think what they should do is alternate between an open world Zelda game and a linear Zelda game, so everyone is happy

[@MapSpawn]

cut the budget, use n64 technology, use midi music, bring back Christian roots and remove Hindu references, Link is left handed, Ocarina of Time vibes.

[@TheAaronRodgersTao]

Yeah that’s what everyone says right after the latest installment of the series. They were saying the exact opposite things after skyward sword.

[@Didmikedothis2023]

Nice video

[@ActiveAdvocate1]

1. STORY 2. MUSIC 3. ITEMS For the rest, they can do whatever they want. I don't care. I haven't beaten BotW or TotK, and I won't. They're BORING.

[@bigotis9042]

Might be controversial but my God the art style NEEDS to change. I wasn't a fan of it in the first place and by now I'm even more sick of it

[@GameEssays]

I like it for what it was but it needs to change

[@d00p58]

what would you prefer? more windwaker style? or twilight princess? i’d honestly be fine with either for the next game

[@audie-cashstack-uk4881]

The art style always changes that's kinda obvious and no I don't want realistic or skyrim god no... how is a thing that has changed in every gen of zelda controversial 😂😂

[@bigotis9042]

@@audie-cashstack-uk4881 I know it usually changes from game to game, but if they decide to do another game that's directly connected to botw/totk then it will almost definitely have the same art style

[@LooseAsADEUCE]

This is basically just, "I want the old Zelda back".

[@higurashikai09]

I do think that the cooking and insane amount of carry capacity is broken, but I hate HATE the Souls Game healing. No, just freeze time to drink it. I'm playing Zelda not a souls game. I don't eant to drag ny feet around a battlefield and wait for the healing to slowly take effect-it's annoying. Bring back bottles but don't turn it into a Souls Game. Some of us want to relax after a days work not hash out a punishing experience.

[@cato3277]

Skyward Sword had a middle ground where you would drink it in real time, but it was always easy to run away from an enemy while doing this. I think something in that style is best.

[@curesaul5749]

Hot take. I personally liked the new sage abilities. I thought it was so cool to have companions by your side and have some RPG party system that grew as you did the story. I hope they improve on this by making them smarter and not having to activate their abilities by running up to them. And also actually having them throughout the whole journey. Give them like weapons you can lend them. More abilities to help with combat and traveling. And a health bar that makes it more of a challenge to keep them alive. I think TOTK took a step in the right direction and I really hope the negative reception for the sages doesn’t discourage Nintendo to evolve from that.

[@sebastianguerrero6617]

Typical boomer nonsense, talking about something they're ignorant about and only thinking about what the hardcore people want and not what's good for the series

[@GameEssays]

Please enlighten me, what is good for the series?

[@franciscohernandezg7726]

So basically return to the previos fórmula? No thanks

[@Coco1477]

Im sorry but this just sounds like you want the franchise to go back to the older style of games, so instead of evolving you want it to go backwards for nostalgia reasons.

[@GameEssays]

I'm still all for an open world game, I just think there were elements that the older games did better and new elements they could add as well.

[@Coco1477]

@@GameEssays I actually like most of the changes they made for these new games, the one thing I absolutely hate is the weapon durability, it intentionally makes you not use your best weapons in fear of breaking them instead of encouraging you to use them.

[@artisanjames182]

bottles back? And potions...Hmm.. I dont see the need... thats all old, tedious stuff...

[@GameEssays]

More tedious than cooking a bunch of meals one by one?

[@unhuskyteinsulta6518]

So to you, spending 5+ minutes repeating the same cooking recipe over and over is less tedious than just cutting grass or breaking a pot? Scrolling through a massive horizontal menu for 20+ seconds to find the arrows you wanted is less tedious than a neatly organized menu where you can access your desire arrow type in less than 3 seconds? "Old bad, new good" 🤪

[@artisanjames182]

@@GameEssaystrue.. i wasnt that big on cooking in both Breath or Tears either... i only cooked when i needed to really...