What’s Next for Zelda?

[@AJX-2]

I hope to see a Hyrule at its peak again. The post-apocalyptic setting is cool, bht I would love to see an open-air kingdom of Hyrule that really feels like a mighty and proud civilization.

[@Taxi_Cab_]

God hyrule felt so empty and boring, seriously idk how people replay these games, I beat both of them in like 30 hours and was done. Like who cares about exploring when it does nothing for you

[@jimmulator3902]

@@Taxi_Cab_I agree and it’s refreshing to see this honesty. I will say ToTK did a LOT more for hyrule than BoTW, but I still found it pretty boring overall.

[@Taxi_Cab_]

@jimmulator3902 I think nintendo knew it too by the time they realized that botw wouldn't be able to fit totk as a dlc. It's all the illusion of some grander mystery to make u explore and sink more time into the game. In reality, there's no reason to explore at all. None of the items you get by being a completionist actually help u beat the game or do any of the side story content. The story is disconnected and terribly written, it's all just fan service and a neat physics engine. Totk literally felt like a tech demo I don't get it

[@jimmulator3902]

@@Taxi_Cab_ I agree 100%. I think they should return to traditional 3D Zelda format but on a grander scale. Give us the BoTW Hyrule map but make Link’s traversal abilities extremely limited at first. Give us floating islands and the depths but make them totally inaccessible till late-game. Give us traditional dungeons with locked doors and small keys and a key item at the end after defeating the boss that will increase Link’s ability to explore the map and defeat the next dungeon. Focus on the story elements. Maybe bring back the MM mask system to increase Link’s ability to travel and explore. Give us an ocean to sail and dive to ruins/temples at the bottom. Where BoTW and ToTK failed imo, was giving the player virtually all the tools they would need to explore the entire map from the very start. It destroys all sense of excitement of exploration and discovery when you know from the start that you can immediately go basically anywhere, and there are no cool and excited key items to be found in all your travels.

[@Taxi_Cab_]

@jimmulator3902 perfectly said. In an attempt to let the player decide how to play they removed any challenge that may have been there. If somethings hard now ur just overthinking it. In my playthrough of totk I literally stumbled into the storm floating island by accident and finished the spirit temple without even clearing the ruins to clear the storm cloud. 🙃 you can literally just run around and you will eventually beat the game it's so sad. If they had just locked SOMETHING behind needing a certain item and not telling you EXACTLY how to do it the game would have been infinitely better. smh nintendo really labotomized what made zelda games good.

[@matthewdavis9966]

I really hope they take another stab at sailing and an open ocean setting. I’d also love for the return of Majora Mask style transformations: the free flight of the Rito, the underwater exploration of the Zora, etc.

[@dylanyang8220]

I love the mask system

[@Nitram4392]

I hope that too. The only Zelda games I played as a kid were Phantom Hourglass & Spirit Tracks and one of my favourite parts was, that both titles had a vehicle and by extension traveling as a main mechanic.

[@PassTheSnails]

I’d really like a sequel to spirit tracks on a home console in a traditional 3D zelda engine. You can mount your train and travel that way, or step off at any moment to explore the wild New Hyrule frontier on foot. Bonus points if we see a return of the adorable wind waker artstyle.

[@drakejoshofficialyoutubech5569]

Yeah, one issue I had with TotK is that building boats seemed like an interesting thing to experiment with, but it got greatly limited by the world that the game is set in. Other than getting to Eventide Island, there is absolutely zero reason to build a boat, so having a more robust sea/ocean area for the next game would be very cool. Also I feel like the mask thing that you mentioned could be the perfect solution to champion/sage abilities. I'm not saying that the abilities are bad necessarily, but they just don't seem like that great of rewards for beating one of the game's dungeons. I'd honestly say that the best abilities are the ones that make exploration easier (like Revali's Gale in BotW and Tulin and Yunobo's abilities in TotK) so I think they should run with that. And on an unrelated note, I hope they try adding unique items that have a really big effect. You cannot tell me that things like the Fishing Rod, Hookshot, Iron Boots, and Pegasus Boots could never work in the new format, and I seriously think they should at least try to implement some of those.

[@carcerharlson9767]

Wind Waker fulfilled that Pirates of the Caribbean/Treasure Island fantasy we all had as kids about sailing the high seas and finding treasure. If they could fuse that with what BotW and TotK provided, complete with underwater exploration as a Zora and/or some customizable submersible or diving suit, I don't think any other video game would ever be able to satisfy me ever again.

[@Gamer-fh8ku]

While not having dlc is sad, it’s nice to know Nintendo isn’t making dlc just because of how well the game did

[@bradoliver9324]

Not enough games do this, these days, to be honest. They released a thing they felt was honestly finished to a degree they were happy with, so they moved on. There's such value in that from a creative standpoint.

[@stephenwillis2751]

Ubisoft could never

[@kuroanimates]

@@stephenwillis2751 Was there ever an ANNO game without DLC/Add-On?

[@Skaiser_Wilhelm7938]

The game was already scrapped DLC ideas, so I think they had made enough. 👍

[@_spaceiscoolArt]

BUT I WAS SO LOOKING FORWARD TO ANOTHER TRIAL OF THE SWORD BUT EVEN BETTER 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲💔

[@Lorenaxfg_]

I really want the dungeons back 😭 I love the open world, but I miss the concept of needing a specific item to reach other areas. Like the hookshot, or a special set of clothes that lets you breathe under water etc. - and I really miss music being a part of the gameplay. Learning melodies to open new dungeons and stuff like this.

[@blaze.kimbie]

Yes I miss music too

[@nolandderlugner1351]

​@@blaze.kimbiegod yes Music is what made zelda good, botw has awesome sound design but just not the same Botw shouldve been another new nintendo IP Or a metroid game

[@Moon_Presence]

Bring back the ocarina!

[@ikilledthemoon]

I miss Majora's Mask mostly. :)

[@zerobyte802]

There something quintessentially Zelda about seeing something you can’t reach and having it taunt you until you come back later with the ability to open/reach/collect whatever it is.

[@tjstarzz9231]

One thing I miss about the older games, were the songs. To this day I still remember learning the Bolero of Fire, New Wave Bossa Nova, Saria's Song....And hearing those same notes dancing between melodies in future games. Going forward I hope they continue showing love and care for crafting the world, her enemies, her citizens, and respecting or paying homage to older titles, will still be there for people who have the same eyes for appreciation for what we truly love.

[@elfsong713]

No game better used music as a game mechanic than OOT and MM!

[@greenmenace9666]

I took those songs for granted growing up. But each time I hear OOT, it takes me back to when I was a kid.

[@MachFiveFalcon]

The ambient music of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom is great, but I'd love to have more unforgettable, hum-able melodies that get stuck in your head like the songs you mentioned! We need more hooks!

[@kitbct1444]

Truth! I find myself humming some of the OOT tunes when I'm hiking. The Lost woods theme is great and LTTP overworld light world theme is one that sticks out as well. Meanwhile BOTW and TOTK don't seem to have anything like that that sticks out.

[@athysw.e.9562]

Sorry to disappoint you guys, but that is not going to happen anytime soon, since Koji Kondo is not involved in the development team anymore. I still really enjoyed the calm, atmospheric themes of the latest game (Dragonhead Island, Ancient Zora Waterworks,...), but I agree these don't stick with you as much as the older games' songs. I fear that old Zelda formula is behind us now.

[@willverschneider1102]

If I were to shake up the formula a bit, I would design dungeons to be enormous with multiple points of entry. The puzzles will change based on which entrance you take, and after beating your "course", you can always come back later and enter through the other entrances to do optional puzzles and get new rewards.

[@MuljoStpho]

A thought I've had for a long time that's similar to your idea would be for them to do a better job at what they tried and failed miserably to accomplish in both Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, the multi-visit centralized dungeon. I consider both of those previous attempts as failures because all they really made with both of those games were linear dungeon crawls with either shortcuts or checkpoints to get back to where you left off when you come back for the next segment. What I've always had in mind would be more like the design concept of LttP's dark world forest dungeon where there were multiple official entrances plus multiple secret entrances / trap entrances and the design of the entire environment that contained that dungeon was part of the experience of that dungeon. Expand that concept to a much bigger scale. Maybe a massive setpiece like what they eventually gave us as BotW's Hyrule Castle, but hook it into a massive sewer system and network of catacombs and caverns and whatever else, all sprawling out in great distances in all directions (consider TotK's tunnel between the castle and the emergency bunker, and that'd be just one small slice of what I'm proposing here and there would be tons of overlap so it's all one great big maze, not a collection of side by side pathways). We could have a number of specific goals spread out across the whole thing, kinda like the locations TotK's dungeons all had us look for to unlock whatever main door / hatch we were trying to get through. Maybe things are kept open-ended enough that we can reach each of those goals in any order but a scripted story beat happens when we reach a goal that puts the entire complex on lockdown making it impossible to proceed to the next goal right away. Maybe whatever we do at each of these endpoints unlocks something new so we can make progress on something elsewhere in the world as well as unlocking things within the complex that'll play into some sort of massive puzzle later when story beats outside the complex have allowed the lockdown to be lifted. Some sort of mechanism which affects things throughout the dungeon kinda like the rotating stairs / redirecting flowing water central chamber in TP's water temple, but much MUCH bigger. EDIT: New thought to add on top of this... Imagine if a new game brought us to an expanded re-imagining of Termina. Clock Town could be our big central location. The city full of friendly NPCs trying to live their lives would effectively be a facade covering up something dangerous lurking within the city's clockpunk inner workings. Our work activating hidden mechanisms within the machine could affect how things work up in the peaceful city facade as well. It wouldn't be limited to affecting the dangerous interior sections.

[@willverschneider1102]

@@MuljoStpho I like that idea, linking the dungeon exploration to the story and allowing events to determine how you get through it. I agree, the Skull Woods was well designed for re-entry, while the Temple of the Ocean King was frustrating because you basically had to get past the same rooms over and over again until you unlock shortcuts.

[@Dlf212]

Multiple entrances (or exists) but one entrance might be say a forest, another an underwater cave, or mountain (with lava). Mix it up a bit, Nintendo....

[@burningsticks]

Yes! Dungeons was the part that disappointed me a bit in totk

[@greenmenace9666]

LOVE this idea. I'm not big on TOTK and I miss old school Zelda. I'm at a crossroads right now because I really don't like what TOTK chose to emphasize (big world, long physics puzzles). I thought it was boring. New ideas would make me interested again. Dungeons really, really need to improve since I'd argue they were a big reason why I kept playing Zelda for years and years. If it is "open air" then let the dungeons be "open air" too.

[@knowledgeseeker4614]

Personally, I'm hoping they'll switch between the traditional formula and the Breath of the Wild formula. The remakes of Skyward Sword and Link's Awakening showcased that the traditional formula can sell, and games that are easier to produce can act as a good way continue keeping people interested in the franchise between open world installments during the six year gap. The original version of Twilight Princess was the best selling game before Breath of the Wild, and I'm sure a new traditional game can sell.

[@OneTwoMark]

I'd prefer they leave the botw formula behind, and go completely new again. Botw was my favourite Zelda because of how refreshing and new it was, but Totk became one of my worst because of how copy and paste it was.

[@Tracenji]

yeah, hopefully they won't abandon the traditional formula completely

[@akiraraiku]

@@OneTwoMark literally me, uwu

[@mateus53415]

​@@OneTwoMarkTOTk is everthing, but copy and paste

[@NelsonTheAwesome]

@@OneTwoMark idk where else they could go besides open world/air but Zelda team could probably surprise us, I don't mind more games with the same engine as BOTW with the same Link and Zelda as long as it takes place in a new time/new location

[@morningmossy]

I would love if they made a game within this world where you can explore under water. All the lakes, rivers and surrounding sea has so much potential! I wanna be able to progress from Link only being able to dive for as long as he can hold his breath to obtaining an armor that allows him to breathe under water and then maybe we can discover a vehicle that we can drive through the underwater world. You could also expand the Zora storyline like this.

[@matutegamer9255]

Hell yeah and underwater dungeons

[@Bjaelde]

@@matutegamer9255 Yes bring back the water temple. That's what we all want! Or.. Uhmm...

[@animalicon3535]

@@Bjaelde😭😭😭😭 NOT THE WATER TEMPLE PLEASE NO GOD JESUS LUCIFER NO

[@erickrodriguez7234]

​@@animalicon3535EXACTLY

[@antonionatalvenancio6131]

Just play the older games, i don't blame totk/botw for not having the same quality as the older games in some aspects, but i feel like people are blinded by the new formula of the games nowadays just like it was when they finally introduced 3D, but come on botw and the other 3D zelda games or any other franchise that became an exploring overground still have a lot in common in comparison to how when games came from 2D to 3D, people don't even try Enjoying things these days, everything has to be perfect

[@jilliand2478]

More than anything, I would love to see towns and villages. Also, more elaborate side quests like Torrey Town or Majoras Mask.

[@rryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy]

terry town?

[@NorbiWhitney]

@@rryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Tarrey Town?

[@i-am-the-slime]

Also would be nice if the series arrived in 2001 and get voice acting.

[@VyNguyen-dq4nw]

@FIGHTFAN777 No, overall they have improved, but it definitely can still get better

[@loekloekloek]

this

[@restassuredworship]

I really want them to go back to the medieval fantasy roots of the game and draw out the deeper spiritual lore of the triforce itself. I'd love to see Link enter a sacred realm that reflects the top graphics available to the series going forward. There was an impersonal, unfathomable, transcendant beauty to the Triforce itself, and I feel like after Ocarina of Time, that lore has largely dropped off the map. I remember WISHING I could just find the Trifoce in OOT, but unfortunately it was all just a bunch of rubbish. I still want to hold the Triforce as 3D Link!

[@anacorreia8058]

I wish they would but sadly Zelda has gone full-chink

[@soulbrant10010]

i agree 1,000% i definitely do want a zelda game with a way darker tone like mm or tp but yeah i really miss the high fantasy aspect of zelda

[@chuckled125]

did you miss skyward sword, or are you not counting that one for some reason?

[@teklife]

Yea whatever happened to collecting the triforce?

[@davidtabor2465]

I’d like to see a hybrid of old and new. I like the open and fairly empty world and the sense of exploration it gives you, but I think it could be vastly improved. I’d like to see big towns and villages full of life and culture. Characters with great personality and epic quests.

[@FlutterSwag]

Like ff16?

[@xBlitzerx]

FF16 didnt have an open world (air) though. The map you just picked each location and fast travelled there.@@FlutterSwag

[@ryanmorfei6325]

That's where I think we're going next. We'll play in a different time period before the calamity

[@FlutterSwag]

@@xBlitzerx they had large areas but not an open world, tighter more polished large areas rather than a huge open empty space

[@Llortnerof]

Personally, i'd like to see a big open world again but not getting all major abilities right from the start. You might still be able to go nearly everyhwere by stocking up on lots of stamina restoratives, but it'll be way easier once you get the proper tools and some place just aren't accessible at first. Also, maybe set it in a time when technology isn't at a low point. We seem to only ever get to see the parts where everything has broken down millenia ago.

[@DanielGarcia-rx3kt]

Bring back the music! All of the tunes in OoT and MM just do something magical to the mind whenever they remind you of fond times as a child. That prologue music of Wind Waker's Legendary Hero? The drama emulated by the ancient sounding folk instruments just squeezes the heart every time for that nostalgic adventure. Not to mention the rest of the tunes in that game sometimes feature the really great style of Irish Folk music. And those traditional dungeons too! Though the open air is great for the gamers that love to explore but make the exploration matter by giving rewards that actually affect gameplay.

[@animeeditscj6416]

one of my fondest memories of zelda games was listening to all the music like the music in ocarina of time and majoras mask

[@antonionatalvenancio6131]

My favorite zelda game is twilight princess even though it completely lacks exploring because the only part you have to explore is to collect heart pieces which is actually more boring than it looks like, but i like the game because in my oppinion is what i thought ocarina of time looked like when i was younger, the art style and the characters are very charming and the history might not be as great as oot because of the twilight, but the game feels like a direct sequel to ocarina of time as it is supposed to be, and the twilight is really unique even if it doens't fit zelda the best

[@CarterInosencio]

I completely agree. I hate that modern videogames go for more ambient music that you don’t really notice. I want distinct bangers that are area-specific like in OoT

[@Jonny312.]

I feel the ambience creates super compelling moments when the music switches up in TOTK and BOTW and I love how it can switch depending on what situation you are in.

[@winterrain1947]

@@animeeditscj6416 yep, same. My favorite was the music of TP in Hyrule field at night. So eerie and subtle! I loved it and would sometimes just park Link in a corner and listen to that music. But, there are a lot of times when I wished I could turn the music down or off because there was something else going on in the area. So, I think, put back the music, but also add volume control options.

[@dugganater]

More towns and villages. Bigger dungeons. More unique collectibles like koroks and bubble gems to be found in the overworld. Also have the collectibles be used to power up links abilities and/or weapons

[@crazysilly2914]

What I want to see is BOTW/TOTK but with realistic graphics (like the Witcher games), traditional item progression and traditional dungeons IN ADDITION to all the stuff BOTW/TOTK has, and a complete Hyrule with several giant bustling cities to explore. oh and underwater exploration. oh and also giant army vs. army battles

[@Band36Alt]

​@@crazysilly2914I want twilight princess in the botw/totk style without the cellshading

[@helplmchoking]

Maybe, I think it's possible to go too far with things to see and do. I already found TotK a little bit jarring after BotW jut because I was so used to the wide, open spaces pretty sparse in points of interest and suddenly I felt like there were half a dozen things to see around every tiny corner. I think more stuff would make it feel too busy and lose that feeling of wild, open freedom - though expanding the map size to include more could work

[@richardhambel648]

I disagree with adding more collectibles. Sometimes less is more.

[@anacorreia8058]

One thing we can all agree on: Zelda needs large, traditional dungeons! And don’t allow them to use “Zonai devices” or climb walls in the dungeons… that ruins the entire dungeon 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@astro1322]

Personally I would like to see other parts of the planet that Hyrule is located on. especially if they stick with the same world and version of Zelda and Link we have now. Hyrule is rebuilt and stable, now it's time for Zelda and Link to see what is beyond the horizon. I would hope to see even more fantasy elements, new environments, new enemies, new and returning characters.

[@orange_turtle3412]

Hyrule is canonically located on earth. Not sure exactly where, but the devs have confirmed that it is earth

[@bluecorp8557]

Idk why y’all want Zelda to be in different parts of the planet. Like cmon they already have different parts of the planet. There’s the volcano area, sand area, ice area, etc.

[@Supasmartguy]

Maybe we could even see Tingle.

[@abbacio]

KASS

[@smileyp4535]

@@orange_turtle3412 yeah but so what? So is pikmin and that doesn't mean anything really

[@DavidJCO]

I hope they do something about exploring the sea/ocean. Not just sailing, but also diving. That is one of the few thinigs missing from ToTK - i also understand that they couldn't fit everything in ToTk, but i wanted to badly to explore the sea and find lonely islands with hidden caves and fighting gigantic fish.

[@MachFiveFalcon]

The Zora Mask in the original Majora's Mask for N64 had awesome underwater controls. The Zora Suit in Twilight Princess also had really satisfying swimming/diving to me. I really wish that level of underwater freedom would return.

[@jonsmith5058]

@@MachFiveFalcon shame Grezzo nerfed and ruined it in the MM remake for no good reason. If they release that on Switch I really really hope they let you play it in classic Zora mode. That being said, ocean exploration is a lame idea unless you fully dedicate to it like Subnautica.

[@pious83]

To make swimming and diving an enjoyable thing, the stamina meter *has* to go.

[@fatallettuce5959]

I’d like to see item progression and open world mixed together, kind of like elden ring was, where certain items were needed to get to certain places, but you could get there otherwise

[@teklife]

Ocarina of time was like this, you'd be in the overworld and come to an area, I remember a broken rope bridge for instance, where you couldn't get past until you had the required item, but it was still basically an open world

[@yinja3406]

having played zelda AlttP, botw, and TOTK, i really love the open air style, but i also really love that feeling when you get the dungeon item and you figure out the all puzzles in the dungeon, and then the dungeon item being the key to you defeating the boss. i wish they could make items that could do that, while also being very fun and useful to use when exploring, like the hookshot.

[@travishudson9796]

As someone who's first Zelda game was AlttP I totally agree with you. As you got more key items and learned how they worked, you came to the sudden realization that you could reach certain parts of the map you couldn't get to earlier (like the strength gloves and their later upgrade with rocks in the way and the hookshot and tree-stumps).

[@jakefastf]

Did you miss the entire point of the video? They’re not rehashing or redoing the stuff they did in previous games

[@raneanubis]

omg a hookshot in totk would have been amaaaazing

[@mkjjoe]

@@jakefastf that doesn't mean people aren't legitimate in wanting such things

[@c.nk.01]

@@raneanubis it boggles my mind that a traversal item as famous as the hookshot was not utilized in the two most traversal-heavy games in the franchise

[@tylerwhitehead3596]

I hope that in the next game the story is a lot more concrete. I would like to have a captivating story once again. I loved Tears but the story could have been a lot better and i think the story took a back seat in order to make things truly open to go anywhere.

[@mrshmuga9]

The story was okay, not as good as most… I just wished it unlocked in sequential order regardless of where you got the tear, given TotK was a linear story. It’s not like the tears or the location they’re found are in anyway related to the cutscene where _that_ scene _has_ to be seen at that spot. You could easily spoil things by going the wrong way, and the tear numbers don’t even correlate to their sequential order even if you _wanted_ to make sure you follow the story without spoiling. Guides will have tear numbers, but doesn’t say that tear #3 could be like cutscene #8, and you wouldn’t know until it’s too late or try looking for a different guide and risk seeing spoilers. Even when you follow the intended path the game nudges you towards, the cutscenes are still out of order on that path. I don’t know what they were thinking. It’s fine for BotW because they were unconnected vignettes showing characters’ personalities. Order had no relevance there so it didn’t matter. But here, you could find out something happens to character X just because you decided to go East or South instead of West or North, before even being introduced to the character. It undermines the story.

[@spimbles]

i think Tears had a great story. very bare bones but very effective. as my second ever Zelda game, i thought they did an amazing job at building up Ganon as this all-powerful being. he was incredibly daunting and intimidating, and it made the final boss that much more epic and impactful. i seriously enjoyed Tears' storytelling

[@spimbles]

@@mrshmuga9 i disagree. i never saw it as spoilers. i got the memory where (i think it was) Ganon kills Rauru's wife as like the second one in my playthrough but it didnt feel like a spoiler, it felt like proper non-linear storytelling. it was just enough info that i knew what was happening in the moment, but had no idea how it got there or what would happen after, so it had me even more intrigued by the tears, and made me seek the rest of them out so i could piece together the story. i feel like youre approaching it wrong

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

​@@spimblesNon Linear is inferior in the sence that information has to constantly be repeated (so many memories say the exact same information and flashback to each other)

[@lapniappe]

this is it for me. I did like tears but i feel that it being an open world concept hurt the story. I know for me, BoTW/Tears aren't the best Zeldas - but it's Skyward Sword, Majora's Mask and Windwaker. all 3 had great gameplay for me, and an amazing story. [TP as well. but Skyward kinda pushes it out]. the Open world was nice - but that's not why i play Zelda, and i hope the devs have it out of their system.

[@loubau2342]

I really hope that the next game will be more like a main line Zelda game story wise. I really miss the deeper stories and wish there was a way to have a more linear progression while keeping the open world aspects that made Botw and Totk so fun.

[@YokieWartooth]

I just want to see something as fleshed out in it's story, quests, dungeons, and minigames as Ocarina of Time, but with a similar sense of scale that comes with Tears of the Kingdom. I'd be fine with them scaling down the world space if it means filling it with more. More dungeons, more enemy variety, more quests, more lore, etc at the cost of a smaller map to play in. While traveling from Air - Land - Depths never gets old, the amount of things to do within those areas feels less like story and more like refreshed ubisoft checklists. Also, I miss the Zelda music being a constant rather than in locations or during cutscenes.

[@philsswweightlossdiary2944]

I really did love both breath and tears but, for me, I’m all about story over exploration. Breath’s biggest weakness was that the story was over so quickly and there was nothing compelling me to keep playing. Tears was a huge improvement in the sense that the story was much bigger but still, I haven’t turned it back on since I finished it. OOT is one of my all time favourite games because the balance between story and side quests is perfect. I wouldn’t be upset to go back to a more traditional zelda game.

[@snakefang4085]

I definitely agree with you. Once I finished the story and beat tears I never went back to playing the game because I wasn't really motivated to go back on. I still have lot's of side quests and shrines but I'm just not really interested in doing them. I love the old zelda formula and I'm upset that they won't go back to it. I'm okay with change but I hope they don't completely ignore the people who like the old zelda games.

[@beardalaxy]

i think tear's story felt bigger, but wasn't actually bigger and wasn't really executed as well.

[@DevilWearsAdidas]

I don't think that's what they meant about not going back. I think they meant the game being linear and you need a specific item to do certain dungeons. I can definitely see tons of side quest missions in the next games.

[@kreiskhaos8516]

​@@DevilWearsAdidasside quests alone don't make a compelling story.

[@kitbct1444]

I agree. The story is what I play for as well. This new type of Zelda is epic in its own right, but there is something comforting about linear progress that puts out the story in a set order.

[@Possum880]

I’d definitely prefer a return to form for the next Zelda game. I just want traditional dungeons and weapons that don’t break. I feel that you can continue the freedom and exploratory nature of the new games while implementing more classic elements of past games will result in the perfect Zelda game

[@damienb6184]

Yea I’m with you on that. I really miss the uniqueness of each dungeon/bosses in the older games, and something about the characters and story grabbed me more in previous titles. Some kind of hybrid would be awesome.

[@landon7336]

Amen brother

[@antonionatalvenancio6131]

I hope they try making a darker zelda game like oot majoras mask and twilight princess, i not talking about the lore but the graphics, botw is beatiful but doens't fit zelda very well in my oppinion, and the world of botw/totk is not as unique as the older games, it fails even on having more diversity because the older zeld games reutilizes the same locations each game, but they still make them look different than any other franchise, and the locations generally look different from one another

[@JCardo2502]

Same here man

[@sam9708]

This is why I dislike BOTW and tears. Dungeons are the best part about Zelda. I would be down for an open world including dungeons though. Also bring the music back.

[@mrbiscuits001]

It’s definitely time for something new. It’s good that they’re continuing this style, but dungeons should return. That’s the main gripe literally everyone had with totk. You can have open ended puzzles with traditional style dungeons. A new iteration of Hyrule is definitely needed though, it’s good to know that they’re planning on doing this.

[@highdefinition450]

i hate puzzles that you can solve in a million different ways or just jump over. it's never challenging imo

[@mrbiscuits001]

@@highdefinition450 well it’s what they’re going to do, but my point was that they can have those puzzles but still have a traditional dungeon

[@nugboy420]

@@mrbiscuits001yeah dude those have been my worst gripes about these two newest games. I ALMOST got exited when I heard they were called temples, in this game, but it is still freaking just a miniature open world.

[@mrbiscuits001]

@@nugboy420 yeah like, you can have open world and open puzzles and still include actual dungeons.

[@demigodgamer8517]

Honestly, I would rather explore beyond Hyrule, but still have it set in the same world, almost like the different provinces of Tamriel in Elder Scrolls. I wanna go to say, a modern version of Labrynna or Holodrum, but then encounter NPC travelling merchants who mention adoring Noble Pursuits made in Gerudo Town, or selling Tabantha Wheat and Hateno Cheese, or a builder whose name curiously ends in -son. TotK left so many mysteries I still want to explore and I feel like my only hope of getting to do so would be "same world, no reset button, but different country".

[@CZsWorld]

I wouldn't mind seeing something with the Breath of the Wild formula, but on a smaller scale with more focus on story and detail. Ie: the whole game takes place in Hyrule Castle, but every inch looks amazing and is loaded with secrets. The anti-thesis to TotK's hoverbiking over the depths and not really missing a lot. A game where you can keep coming back to the same area and find new ways to interact with it.

[@CaptainAstronaut]

Would love to see the next new game have a story where the events happens during the game, instead of before it finding the memories was cool the first time, but a little wonky the second time

[@robertbach3592]

With that, I hope it comes with a villain that’s more present throughout the story. The antagonist of these last two games does all of his strategizing in the past, and in the present, just sits there and waits for you. Give me another Zant, another Ghirahim, or even just use Ganondorf like they did in WW. I want them to be there throughout my journey, constantly attempting to prevent Link’s progress.

[@netweed09]

The 'memories' were never good as the central plot-telling device but thankfully Tears' true Dungeons offset that. So the '2nd time' was much more preferable & the Lore was a ton better than the basic 'Zelda diaries in motion picture' of the 1st game.

[@SporeLP360]

I honestly really like the idea of a spiritual successor to Minish Cap. Like A Link between Worlds took the world of the SNES classic and applied its own unique spin to it, I'd really love to see what they could come up with in the world of Minish Cap. Especially when it comes to exploring the world at the size of a Picori is something I'd imagine would look really breathtaking. It would also be nice to have a new non multiplayer entry in the Four Swords saga.

[@strawberrymilk467]

This would be a dream come true for me!

[@Dzzy123]

I'd like that if it meant the return of Vaati. I hate that he hasn't been used in 20 years.

[@NastyCat7]

My wish for story elements would be to experience present day special people among the tribes: birth of a new deku tree among Koroks, a male gerudo struggling with his ancestry, etc. Something like that, that would explore much more of the mysteries of Hyrule and its residents that we already have theories on. What I also loved was the building of Tarrey Town and helping out different villages in these games. I am hoping to see a very busy Hyrule Town (similar to OoT or TP but updated) and many more Hyruleans outside.

[@VoxelChaos]

I like that idea!

[@EliEffect]

A Wind Waker take with dungeons under the sea would be absolutely phenomenal. Along with Islands, treasure, and old companions!

[@86RSJag]

Hopefully something with a story line and some urgency.

[@ShadowSkyX]

Play majoras mask if you want that urgency.

[@beardalaxy]

@@ShadowSkyX they should never make another zelda game with urgency ever again

[@Bad616]

I don’t agree with the urgency part

[@gabrielgoes0]

Urgency is almost impossible within open world games. I'm all here for it if they can pull it tho

[@gabrielgoes0]

​@@beardalaxywtf

[@Rios-ov3xi]

I really liked the progression going between dungeons, and slowly gaining a new arsenal of items to use. Getting a new item in older Zelda games came with a sense of accomplishment I’ve come to miss in botw. I’d personally love if future Zelda’s take something of a metroidvania approach where you can get items throughout the game again.

[@ericBorja520]

It's fun seeing an obstacle, not knowing how to get passed it, then getting an item and realizing that you need to use it there.

[@fabiodiascerruti3464]

Metroid : august 6 1986. Castlevania: september 26 1986. The Legend of Zelda: february 21 1986. The idea of slowly gainning a new arsenal was born with Zelda - not with Metroid or Castlevania. " I’d personally love if future Zelda’s take something of a Zelda's approach where you can get items throughout the game again." - that's the correct sentence.

[@VicePup]

​@@fabiodiascerruti3464.... The original Zelda was not a metroidvania lol

[@Rios-ov3xi]

@@fabiodiascerruti3464 My bad, I just like the metroidvania genre. The metroidvania (the genre in general) elements in older Zelda games were parts I really liked. That’s all I meant to say.

[@jdswift78]

I agree. Items would have benefited the dungeons way more than hitting 5 random terminals with avatars abilities.

[@SuperJamPlays]

I hope the next game reins in the open world / non-linear aspects. They shouldn’t throw it away all together, but I think the way forward is refocusing on the dungeons and story. I also really really miss dungeons items like the Hookshot. If they can find a way to include these elements, I think it’d be a nice fusion of classic and fresh.

[@soylentgreenb]

The artificial gating of progression with items is a cancer that started already in Zelda II, became extremely obnoxious by OOT and would just not go away; like a nauseating funk permeating every game onwards. It turned an ostensibly open world game into a completely linear sequence of events with nintendos clammy hand never letting you go and explore. The original zelda had difficulty gently brushing you away from end-game areas but generally let you do whatever and completing dungeons mostly out-of-order. It was also needlessly cryptic; hiding necessary dungeons with clues badly translated from japanese. Dungeons tested mechanical skill and mastery. I think Elden ring is a much better template than trying to reimport anything from the last 20 years prior to BOTW.

[@theoneslayer8560]

@@soylentgreenb It's true. Zelda NEEDS to remain open world and open-ended. We can have a linear story, I agree (one where you progress through the cutscenes in order no matter which temple you completed), but we can't freaking go back to being forced to do single dungeons and being gatekept by items; after TOTK and BOTW, the exploration aspect of Zelda has gotten too good and too wide and too varied to do that.

[@ellieporter3270]

@@soylentgreenbBro just called the core of nearly every Zelda’s gameplay loop a cancer. If you don’t like Zelda, why do you care

[@soylentgreenb]

@@ellieporter3270 Because I like the good Zelda games before they were progressively ruined by stupid mechanics.

[@ellieporter3270]

@@soylentgreenb You called every Zelda starting with Zelda 2 cancer. So I guess the more accurate phrasing of your comment would be “Zelda game,” singular. Quit being a clown.

[@Zejoant]

I want another classic zelda like ocarina of time, twilight princess, etc.

[@edwardloredo306]

Same. I tried BOTW twice and can’t stand it. I’m not bothering with TOTK.

[@vaasmontenegro2016]

Making classics isn’t really an exact science, we probably will never get another ‘windwaker’, ‘twilight Princess’ or Majoras mask and oot. Nor will we have another Minish cap, phantom hourglass, spirit tracks..all of those concepts and game formats have been used up and there’s nowhere to go with them anymore so the only place to go is forward, and make new ideas… But it’s hard to perfect perfection..

[@funnyteacherman]

I feel like having access to everything at nearly the beginning of the game, as it is in BotW and TotK, makes it feel like I'm not achieving as much as I did in games where I had to wait to unlock different areas. I also miss having to put forth a lot of effort to not only find collectables, but also to even unlock where or how they are found. I also very much miss the challenges that weapon progression provided. In general, I miss the challeges and puzzles that traditional Zelda games provide.

[@KamenRiderGumo]

100% this. I'm not a fan of the way BotW and TotK have done things, but I've already ranted about that.

[@strwrbttlfrnt]

This something that I want them to fix make where you can discover new abilities Through dungeons instead and make it a little metroidvania like in the world

[@izzywoods794]

I dont see them going back to locking things behind levels/progression. Honestly, it’s a bit of a dated concept. I do like the idea of hiding powers like UltraHand throughout the world. So the barrier is exploration and not progress specifically

[@micahbarrus8406]

​@@izzywoods794it's a dated concept? Metroidvania's are still popular.

[@elfsong713]

I like the freedom TotK gives you to solve puzzles in multiple ways. When you're tinkering around and thinking, there's no way this could possibly work, and then somehow miraculously it does, it gives quite a sense of accomplishment. Even when you realize it was not the intended solution, it still feels equally valid. I'm playing Horizon Forbidden West right now, and am rarely able to cheese a puzzle. It feels like everything must be solved in the intended way and there is only one, sometimes not very obvious, solution. I do miss having that freedom. However, I don't think there is anything wrong with having certain areas of the game blocked off, until you progress the story, or complete a certain quest. Opening up the map gives a sense of progression. In open world games, sometimes it is a bit overwhelming having so much to do. So having that somewhat limited can give you something to focus on.

[@legomaster2538]

While I am happy TotK is a full game, there is a good amount of content I wish the developers included in the game. -Kass returns. -A shadow temple that unlocks Paya as a travel companion and awakens her as the Sheikah Sage of Shadow. -A more in-depth look into Ganondorf's past. -More Zonai lore. -More information about the ancient sages. -More scenes with Sonia since she was exclusive to memories. -Link and the Sages fight the new iteration of Twinrova. -A few more sky islands. -New game+. Allow players to carry over all materials, weapon slots in their inventory, and a specific amount of hearts and stamina from their original save file. -More gloom enemies like gloom versions of the Hollows from Age of Calamity that resemble the Sages. -A Yiga Clan and Lynel phase of the Demon King Army boss fight. -A Xenoblade Chronicles 3 collaboration that has Link wear Noah’s outfit.

[@ilikebmw]

jezus youre a geek

[@gphi6053]

@@ilikebmw Lol what are u though? They're not making bad points at all, this is speculation about the new game don't see what you're pressed about. Anyways I agree and I think they're likely trying to make BotW special, or they have some ideas for a third sequel, which in itself would be original as the 3D series hasn't done that yet with the same Link. So I wouldn't be surprised if the team makes another Zelda in the same world. It would be wasteful not to, it's a perfect Hyrule template. They can just make other lands like in the Witcher 3/Skyrim. It would come out sooner than a new world from scratch and to be honest, another Zelda in a brand new world wouldn't come out for another ten years with the standards of AAA games these days. They will likely reuse the world in a creative way and come up with some new ideas for a re-invention after this, because there's a reason that Skyrim is 12 years old without a sequel, these games are not easy to make.

[@ilikebmw]

@@gphi6053 im a geek as well. But this guy is next level.

[@mbii7667]

There is a Lynel phase in the final battle

[@Glitchyy07]

I think having somewhat traditional dungeons with dungeon items is still possible in the future, my idea being that they’re similar to Link Between Worlds. My idea is that you’d basically start the dungeon with its item and most of the puzzles are focused around how to use it, but you only get to keep it/ use it in the overworld if you beat the dungeon, if you leave at any point them it stays in the dungeon until you beat the boss

[@eyeball226]

The best bit about trad dungeons is the fact you get the item within the dungeon, having already passed numerous things you need the item for. Getting the item is like a getting a more interesting key that unlocks parts of the dungeon and changes your perspective on things you've already seen. When you start the dungeon with the item (as in aLBW) it makes it a much more straightforward affair with no "revelation". It's the same issue BotW and TotK have by giving you all of the abilities at the beginning.

[@Bobb11881]

Better idea: Metroidvania Zelda game. The entire world is structured like a dungeon. When you get a new item, you're not just opening up one new area, you're opening up a bunch of them, most of which are in areas you've already visited but either couldn't complete the main objective in, or have more than one main objective.

[@eyeball226]

@@Bobb11881 That sounds amazing. I love metroidvanias for exactly the same reasons I love zeldalikes as they're closely related. Being able to do part of a dungeon to get an item that lets you progres in a different dungeon would be great. There's a Link to the Past total conversion hack called Parallel worlds which is structured a bit like that.

[@Ryujishida]

​@@Bobb11881Honestly, this is the only way I would probably enjoy as a substitute for traditional dungeons where you find an item inside it.

[@lukejones7164]

​@@Bobb11881 That sounds like the OG Zelda for the NES

[@angebermerkel9964]

I 100% share your hopes for the next game. I really missed the item progression and traditional dungeon design

[@thenbarapper2907]

Also the feeling of using that key item you just found in a dungeon to access a new area of the overworld! Like in Majora's Mask, after getting bow & arrow at first dungeon, you can shoot down the ice to access the Snowhead area.

[@growinggrowthfromtree]

Open ocean really does seem to me to be the next amazing thing they could do. Much bigger islands. Underwater. Makes me want to play wind waker

[@LukasKetner]

And submarines! Subs would be a pretty cool addition IMHO.

[@asura2020]

I think the next obvious frontier is having Zelda take place in space. Have something like what no man's sky tried to do but with Zelda.

[@zenithquasar9623]

Water pls! Yes!

[@alexandersaksvoll5373]

Yep. That is possibly the reason they decided to not include underwater exploration in Tears of the Kingdom. They deliberately chose to save that for the next game 🎉 sounds wonderful!

[@oa2459]

your idea can be a nice sequel for the wind waker taking place before phantom hourglass

[@Khalith]

I want a more linear experience next. Twilight Princess is still my favorite and I’d want something in that formula.

[@elfsong713]

I hope that we can get a mix of new and old. I want something with as good of a story and dungeons as Twilight Princess, but with the freedom to solve puzzles and explore the map of the newer games. There is no reason they can't put a linear story into an open world map. Having the story told in flashbacks that can be discovered out of order isn't as impactful.

[@sukunawillstillwin]

i can almost guarantee we will never get another linear game that isn’t a remake or link betweens world tope down kind of game. they will double down on the BOTW formula

[@Blancer0]

​@@sukunawillstillwinunfortunately

[@cmbaz1140]

I kinda feel the same...kinda. However i never liked botw it was the first legend of zelda game i didnt want to play it was too minecrafty for me ... My favorites are twilight princess and majoras mask...and i play minish cap once ina while

[@Nickmcadv]

I agree. TP is my fav as well

[@Brolli106]

I really hope they revisit the music. I understand the minimalist approach of the last two games but I overall felt the atmosphere was quite lonely. I didn't feel like a hero until that moment you enter Hyrule Castle and that soundtrack kicks in.

[@Aeice_art_fish]

Personally I just really hope that they make the triforce more important in the next game, it bothered me that it wasn’t super present it totk and botw

[@shlop1904]

yeah man before totk came out i thought they were gonna let us visit the sacred realm and find the triforce so i hope they bring that stuff back

[@StephenJamieson]

The music was non existent as well. The story felt empty to me.

[@im_that_guy]

​@@StephenJamieson that's my biggest gripe with botw & totk, I can't get emotionally invested despite them having amazing gameplay. They keep soft rebooting the same rehashed stories over and over without ever tying the storylines in together. After OOT, I felt nothing ever surpassed it storywise. You can't keep doing the same story over and over, it just feels like a hollow shell of what came before it. Why not try something different at the very least?

[@rai357]

The Tarrey Town sidequest from BOTW had such a huge impact on me that I honestly kind of want the next game to be about Link having to rebuild the entirety of Hyrule from the ground up.

[@leokiralla4449]

I think having a kingdom builder kinda like in NI No Kuni II could be really satisfying

[@sharkulashairstylist5505]

DO you know much about that quest? I Bought Links house w/o upgrading the entire thing.... Then beat the game went back finished Terry Town, Now the Guy (Sonson or something) that supplies my house appliances and carpeting LEFT for the marriage and never came back... IDK I'm a moron that just plays. I should go to Terry town and find him I guess? I haven't tried out of being dumb and lazy

[@amphibian2982]

I remember really wishing that would be in totk, and that was one of few ways it disappointed me. I really wished we could build new towns, I remember imagining a fully exploitable and decadent castle, and maybe Sidon starting his own town or something. One thing I really like is how they expanded Gerardo town, that kinda scratched that itch, and the fort in front of the castle

[@amphibian2982]

Omg a kingdom builder Zelda spinoffff >>>

[@lonegamer6454]

​@@amphibian2982true but playing it after beating breath of the wild seeing how the world evolved from then and as you process into tears it all changes further it's cool

[@manuelk1853]

I would love to see an open world Zelda game in the style of Twilight Princess!

[@gsleo2396]

At this point, I don’t even want a twilight princess port anymore, but rather a full blown remake with completely overhauled gameplay and lore retcons to bring it more in line with TotK

[@ProgChannel123]

TP was a game mostly about it's dungeons even a one to one remake of that content, would still take a long time on top of recreating an open world version of that game. It's more possible then traditional making completely new traditional dungeons ontop of a new BOTW size map. But you kind of need to pick and choose, both take a lot of time and effort. Not impossible... But one is going to take a hit for the other.

[@elle-7081]

Zeltik really predicted Echoes of Wisdom with this one

[@luc1ferous]

The one thing I want from the next BIG Zelda game (that isn't a more present and active Princess) is a Hyrule at its peak, have it built on the ruins of a much older Kingdom but the present day Hyrule being fully functioning and thriving... Imagine organising a royal visit to the Great Deku tree where the advisors want all the pageantry but Zelda and her parents just want a quiet visit with a friend and ally... Imagine the stealth tutorial being sneaking into the Castle Kitchens to filch snacks for Zelda, maybe have all the combat tutorials be part of a tourney celebrating Zelda's birthday. I'm a bit sad we'll never get to see the Wilds' Link and Zelda doing what they obviously loved; travelling and exploring together. But there is always hope for the future.

[@elfsong713]

I would love nothing more than to be able to interact with Zelda throughout the game, not just be tasked with saving her at the beginning and not seeing her again til the end. I also agree that we need a thriving and bustling Hyrule. Something like an amped up version of Hyrule Castle Town from Twilight Princess. I know it probably saves them time and bandwidth not having to build a city full of NPCs, but on the next one, I want to see them go big!

[@falloutlover5443]

That all sounds wonderful.

[@luc1ferous]

@ashleyroberts89513 Not in the slightest does she have to fight, but I am so so tired of her being a thing for Link to retrieve. The Wilds version of Zelda is a curious, fiercely intelligent young woman who wants to be an active hand in rebuilding Hyrule, that's what I want to see, I want her and Link to travel, explore and be the force for good without her needing to be The McGuffin Link ends up chasing after.

[@Toothless21link]

I honestly hope we can see a new green hero's tunic. I did like the blue tunic, but the green tunic is just so iconic. I hope maybe the next title he'll have his signature outfit again.

[@TheDevastator619]

I certainly hope Nintendo has a good plan for the future because as much as I love BotW and TotK, I don’t think a third hash of it is really going to cut it in terms of hype As far as what I’d like, I agree with item progression, or at least items you need to make progress. And a return to music being a central element.

[@jada8047]

I think they'll make another universe..

[@k1ngkaos252]

Totk probably has the best soundtrack ever, nostalgia aside

[@chunbrew5551]

We’re not ever getting what we OG fans want ever again Zelda is a new game now. They are now catering to all the Skyrim fallout, assassins creed basically all the other main console junkies that play COD and Elden ring. All Nintendo cares about is making 💰 in the cheapest and easiest way possible

[@k1ngkaos252]

@chunbrew5551 bro what are you talking about have you even played the game???

[@k1ngkaos252]

@chunbrew5551 also if you were a true OG fan then you'd realize that zelda now is closest to the original legend of zelda than it's ever been

[@cobrakaiX]

Interested to see what they’ll do with brand new design and art direction. I doubt the next one will have the same look.

[@Iffondrel]

Talking about how they're leaving behind what older games had established while you play TP's Hyrule Field theme in the background made me tear up. Fuck, there's just so much I love about the era between OoT and TP. I miss playing instruments and using transformations. I even miss the sidekicks! Especially when they had character! I sincerely hope they continue to draw inspiration from all their past titles, not just the new open air era. I'd miss it too much.

[@gamerkingdom1442]

This is truly one of the most difficult questions I’ve thought about this series. TEARS really was incredible, and I honestly don’t know what Nintendo will do for the next game…

[@highdefinition450]

lol so many things they can do tho, there's a lit of room for improvement in botw and totk imo

[@brandoncardona2843]

It's really difficult to think about what's next but I find relief in thinking that probably the same thing was in the minds of the people who played OOT when it came out and just look at how many amazing and gorgeous games we've had in the franchise since. I have hopes the same thing will happen to us!

[@beardalaxy]

@@highdefinition450 what is stopping the next game from becoming just like the other two but slightly better, though? eventually it'll get old, if it hasn't already.

[@beardalaxy]

it's kind of like the smash ultimate and mario kart 8 problems. how tf do they expand from there?

[@derrickcrowe3888]

@@beardalaxy I don't think it's quite the same. Smash and Mario Kart are very focused games with very limited room for new mechanics. They don't really have space to innovate, so they need to expand. Modern Zelda, on the other hand, being open world and sandbox-y, has a ton of room for new mechanics, new ideas, and going in new directions. Just as an example, I doubt a single person played BotW and then imagined the next game would heavily feature vehicle and structure building, but then we got TotK. Zelda doesn't need to expand per se, it can just focus in a different direction.

[@SlushySlushArt]

Honestly mad respect for them for not releasing content behind a 2nd paywall like alot of other games do nowadays. Also the fact that so many people were asking for dlc just shows hoe amazing this game really is

[@Draconic_Incenerator]

Not really. They just cant let things die and it wouldnt make sense to release dlc for dlc. I mean TotK was originally DLC for BotW.

[@PET_-rp9rx]

Or it could be a PR stunt to temporarily paint themselves as the "good guys" for not making DLCs like everyone else.

[@SlushySlushArt]

@@PET_-rp9rx thats a possibility ig, but id hate to have that kinda mindset

[@cobaingrohlnovo]

Mate they got everyone to pay 70$ American for dlc

[@PET_-rp9rx]

@SlushySlushArt Yeah in any case totk is beautiful enough as it is. I simply find it hard to believe that "we think the game's good enough as it is" was what Aonuma said at the board meeting.

[@michaelmcteague7471]

Putting this into the ether. I would love to see the modern/technologically advanced shiekah society maybe with cities to introduce seamless verticality to the exploration.

[@adambutzow3411]

I would really love to see them explore Lorule since they've introduced the depths

[@MuljoStpho]

My wild idea that I've had on that subject would be for a game to initially look like it's just giving us the BotW / TotK Hyrule again but then we acquire some sort of magic that we can shoot into any chasm and then when we jump through it the gravity seems to reverse and we're spat up out of a corresponding chasm in Lorule. Jump into a chasm without that magic and the depths would still be down there. Lorule would have its own version of the depths if you jump into a Lorule chasm without using that magic. And hit a Lorule chasm with that magic to get back to Hyrule. I would want to see a TON more thought and effort put into this new Lorule than we got in LBW though. Make it quite clear that it is its own separate reality with its own separate history. Plus the geographical differences! Lorule probably would have a massive swamp in the southwest to contrast with Hyrule's Gerudo Desert and a volcanic region in the northwest to contrast with Hyrule's frozen Hebra Peaks and other contrasts for all the other regions as well. Hyrule's Zora kingdom features a massive dam that prevents flooding downriver throughout most of Hyrule. What if Lorule does not have such a structure built anywhere? And suppose that the people of Lorule didn't think to build their settlements in all the same places that the people in Hyrule did. A town in one world could just be wilderness in the other world. Maybe Lorule's royalty never built a palace where Hyrule's royalty did and instead the Lorule palace towers over everything up on their version of the Great Plateau. Structure two or three times the size of Hyrule's palace, and then it'd be perched on top of what is already an area of higher than normal elevation to make it seem that much bigger and more imposing.

[@PTSKurama]

Just from the into I have goosebumps zeltik you always deserve immaculate context as if I’m watching a new episode of my favorite show. An amazing content creator in this world to date

[@mandragonna]

Such a Nintendo move not to capitalize over a massive success. It’s bittersweet to know there won’t be a continuation to this story but at the same time I’m so glad that BoTW and ToTK formula was such a hit. I like the Zelda franchise and these games made me love it even more.

[@brainwasher9876]

They said they might come back if there's a reason for it. I don't think that sort of phrasing means that they definitively won't come back. I personally think that while TotK has practically exhausted what the engine has to offer, I'd love to see this incarnation of Link and Zelda's story continue.

[@crazysilly2914]

What I want to see is BOTW/TOTK but with realistic graphics (like the Witcher games), traditional item progression and traditional dungeons IN ADDITION to all the stuff BOTW/TOTK has, and a complete Hyrule with several giant bustling cities to explore. oh and underwater exploration. oh and also giant army vs. army battles

[@sukitron5415]

​@@brainwasher9876I'm gonna miss these incarnations of Link and Zelda when we get the next Zelda because we'll probably have a new hero and princess.

[@mikemo8567]

The Koga clan leader is the hint for the next location. He was the hint for TOTK's when he fell into the abyss in BTOW and this time in the game he got blasted to the sky. Next possible story will be where Rauru came from, the moon or another planet.

[@videoket]

I’d love to see a sequel with evil Zonai in space. Seeing how fruitless most ToTK speculation was, though, I will forbear.

[@Riko_KP]

But they explicitly said that they will not be expanding this Hyrule anymore, so Kohga will not be a part of Zelda future.

[@mikemo8567]

@@Riko_KP your first statement supports the idea of the setting being in the moon or another planet though.

[@Riko_KP]

​@@mikemo8567 Yes, but seeing as Kohga more than likely will not be a part of the next game, why would their fate affect the universe to come?

[@UncleNuggets]

I think that was a lucky idea they had when he fell down that hole. You don’t kill humans in this game so they always have to disappear/fall/get thrown somewhere you can’t see

[@ericpeterson6520]

I really hope that the Zelda team recognizes that caves in TotK were a massively successful experiment, with far more potential than shrines, and make them a focus of the series going forward. It's a perfect way to have tightly designed, linear puzzle solving and exploration in a way that remains interesting and fits into the world, and since they mostly reuse assets (generic cave assets and things from the overworld area they're in) they won't take that much more development time than shrines I also hope that, if they keep a korok-like overworld puzzle collectible mechanic, they don't call them koroks again. I think that may have been TotK's biggest misstep, because everyone was already tired of koroks even before it came out. Even purely cosmetic changes would help a lot

[@PurpleAlzir]

I dunno being able to torture some koroks for one of the puzzle types seemed to be enjoyable to a lot of people.

[@DragunKnightLeonis]

IDK man, commit Korok War Crimes is pretty fun 😂

[@highdefinition450]

caves should have given heart pieces and actually have puzzles in them, that would have been cool

[@serfsan]

No

[@7makosheva]

A weakness of the caves is they were atmospherically repetitive

[@DaveAdams222]

I really . . . REALLY . . .wanna see HD/2.5D remakes of the Oracle games and Minish Cap. Ugh, that'd be so fun!

[@MalabarTheGreat]

I'd love more traditional Zelda games, as long as they introduce a new art style while keeping the classic designs.

[@elfsong713]

I am definitely ready for a new art style! Was never really a fan of cell shading. Hopefully the next more powerful console will support more interesting graphics. I would love to see a Zelda game that looks like Kena Bridge of Spirits!

[@SkywalkerOne1977]

@@elfsong713Okay, that would be sick!

[@sup3414]

For real. I miss the griddy photo-realistic artstyle of Twilight Princess with a masculine Link.

[@gsleo2396]

While I’d like something different than the BotW/TotK artstyle, I’m not too keen on Nintendo’s insistence on changing the artstyle every other game and wish they stuck to one or something similar to TP for consistency

[@SkywalkerOne1977]

@@gsleo2396 For direct sequels, sure. For new iterations, I say change it. It would get stale otherwise.

[@FTiger5888]

I largely agree with the narrator- I think the ideal next step for the series from here would be two things: 1. Keep but de-escalate the open world format. Some semblance of linearity versus being able to run up to Ganon in your underwear with a stick and 3 hearts. Also quality over quantity- we don’t need a massive map that takes 60 hours to just superficially glaze over for the sake of being huge. I loved the idea of a sky, land, and underworld to be clear but the map size could have easily been cut in half and filled up with more interesting things than 900 Koroks (which yields a golden poop for finding all of them) and empty ruins. 2. Re-introduce classic Zelda hallmark features including large complex dungeons, item progression (and needing certain items like the long shot to reach specific areas of the map instead of climbing everything), and bring back the Triforce. Absolutely keep Ganon or some incarnation of him. I do like the art style of BOTW and TOTK but I would love if just once the creators went all out and made an unreal engine looking game similar to the great lie they fed us in 2013 in that demo where Link takes on that giant spider.

[@laurendouglas6452]

I really hope the next game in the series explores the map beyond our current hyrule- we know there are OTHER Zora out there in the world, so it would be awesome to see what other iterations of known (or unknown) Zelda characters are out there!

[@shshshshsh7612]

I'm hoping for Twilight Princess and Wind Waker releases on the switch! ❤

[@ashalaya]

Even if not on the switch, on the new console 😭 we are BEGGING

[@shshshshsh7612]

@@ashalaya Or better, both.

[@MrPsyJak]

That's why I got a Wii U this year

[@jpbeyond5764]

Please not windwaker ill end up buying it again for the 3rd time 😂😂

[@turnackibunch9866]

An "open air" Twighlight realm centered game would be pretty amazing, I believe.

[@adaeris]

imagine if twilight princess was built like botw. incredible

[@turnackibunch9866]

@@adaeris that's what I was thinking.

[@andrushively5266]

What I want more than anything from a future Zelda game is much more complex cities/towns. I mean, something huge that takes a LOT of time to properly explore. Why not an open-air style dungeon that is an entire city? Taking the elements from previous games such as town gossip/rumors, trading sequences, etc. but to another whole level. The other thing I remember seeing in BotW concept art and designs was a return of the Minish, or something similar (there was a sketch of Link crouching down by a miniature house, if I recall correctly). I'd love to see that, not to mention a remake of The Minish Cap in the same way they did Link's awakening.

[@soylentgreenb]

I'd like dungeons that are actually difficult like the original. That test your skill and give you a reason to do the exploration and stockpile items. The gating of dungeons behind items and story NPCs in the way they did starting with OOT is awful and should never return. It turned an hostensibly open world game into a completely linear game with extreme hand holding.

[@joshbimthedoctor]

I wish we'd get an "open-air" game, except make it so areas can't be explored until you get a dungeon item. Merge the dungeons and open world. Heck you could even remake OOT in a giant world. It would be so awesome.

[@zaydenross7044]

Personally, I really liked how dark twilight princess. I think that an open air zelda game with perhaps even more “dark” and horror themes would be fantastic. It would show how the series IS universal if you follow its roots. It really could be futuristic si-fi, horror, or maybe something crazy like western cowboys.

[@zaydenross7044]

Or even something crazy in between sun releases, like a game where you play as Ganondorf, in his past, and the game ends with his curse or something. But a zelda game that doesn’t ever directly show you zelda and link

[@alexanderjakubowski5673]

I would appreciate a darker entry as well and a new art style

[@ryanmorfei6325]

A duel with bows would be totally sick

[@firionkaiser8291]

The darkest entries you could get would be the Great Flood (in the toon style to balance things out), Imprisoning War (ALttP version) and maybe the Interloper War (there a couple other examples). Of course we still have plenty of options for a brand new entry that's unrelated to any of those but that would be on Nintendo to make it work.

[@pleasureslave18]

Yeah, at that point, you're deviating from the premise.

[@TitaniumSeraph]

You hit the nail on the head. Dungeons is a sore spot for me. We really need them back. I also miss more dynamic music and memorable themes. (And as you mentioned the items and story progression. I miss the hook shot.)

[@DanualMoon]

I AGREE. Give us more dungeons, more enemies (OOT had more variety than even TOTK) and more bosses. A return to something somewhat linear is the true Zelda nature. This "do anything in any order" just doesn't quite fit Zelda.

[@KitCloud1]

@@DanualMoonEven ignoring the fact that half of OoTs enemys follow the exact same attack/wait format and have blatantly identical skeletons, this is a flat out lie or pure bias. It *might* have been true about botw but if you think this you have not played enough of TotK.

[@lucasstokes503]

This aged very well

[@jamesfloyd6693]

Came here to see how it aged too. Yes. It aged very well which is nice to see in speculative work

[@ashalaya]

I’m 100% with you on keeping the open air philosophy while also implementing classic zelda aspects like classic dungeons and real time story progression,,, imo totk took a good step in that direction compared to botw but not quite enough so I’m pretty hopeful for the future !!

[@trevorrose3769]

Well I think it’s time for some Switch ports like TP and WW

[@FierceDeity35]

Or have a Zelda 40 with some of the most famous games being remade for switch 2 in 2027.

[@tombarbecue9825]

I don’t get why those games aren’t on switch already, if they can put it on Wii U why not switch?

[@linaalk]

right

[@k.coutts8908]

Personally my favourite Zelda is Twilight Princess, and what I loved most about that game was the unique, potent and unprecedented atmosphere of a melancholic yearning for the past; a great mystery that transforms into a grand adventure, of the loneliness and still quiet of a fairy spring, an ominous cave or a frosted mansion. And of course there was a bizarre strangeness; an uncomfortable unfamiliarity that eventually brings independence, courage and mastery. It would be interesting to see Link transform into animal-form again, with unique ways of interacting with the world and its inhabitants. Personally I believe that the Twili magic is corrupted Zonai magic, due to the similarities of their designs (Zant's mask looks like a darker version of the Zonai construct's armour, with faces on the back and sides of the outfit.) What I want to see next for Zelda is: A deeper dive into the Twili's origin, more psychological-based fear like with Twilight Princess, the return of Loftwings (I loved them in Skyward Sword), longer, more ambient and convoluted dungeons which induce the feeling of being trapped (that build up to the Wind Temple in Tears was pretty close to evoking that classic Zelda dungeon feeling, more of that please), a story more based in the present where the stakes were high for Link and his allies, the return of more melodically/harmonically rich compositions, a musical instrument that Link can play, strange and otherworldly locales to explore, and more variety and world-building in the enemy design. Also did you notice that the design and animations of the friendly Zonai constructs on the Great Sky Island foreshadowed the storyline of our main heroine and we didn't even know it? The way their faces and arms fold into themselves when they go to sleep and make a different sort of "face" vs when they are awake? To me it's a genius touch.

[@RhinoMaan]

Personally, I think that the next 3d zelda game needs to be more linear, at least with dungeons. This would help the story a lot making it more impactful like in Twighlight Princess and Ocarina of Times stories. The games can be open world and linear at the same time. Maybe they could only open paths to dungeons after you complete a certain quest. Tiers of the Kingdoms story suffered because of the fact nintendo didn't know what temple you would do first, so they just played the exact same cutscene every single time a dungeon was completed. Or instead of having dungeons you have to go to in whatever order, bring back pieces of hearts that you can't get without a certain item or ability so once you complete that dungeon you can go back to the piece of heart.

[@ashalaya]

Additionally I’m so curious on what sort of art direction they’ll go with for the next 3D game!! I love seeing what they come up with

[@crunchysalmons]

if they’re going to expand on the open air world puzzle format of these last two zelda games i feel like they should make a game with a higher emphasis on the mystery that comes with discovery. i really thought that after Botw they’d really expand on the format and add in completely missable and discoverable dungeons, hidden end bosses and nostalgic items or locations locked behind difficult challenges and lucky discoveries. Tears of the kingdom focused heavily on the creativity that comes from the chemistry engine designed for Botw but i really think they can expand on this sense of grand discovery that we felt maybe when we discovered the forgotten temple for the first time. imagine in Totk if you were able to get to the highest point in the game on your own and just happened to discover the ruins of skyloft. people would lose their minds

[@paulypipes3082]

Amen to that dude. And i think that's what alot of us were thinking we would find in TOTK because Nintendo even said Skyward Sword wae an important game to play before totk. Nintendo needs to do this more, we all been anticipating it. I thought the dungeons were more traditional, but they still felt like the divine beasts in a way. Bigger dungeons and mysterys leading back to older games and Ganon & Demise in a game together .

[@Lorentz_Driver]

"open air" is some apple-level BS

[@doofinator4285]

Agreed. I really like these games but at the same time they’re incredibly disappointing. The sense of discovery is lost when the answer is almost universally “it’s a shrine” or “it’s a Korok”.

[@gusjanuary1729]

I wonder how long it would take them to make a game on the scale of OoT or MM 3D. Personally I would love to see new games in that tighter, more grounded scale. It’d be cool if Nintendo could make a smaller new game like that during the undoubtedly long period of time between big games.

[@jayc22kungfu]

I know I’m on an island, I understand ToTK is amazing and endless with exploration.. but I’ve found myself kind of overwhelmed with all the mechanics in addition to how huge the world is. I get that they’re tools to help explore but I couldn’t just dive into the game the same way I did BOTW. I haven’t gotten far into totk but I’m positive it’s the superior game compared to the previous entry & that frustrates me. Maybe I’m just slow lol but I’d love to see a linear style Zelda game come back. Not completely linear but something similar to windwaker, it had a great balance in my opinion

[@roastbeefy0weefy]

Same, I thought I was crazy. After a decade long gaming hiatus, I put about 8 hours into TOTK and just couldn't get into it. Ended up returning it. Didn't like the crafting, didn't understand the point of anything, and nothing felt... fun. Now I'm playing BOTW for the first time and haven't been this addicted to a game since Red Dead 2. I'm not sure if it's the art style, or the simplicity in having fewer mechanics, etc, but BOTW just has an X factor that I didn't get at all with TOTK.

[@jeffeezy]

The game feels like I have a list of chores to do and not having much of a game to play

[@jaxpool155]

i would love to see an open zelda like botw and totk but with more tools like in the older zeldas. like a hookshot/grappling hook to swing around places, or iron/hover boots of some sort. the slate and rauru's arm do have cool abilities, but i kinda miss finding tools that opened up more of the world like that.

[@ToniSkit]

I hope that they consider building in more dungeons/castles/structures that can be explored and that have some traditional items like keys and maps - I’m not saying don’t be open air but use elements of both

[@Goldnfoxx]

Your hopes for the future of Zelda are largely the same as mine. I'm someone who's been playing this series since I got the original for Christmas back in junior high, and it's still my favorite of the franchise because of the freedom it afforded and the memories I made playing it. On the surface, it seemed like BOTW or TOTK might give me what I've been wanting, but I've started BOTW playthroughs on three different occasions now, and I just can't with the constantly breaking weapons or tiny, one-off puzzle rooms completely replacing dungeons. And I just am not going to spend the money on TOTK knowing it's largely more of the same. And they're not making games for me; that's fine. People clearly love these new entries. But as I'm pushing 50yo now, and have never been in the most certain of health, my big fear with most of the franchises I've loved taking these radical new directions is that I'll never see another of the style I love, which is made a tad more frustrating by the fact that what I've been hoping for since Zelda made the jump to 3D has been a game with the design philosophies of the original TLOZ (i.e., basically, the original taken into the third dimension) and to feel locked out of the new entries that take that approach with the world itself, but not anything else... kinda... SUCKS.

[@robintst]

I'm almost 40 and the original Zelda is also still my favorite, got it for Christmas back then too as a wee lad. I did a full BOTW playthrough and am currently going through TOTK and even after all that, believe me, I still 99.9% agree with you and sympathize. It was just that for everything about them at I don't like, I can still feel the spirit of the original Legend of Zelda in there at their core. Getting thrown into the world with little direction and being allowed to figure it out like we did back in the day was all I wanted for years and years with every overly hand-holding linear 3D Zelda that came out up to Skyward Sword, I was so utterly disgusted and disengaged with all of those that I just gave up on them half way through. Only one I ever finished was Ocarina of Time, the rest were all just stale iterations of that same formula. All the things you couldn't get on with in BOTW, they do suck to deal with, but I find them tolerable enough just to finally be allowed to explore and learn a Zelda game world on my own finally after 30+ years. I know you already gave BOTW several chances but you never know, maybe one day out of the blue you might give it one last shot and something might click for you, it's happened to me on more than one occasion. But I'm not trying to change your mind or anything or say you're wrong, again I'm almost entirely in agreement. If I had it my way, there'd have already been a sequential "Zelda III" to continue the NES Link's story for one more go around and that one would have been the open world 3D Zelda we always dreamed of. :-)

[@falloutlover5443]

I know how you feel. I'm 26 and I had never touched the series myself until early 2019 when I decided to buy a used 2DS XL and copy of Majora's Mask 3D to finally play. Obviously I'd been aware of the Zelda series my whole life, but I never had any experience with it until two years after BotW had already been out. Naturally I fell in love with Zelda and started making my way through the series one entry at a time as I got the systems and ability to. Finally I got around to BotW and I can just say outright, no caveats, I do not like Breath of the Wild. I like certain about it, little charms here and there, but that's about all the nice things I have to say about it. Obviously most people love it, and that's great! I'm very happy for them, but with TotK, I was really hoping that my first new Zelda release would be more akin to the older games. I can say with certainty that Tears of the Kingdom is far better than BotW, although take what for what you will as my definition of 'better than BotW' isn't exactly high praise. As I didn't grow up with Zelda like a lot of people did I was really hoping to be able to go forward and have some new experiences like the old ones as they were fresh out, but it looks like that's not going to be the case and that makes me pretty sad. *Edit: Deleted some redundant wording.

[@Goldnfoxx]

@@robintst _"It was just that for everything about them at I don't like, I can still feel the spirit of the original Legend of Zelda in there at their core"_ Well, that's probably why I don't have the animosity toward the last two games that I do the last three Assassin's Creed games. They are (and feel), categorically like they belong in the Zelda franchise. I WISH I could get into them. The last playthrough I did, I decided to just get into the spirit of things and wander, try and beat challenges as I came across them. And I didn't HATE the experience, but I found when I put it down, I didn't have any desire to come back to it, either. Storywise, it may be a Zelda game, but gameplay-wise? Not so much. Of the things I love about the series, mechanically-speaking, _none_ of it's there beyond the world-building/exploration side of it. I keep telling myself that if I try to forget it's a Zelda game and find a way to enjoy the game despite the absolutely constant annoyance of weapon degradation, I might get into it. I just haven't been able to yet. And knowing that TOTK foundationally mimicked the one Banjo-Kazooie game I couldn't stand and never finished doesn't help, either. I had to face that they're just not designed with a player like me in mind.

[@Goldnfoxx]

@@falloutlover5443 Sometimes, if you can, you have to be able to enjoy a game for what it is rather than what it isn't. But like you, for me the differences between them seemed to lay in the things that brought me to Zelda games in the first place. Don't get me wrong: I've been critical of the 3D Zelda games, even though I love them, because of how on-rails and hand-holdy they are. (Again, I really do love the 3D Zelda titles. Wind Waker won me over the moment I got far enough into it to appreciate what it was doing, Twilight Princess is my favorite 3D Zelda title for all its flaws, and my concerns about Skyward Sword's motion controls being hard for someone with my joint issues to manage dissipated in the first half hour of that game. I just also have issues with them, but not the kind that break my ability to enjoy them for what they are.) That experience of stumbling upon the eighth dungeon before I even found the fourth, and then beating it anyway, has been missing for years. My idea Zelda is a world with that philosophy, but with the upgrades of the...well, everything after the original. It shouldn't be THAT hard for game designers to just not require a device found in a dungeon in order to access another dungeon, but that isn't what they wanted to do, and I can respect that. I just wish game devs would find the sweet spot of doing new things while simultaneously not leaving behind what made a series work in the first place. Everyone wants new, new, new all the time, "just show me something I haven't seen before" and "nostalgia is bad," but for me, there are expectations that I have when I pick up a game of any long-running franchise. Most of the time, more of the same (albeit with some issues fixed) is usually all I ask for with a new title. But I can't deny the sales numbers or the critical acclaim the last two games have brought Nintendo. People adore these games, and I guess I'm happy for them. It just sucks SO much when there're already so few franchises I actually do still love, and they're the ones changing in ways I can't follow.

[@falloutlover5443]

I think that's where I'm at with TotK, despite my gripes with it I'm still playing it. If there's an actual time counter in it somewhere I can't find it, but the Hero's Path thing on the map that shows your paths says it can record like 256 hours of gameplay or something and I'm about halfway through the bar, so I've got well over 100 hours into it. I would say my main hope for the series going forward is that if they're not going to full out return to the old formula, that they would at least focus on making a game that isn't designed to be played in fifteen minute intervals. All of the shrines and quests are set up to be doable on breaktime at work or something, and that's a very unfulfilling experience to me. That being said, an open world Zelda game isn't inherently bad. I haven't played much of the very first game, so I can't really speak to its open ended nature, but A Link Between Worlds was a really good balance I think. The dungeons were real dungeons, but you could tackle them mostly in any order. Where I think BotW and TotK do openness wrong is that they're so single mindedly focused on being "open" that they have to ensure that a roughly similar experience will happen no matter where a player goes or when. In the execution of that it's led to a ton of copy/paste content. I'm just not a fan of the Wilds era game mindset here, but there are ways that I can see it being massively improved upon. I just hope that involves more traditional aspects.@@Goldnfoxx

[@alexandergott3409]

god, please let there be items again. The fact that there is no traditional zora tunic, iron boots, hookshot, hammer, etc really bumms me out. They could just be permanent features in your inventory, that open up new ways to explore the open world format. getting all your abilities early on absolutely kills the game for me, as every challenge can be approached in the same way as you always have. Also, as much as i know people hate linear games, they tell a much better story and force you to feel the pressure, intensity, the suspense. games like BotW and Totk dont hold the emotions as more linear titles do, because right after you could spend the next 100 hours doing everything except.

[@rubberduck-1]

I would love to see this version of Link and Zelda travel to a completely new land, maybe even with more ocean exploration like Wind Waker.

[@highdefinition450]

ew no

[@Huziplayz2010]

@@highdefinition450don’t gotta be so rude dude.

[@chillswany]

They are the best Link and Zelda version we had so far, so i would be up for that!

[@bowser1166]

I love this Link and Zelda too, but PLEASE GIVE THEM A REST. They deserve it. 😂

[@ts7844]

No sailing

[@satanresurrectedgaming7765]

Hopefully the next one has a dark story such as Twilight Princess. Can't decide whether TOTK or Twilight Princess is my favorite, but always enjoyed the darker storylines.

[@lalalalalalalablablablablabla]

TOTK is your favorite

[@parkfever]

@@lalalalalalalablablablablabla tp is mine

[@theunknown4645]

Totk would be my fav if it wasn't a sequel and almost exactly the same as botw tp is my fav

[@satanresurrectedgaming7765]

@@theunknown4645 True, except now they want us to be engineers. But i agree Twilight Princess is hard to beat. TOKT hit me in the feels though just about as hard, Especially when i finished collecting those Tears.

[@ignorethischannel2161]

@@theunknown4645of course it’s “exactly the same as BOTW” it’s literally the same world. I don’t understand what people mean when they say this

[@Blixthand]

I want a more integrated story, not necessarily super deep or expensive, but something that feels more present (like you said). Also the return of items and dungeons. I also want side quests that feel more meaningful and your heart/item progresses to be more integrated into the world and the side quests, not a bunch of shrines or koroks for you to find and complete. I’m not opposed to picking up enemy weapons, but we need at least some options that don’t break or run out of power, you could make those less powerful, but still always useable. But most of all I want a smaller word where things are more tightly packed. I had very little interest in exploring the Wild world, it felt bland and uninteresting with not enough meaningful stuff compared to its huge size. Having spent several real life hours trying to get from point a to point b with h very little side questing along the way made me incredibly frustrated and boarded by the time something actually happened, so I couldn’t really enjoy it. I finished the wind temple and started the fire temple before quitting TotK, I just wasn’t having any fun. I didn’t even know there were memories to collect until I saw someone play the game on KZbin, but even watching edited play throughs that cuts a lot of the fluff isn’t very interesting for me.

[@Hydrano]

I totally feel you. I watched 3 full Lets plays in the past for Skyward sword and played it by myself when it launched. Breath of the Wild lost me after about 20 hours in my first run. I also tried to start over 2 more times but after only that one session each I quit again. Also watching Let's plays, even edited ones like you mentioned, are not interesting to me. I can kinda understand why people love this so much but this seems to be the reason I find it boring. This doesn't mean I don't like open world but it needs to be much more dense and filled with life. I love Cyberpunk, GTA V, The Witcher 3 and since the release of Baldurs Gate 3 I'm in love with it. The worlds density of Baldurs Gate 3 is just perfect. I also liked many parts of Red Dead Redemtion 2 but that game is also a good example for a world too big.

[@gergomi7289]

Exactly right! 🙈

[@robotlegs]

Totally agree. I did eventually come back to BOTW 4 years after it’s release to complete it but it just felt so barren and shallow. No exploration or quest rewards carry any weight and what little world building exists is too sparse to pull you in deeper. Tarry Town was like three drops of water I’m desperately trying to lick off the sand of a storytelling desert

[@AlexD-zo4xy]

I have a feeling they started working on the next-gen Zelda game while totk was still in development. I remember they had to hire more people to work on totk a while back. So maybe the main Zelda team was already working on the next project while the smaller Zelda DLC team continued to worked on totk? Just speculating, but that’s probably why tears took so long to get released even though the engine and many other assets of botw were reused

[@CorvusnTel]

Something I kinda always wanted was a complete remake of Oracle/Ages, but with the added third game that had to be cut originally due to constraints.

[@napoleonfeanor]

They didn't have enough ideas for a third one though.

[@MrPsyJak]

​@@napoleonfeanorThey might now!

[@napoleonfeanor]

@@MrPsyJak wishful thinking. All those ideas are long gone

[@MrPsyJak]

@@napoleonfeanor Even the ones that didn't exist?

[@beastslayer8729]

I am hoping for a spellsword Link in our next game, hopefully delving a bit more into the fantasy and divine magic side of the LOZ series. I can imagine a game where all of our dungeon items are just spells link can cast with his non-sword hand, allowing for a variety of playstyles surrounding different spells.

[@EpicRandomness555]

Love that idea

[@zachisyourpal3681]

Zelda II

[@beastslayer8729]

@@zachisyourpal3681 Kind of? But those spells are awful and don't really do a whole lot.

[@zachisyourpal3681]

@@beastslayer8729 fireballs, instant health, a screen nuke, turning every enemy into bots, c'mon. the spells sre actually pretty powerful

[@valen5188]

I kinda doubt they would do this, it they didnt really put much focus in combat in botw and totk. This idea sounds great though.

[@Everything_Was_Taken]

I am kinda sad that they aren’t planning on a DLC right now, i really miss kass and his music, the game does not feel complete without him

[@gruffyddjones8597]

One very specific thing i want is Hyrule castle town to return in all of its glory. With a more powerful console on their hands in the next generation i could see them making a much more densely populated game with areas such as castle town as the highlight. The post apocalyptic world has been fun but we haven’t seen castle town in a mainline zelda since Twilight princess

[@thenbarapper2907]

I just want traditional dungeons and item progression! Brand new top-down 2D would be so awesome! A 3D Zelda with traditional dungeons would be amazing, even if it was a less ambitious game, smaller in scale. I love the new games, but I really miss unraveling the mystery of a newly discovered temple or dungeon. Think Goron Mines or Lakebed Temple from TP. Or OoT Temples. A big, interconnected dungeon with puzzles contained to one room, or puzzles that affect the whole dungeon. Not being able to reach an area until finding the key item needed. SMALL KEYS AND LOCKED DOORS.

[@Luke-ym7hd]

Open world Zelda isn’t the one tbh. At least in the way Nintendo have made these 2 games anyway. Elden Ring & RDR2 are both better open world games than BotW & TotK, and it’s sad because if they had a slightly more classic approach, they could have become 2 of the greatest Zelda games ever. I don’t even think they are top 3 now. And by the sounds of it the next game won’t be much better either.

[@john.premose]

I'm glad they aren't listening to the fans and they're doing what they want to do. People have cried about every single game that was slightly different. They cried about Majora's Mask, they cried about WW, they cried about SS. Wah wah wah. Then several years later they suddenly realized they loved those games. Botw is the opposite. When it was new everybody seemed to love it. After a few years they started complaining about it and now it seems to be the worst thing ever according to the majority.

[@john.premose]

​@@Luke-ym7hdif they listened to the fans they would just keep remaking OOT forever, and then you'd be complaining about how unoriginal and boring it is.

[@Luke-ym7hd]

@@john.premose You clearly didn’t read my comment. Because I said if BotW & TotK had classic features such as good dungeons implemented into the story then they would have been near perfect games. Dungeons are what made Zelda so popular and loved. And the fans are the people who play their games and give them money. If Nintendo made a poll, I guarantee it would have at least 75% saying they would want classic dungeons back.

[@john.premose]

@@Luke-ym7hd the fans want it to be both new and original every time, and also exactly like OOT. Somethings gotta give here.

[@piplup10203854]

I'd love to see a return to Termina or a similar style to that, I actually really liked the different mini games, challenge dungeon, and side quests as well as the connection with the characters. I am not sure what they could do for that type of setting but I do like this question of what comes next. Personally, I'd like to see something along the lines of Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass. I'd like to see more of the side branches that give us some more depth to other characters.

[@straightfade4230]

I would love a mashup of dark souls level design and bosses with Zelda's creative item use and puzzles.

[@Norcy.]

Tunic

[@iammrlazy]

I hope that maybe they go with the way RDR2 did open world where new areas open up as you progress the story and once they've opened up, you can go anywhere & do anything. I think this would strike a good balance between having a good story, dungeons again like in the older 3d Zelda games but also having that open world exploration of BOTW/TOTK

[@adamorly2971]

I hadn't played a Zelda game since I was a kid and Link to the Past was my favourite! I picked up Wild this year and TotK. As it turns out, these are two of the greatest games I've ever played! The music, the exploration, the feeling I had when I was a kid - it's all there! When all other gaming companies seem to be failing, Nintendo keeps putting out gold.

[@soylentgreenb]

BOTW is also good. As is Elden ring. Don't bother with the rest if you want the open world experience. You'd think something like wind waker would be an open world with a whole ocean to explore; but no, they really lead you by the nose and force you to go where they want you to go and gate everything behind quest NPCs and items in a way that turns it into a completely linear experience.

[@adamorly2971]

@@soylentgreenb Elden Ring was really good, for sure.

[@richm4100]

I want to see a return to proper dungeons.

[@harrisontownsend910]

I kinda hope they have a return to form eventually. Epic stories, technical puzzles, massive sprawling dungeons and temples, and complex but beautiful swordplay. I haven't played the new game yet, but BotW lacked in a lot of those and I missed the difficulty of the previous (and especially 2d Zelda). I know that it's been overdone but when it's done right it's beautiful. Majora's Mask, Link's Awakening, Ocarina of Time, Link to the Past, all beautiful games that make the formula perfect.

[@gsleo2396]

I wouldn’t say it’s been overdone, the souls games and several other franchises have followed a similar formula for even more installments and I don’t see people complaining

[@davidfrye8214]

What I find most interesting is the removal of the tri-force. The original Zelda game was built on the idea that Link was searching for the Tri-Force of courage which had been split into 8 pieces, which is still one of my favorite themes. From then on master sword taking 3 gems to unlock, was similarly cool but all the rest of the games were about defeating gannon and wishing on the tri-force to return the land to normal. I wish the tri-force would return to the story in some way. They could still expand tears of the kingdom with underwater exploration. I'm surprised they didn't add this in anyway. I like your idea of rebooting a 2d zelda game that would keep more of the original story. I've also thought that doing a zelda maker game would be fun as well, similar to mario maker and a little like what they did in links awakening but way more advanced. Exploring a whole new world maybe across an ocean that can be explored as well would be amazing. Love the videos! Keep it up.

[@c.nk.01]

plus the triforce would have been the easiest way to justify zelda's draconification being undone without it feeling *too* contrived. the triforce wish or even smth along the lines of zelda's true powers being the full triforce rather than somehow inheriting obscure magic from raura and sonia

[@chaosenforcerdhm969]

@@c.nk.01an easy way of doing this while promoting the story they where is if you complete the six dungeons you get a half a triforce piece making it only if you completed the dungeons you could get it

[@emorocker832]

I honestly would really love some kind of adventure in Hyrule that involves time traveling back to the time before the Calamity. It could include the bustling Castle Town, some of the villages that were destroyed by the Calamity, etc... I think you could essentially get one more go out of the current Hyrule world, by changing everything once again by taking Link in and out of different eras of Hyrule.

[@exclusifsur369]

This is basically the Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity plot. Of course the gameplay is very different but that game was supervised by the Zelda team and a lot of the battles let you see the Hyrule locations in all their glory just before/during the Calamity.

[@santiagojpr4779]

​​@@exclusifsur369sería divertido que viajen 10000 años al pasado en la época de la antigua calamidad,y que viajen al futuro y al reino sagrado y que el villano sea Demise.

[@jenniferbeard4167]

Bigger open world water exploration would be great being able to get an armor to explore underwater caves would rock

[@elfsong713]

I am quite enjoying the underwater exploration in Horizon Forbidden West, and I do miss having that in Zelda.

[@jenniferbeard4167]

@@elfsong713 we really really really need that in a new zelda game. Just think with botw and totk add water to a new zelda gods I can just imagine talking to sidon to get the armor to explore the under water parts

[@TheBreadPirate]

Great analysis of the future, Zeltik! I agreed with everything you said. Zelda deserves an evolution, but needs to keep true to it's core.

[@jacobrivas095]

Hi TheBreadPirate

[@joshbond3344]

I like the 3 levels of exploration between the sky and the chasms. It would be nice to add to that some open sea exploration including for the first time really diving into the depths of the ocean. Maybe have the zoras live in the depths of the ocean and a big part of the game take place there. Maybe have armor that let's link dive down for infinite periods of time or perhaps construct a type of submarine to use. So many opportunities there. Also bringing back more music/songs, magic/magic items, while continuing to expand the diversity of the creatures and enemies faced throughout the game. Most of the monsters are recycled.