Summary
Nintendo has stated that the nextThe Legend of Zeldagame will take the franchise in a new direction, leaving theBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomformula behind. While this might be disappointing for fans of these Switch-era games, there are a number of benefits to starting fresh with a newLegend of Zeldarelease.
The last two mainlineZeldagames have proven to be massively successful in just about every way. Theengaging exploration ofZelda: Breath of the Wildchallenged many commonly-held notions about the open-world formula, andTears of the Kingdomtook the gaming community by storm thanks to the inventive Ultrahand and Fuse abilities, while doubling down on the strengths of its predecessor. It’s undeniable that these games have been monumental forZeldaand contemporary gaming as a whole, but it’s time for the franchise to reinvent itself once again.
The Legend of Zelda Needs to Take Another Big Leap
Breath of the Wild’s open-world structure makes it a decidedly different kind ofZeldagame, one that favors freeform discovery over series staples like dungeons and predetermined progression. This open-world design and other major new systems likeUltrahand were bold moves forZelda, but the franchise can’t stop innovating now.
A third entry in the style ofBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomwould probably be enjoyable and financially successful, but the formula doesn’t have too much more room to grow at this point. For the health of the franchise, Nintendo ought to quit while it’s ahead, prioritizing surprising and meaningful design choices for the next game. It will probably be a while before players learn what exactly these new choices will look like, but a new take on its setting, genre, and the introduction of anew branch in theLegend of Zeldatimelinefeels necessary.
Where Zelda Can Go After Tears of the Kingdom
A vast, open-world Hyrule is inextricable from the identity of the last twoZeldagames, so it seems clear that the franchise will have to abandon this structure for its next release. This could mean implementing a new version of Hyrule that is just as sprawling, with similar open-world conventions, but it would perhaps be better to move on from this sandbox framework altogether. A return to the series' roots in the form of a linear structurewith classicZeldadungeonscould be a step in the right direction.
That said, simply rewinding the clock won’t be enough, not after the inventiveness ofBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom. A new, creative design choice on the level of Ultrahand would help define the next generation of the franchise while keeping it from feeling like a step backward. The next game could also innovate when it comes to tone, setting, and narrative, perhaps offering a more ambitious, complex, and mature story by way of realistic visuals and a greater emphasis on cinematics. As for tone and setting,Breath of the Wilddabbled in science-fiction elements, so perhaps the next game could build on this, rooting its premise in more futuristic soil.
The Legend of Zeldais an important and unique gaming franchise. While so many best-selling, long-running series have fallen victim to either complacency or redundancy,Zeldakeeps audiences on their toes by constantly reinventing itself. This is evident in its aversion to direct sequels, which allowed even the relatively unpopular entries in the franchise to be, at the very least, unique and memorable.The Legend of Zeldamust maintain this commitment to innovation with future releases.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
WHERE TO PLAY
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the beloved open-world adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This installment once again sees Link and Zelda battling to protect Hyrule from falling to Ganondorf. This new adventure takes place in the same land of Hyrule as Breath of the Wild but sees something called the Upheaval, which allows link to travel to Sky Islands, as well as deep into the Depths beneath Hyrule. Players can use special abilities to fuse together weapons, and build items to help them progress through the release.
