10 Things We Want To See In The Next Zelda Game

10 Things We Want to See in the Next Zelda Game

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking at elements and features we hope are included in the next “Legend of Zelda” game. Important to note, our picks are based on the next game being a big, 3D adventure and not another top-down one like “Echoes of Wisdom.”

More Focus on Story

It’s no secret that Nintendo comes up with an interesting gameplay hook first, and builds the story around it. And that makes sense. Mechanically, “Tears of the Kingdom” is an incredibly fun game. But when it comes to story and lore, that’s where some fans felt it faltered. The Imprisoning War felt like it should’ve been much grander than it was, even if Ganondorf stole the few scenes he was in. While there have been outliers in the series with great stories, namely “Majora’s Mask” and “Skyward Sword,” most entries keep things pretty light. But the world of “Zelda” is ripe with potential to go bigger, taking inspiration from other fantasy action adventures. And we hope Nintendo realizes this for the next one.

Move Away From Hyrule

While Hyrule is one of the most iconic kingdoms in video games, we’re actually hoping Nintendo takes us somewhere else soon, partially because we spent so much time there over the last few adventures. We love Hyrule, but it isn’t as if “Zelda” needs it to be successful. In fact, some of the most unique entries in the franchise have nothing to do with it. Again, we look to “Majora’s Mask” and Termina, though there’s also Koholint Island in “Link’s Awakening.” For the next game, we’d love to see an entirely new setting explored. With this, Nintendo could give us new relationships between its people, new lore, and a new threat; maybe let Ganon take a breather, too.

Give Link a Companion

“Breath of the Wild” and “Tears of the Kingdom” didn’t give Link a companion like previous 3D entries did. That’s not a bad thing, as it fit with his lonesome task of piecing Hyrule back together. However, we can’t deny the fun interactions, and usually deeper characterization, that comes with including a character like that. Midna of “Twilight Princess,” Tatl of “Majora’s Mask,” and the King of Red Lions in “Wind Waker” all helped not only as central pieces of their game’s plot, but were all just enjoyable characters. Even in the latest top-down game, Tri was a great character to have tag along in “Echoes of Wisdom.” Companions are also usually linked to a key mechanic of the game. So, we hope that when the next game arrives, Link has someone to keep him company and help him through tough spots.

Make Link a Character

There are different versions of Link that have a bit more depth and personality than others. But for the most part, he’s a blank slate that essentially serves as the player’s avatar. We’re not saying Nintendo needs to overhaul what’s established; we still like the idea of a quiet, introverted kid who isn’t self assured, thrust into some overwhelming conflict. But that doesn’t mean he should be devoid of any emotion. There were too many cutscenes in “Tears of the Kingdom” where someone would bear their heart and soul, only to be met by an entirely blank expression. You can still have Link be the quiet type and allow him to talk or emote. I know Nintendo has historically been against this, only giving him optional dialogue choices and never hearing him. But it’s time for him to evolve.

Item Variety

It’s true, “Tears of the Kingdom” found a way to make Link’s items have more variety through weapon fusing. But when we say ‘item variety,’ we mean like the older games. There are plenty of players who would actually like to see a return of unlocking items through dungeons, those that offer the chance to reach new areas. We understand why Nintendo didn’t include the Hookshot in “Breath of the Wild” or its sequel, with the focus to climb everything. Still, it would be great to see it show up again. Or items like the Lens of Truth, to uncover hidden secrets in the overworld, or a Hammer to nail in switches and serve as an alternate combat choice. A return of these types of items could allow for more varied puzzles and traversal. But it would also make revisiting an area more satisfying, to reach something we couldn’t have before.

Better Rewards

Branching off of item variety, let’s talk about the rewards for completing certain challenges in the last couple of games. Those that earned Link different pieces of armor were all well and good. But whether it was through a side quest or an overworld puzzle, there were a lot of instances where the reward wasn’t worth the trouble. Too many times did we open a tough-to-reach chest only to get a couple of Zonai devices we could get elsewhere, or finish a side quest only to be given a resource we had a ton of. And how many smoothie ingredients did you have left over at the end of “Echoes of Wisdom?” Because we had a lot. Challenges in “Zelda” are usually pretty fun, but it would be nice if the rewards matched the effort. Maybe don’t have every enemy drop a weapon, and lock those behind a quest to further entice us.

Adjustable Difficulty

Several entries in “The Legend of Zelda” give you the option to replay on a higher difficulty. “Breath of the Wild” included Master Mode in its DLC. But as far as playing the base game, and its sequel, the only way difficulty adjusted to your progress was by enemy scaling. That’s the doubled edged sword of a world where you can go in any direction. For the most part, each dungeon and quest is designed so you have the tools and power to complete it when you find it rather than have to come back to it later. For us, we welcome the challenge. There are plenty of other open world action adventure games that include varied difficulty levels when it comes to dungeons, quests, and bosses. Some of them even warn you if you’re too underpowered to handle it. If Nintendo can’t do that, at least give us the option to choose between Easy, Normal, and Hard.

Spellcasting

Link has always been a bit magical. But that aspect has taken a back seat to the franchise’s new survival focus. Sure, he’s been given abilities through Champions, the Sheikah Slate, and, in the case of “Tears of the Kingdom,” Rauru’s arm. However, for the next game, we’d like to see this switched up a bit to lean more into fantasy elements. It isn’t as if he hasn’t cast spells in the past and they would only add more variety to gameplay, whether they be offensive like tossing a heaping fireball at a group of enemies, defensive like adding resistance to certain types of damage or briefly increasing his stats, or simply healing after a fight. This isn’t a huge deal since a lot of what spells could bring, the franchise has found ways around. Honestly, it would just be cool.

Traditional Dungeons

One of the most common requests we see from “Zelda” fans is a craving for traditional dungeons. The Divine Beasts from “Breath of the Wild” were one of the game’s weaker aspects. Temples in “Tears of the Kingdom” were a step in the right direction, but they all boiled down to this: take the Sage to a few different rooms and activate their ability so you can unlock a boss fight. When you look at past games, dungeons are some of the most unique, memorable locations. They stand out as some of the best moments in any given game, not only because their space and atmosphere are so distinct, but their puzzles and enemies as well. While Shrines helped make up for this fact, we’d still sacrifice those if it meant we could get something like the Forest Temple or Snowpeak Ruins again.

A Thriving Community

Being in the wild was a terrific experience; getting lost in the nature of Hyrule, digging into every corner, and uncovering what Nintendo had hidden there makes this era of “Zelda” unbelievably special. But there are aspects of it we hope are left behind for the next game. Specifically, the post apocalyptic angle. No matter where the next game takes place, we’d love it to be in an established, thriving kingdom. We haven’t really gotten to see something like that in one of the 3D games since Hyrule’s Castle Town in “Twilight Princess,” which is one of its strongest iterations. Visiting a city full of merchants, townsfolk, soldiers, ne’er-do-wells, all these different people would do wonders to establish the setting. Even better if the cities of this kingdom feature all walks of life, and all original races that have been introduced across the series. Even in entries that aren’t post-apocalyptic, “Zelda’s” races are usually separated. Basically, when it comes to worldbuilding, we want it to be a bit more “D&D.”

What’s something you hope Nintendo includes in the next “Zelda” game? Head to the comments and let us know!