When it comes to exploration, BotW and TotK are absolutely fantastic. I would agree though that the rewards could be more meaningful. For my tastes, finding a treasure chest at all always gives me a decent feeling of accomplishment. However when there is nothing but another piece of Opal inside, that feeling of accomplishment is diminished. I'm looking at DK Bananza and wondering if that team looked at any criticism from Odyssey and Breath of the Wild and tried to make each of Bananza's collectables feel more meaningful to actual gameplay. This is assuming all that random stuff you find is used to upgrade the clothing or skill trees in meaningful ways that feel tangible.
I propose that some classic tools have upgradable pieces littered throughout the world. Not only that but they also have more use in battle.
1-
Hook Shot - Initially found in a dungeon where it's specific puzzles are plentiful. Throughout the world you can find individual chain links that slowly extend the reach of the Hook Shoot thus opening the world a little further. Maybe with just one extra link you don't quite notice the difference but with five links you start to feel how much more useful it becomes.
- 5 extra links - longer reach
- 10 extra links - longer reach + bind smaller enemies
- 15 extra links - longer reach + bind larger enemies
Add in classic hook shot abilities that will pull Link toward an enemy or pull the enemy towards Link and now we've got another element to fight with. I don't want to hear how the Hook Shot breaks the climbing mechanic or anything of the sort. There are a million and one ways to make sure climbing and the hook shot can co-exist. Case in point, Ascend. What is Ascend but a different type of Hook Shot taken to the extreme? It's reach is only limited by the air above the soil. Too bad we can only fight with Ascend in very specific situations.
Now granted, random gems, salt, ore and whatever else can be used to upgrade the various armor sets or add elemental damage to weapons but that personally never gave me a ton of satisfaction beyond defensive upgrades.
2 -
Gliding Via Rito Wings - Initially stolen from some dungeon or over world boss. This gives the now standard gliding ability and once again it's attached to stamina. Exactly as you remember it. But here is how we make it more fun! Throughout the world treasure chests or enemies might be holding a single magical feather! Each feather you obtain gives Link more mobility in the air. Far more than TotK's Wing Suit. Not full on Loftwing flight but similar mobility to that of a bird. More like Tulin's father in BotW minus the full on lift at will. Always on the descent but with plenty of options. The more feathers you get the larger and more brilliant the wings become and the more mobile you are in the air. Because Link flaps, enemies can hear this so it's not always safe to just glide in on enemies. Throw in special Owl feathers that allow for mid air stealth. Could be fun.
- 5 magic feathers - banking speed +1
- 10 magic feathers - banking speed +2
- 15 magic feathers - do a barrel roll.
You get the idea. Fighting mid air becomes a little more fun with the sword or bow. If you choose you can use these wings on the ground to enhance side stepping and back flip dodging. Give it the ability to blow gusts of wind at objects and enemies for some reason.
BotW and TotK allowed it's core tools to be upgraded over time but we never really got anything beyond more power or lasting longer. I feel like elements like this could give the mechanics a fresh feeling even 20+ hours after you initially obtained these items. Then allow significant portions of the map to be gated off without these things and they will feel very important.
A permanent boomerang, maybe a bow, ball & chain or whatever new spinning top weirdness they can come up with could be fun again. Less magical iPad apps and more of these ancient tools spread out throughout the adventure to make traversal and/or combat more fun and engaging. Keep the big open world, just doesn't have to be as open as BotW and throw in more of those classic style dungeons with a mix of the newer kind.