Support NeoGAF

[Darkmakaimura]

So they've tried all sorts of different stuff with Zelda and now we have a huge open world.

What do you think the next innovation is going to be for this series? What will they do that's different in the next installment? Perhaps having it take place and a huge fantasy-tech city that you can explore? Or a full-blown dungeon crawler? Or something else entirely?

 

[MagiusNecros]

I dunno. I've had enough of LoZ: Fallout Edition though.

I'd love another Action-Adventure in the style of OoT and TP with it's pacing and Item/Ability acquisition to move forward as the game unfolds instead of the game being a collectathon for HP and Stamina Upgrades. And I feel TotK was mostly Shrines and fooling around with the build stuff thing.

 

[IAmRei]

they usually think somehow unthinkable for the most. and that's how their game development time took longer

 

[Robb]

My guess is “just” the BotW/TotK formula with a new artstyle, story, physics powers, dungeons etc.

I’m hoping for large cities/settlements and a more vibrant and sprawling Hyrule in general. I’m kind of burned out on the barren/ruined/war-torn areas filled with ruins and old architecture for now.

Would also love to see a return of underwater exploration.

Whatever they come up with I can’t wait to see it though. I’m still sad that we’re not getting DLC for TotK.

 

[Shaki12345]

I'm very sure that they'll do something that will tie in with the upcoming movie.

Either in style or in substance. Massive cross marketing incoming.

 

[Hohenheim]

I'd like for them to make a YS-like Zelda where they put as much effort into combat as they did to interactivity in the last one.

 

[Doom85]

I'd like for them to make a YS-like Zelda where they put as much effort into combat as they did to interactivity in the last one.

Weapon durability killed my enjoyment of BOTW. If Nintendo’s argument is, “well, we just want the players to try all out the weapons”, well, my counter argument is to make sure all the weapons are fun to use so that’s less of an issue, not having a player enjoy a weapon style and then slap it out of their hand after two dozen swings.

 

[Efren is G.O.A.T.]

I think the open world structure they have now is here to stay for a little bit at least. I like the idea of going underwater like someone said.

I just wish for better dungeons.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

I think they walk back the structure of the main story and have more sequential dungeon progression, but the open overworld is here to stay. Going from BotW (go anywhere, any time) to TotK they blocked off a ton of things and everyone was fine with it. I think it's natural to go a little further in that direction and reintroduce item gates. To me a modern OoT or TP style Zelda with more sidequests and an open overworld, maybe with slightly more open designs in the dungeons themselves, that would be a perfect game.

 

[BlackTron]

I'm sure there will be some new gimmick or mechanic that makes it the best thing ever while the foundations it really needs go neglected.

 

[jcorb]

I dunno. I've had enough of LoZ: Fallout Edition though.

I'd love another Action-Adventure in the style of OoT and TP with it's pacing and Item/Ability acquisition to move forward as the game unfolds instead of the game being a collectathon for HP and Stamina Upgrades. And I feel TotK was mostly Shrines and fooling around with the build stuff thing.

Totally agreed. Nothing against them, but I personally *hate* open-world games, almost universally so. I much prefer a more curated experience.

I like the idea of having a *bit* of flexibility -- like maybe you can tackle certain "groups" of dungeons in any order, so you still get major story beats in the correct order, but encouraging real exploration (with meaningful rewards).

 

[IDKFA]

Something a little different. That's what I'm hoping for.

First person viewpoint. Insane real time combat. Destructible environments and a slapstick comedy script.

Time to mix it up a bit.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Totally agreed. Nothing against them, but I personally *hate* open-world games, almost universally so. I much prefer a more curated experience.

I like the idea of having a *bit* of flexibility -- like maybe you can tackle certain "groups" of dungeons in any order, so you still get major story beats in the correct order, but encouraging real exploration (with meaningful rewards).

My perfect Zelda is ideally something like Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen, Kingdoms of Amalur or Severance Blade of Darkness. Where the game is linear and curated but it's a semi open world.

Main draw of Zelda for me has always been Dungeons, Quests, Puzzles and acquiring meaningful gear. And making the Master Sword/Champion Weapons break is just immersion breaking. As those weapons are supposed to be the best of the best. When in reality it boils down to farming Lynel weapons.

There needs to be some freedom but not too much.

I'd really like OoT/TP but with postgame dungeons beyond the main quest that really test all of your abilities and what you've learned in the game. And you can only access these dungeons near the end. Zelda needs some postgame like the Cave of Ordeals from TP. Something to keep you playing the game but in such a fashion that is engaging and fun to keep doing so.

If they could make the game with some great atmosphere on a Tomb Raider 1 level I'd be stoked. I think of all the "dungeons" in TotK I only really enjoyed getting to the Wind Temple and the Dungeon with Riju where it's very Indiana Jones.

Though to be honest with all newer games giving focus to character creators it might be best to introduce Link and Linkle options or throw a monkey wrench into things and allow the player to choose their own Hero as a Hylian, Goron, Zora, Gerudo, Twili. All with their own pros and cons to change the way you play or interact.

Just some form of replayability is all.

I do agree with some others that I too would also like some Underwater exploration too. Especially after per say getting Zora themed gear. I really loved TP with Zora Armor and Iron Boots. The Water Dungeon was cool with that stuff.

 

[E-Cat]

A thicc open world instead of a barren one

And HD towns™

(One can dream)

 

[Trilobit]

I would hate if they went back to the super linear old-school formula as I'm so sick and tired of it. But they could make an open world with more tight and directed story-telling. I don't want those weird tech gadgets back. I would prefer a more classic fantasy story where they put more focus on the NPCs, the towns and world itself to make it more fun to explore.

 

[HogIsland]

Hopefully they get Windwaker HD out on Switch before it's dead. Then, I'd like to see them do a Majora's Mask style remix of that game, maybe with multiplayer.

 

[Celcius]

This may sound crazy, but I'd love to see them hand the series to Vanillaware for one game with their amazing hand drawn 2D artwork and style

 

[REDRZA MWS]

Hopefully a fully remastered OG Zelda with the gold cartridge and everything. Totally remastered, graphics, physics, AI, all of it.

 

[existensmaximum]

How about a game with dungeons and memorable music?

 

[Moses85]

Back to the roots!

Temples and epic Music

 

[nowhat]

Back to the roots!

Temples and epic Music

This! I haven't played TOTK or EOW yet. In my defense, daughter turned 18 and moved out, the Switch was always kinda more hers so I let her keep it, waiting for Switch 2. But while I'm interested in EOW, TOTK, not really. I may be very much be in the minority, but the whole open world structure in BOTW just didn't do it for me. Sure, there's a lot to do in the game, but to me the game failed to answer the basic question of "but why?"

So yeah. Hand-crafted and expansive temples instead of a physics puzzles. Just keep the water temples to a minimum.

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

I want a huge AAA Zelda game for Switch 2 with the dark fantasy art style of Majora's Mask and Ocarina of Time.

 

[Syphon Filter]

Go back to roots imo.

 

[Ristifer]

Hopefully, something fun.

 

[Sooner]

I miss Zelda pre-BotW. Even the new 2D game took all the worst parts of BotW and ruined whatade 2D Zelda great.

 

[E-Cat]

I want a huge AAA Zelda game for Switch 2 with the dark fantasy art style of Majora's Mask and Ocarina of Time.

Seems like they're never going back to that. WW was cel-shaded fairy floss, TP was drab, SS was vibrant but lacked definition, BoTW/TotK were a low-contrast mess.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

This may sound crazy, but I'd love to see them hand the series to Vanillaware for one game with their amazing hand drawn 2D artwork and style

And fanservice

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Smaller Open World with Actual Dungeons and items to upgrade, etc.....more metroidvania, less skyrim....

 

[SHAKEZ]

Hopefully actual 7 fully featured dungeons for mainline games.

 

[E-Cat]

And fanservice

BotW Zelda's eyebrows already are fanservice if I've ever seen it

 

[Danjin44]

This may sound crazy, but I'd love to see them hand the series to Vanillaware for one game with their amazing hand drawn 2D artwork and style

 

[kevboard]

I feel like the best way forward would be to shrink the scope of the world down massively, and instead design the game around a highly interactive environment.

for example, if there's a carpet on the floor, you can move that carpet, any time... if there's a wooden shelf that looks like it can be moved, you should be able to move it.
basically, design a game that gives a ridiculous amount of player agency in a highly intuitively interactive world.

the big open world style is already played out IMO, but so is the highly formulaic classic 3D Zelda style.
so I feel the only way forward that doesn't involve either would be somewhat of a fusion of the best parts of both of them. and that fusion would be a smaller world with a more straightforward quest line, but with the sandbox style of BotW and TotK applied to more granular elements of the game.

 

[xanaum]

I need a dark, mature, and epic Zelda to get back into the franchise, like the best one, Twilight Princess. A good alternative would have been making that Wii U Zelda that never happened.

 

[Lokaum D+]

1080p

 

[Darkmakaimura]

A good alternative would have been making that Wii U Zelda that never happened.

What?

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

I personally think the next two Zelda games are BoTW Deluxe with more content, graphics, etc. And a REMAKE of OoT. Which i suspect will be a mix of BoTW and the 3ds traditional formula.

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

I need a dark, mature, and epic Zelda to get back into the franchise, like the best one, Twilight Princess. A good alternative would have been making that Wii U Zelda that never happened.

God Damn, Retro did such a good job making this trailer/demo back in the day.

We still have never had a Nintendo look this good on any system.

 

[xanaum]

What?

Don’t you know that Zelda shown at E3 2011?

 

[Zannegan]

Best guess? Tears of the Kingdom but in a Windwaker-esque water world, though with much larger islands, several of which will have classic dungeons at their hearts. The game will have a heavy emphasis on wind and wave physics and larger, more complex, more permanent builds than in TotK. There will be an extensive sky world too, but you won't access it until much later in the game. The birds from Skyward Sword could make a return (unless they're the Rito now?)

It's the a natural progression for their current approach.

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

I need a dark, mature, and epic Zelda to get back into the franchise, like the best one, Twilight Princess. A good alternative would have been making that Wii U Zelda that never happened.

This one is great too! I'll definitely want a full game like this one, way better looking than whatever BOTW and TOTK looked.

 

[Efren is G.O.A.T.]

I'd like a take from From Software on the Zelda IP.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Don’t you know that Zelda shown at E3 2011?

Whoa.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

I want a Minish Cap 3D open world the size of a back yard.

 

[Zannegan]

I want a Minish Cap 3D open world the size of a back yard.

This might actually be cooler than a return to Windwaker. I love the worlds within worlds concept.

 

[MujkicHaris]

I wouldn't mind them going for a bit darker tone and direction. Keep the super stylized materials and lighting but make it grittier.

Zelda HD (Wii U tech demo) still looks fresh.

 

[xanaum]

This one is great too! I'll definitely want a full game like this one, way better looking than whatever BOTW and TOTK looked.

That's my dream Zelda, and it was never more than just a dream.

 

[AJUMP23]

Maybe they will get the sword back in his left hand.

 

[rabbity-thing]

So long as the swords don't break and the dungeons don't suck, I'm good.

As a fan of traditional Zelda game design, the success of BOTW has been deeply disappointing for me.

 

[SnapShot]

BOTW or TOTK but with Traditional Dungeons similar to OOT, TP, MM...etc

 

[Calico345]

Just give us an Ocarina of Time remaster or remake with a lot of love put into it, and then I'll be good with the series. I have an immesne dislike for BotW and TotK and that overall direction.