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Where do you want to see Zelda go after Breath of the Wild?

fastmower

Member
The same but with:

Better written story
Better characters
More enemies
Big themed dungeons
No voice acting (if they can't get it right)
Slighty smaller world that's more dense with detail

Everything else from BOTW doesn't need to be changed. This would take the game from an 8/10 to a 10/10, imho.
 
Hmm...I mean this probably won't happen anytime soon if BotW is also a notable financial success in additional to being a critical one, buuuuut....

...I'd like to see a return to the LTTP/OoT-style Zelda games again with all the fixin's (large/themed/unique dungeons tied to specialized items, a grandiose/conspicuous musical score, an endearing plot-important companion, linear storytelling/progression, a plot-important musical instrument, no unlimited climbing, etc.) that features a more refined version of Skyward Sword's awesome dungeon-like overworld concept.
The potential of that specific gameplay structure has yet to be fully tapped and it's quite Metroid-esque (which I enjoy quite a lot).
Like, I want to visit areas that pretty much are the dungeon; I want to solve puzzles, fight the mini boss, get the special item, stop by a village/mansion/farmhouse along the way, beat the boss, and earn the macguffin all within the forest or canyon area without once ever stepping foot inside of a temple/palace/sanctuary/etc.
In addition to this a reintroduction of those crazy brilliant timeshift stones would be absolutely marvelous; that concept still feels ripe with potential and it's a shame that it wasn't used very heavily in Faron or Eldin.
Oh and I'd also love to see Skyward Sword's motion controlled mechanics make a return with the added benefit of HD rumble to give them an even more tactile feeling (the swords fights would feel so good).
From a story perspective I'd like to see an entirely new villain who isn't a thoughtless beast or some Ganon/Ganondorf worshiper. I'd also love for all of this to be set in New Hyrule because I feel like that place needs further development, and I'd love to see the anouki in a AAA HD console game.
And finally I'd be quite pleased to see BotW's cooking mechanics, combat difficulty, and fleshed out/diverse villages make a return as well because all of that stuff was really great imo.
I don't think the developers struggled with how to include traditional Zelda elements. It seems clear based on what they have said that they intentionally abandoned many traditions and reinterpreted others.
"Struggled" probably isn't the optimal word but going by what has been said by Hidemaro Fujibayashi during GDC I imagine that the team found many of the LTTP/OoT traditions completely incompatible with and/or harmful to BotW's goals of limitless freedom and experimentation.

I mean...you just can't drop linear-style level designs and gameplay structures into an open world and expect them to work with the experience, some things are like oil and water.
 

Branduil

Member
They just need to build on the same concept while improving the quality of life stuff. For the next one I'd like a Majora's Mask to BotW's Ocarina.
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
1. Stop making me go into the damn inventory for shit that should be hot-button or assumed. We aren't playing Resident Evil on original Playstation. If I push the draw bow button and d-pad sideways at the same time, that means I want to pick a new bow, not have Link look at his hand in shock that he isn't holding anything. If I find a big upgrade in a chest and have no room in the inventory, just bring up the same weapon hot-choice UI to figure what I'm dropping to replace with the new thing.
2. Let weapons take 10x longer to break and let me use mats to fix them before they do.
3. If I can be a master chef, I can be a master fletcher.
4. Put the ugly stamina display in the corner.
5. Let Link take a bit less than 5 minutes to recover from getting hit.
6. Fix the shitty Z-targeting to not suck, like, uh, every other Zelda since OoT.
7. Put run and jump buttons next to each other. This makes 5000x more sense than having to cut vertically between the other two buttons.
8. Make dungeons not suck again, and give me a reason to fight enemies other than wanting to break my nice weapons to get shitty weapons from them and shitty mats or open a chest with trash I don't need or get all the time from elsewhere.
9. Make riding a horse more liberating than constricting.
10. If I have a weapon drawn and then select a new weapon, don't make me manually draw again. Selecting it has the obvious intention of drawing it.

It's a nice place to run around but man they fucked up soooo much basic functionality. It's loaded with annoyances.
 
I'd want them to continue and evolve the path they went in with BotW. Here is just a way I could see them doing it:


Game releases Holiday 2019 giving it a 2-3 year development time. Reuses a lot of overworld assets as well as enemies, items, animals, food, etc. from BotW. More polish and slight redesigns for assets, especially textures and tree models. Retain a lot of the same enemies but greatly increase variety. Enemies and varients such as Rocs, Orcs, Miniblins, ReDeads, Darknuts, Poes, Deku Scrubs, Gohma, etc. Most enemy varients also have a boss form that are uncommon throughout Hyrule like Hinoxes and Stone Talus are in BotW. Phantoms are this versions guardians. would all be welcome. Artstyle is similar to BotW but not the same. Has a more Steampunk design to it.

Game is set 2000 years after WW in the new Hyrule discovered in ST. The world is designed and structured with a similar open world design to BotW. The sea levels have lowered significantly since WW. New Hyrule has 1/2 the map as one continues continent while the right half is the sea. However, since it's been draining there are large islands/ sub continents you can explore. The overworld map also includes WW's overworld but sea levels much lower. Steam Trains, Zeppelins, Steam boats, etc. are in the world they were created by Spirit Technology. This Hyrule is much more active and growing than BotW's Hyrule. You can encounter a lot more small towns or one off homes through out the world. The various Spirit powered vehicles can provide travel to unexplored areas as well as NPCs to interact with on your journey there.

Conflict is that the Spirit Realm is in distress and impacting Hyrule. Spirits are all over the world more common in rural settings some you can talk to, they can be enemies that attack, some act more animal like and others have more like a diety presence. This causes many issues with spirits attacking or causing problems for all people in Hyrule. There are multiple antagonists with different motives that have different storylines you can follow depending on where you explore. Final Boss and main antagonist is unclear but if you explore the world enough you will be able to figure it out before facing them. Initially when you first encounter a new region there will only be dark spirits that attack you. To restore peace you have to activate the Spirit Tower in the region and as you activate Spirit Outposts that can also reduce on the amount of dark spirits. After activating you will encounter more friendly and animal like spirits. Link and Zelda are both playable but no co-op in the overworld. You can switch between the two anywhere and meet them at Spirit Outposts/Towers. The world is broken up into 15 Spirit Towers and 60 Spirit Outposts. Spirit Outputs have similar structure to the Shrines. There are about 40 Spirit Outpost quests. Some Spirit Towers require(unless you get enough stamina upgrades) that you enter and traverse through the tower instead of climbing but they function similarly to Towers in BotW. There is one big difference.

There are 50 Spirit trials that can be played and accessed from Towers once activated. As you activate Spirit Towers a portal to the Spirit Realm opens up and you can enter the Spirit realm. The Spirit Realm has Online/multi-player features. You go to a small hub location which can best be described as an inkopolis x WW in terms of mimicking the Miiverse functionality. From there you can take on missions with 1-4 players online or local, missions are more open and have varied locations but have specific linear progression and tasks. Think of MH x Zelda for the Spirit Realm and their missions/structure.

There are six a bit more traditional dungeons closest thing on BotW was Hyrule castle. They can only be accessed from specific locations though and there is one warp point midway through the dungeon. There is both a mini-boss, new special power when you beat the miniboss and then a final boss in each dungeon. Some dungeons may require you to have specific powers you get from other dungeons to fully complete them.

Instead of Runes, Spirit Magic is the replacement. Performs similarly to the Runes offering some of the same abilities such as bombs, magnesis, stasis but includes other special powers. Powers such as calling on animals for help to attack, travel or ride on; control time of day, weather control, Snake whip that functions like the clawshot but with similar functionality to the snake whip in terms of combat: Full Restoration, Temporary Hover ability, etc. Varying degrees of recharge for abilities some taking an hour to fully recharge. After defeating a miniboss you inherit a Lokomo's Spirit that allows you to make a MM esque transformation for Link or Zelda. Ritos, Gorons, Gerudos, Zoras and Koroks return some of which have updated/different appearances. Gerudos have become pirates travelling the seas while having their town as a Pirate Bay that also leads into a Sand Sea. Anouki return with a much better revision on this reindeer/Eskimo concept with more centaur like inspiration. There are 6 Lokomo one for each of the 6 dungeons. They are a steampunk cyborg each one being a different race. After you beat the miniboss you inherit the Lokomo's Spirit which allows you to take on that form. There are 20 Magic abilities to obtain. You start with 6 magic abilities, get 6 from the dungeons, and get the other 8 from completing special Spirit Outpost Quests.

Still lots of side quests throughout the world. In addition to a usual reward you would usually get from side quests on BotW. You also get a force gem. These allow you to upgrade your magical abilities. Completing Spirit Outposts or Spirit Realm Quests gives you Spirit orbs. There are also still Korok seeds for inventory upgrades.

Weapon system still work and perform mostly the same. However, there should be more variety in kinds of weapons such as the ball and chain from TP. Also a recipe book would be great.
 
Not alot of people will follow my thought, but I could totally go for a modern Wind Waker.

Imagine a massive sea that is filled with islands. Some are really tiny, some are as big as a region in BotW.
 
It's really interesting how Nintendo deviates from styles so often that they become almost like sub-series. You have people talking about 2D/3D Mario and top-down/3-D Zelda. Now I can see this new style being thrown into the mix. It's difficult to say where Nintendo should go next. Their thought process in designing BotW is rather fascinating, especially considering staples of previous games in the series simply being incompatible with the goals set out by BotW. Zelda was often seen as stale, so it's intriguing that people are asking for those traditional elements back.
 

Wikzo

Member
Instead of going BIG, I want the next Zelda to go SMALL as in Majora's Mask: having a very compact, meaningful world with interesting and personal characters.
 
Not alot of people will follow my thought, but I could totally go for a modern Wind Waker.

Imagine a massive sea that is filled with islands. Some are really tiny, some are as big as a region in BotW.
Seems an obvious idea to me, seeing as Nintendo were never really happy with how the technology restricted their vision of the great sea.

Add in a Shiekah enhanced speed boat with no wind direction bullshit and obviously way more islands and baby, you've got a stew going.

Also several Eventide Island type challenges.
 
Zelda was often seen as stale, so it's intriguing that people are asking for those traditional elements back.

Not the same people. A subset of the Zelda community never felt the standard OoT framework needed to be changed and BotW has only reinforced that for them.

Most people, as can be seen by reviews and consumer reception, are incredibly happy with this new direction and would probably like the next entry to simply expand on it.
 
I think a Zelda in the same kind of massive overworld, with a passage of time element could be interesting. Seasons pass, the world changes, Link is noticeably older by the end type deal.

Was trying to think of a way to put a spin on time travel/dark world type dynamic but maybe it would be interesting instead of just being able to access a dystopian future or dip into an alternate reality that time just unfolds naturally. Maybe the world gradually forever changes, towns get destroyed, NPC's you once knew start vanishing, neglected quests start failing, new communities and narratives start sprouting up.

Keep the whole concept of being able to beat the game from the very start too, rather than having a giant glowing reminder of where the final battle is like in botw, a sequel could play with the idea of searching for Zelda/Ganon and not having any idea of where to begin. With the progression of time you'd hear stories of players who didn't find Zelda until Link was withered and old, or people who randomly came across her by chance, stuff like that would further make each individual playthrough different.


Preeetty out there, and probably unfeasible, but I've always wanted to see something like that in a game with an aging protagonist with a world that changes along side him.
 

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
I'd want them to continue and evolve the path they went in with BotW. Here is just a way I could see them doing it:


Game releases Holiday 2019 giving it a 2-3 year development time. Reuses a lot of overworld assets as well as enemies, items, animals, food, etc. from BotW. More polish and slight redesigns for assets, especially textures and tree models. Retain a lot of the same enemies but greatly increase variety. Enemies and varients such as Rocs, Orcs, Miniblins, ReDeads, Darknuts, Poes, Deku Scrubs, Gohma, etc. Most enemy varients also have a boss form that are uncommon throughout Hyrule like Hinoxes and Stone Talus are in BotW. Phantoms are this versions guardians. would all be welcome. Artstyle is similar to BotW but not the same. Has a more Steampunk design to it.

Game is set 2000 years after WW in the new Hyrule discovered in ST. The world is designed and structured with a similar open world design to BotW. The sea levels have lowered significantly since WW. New Hyrule has 1/2 the map as one continues continent while the right half is the sea. However, since it's been draining there are large islands/ sub continents you can explore. The overworld map also includes WW's overworld but sea levels much lower. Steam Trains, Zeppelins, Steam boats, etc. are in the world they were created by Spirit Technology. This Hyrule is much more active and growing than BotW's Hyrule. You can encounter a lot more small towns or one off homes through out the world. The various Spirit powered vehicles can provide travel to unexplored areas as well as NPCs to interact with on your journey there.

Conflict is that the Spirit Realm is in distress and impacting Hyrule. Spirits are all over the world more common in rural settings some you can talk to, they can be enemies that attack, some act more animal like and others have more like a diety presence. This causes many issues with spirits attacking or causing problems for all people in Hyrule. There are multiple antagonists with different motives that have different storylines you can follow depending on where you explore. Final Boss and main antagonist is unclear but if you explore the world enough you will be able to figure it out before facing them. Initially when you first encounter a new region there will only be dark spirits that attack you. To restore peace you have to activate the Spirit Tower in the region and as you activate Spirit Outposts that can also reduce on the amount of dark spirits. After activating you will encounter more friendly and animal like spirits. Link and Zelda are both playable but no co-op in the overworld. You can switch between the two anywhere and meet them at Spirit Outposts/Towers. The world is broken up into 15 Spirit Towers and 60 Spirit Outposts. Spirit Outputs have similar structure to the Shrines. There are about 40 Spirit Outpost quests. Some Spirit Towers require(unless you get enough stamina upgrades) that you enter and traverse through the tower instead of climbing but they function similarly to Towers in BotW. There is one big difference.

There are 50 Spirit trials that can be played and accessed from Towers once activated. As you activate Spirit Towers a portal to the Spirit Realm opens up and you can enter the Spirit realm. The Spirit Realm has Online/multi-player features. You go to a small hub location which can best be described as an inkopolis x WW in terms of mimicking the Miiverse functionality. From there you can take on missions with 1-4 players online or local, missions are more open and have varied locations but have specific linear progression and tasks. Think of MH x Zelda for the Spirit Realm and their missions/structure.

There are six a bit more traditional dungeons closest thing on BotW was Hyrule castle. They can only be accessed from specific locations though and there is one warp point midway through the dungeon. There is both a mini-boss, new special power when you beat the miniboss and then a final boss in each dungeon. Some dungeons may require you to have specific powers you get from other dungeons to fully complete them.

Instead of Runes, Spirit Magic is the replacement. Performs similarly to the Runes offering some of the same abilities such as bombs, magnesis, stasis but includes other special powers. Powers such as calling on animals for help to attack, travel or ride on; control time of day, weather control, Snake whip that functions like the clawshot but with similar functionality to the snake whip in terms of combat: Full Restoration, Temporary Hover ability, etc. Varying degrees of recharge for abilities some taking an hour to fully recharge. After defeating a miniboss you inherit a Lokomo's Spirit that allows you to make a MM esque transformation for Link or Zelda. Ritos, Gorons, Gerudos, Zoras and Koroks return some of which have updated/different appearances. Gerudos have become pirates travelling the seas while having their town as a Pirate Bay that also leads into a Sand Sea. Anouki return with a much better revision on this reindeer/Eskimo concept with more centaur like inspiration. There are 6 Lokomo one for each of the 6 dungeons. They are a steampunk cyborg each one being a different race. After you beat the miniboss you inherit the Lokomo's Spirit which allows you to take on that form. There are 20 Magic abilities to obtain. You start with 6 magic abilities, get 6 from the dungeons, and get the other 8 from completing special Spirit Outpost Quests.

Still lots of side quests throughout the world. In addition to a usual reward you would usually get from side quests on BotW. You also get a force gem. These allow you to upgrade your magical abilities. Completing Spirit Outposts or Spirit Realm Quests gives you Spirit orbs. There are also still Korok seeds for inventory upgrades.

Weapon system still work and perform mostly the same. However, there should be more variety in kinds of weapons such as the ball and chain from TP. Also a recipe book would be great.
This is really in-depth, creative, and well thought out. I both love and hate when fans come up with great ideas like this - it's fantastic that the game has affected them in a way that inspires them to think up their own ideas, but it's also going to sit on the internet, with Nintendo oblivious to it forever.

I don't mean to be a downer, sorry. But I really like your idea. I'm not on board with it 100% (not sure about the multiple antagonist or MM transformation ideas) but I think it's definitely a cool concept, especially the return to a steampunk inspired New Hyrule.
 

Skeletos311

Junior Member
I want the 100 and 10,000 years before BotW prequels.

I'd also like to see what a remake of Zelda 1 would look like in the BotW engine. I can't let that go after seeing the "Zelda Maker" testing game from GDC.
 
I want the 100 and 10,000 years before BotW prequels.

I'd also like to see what a remake of Zelda 1 would look like in the BotW engine. I can't let that go after seeing the "Zelda Maker" testing game from GDC.

This. I want to witness the full glory of Shiekah technology. Let's go sci-fi!
 

Jobbs

Banned
I have some criticisms of BOTW (I don't agree that it's a 10/10 game) but I do think it's a fantastic overall direction for the series.

Now that we have a good direction and framework, I'd like to see some changes/improvements:


- CHARACTER EDITOR! It's time. It's fucking weird that they are caught in between having him be a real character and an avatar and can't seem to decide. He doesn't say anything and he's basically just a sword with a kid attached. It's time to let us design our own Link, and that includes a choice for gender.

I'm not saying they necessarily need to let us make totally weird looking characters that don't resemble Link at all. I'd suggest providing options that keep Link looking overall "Linky", but having the choice of gender and some tailoring of the appearance would be fucking amazing! They can still have default Link for those who want it and for marketing purposes. EVERYONE WINS. It's time.

Also:

- better combat / more enemy variety / more challenge
- no more breaking weapons. This is an annoying hassle, it doesn't let me get attached to weapons which is usually a big part of an rpg, and it makes me not want to fight enemies unless I absolutely have to. I don't like that.
- more meaningful character progression
- underwater
- digging?
 

Kelegacy

XBOX - RECORD ME LOVING DOWN MY WOMAN GOOD
More incentives for exploring. Right now it boils down to Korok seeds mostly.

I was in absolute love with the game for a long time, but when you start to see the seams if the world a bit more (enemy design, how empty it can be, etc) it loses a bit of luster. Still GotY, but like some games it does have some big faults that only become apparent after extensive playing.
 
I think I could go another 30 years of Zelda games using the BotW formula.

I want the 100 and 10,000 years before BotW prequels.

I'd also like to see what a remake of Zelda 1 would look like in the BotW engine. I can't let that go after seeing the "Zelda Maker" testing game from GDC.

I was of the impression that the "10,000 years before BotW" prequel would be Ocarina of Time...

As for the 100 year prequel: I'm hope that we will get to see this with the story DLC at the end of this year.
 

PSFan

Member
I'd really like to have the unique tools/items like the hookshot back.

I'd also like them to have the traditional dungeons back but scattered throughout a BOTW sized world so there could be a lot more of them. Or shrines could reward you with things like heart pieces instead of the spheres, so you don't need to go pray after every few.

I'd also like to see them have at least a few weapons that don't break as an option, even if it's from an amiibo. That way players who prefer the breakable equipment won't have their "challenge" ruined and the game can be more enjoyable for players that don't like the equipment breaking.
 
I imagine it's going to be similar to BOTW, just like OOT set the trend for the 3D Zeldas that followed, in that case I want:

- keep all the good stuff, the interactive world, the physics and chemistry engine and puzzles, the great towns and NPCs, weapon durability (I think it's a great system), lots of different armor etc
- more focus on story and characters, if this results in a less open and more linear game, then do it
- an actual villain
- one or several companions. I like it better when Link isn't alone.
- more and bigger traditional dungeons, less shrines
- good voice acting
- more challenging bosses
- a lot more bosses, and they should be different from each other, like in the old games. Not 50 shades of Ganon
- a better soundtrack, BOTW's music is too subdued and there's way too much piano
- bigger enemy variety
- bring back some of the more creepy stuff like graveyards, ghosts and redeads
- underwater movement, underwater dungeon and puzzles
- increase climbing speed
- less rain
 

Skeletos311

Junior Member
I think I could go another 30 years of Zelda games using the BotW formula.



I was of the impression that the "10,000 years before BotW" prequel would be Ocarina of Time...

As for the 100 year prequel: I'm hope that we will get to see this with the story DLC at the end of this year.

It's not OOT, it's the time the Sheikah tech comes from.
 

mindsale

Member
I'll tell you what I don't want to see - Link's dumb sleeping cap. Wind Waker and this game really highlight how unimportant that garb is.

Also we know the Triforces mostly dwell within the characters, leave that by the wayside like BotW.
 

Panthers

Member
I want another Zelda similar to BoTW but in a different area. (Like terminus) and just have more dungeons with traditional puzzles. I missed the traditional dungeons in BoTW.
 

Alienous

Member
I hope they do a quick-turnaround game like Majora's Mask. Not attempting to go bigger, but a mostly lateral move with refinements to BOTW's systems. New weapons types. New runes. New elements (corrosive?).

I like the idea of CO-OP too. Let you play as the Breath of the Wild Champions, perhaps as a BotW prequel, picking a character, or swap between them in single-player, for Majora's Mask like gameplay variation.
 
This is really in-depth, creative, and well thought out. I both love and hate when fans come up with great ideas like this - it's fantastic that the game has affected them in a way that inspires them to think up their own ideas, but it's also going to sit on the internet, with Nintendo oblivious to it forever.

I don't mean to be a downer, sorry. But I really like your idea. I'm not on board with it 100% (not sure about the multiple antagonist or MM transformation ideas) but I think it's definitely a cool concept, especially the return to a steampunk inspired New Hyrule.
Thanks for the input. I understand. After playing AlBW I made a similar detailed post of what I wanted. Saying I wanted an open world that could be completed in any order. The weapon crafting and stamina meter to return from SS. For the story, I had suggested that Link had amnesia from battling Ganon before lost most of his equipment and strength and that Zelda had the key to returning his memories. Most of the story being about learning what happened before.

This was back in 2013 after playing ALBW. I ended up getting every single thing I asked for and more with BotW when I made a similar detailed post. So while I'm not expecting any of this. I already got my dream Zelda game out of BotW.
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
Keep the open world.


Bring back traditional Zelda dungeons in terms of size, lengths and puzzles. Can drop the items still so people can tackle them in any order and have the puzzles based on your runes etc. like the shrines and beasts in BOTW.

Improve the story, both the main plot and some interesting NPC plot lines/sidequests (think Majora's Mask).

Focus on performance more, the frame drops are terrible docked on Switch in places like Rito village, the lost woods/korok woods etc. and take away from the experience for me.

Ditch the weapon degredation. Force people to use different types of weapons by making them operate more uniquely and be more/less effective against certain enemies. As well as continually finding more powerful weapons that make you want to switch and try the new one.

Add caves and underwater areas to explore.
 

NimbusD

Member
More towns like gerudo town and either better dungeons or more integrated into the environment. I think I would have liked it better had shrines just been like, or at least had the possibility to be doors in the side of a cliff or something instead of all having the exact same entrance. It'd complete the sense of immersion. They did well with the dungeons in that way... Though those were meh just because of what they were. Imagine climbing a cliff and you find like a castle sitting in a valley. You can approach the castle any way you want and maybe there's more than one entrance but either way you just walk into the castle and it's a dungeon. That would be more like Zelda 1 to me than walking up to an obvious dungeon and entering a cutscenes then you're in a dungeon that you're either in or teleport out.

Maybe this is still held back because of streaming loading times, but this is where I want it to go.,
 

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
That would be dope.
Seriously, the few non-Ganon games have been some of the highlights of the series to boot.
Yep. I love Ganon, but he's played his part. Vaati, Onox, Veren, Ghirahim, etc. all felt so refreshing because they allowed a new story to be told.
 

En-ou

Member
Full blown dungeon/temples
This is a core reason why Zelda fans like Zelda games. It's a bit baffling why they removed this completely. Maybe they were short on time since they were trying to coincide it for Switch launch. I do like how we get the dungeon gameplay outside but the setting of being inside a dark and closed or subterranean space adds a lot to the experience.

I would love if Nintendo teamed up with From Software or Capcom to help create dungeons since I know those are probably very time consuming.

A new story in a twisted version of the current world with Zelda as the playable character while keeping the same scope and including the above would be quite something.

Obviously there are the fine tuning stuff like better item management, enemy variety and weapon system tweaks.
 
I expect the next game to just straight up be Breath of the Wild 2. Of course it won't be named that but that will basically be the jist. Reuse the engine, maybe improve it and optimize it specifically for Switch. The twist this time will be that both Link and Zelda are playable and the game has co-op.
 

phanphare

Banned
I honestly don't know. a game like Breath of the Wild feels like, to me, a game that you can only make once and will only be as impactful as it is once. for them to really keep the formula intact for a sequel they're going to have to radically change the setting of the world. if they do that and throw in a bunch of different enemies and do something different and unique with the dungeons and bosses then I think they'd be on the right track.
 
I'd like the dungeons back. I don't miss the puzzles as the overworld and the shrines do an excellent job on that part, but I miss the feeling you get entering a mysterious palace or cave.

I'm having a blast with BotW, it's just a wish for future installments.
 

Lynx_7

Member
I'll partially quote my post from the other thread.
While I want the next game to have bigger, differently themed dungeons scattered throughout the world, I don't think I want them to be "traditional".

I want Nintendo to implement BOTW's freeform puzzles and exploration in a more realized, grander scale. Maybe add 2 or 3 more runes and build the puzzles around your whole arsenal (including climbing, gliding and the ability to cut down things, for example). For a sense of progression, ramp up the difficulty of the puzzles and combat after every 3 to 4 dungeons, offering more complex scenarios.

If we absolutely must go back to the previous formula, then at the very least discard the "this boss has an obvious weakness to this dungeon's item in this 3 phase battle" formula for the more organic approach taken by BOTW. Also, less puzzles centered around a dungeon's item. Exploration/puzzles built around a bigger set of tools are better.

Also, a complete revamp of themes would be appreciated. I don't need Forest-Fire-Water Temple 5.0 electric boogaloo. They don't even need to be temples. Be more creative with the dungeon's templates, like a city in the skies and snowpeak mansion kinda deal. Maybe a Zelda equivalent of Sen's Fortress/Tower of Latria/Duke's Archives/Anor Londo. I don't know, not that we're not limited by formulas, go wild.

Basically, improve on BOTW's formula.
 
-A Smaller world.
The giant world in Breath of the Wild worked for what the game is, but I don't think every Zelda game needs to be this big, future games should have worlds about 3/4 to 1/2 of the size.

-Proper dungeons

The dungeons in BoTW are cool, but they are just so short and they all share the same visual language. I think 8 proper dungeons all with their own unique look would be perfect. I also don't want to them to throw away the ability to move parts of the dungeon like in BoTW, so that could be implemented into one or two of the dungeons or maybe just specific rooms in a bunch of them.

-Fewer shrines, and more visual styles
Shrines are awesome, but I think 120 is a bit much, with a smaller world and more dungeons I think 60-80 would be a better number. The fact that all of the shrines use the same visual style is kinda boring, so I'd hope for that they'd have a small pool of visuals styles that they could be, like cave or ruins and they could even steal some styles from the dungeons as well. I'd also like more of the "shrines" to be integrated into the world, or instance as an actual building or cave that you find. It'd also be nice to have more quests associated with certain "shrines" beyond just finding them, so stuff like save a kidnapped villager from some Bokoblins in a cave.

-More interactive bosses
While the dungeon bosses do still have a bit of a puzzle element to them, for the most part the bosses are just combat challenges now, and that's fine! But the bosses just don't have enough behaviors to be interesting. I think they should look a how Dark Souls does its bosses, and no I'm not saying make them that hard, but just look at how they have lots of moves and behaviors.

-Larger enemy variety
BoTW has a pretty small selection of enemies and that's kind of a bummer. There should be a mix of new and returning enemies (like Deku Babas, Skulltulas and Darknuts) in the next game.

-More overworld bosses
Having bosses in the overworld is pretty cool, but there is only a small few bosses and they just get variations. It'd be much more interesting if there was a wider selection of bosses, some could even be based on dungeon bosses from past games.

-A bigger focus on story
Zelda almost always has charming writing, but because Nintendo treats the story as less important than the gameplay and design very rarely does a Zelda game feel like it has an actual good story and I feel like that's one of the franchise's biggest weaknesses. More time needs to be spent on the story and with the characters, why should I care about someone like Teba that the game tells me is important but leaves the story as fast as they enter it?

-Larger towns
The small towns worked for BoTW, but for future games I would like to have larger towns with more people, more sights to see, games to play and more quests. Not all towns need to be large mind you, but at least some. It'd also be nice to have a city or two.

-More involved quests
A lot of BoTW's quests are busy work and there isn't much in the way of actual quest lines. The next game should have more quests were you have a real goal and quest lines, for instance you could join a guild or something like in Elder Scrolls, or you could do interconnected quests for a group of people that builds an enjoyable, self contained story.

-A villain
Again, BoTW not really having a villain worked for the game, but it's not something they should make a habit of. I want a new and interesting villain with goals beyond just becoming the supreme evil overlord of the world.

-Weapon repairing
I enjoy the durability in BoTW, but it would be nice if you could take a weapon to a blacksmith to repair it before it breaks, maybe you could even have weapons reinforced to improve their durability.

-Permanent mounts other than horses
BoTW allows you to mount a small selection of creatures, but none of them are able to become a permanent mount other than horses, not even stalhorses. If you can mount it you should be able to keep it. The number of mountable animals should also increase, for instance Ostriches and Moose.

-Underwater exploration
Bringing the underwater in would add a whole new level of exploration and discovery.

-Weirdness
BoTW is fairly normal, there's some weirdness here and there, but nothing on the level of the toilet hand in Majora's Mask and Skyward Sword. Nintendo shouldn't be afraid to get weird with Zelda.

This is just what comes to mind right now. I love BoTW and feel like it sets Zelda on the right path, but a lot of work needs to be done.
 

3DShovel

Member
I agree with this.

Going with Link to the Past as an example, say they did the same thing in BotW. You beat the divine beasts, go to Hyrule Castle, beat the boss there, and then head to an inverted version of Hyrule with harder dungeons and enemies. It keeps the "do whatever you want" aspect but offers an increase in difficulty to keep the player feeling like they are progressing in the story and earning their way past "the gate."

I don't see what gating them off would add to the experience honestly. Zelda I did it right.
 

cireza

Banned
They took many steps forward, going from previous Zelda games to BotW.

I think they should take a few steps backward for the next game, keeping only what worked very well in BotW.

Personally, I would like :
- a much smaller open world, but you keep the kind of exploration that is present in BotW (including the horse, the weather, the time of day etc...)
- put some real dungeons again, with a good atmosphere and music
- item/inventory management felt overly complex, too many items etc... Get rid of this, and also get rid of breakable items. Go back to only a few items/weapons that all make sense and serve a specific purpose. Keep cooking if you want, but make it more interesting. Maybe less recipes, but more interesting ones with specific and different effects
- dungeons entrance should be very well hidden, and found through rumors/clues etc... Make it exciting to search for the dungeons, and make the finding rewarding. Another problem of BotW is that whatever you are locking for, you know that at the end you will simply find a "one or two rooms sanctuary" with random stuff that does not change your life at all
- more enemy variety, better bosses

Overall, I dislike it when a game throws at you a ton of redundant shit, and sadly BotW does this. Why would I need 30 different types of swords ? Why should I visit 120 sanctuaries if I only get stuff that I can get anyway, or that is not useful ? Why are there150 types of ingredients ? Why should I spend 3 or 4 weapons killing a mob that will give me 3 weapons ?

I prefer meaningful things.
 
I would love a smaller, off-season story. Something in the vein of Link's Awakening. The world doesn't need to be as massive as BotW, so it would be nice if it were denser with activity. Stick to the theme of the overworld as the puzzle.
 
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