As much as I love BOTW and TOTK, for the next Zelda game I’d like to see another top-down game (Link between worlds, the link’s awakening remake, etc).

If they don’t want to make a whole new game I’d love to see the Oracle games remade, or even Minish Cap.

I want a modern game with the Dark World mechanic. I know TotK has a little bit of that with the Depths, but a real mirror world where you have to solve puzzles based on the difference from one world to another would be incredible in a 3d open world.

Plus I want to see Bunny Link again. Tie it into the Zonai lore and explain why he turns into a rabbit in the dark world.

Love this question / thought game.

I could probably spend hours discussing this, and wondered about the future of Zelda games a lot growing up.

I’d like to see Vaati and Twinrova (antagonists other than Ganondorf) be the focus of the next games. Even if that choice lead to a greater antagonists storyline in a sequel, that revealed Ganondorf behind it all.

As you mention, the handheld games are incredible, and provide so much opportunity. If they one day released Oracle of Secrets, in any capacity, I imagine it would break Zelda fans minds across the world.

I would prefer a more linear story line while keeping the game open world similar to the Assassin’s Creed games (I’ve only played up to black flag), so that there aren’t as many desynchronisations between mains quests (e.g. completing the dragons tears allow link to find where Zelda is, but he still won’t know when doing Regional Phenomena.

Open world games are awesome, they are like the epitome of emergent behavior, and the simulation aspects are wild!

Yet, I love games that are crafted around a well written narratives. I prefer a cohesive story with good pacing, which the Legend of Zelda series did so well.

I don’t mind spending hundreds of hours playing a game, but I also don’t like wasting time exploring every nook and cranny looking for secrets to “complete” a game.

I don’t know. I like games with a beginning, middle, and ending. I rather sink literal days of playtime in an RPG with the illusion of choice than run around aimlessly in an open world game.

I want a Zelda game set in an a futuristic setting, something like a cyberpunk or space age aesthetic. I am tired of the medieval high fantasy aesthetic. No more ancient advanced technology. I want contemporary advanced technology!

i really miss the feel of classic dungeons. i loved botw but the shrine and divine beasts just didn’t feel like a dungeon.

Gay Gorons

All I want is to go back to the classic Zelda formula of a linear story with dungeons. BOTW and TOTK are great, but I miss the old games. I miss getting a new item that suddenly makes new parts of the world accessible.

I’m afraid, however, we won’t ever see this type of Zelda again. BOTW and TOTK have sold an insane amount of copies. This may be the new normal for Zelda.

Also, please let there be more 2D games.

I would like a more linear story like the older Zelda games. The world can still be open and have plenty of discoverable side items. I mean the first one technically was an open world, you were just blocked off from areas by the need for an item, just like TotK you essentially need certain elixirs, gear, or food to be able to go to certain areas effectively.

I’m just not a fan of the disconnected plot. Every time I went to a new area for one of the sages, it was the same dialogue and the same cutscenes, just with a different sage and tribe mentioned.

Child + Adult link, with the Adult Link’s worlds being more like TOTK (exploration-based) and child Link being more like OoT (puzzlevania). Each could have their own version of the underground, land and sky - with child Link being before devastation and adult link afterwards. And playing the ocarina you can switch between them while keeping your location.

Underwater and building submarines. It’s such a shame this isn’t in TOTK already.

Like imagine playing TOTK but you start out on a load of islands like Wind Waker and build a small raft, then eventually a sailboat, and then with Zonai fans, and a bit of swimming.

More automation-based gameplay with better object persistence and larger contraption possibility and be able to save and share them more easily. It should be possible to evenutally automate obtaining Zonaite for example, Factorio style.

Koji Kondo music of course. Even if they have both, TOTK has way too little music, and too quiet.

I’d like to see a game where you play as Zelda. I remember there being a question if she was the protagonist of BOTW in the first teaser because Link was wearing the hood up.

I know that the “woke” cries would be ridiculous, but I think it’d be neat to have her save Link for once.

This might be controversial but I’d like to change up the aesthetic in the next game. Don’t get me wrong, the Ghibli style in BOTW/TOTK has its charm and fits the game and world it was chosen for, but I’d kill to get Twilight Princess’s artstyle and character design back.

Everything just had an ornate but grounded vibe that felt more tied to reality. Clothing had stiches and imprinted emblems and texture. Leathers felt thick and sturdy. Link had visible straps attaching his bracers to his forearms and his sheath to his back. And for the first time ever: chainmail.

Shame it was ever only utilized for one game. (Okay, sure, “Link’s Crossbow Training,” too, but c’mon…)

Personally, I want another WW/PH/ST style game, generally speaking. ST was released ~14 years ago. I think maybe we could explore

We’ve already done the sky (twice), and have done ground a lot and now

I also can’t stand the concept of item durability. I prefer the classic item style personally. And let’s keep a few of the classic items, but make most of them brand new, and not just slightly different versions of the same things.

If Nintendo’s up for it, I think a Zelda MMO could be interesting. I know a lot of people have talked in the past about a Pokemon MMO, but personally I’d prefer a Zelda one.

Also, please, no 900 of anything to collect. That’s waaaaaayyy too much IMO. ~100 is about the most I’m willing to do.

I love the hyrule open area, but I hope that they move on to a new region. I know it’s kinda out of the series to not have the common land marks, but it would be nice to introduce something completely different.

I loved WW, so maybe it could be fun with a game based on huge oceans which have different levels and tides, such that familiar areas reveal lower levels at different tides.

Even though I like the mechanic of climbing and being able to go anywhere, it seems to be a pretty heavily limiting factor for interesting map design. I’m just worried that the Zelda series will never be able to go back to a more “closed” world.

The master sword in a more usable capacity. I know they were trying to promote using other weapons and fusing items and what not, but also feel like a system could have been implemented that would allow the master swords to be used indefinitely, but with some minor caveats.

Obviously, we don’t want it to be completely overpower from the start. So maybe there is an upgrade mechanic that you work through during normal game play, similar to hearts and stamina. This would alleviate the issue where it’s too powerful early on in the game.

Also thought about the possibility of its recharge cycle just lowering its AP for 5 minutes instead of making it completely unusable.

I just feel like the iconic nature of the sword is lost by the current mechanics in the past 2 games.