Across the Nintendo Switch’s lifespan, theLegend of Zeldafranchise has enjoyed a new era of prosperity thanks to a pivot towards open world design. The resulting mainline titles,Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, have both become award-winning games that each sold tens of millions of copies, and have both directly contributed to the Nintendo Switch remaining as relevant as it has across its seven-year-long life. Whether a given fan agrees withBreath of the WildandThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s approach to theZeldaformula or not, none can deny their impact on the franchise’s history.
Now that a Nintendo Switch successor is expected at some point in 2025 andThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomhas been announced, it feels like these open worldZeldagames’ era has ended. Judging by Nintendo developers expressing that the potential of this Hyrule has been exhausted, it seems like whatever theZeldafranchise offers next will involve a change of scenery. Aside from rumors of potentialBotWorTotKremasters demonstrating the Switch 2’s jumpin power, fans could have seen the last of their world, though that doesn’t need to be true. While the next 3D mainlineZeldatitle moves on, a top-down spin-off could giveBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomone last adventure.
How Top-Down Gameplay Could Work With BotW’s Setting
Going top-down with theseZeldagames might sound like a long shot, but there is precedent for it working. After its release,The Wind Wakerlent its cell-shaded art style to plenty of spin-off titles, including its portable sequels, 3D spin-offs likeTri Force Heroes, and even the sprite-basedThe Legend of Zelda: Four Swords AdventuresandThe Minish Cap. Thanks toBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom’s stylized character models, both of them could be easily converted into a more palatable, and potentiallyA Link Between Worlds-like, chibi appearance that works with the perspective.
Open World Zelda Scales Down To Classic Zelda Nicely
TranslatingBotWandTotK’s open world as well as their visuals would be tough, but the fortunate thing about classic top-downZeldagames is that they were always a touchstone forBreath of the Wild’s Hyrule. A map with Hyrule Castle in the center, a village nearby, and elementally themed dungeons in its furthest reaches describesA Link to the Pastas well as it doesTotK, and would be what a top-downZeldaspin-off in this Hyrule would most likely resemble. Throw in some classic top-down dungeons and possibly a new gimmick like Ultrahand or the 2D mechanic inA Link Between Worlds, and the game practically designs itself.
Why Zelda Should Make A Top-Down TotK Game Now
As for why theZeldafranchise should make this move, there are several reasons to choose from. One easy justification is that seeingThe Legend of Zelda’s latest character and monster designsrendered in a classic style would be interesting. Another reason is that, withEchoesof Wisdomputting Princess Zelda in the spotlight for once, Link might not lead a newZeldagame for several years, so a smaller title could keep him busy. There’s even still room afterTears of the Kingdomto explore what happened to the Zonai race as a whole.
The Legend of Zelda Could Use Another Nostalgic Entry
However, one reason stands head and shoulders above the rest, and that is to give classicZeldafans what they’ve been asking for. Complaints aboutBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomembracing the sort of open world that’s found inAssassin’s Creedhaven’t been frequent just because these games are different, but because there’s value in the compact worlds andlinear dungeons of pastZeldatitles. Seeing modern Nintendo’s take on classicZeldadesign would be fascinating, and the Hyrule fromBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomis the perfect stage to test it out.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
WHERE TO PLAY
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the beloved open-world adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This installment once again sees Link and Zelda battling to protect Hyrule from falling to Ganondorf. This new adventure takes place in the same land of Hyrule as Breath of the Wild but sees something called the Upheaval, which allows link to travel to Sky Islands, as well as deep into the Depths beneath Hyrule. Players can use special abilities to fuse together weapons, and build items to help them progress through the release.
