GRcade

I started going through Breath of the Wild for the fourth time this week and though I was also playing it in handheld over Christmas, whacking it up on the big screen has reminded me just how much I love this game. I’ve devoured theory videos on YouTube, ‘things you missed’ lists, speedruns, making ofs, and bought both deluxe editions of the guide and creating a champion books, pouring over details in both. It’s comfortably my favourite game ever, something I never thought I’d be able to say about anything other than Ocarina of Time.

Now that we’re almost two years out, naturally my thoughts about the game have moved increasingly on to what I’d like from a sequel. Most opinion I’ve seen on the matter seems fairly reductively to be focussed on ‘want classic dungeons’ and ‘moar traditional story’. While I don’t disagree with either there’s other things I’m more interested to talk about so am creating my first thread in years turning to the fine minds of GR to get your opinion.

To help facilitate sharing of ideas I’ve categorised this into a few topics and added expanded thoughts under each. Let’s get started...

Setting
This is probably the topic I’ve given most thought to. I absolutely adore the game world of BotW. When I get a quest notification telling me to go to Kakariko Village for the first time it stirs up so many memories from past titles that I get excited about the journey and wondering what it might look like and everything that’s going to happen there. Though I’ve explored every inch of Hyrule in this game I would be very reluctant to see it completely moved on from in the next game. But despite this I also think I’d be very disappointed if it was the sole setting for a sequel. The answer then, I hear you ask...


Sadly there’s not a better picture.

This video shows it better.


The Land to the North. I think my dream would be to have the best of both worlds. Access to a revitalised Hyrule in which several of the destroyed settlements are rebuilt, namely Castle Town but also Lon Lon Ranch and Mabe Village as well outposts like Fort Hateno. I think it’d be brilliant to have a chance to see a thriving Hyrule but then midway through the quest to have a reason to break the boundaries and explore north to see a weird and wonderful new land (maybe a Termina style twist). It’s probably asking a bit much but that would be my dream.

This post has already gone on to long so I’ll pause there and and more detail later under the following topics.
Story
Mechanics

Very interested to hear what you guys think.

Zelda having to save Link for a change.

I thought this thread was about the the next game being called The Legend Of Zelda: Hopes And Dreams.

BOTW was a Wii U game ported to Switch, so I hope for something more technically impressive than the bland landscapes and cell-shaded graphics.

Saying that, BOTW had some great gameplay elements and was immensely popular, so the most efficient route for Ninty would be a game in the same engine.

I've always thought that the next game could use the future of BotW's world - fully rebuilt, few new areas perhaps - and base the story on a more linear path. The entire world would still be traversable, but with areas you wouldn't be able to get to without the right equipment. Larger dungeons I could see return, allowing access to the equipment based on what puzzle it offers.

With my limited experience of Zelda games beyond BotW, I can't really comment much on story details, but maybe having Ganon return wouldn't be a good idea. Introduce a new faction, invaders to the rebuilt Hyrule who want to claim the kingdom as their own and are disrupting the peace and harmony between the various citizens of the land.

NickSCFC wrote:BOTW was a Wii U game ported to Switch, so I hope for something more technically impressive than the bland landscapes and cell-shaded graphics.

There is no gaming opinion I find more abhorrent than this.

Captain Kinopio wrote:There is no gaming opinion I find more abhorrent than this.

To be fair it's an issue I take up with most open world games, including RDR and Horizon.

That's why I'm excited for Cyberpunk 2077, a bustling vertical city with no bland "look at how big our map is" wasteland.

Honestly, I'd like BotW to get the MM treatment and gave some traditional dungeons.

NickSCFC wrote:

Captain Kinopio wrote:There is no gaming opinion I find more abhorrent than this.

To be fair it's an issue I take up with most open world games, including RDR and Horizon.

That's why I'm excited for Cyberpunk 2077, a bustling vertical city with no bland "look at how big our map is" wasteland.

So you’re referring to size of map and activities within it rather than art style. If so I could kind of see where you’re coming from. Though I categorically don’t think Hyrule in BOTW is too big.

DarkRula wrote:I've always thought that the next game could use the future of BotW's world - fully rebuilt, few new areas perhaps - and base the story on a more linear path. The entire world would still be traversable, but with areas you wouldn't be able to get to without the right equipment. Larger dungeons I could see return, allowing access to the equipment based on what puzzle it offers.

With my limited experience of Zelda games beyond BotW, I can't really comment much on story details, but maybe having Ganon return wouldn't be a good idea. Introduce a new faction, invaders to the rebuilt Hyrule who want to claim the kingdom as their own and are disrupting the peace and harmony between the various citizens of the land.

I think the invaders aspect of this would be fascinating. There’s some mystery around what happened to certain tribes from Hyrule, such as those that inhabited the Zonai Ruins.



Possibly something could be done with an old inhabitants coming back to Hyrule, maybe with the help of the Yiga clan. You could also have some epic battles around rebuilt forts like Akkala Citadel and Fort Hateno. The Creating a Champion book highlights some of the events that took place a these sites during the fall of Hyrule 100 years ago.

I don’t think I’d want Ganon back so soon though.

Breath of the Wild *looked* amazing, though. Stylised visuals are a much smarter idea than the "realistic" uncanny valley approach most big developers seem to go for.

Kind of agree about the world being a little too big, though. Towards the end I just warped from place to place to pick off the last few shrines.

I'd love some proper big dungeons that expanded on the puzzles from the divine beasts. And maybe a bit more of a plot than just discovering what came before.

With it being able to fully take advantage of the Switch hardware, I would like to see more NPC’s with interesting side stories. Ones like The Witcher 3, I like playing in a busy world with lots of extra side content to explore


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The shrines were an interesting concept but found them to be more of an annoyance.

Agree with Milner above, flesh out the side characters. Majority added nothing to the game.

ITSMILNER wrote:With it being able to fully take advantage of the Switch hardware, I would like to see more NPC’s with interesting side stories. Ones like The Witcher 3, I like playing in a busy world with lots of extra side content to explore


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This is essentially what I want. Basically Majora Mask it. Take the engine, and create a small, tighter world, more focused on the storyline and characters and side quests.

Tomous wrote:

ITSMILNER wrote:With it being able to fully take advantage of the Switch hardware, I would like to see more NPC’s with interesting side stories. Ones like The Witcher 3, I like playing in a busy world with lots of extra side content to explore


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This is essentially what I want. Basically Majora Mask it. Take the engine, and create a small, tighter world, more focused on the storyline and characters and side quests.

If this is what they do, and I’d love it, I think there’s an outside shot of it being teased at E3 for release in 2020

Captain Kinopio wrote:

Tomous wrote:

ITSMILNER wrote:With it being able to fully take advantage of the Switch hardware, I would like to see more NPC’s with interesting side stories. Ones like The Witcher 3, I like playing in a busy world with lots of extra side content to explore


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This is essentially what I want. Basically Majora Mask it. Take the engine, and create a small, tighter world, more focused on the storyline and characters and side quests.

If this is what they do, and I’d love it, I think there’s an outside shot of it being teased at E3 for release in 2020

Well, a credible leaker on Reset mentioned something BOTW releated could be coming in 2020. Could be a MM-esq sequel?

Something I was thinking about recently was it’s time we got another multiplayer Zelda game. Imagine a 4 player Zelda game, using the BOTW engine and set in the BOTW universe. You don’t play as four Links though, you play as one of the 4 champions! Have multiple dungeons where each of the champions special abilities are required to get through to the very end!

well i dont think its possible for me to dislike a zelda game so i think ill be good no matter what

would quite like to see them revisit some of those ideas they came up with during botw development

The alien spaceship could be in Majora's Mask of the Wild. Like, you know Majora's Mask. Wonder if the aliens will be stealing cows, though?

ITSMILNER wrote:Well, a credible leaker on Reset mentioned something BOTW releated could be coming in 2020. Could be a MM-esq sequel?

King Zell, who has a reasonable (but not perfect) track record, said Zelda ports weren't on the horizon but that wouldnt matter because we will get a 2D Zelda this year and a 3D Zelda next year (although I don't believe he specifically said BOTW related).

If you look at Nintendo's timeline for Zelda releases (they pretty much try to get a Zelda title out every year in some form), consider development cycles and team output and the merging of handheld/home console development, I think a 2D Zelda is almost a certainty this year.

A 3D Zelda next year might feel too soon given the 5 years between TP and SS and the 6 years between SS and BOTW. However a 2020 release could still have had up to 3 1/2 year development, something entirely feasible if they re-use the BOTW engine. While that's something they haven't really done since OOT to MM it wouldn't be a surprise if they decided to do it in this situation given how much time and money was spent on BOTW and also how well it was critically and commercially received. By re-using the engine they can get a BOTW2 (or whatever for it takes) out on the Switch in what will be one of its' peak years.

Tomous wrote:

ITSMILNER wrote:Well, a credible leaker on Reset mentioned something BOTW releated could be coming in 2020. Could be a MM-esq sequel?

King Zell, who has a reasonable (but not perfect) track record, said Zelda ports weren't on the horizon but that wouldnt matter because we will get a 2D Zelda this year and a 3D Zelda next year (although I don't believe he specifically said BOTW related).

If you look at Nintendo's timeline for Zelda releases (they pretty much try to get a Zelda title out every year in some form), consider development cycles and team output and the merging of handheld/home console development, I think a 2D Zelda is almost a certainty this year.

A 3D Zelda next year might feel too soon given the 5 years between TP and SS and the 6 years between SS and BOTW. However a 2020 release could still have had up to 3 1/2 year development, something entirely feasible if they re-use the BOTW engine. While that's something they haven't really done since OOT to MM it wouldn't be a surprise if they decided to do it in this situation given how much time and money was spent on BOTW and also how well it was critically and commercially received. By re-using the engine they can get a BOTW2 (or whatever for it takes) out on the Switch in what will be one of its' peak years.

I swear he made a comment along the lines of ‘if you loved BOTW you’ll love next year’ I’ll try and find it.

King Zell has also stated we will get a Nindies Showcase this week, we’ll see if this actually happens.


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Tomous wrote:This is essentially what I want. Basically Majora Mask it. Take the engine, and create a small, tighter world, more focused on the storyline and characters and side quests.

Yes, this. Although less Majora for me, and more TP (without the hideous graphical style). I'd like to see a traditional Zelda, with the dungeons and the items and that, using BotW's engine. I wouldn't say no to BotW2, but it'd be nice to break up the massive expansive Zeldas with slightly tighter ones.

Also the Spinner. The Spinner was great. Bring back the Spinner.