The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) is undoubtedly an amazing game that really pushes the player to be creative and to think outside of the box, compelling them to explore and figure out the secrets of the land. I truly love this game. However, as someone who has played the older Zelda games, I really hope the developers bring back nostalgic elements from previous installments for Tears of the Kingdom (2023) this upcoming May.
A Hair-Raising Region
Every Zelda game has its own fair share of ominous elements. The goosebumps-inducing gameplay has previously been done through story-telling or themes. However, when talking to people about if there were any chilling moments and regions in Breath of the Wild, the responses were lacking. Again, as someone who grew up with Ocarina of Time (1998) and Majora’s Mask (2000), I miss those spooky elements that added perspective and lore to the games, such as The Well or Moon Children. I would love to see an eerie area in the next installment of the Zelda games.
ReDeads
The ReDeads are horrifying, but an incredible part of many Zelda games. For those of you who don’t know, ReDeads are a recurring enemy. Their character design is lanky and painfully thin, so much so that you can see the bones protruding from their bodies. The worst part? They attack you with a shrill scream that quite literally paralyzes you. Slowly, they move towards you to drain your life force, and you can finally attack once they are done. To see them in the new graphics and to hear that blood-curdling scream again would be an exhilarating experience.
Ganondorf
Not Ganon. Not Calamity Ganon. Ganondorf. It is only a small difference in the name, but they are actually incredibly different. In the lore, Ganon and Ganondorf are completely separate since they exist in different timelines. Breath of the Wild is the convergence of these timelines, and it would be interesting to bring back Ganondorf in his humanoid form for the upcoming sequel. While Calamity Ganon made perfect sense in Breath of the Wild and brings an amazing fight, Ganondorf is one of the most well-known characters that I would love to see more of.
Music
When I say music, I don’t mean the original soundtrack (OST). I’m hoping the developers will bring back something along the lines of the ocarina or the harp. In Breath of the Wild, something that consistently annoyed me was the rain. I would be stuck on a mountain top, waiting for the rain to end when all I could think about was how in older games I could just play a song and change the weather. There were also tons of puzzles in the older games that involved using the musical instrument to progress, which I think would be a lovely feature to revisit.
Link’s Expressiveness
Link used to have so many emotions and expressions in some of the older games; it is hard not to miss his personality. He’s always been a (mostly) silent protagonist, but until Breath of the Wild, he has always had emotions. In Skyward Sword (2011), he even has dialogue options that make him comical and sassy. Although there is a reason he isn’t as expressive in the newest game, it would be nice to see him emote again in Tears of the Kingdom.
Dungeons
Although this is not likely, dungeons were the backbone of the Zelda series. You would get an item, use it during the dungeon to get a new item, and then use that one. This was the classic Zelda formula, and Breath of the Wild completely scraps that for the new shrine system. While the shrine system is exciting, it is not what the series is known for, creating a drastic departure from the older games.
NPC personality
The non-player characters (NPCs) used to really add flavor to the game. In many of the older games, not only is Link expressive, but so are all the side characters. They could be sassy, sad, frustrated, or overjoyed. However, in Breath of the Wild, the NPCs are all lacking. They exist in a vacuum, unaffected by Link and everything else. Every other character exists solely to give Link an item or advice, and they do not add anything to the game.
Overall, Tears of the Kingdom has the potential to be just as amazing as its predecessors. I am excited to see whether the developers will include some of the elements from previous games and how it lives up to Breath of the Wild.