The Legend of Zelda series' popularity seems to be at an all-time high thanks to the success of Breath of the Wild. Following its release in 2017, it was all Zelda fans couuld talk about, and as its untitled sequel draws closer excitement is picking up again. While it makes sense why Nintendo fans have fallen head-over-heels for Breath of the Wild, fans of classic 2D Zelda may view Breath of the Wild as a major shift for the series far from its 2D roots.
Following Breath of the Wild 2's release later this year, the studio shouldn't neglect the 2D side of the franchise. Breath of the Wild 2 should no doubt be a success, whatever it's going to be called, but Nintendo should consider working on another 2D game for fans of that formula once BOTW 2 launches.
Keeping 2D Legend of Zelda Games Alive
As Nintendo began dividing its efforts into console and handheld releases, Zelda has been similarly divided into 2D games launching on handhelds while the series' 3D outings debuted on consoles (with some exceptions like the Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask 3DS remakes). Now that the Switch is a marriage of both hardware types, it seems as if the series is sticking to 3D games, at least in titles developed by Nintendo's first-party studios. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake did release following Breath of the Wild; however it was developed by Grezzo, a studio that has done plenty of work porting other classic Nintendo titles to current hardware.
The most recent top-down Zelda title released was Triforce Heroes in 2015, but since it had a major focus on multiplayer, many fans tend not to count it as a mainline release. That would mean 2013's A Link Between Worlds was the most recent mainline 2D Zelda outing. Depending on who's asked, The Legend of Zelda hasn't gotten a new 2D entry in almost 10 years, which is quite a gap given new first-party 2D Zelda games were releasing consistently alongside 3D ones up until the Switch's launch.
The likely success of Breath of the Wild 2 will tell Nintendo it should continue focusing on new and exciting elements that the game and its predecessor have brought to the series. While that's certainly true, the company shouldn't abandon 2D Zelda titles as a result. The success and popularity of 2019's Link's Awakening remake proved that fans are also interested in revisiting the series' roots, so it would be a shame if Nintendo were to drop the 2D Zelda style completely.
If Nintendo is reluctant to work on 2D titles itself, it might not be a bad idea for it to allow other studios to continue work on 2D Zelda games. Grezzo has done a lot of great work on the Zelda series, from porting older titles like with the 3DS versions of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, remaking Link's Awakening, and aiding in the development of Triforce Heroes, so it seems like a good fit to continue the legacy of the franchise. Another option could be to open up future 2D entries to other major studios. After all, Capcom used to work on the series with titles like The Minish Cap and the GBA version of A Link to the Past & Four Swords, so there's precedent to allow for a similar approach for future entries. More indie studios could also get a chance to play with Zelda, as seen in the spin-off Cadence of Hyrule.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available now for Switch.