The Legend of Zelda has soared to unimaginable heights since the release of Breath of the Wild six years ago. The epic adventure game has become one of the most notable Legend of Zelda releases since Ocarina of Time, and its upcoming sequel Tears of the Kingdom is among the most highly anticipated titles of the last few years. It seems there's nothing the franchise can do wrong right now, and Nintendo shows no signs of abandoning Breath of the Wild's style.
As BotW-style games get the spotlight, however, it means another facet of the franchise has been seemingly abandoned. Before Ocarina of Time, Zelda was largely built on the format of the original NES game. Players would see everything from a top-down perspective, moving through charming overworlds and dungeons. Even as the franchise committed to more 3D adventure titles, this classic style persisted and thrived on handheld consoles. Now, many of those games are lost to time, but there could still be room for them next to the titan that is Zelda's Breath of the Wild format.
The Importance of Classic Legend of Zelda Games
In the video game industry, once a new style of game comes along and captivates audiences, developers and publishers run with it. It's difficult to find fault in this trend, as innovation and financial success allows the industry to do things it never could before. In the case of classic Zelda games, however, abandoning this style strikes a major blow to a foundational part of gaming history. The very first Legend of Zelda set the standard for modern adventure titles, with timeless appeal that spawned many games within its franchise and beyond it.
As classic Zelda games transitioned to the Game Boy and Nintendo DS, they continued to serve as a testament to the franchise's creativity. Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons provided connected stories where the full plot was only revealed once both games were finished, and Phantom Hourglass leveraged the DS's hardware to deliver an experience that can't be found on a home console. While the BotW style has more than earned its status, classic titles' brand of dungeon-crawling is what many still think of when they envision a Zelda game.
How Classic Zelda Can Share The Spotlight With The BotW Style
With the massive success of the Breath of the Wild style, Nintendo would have little reason to pursue a classic Zelda experience. However, it has already proven that Zelda's original formula can find success on the Switch with the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. The game featured a beautiful art style that paid homage to the original release, and its systems proved their timelessness almost 20 years later. While they may not be as grand as BotW, this style of Zelda game is still worth playing to this day.
Nintendo's primary focus for the next couple of months is no doubt the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, as it has proven to be the company's most anticipated game in a long time. However, as fans across the globe venture through the floating islands of Hyrule, it is essential to remember where the franchise started. It's difficult to imagine how much higher the franchise could go after this coming installment, but those who fell in love with Zelda's classic style can only hope that Nintendo will find room for an experience that harkens back to those early days.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom releases on May 12, 2023, for the Nintendo Switch.