The Legend of Zeldahas soared to unimaginable heights since the release ofBreath of the Wildsix years ago. The epic adventure game has become one of the most notableLegend of Zeldareleases sinceOcarina of Time, and its upcoming sequelTears of the Kingdomis 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 abandoningBreath of the Wild’s style.
AsBotW-style games get the spotlight, however, it means another facet of the franchise has been seemingly abandoned. BeforeOcarina of Time,Zeldawas 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 tothe titan that isZelda’sBreath of the Wildformat.
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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 ofclassicZeldagames, however, abandoning this style strikes a major blow to a foundational part of gaming history. The very firstLegend of Zeldaset the standard for modern adventure titles, with timeless appeal that spawned many games within its franchise and beyond it.
As classicZeldagames transitioned to the Game Boy and Nintendo DS, they continued to serve as a testament to the franchise’s creativity.Oracle of AgesandOracle of Seasonsprovided connected stories where the full plot was only revealed once both games were finished, andPhantom Hourglassleveraged the DS’s hardware to deliver an experience that can’t be found on a home console. While theBotWstyle has more than earned its status, classic titles' brand of dungeon-crawling is what many still think of when they envision aZeldagame.
How Classic Zelda Can Share The Spotlight With The BotW Style
With the massive success of theBreath of the Wildstyle, Nintendo would have little reason to pursue a classicZeldaexperience. However, it has already proven thatZelda’s original formula can find success on the Switch with the remake ofThe 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 asBotW, this style ofZeldagame is still worth playing to this day.
Nintendo’s primary focus for the next couple of months is no doubt the release ofThe 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 throughthe 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 withZelda’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 Kingdomreleases on May 15, 2025, for the Nintendo Switch.
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