Enough already.
The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild was a masterpiece and I have high hopes for the next entry in the series. Specifically, I’m waiting for the moment when the next game blows Breath of the Wild out of the water in scope, scale and overall vision. Kind of like how empty GTA IV felt after GTA V was out.
THE ENGINE
By now, it’s obvious that Nintendo developed the Breath of the Wild Engine with the intent of using it in future titles. It was a huge investment of man-hours and money and we should be prepared for a Majora’s Mask type of sequel. What I’m hoping for though is for a game that builds upon the visual aspect of the game while at the same time focusing on a more traditional dungeon setup complete with clever twists on items and how they are used.
demo memories
When it comes to visuals, Breath of the Wild’s art direction and physics engine were top notch. But do you remember this?
TOO MUCH TO ASK?
Wouldn’t it be amazing if the talented people in charge of development focus on a more ‘realistic’ shading style leaning more towards Twilight Princess? With the technical aspects of the engine being ironed out from the previous development cycle, it would only be a matter of additional optimisation and smart artistic choices to achieve this. Remember, what I’m asking for is not a hyper-realistic, bland, brown Zelda game, but instead something that avoids minimalism and takes advantage of the full power of the Nintendo Switch.
MILKING EVERY DROP
Just last week, Nintendo was able to overclock the Switch, effectively adding a “boost” mode that makes loading times for Breath of the Wild a lot faster than before. Implementing such boosts in a future Zelda release can ensure a visual bump without loss in performance. Nintendo is great at utilising their systems to their full potential, with games looking better and better throughout a console’s life cycle.
SHAKING THINGS UP
The fact of the matter is that before Breath of the Wild, we had never seen a proper, open-world, go wherever you want Zelda game which fans had been asking for for years. Now is the perfect time for Nintendo to shake things up once again by mixing the old with the new in terms of gameplay and adopting a visual style that will satisfy the fans’ request for a realistic art style. Couple that with more emphasis on story (think Twilight Princess or Skyward Sword) and we could easily have a game that will top Breath of The Wild in every aspect.
SIMPLE?
So in conclusion, all Nintendo needs to do is go through the weaker aspects of Breath of the Wild and improve them. With the Wii U out of the picture, Nintendo can utilise the additional power of the Switch to make these changes happen. More traditional dungeons, a revamped lighting model, realistic shading, more focus on active storytelling and for the love of God, HD-rumble.
PRETTY PLEASE
Will I hate the next Zelda game if Nintendo doesn’t do this? Probably not. But I would feel disappointed during the reveal trailer if there is very little improvement to the visual style, that’s for sure. If anyone from Nintendo is reading this, please make it happen.