The Legend of Zeldaseries' popularity seems to be at an all-time high thanks to the success ofBreath of the Wild. Following its release in 2017, it was allZeldafans 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 forBreath of the Wild, fans of classic 2DZeldamay viewBreath of the Wildas a major shift for the series far from its 2D roots.
FollowingBreath of the Wild 2’s release later this year, the studio shouldn’t neglect the 2D side of the franchise.Breath of the Wild 2should 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 formulaonceBOTW 2launches.
RELATED:The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap Should Get the Link’s Awakening Treatment
Keeping 2D Legend of Zelda Games Alive
As Nintendo began dividing its efforts into console and handheld releases,Zeldahas been similarly divided into 2D games launching on handhelds while the series' 3D outings debuted on consoles (with some exceptions like theOcarina of TimeandMajora’s Mask3DS 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 Awakeningremakedid release followingBreath of the Wild; however it was developed by Grezzo, a studio that has done plenty of work porting other classic Nintendotitles to current hardware.
The most recent top-downZeldatitle released wasTriforce Heroesin 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’sA Link BetweenWorldswas the most recent mainline 2DZeldaouting. Depending on who’s asked,The Legend of Zeldahasn’t gotten a new 2D entry in almost 10 years, which is quite a gap given new first-party 2DZeldagames were releasing consistently alongside 3D ones up until the Switch’s launch.
The likely success ofBreath of the Wild 2will 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 2DZeldatitles as a result. The success and popularity of 2019’sLink’s Awakeningremake proved that fans are also interested in revisiting the series' roots, so it would be a shame if Nintendo were to drop the 2DZeldastyle 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 2DZeldagames. Grezzo has done a lot of great work on theZeldaseries, from porting older titles like with the3DS versions ofOcarina of TimeandMajora’s Mask,remakingLink’s Awakening, and aiding in the development ofTriforce 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 likeThe Minish Capand the GBA version ofA 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-offCadence of Hyrule.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildis available now for Switch.
MORE:The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening Remake Developer Grezzo is Hiring for a New Project
