Topic: Thoughts for the next Zelda game?

I though that BotW had some great sidequests. Ones like From the Ground Up, Stranded on Eventide and The Stolen Heirloom spring to mind; it's not just a single task, there's a bit of a story, and you can feel like you made a difference to the world. Tears of the Kingdom similarly had the Hateno Village Mayoral Election, Lurelin Village Restoration Project (a place very close to my heart) and A Call from the Depths.

They've just got a heck of a lot more that are basically just fetch X or kill Y and give you a meaningless reward for it. Less of those and more of the good stuff would keep me happy.

No breakable weapons! Totally put me off returning to BOTW after finishing it on Wii U and my initial excitement for TOTK quickly faded once I remembered what a pain they were (I should have known; the stamina gauge and breakable shields on Skyward Sword were already bad enough). My son is just playing through BOTW and he dislikes this aspect as well.

Also, who thought a cool-down on using the Master Sword was a good idea? Hey, you’ve worked really hard to recover this legendary blade, the blade of evil’s bane. Now just wait 10 mins while it has a quick nap…

My problem with Breath and Tears is that I hate feeling underpowered for half the game. Enemies shouldn't effortlessly kill me off with one or two blows when it's still so early. It discourages me from doing much exploring. Only after I've become strong enough is when I can truly enjoy the game.

This is why I didn't beat Breath until 2020 and still have yet to beat Tears, though I plan to finally do so in 2026, which is also three years later. I know the concept of playing a weak protagonist who gradually grows stronger is nothing new, but it's just felt like it went way too far with these two games. Dial it back next time!