Topic: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

@LinkAtWild

BOTW is my favorite with ALTTP, so what I would like is a BOTW in terms of scale, with better visuals AND DUNGEONS, I mean REAL dungeons...

PS : and a real end game because from my perspective, the "castle/Ganon/the end part" is completely botched... otherwise the game is top notch.

@LinkAtWild

As I've said several times before, I'd actually like to see a prequel. Set in the same world, with the same characters, but before Hyrule was destroyed.

That way they could use the same landscape but they could just add a lot of new stuff to it (not to mention things like Hyrule Castle town being fully explorable.)
Combine that with a completely new set of shrines in different locations and I think it could be a very cost-effective way of making the next entry in the series.

A game like FF13-2 is a great example of something a bit like this. That was a sequel not a prequel but they did reuse a lot of the assets in a creative way without it feeling too redundant. It felt like a new game.

Seems like I'm the only one who just wants a new game? Same map, same characters, same mechanics sounds quite boring to me. That sounds more like DLC. An all-new game is a lot more exciting to me.

@Octane said "Seems like I'm the only one who just wants a new game? Same map, same characters, same mechanics sounds quite boring to me. That sounds more like DLC. An all-new game is a lot more exciting to me."

But it's not a problem when a newer system gets the same games with the same maps, the same characters, the same mechanics from the previous one...

@Octane
Yeah but do you want a new game in 2 years time or 4 years time?

BotW took ages to make because everything was built from the ground up. I don't think they should do that for every Zelda game.

Even if you want a completely new world, characters and story, they could still reuse the same graphics and physics engine along with the environment textures and models. Just like the difference between Ocarina and Majoras. Or Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks.

@Dezzy I take the four years to be honest. BOTW was delayed to launch on Switch as well. They could've released it earlier, but it would've been a Wii U only title, and well, yeah...

@Dezzy Port the Wii U Zelda ports in the meantime, simple solution. It's how they've gotten around a lot of potential Switch droughts.

@Grumblevolcano I'd be all over a Wind Waker HD rerelease.

I'd be all over a Wind Waker Skin DLC for BotW.

I'd also be interested in the BotW world getting flooded and Link doing a lot of diving exploration.

@Octane

Ahh but you need to take into account what else they'd do with that extra 2 years. Obviously it wont be just a 3 year project or a 5 year project.
It'll be a 3 year project + 2 years on something else OR a 5 year project.

So it might be a BotW sequel/prequel AND Skyward Sword HD vs just a new original Zelda game.

@Dezzy I'm sorry, I'd still take the new game lol. I didn't like Skyward Sword, and I've got a dozen copies of every other Zelda game, so I'm in no hurry to play those on the Switch.

New IP > New game > Direct sequel/prequel with reused assets > port/remaster/remake IMO. Time doesn't really matter to me. I've been waiting since 2006 for a proper OOT-like Zelda game. I can wait another five years if that's what it takes.

Hmmm I'm not sure that makes sense as a generalisation. Whether you'd prefer a new IP would surely depend on the series you're comparing it to.
I'd rather a new IP over the next Kirby game. But never over the next Zelda.

@Dezzy Well, alright. But in the general sense I prefer something new over something I've already played.

Everybody knows Rusty's Real Deal Baseball was inherently superior to The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

@Delibheel Provided it's good of course

@Octane Of course. But I think you're underestimating how much they can make something feel new even if they use the same resources.
Majoras Mask feels really quite different to Ocarina of Time. Twilight Princess frankly feels closer to Ocarina than Majoras Mask does. Despite the new platform, engine and assets.

I think you're going to be waiting a while longer. BotW was wildly successful, and a huge departure from the OoT structure. I doubt they're going to abandon the "open air" approach to game design so quickly.

Although you might get that sort of template with 2D games. I could see Nintendo remaking something like Link's Awakening.

@Ralizah Well, I do kinda hope they're going back to the drawing board instead of doing a straight up BOTW 2.

@Octane I really doubt it'll be a straight-up BotW 2. How often does Nintendo make direct sequels? What they'll likely do is iterate on the game design.

Of course, the funny thing is that one of the few straight-up Zelda sequels they made, Majora's Mask, feels radically different to pretty much every other Zelda game.

@Ralizah Well, yeah, something like MM would require them to go back to the drawing board I think.

I'm willing to make a compromise though. Keep the go anywhere stuff, but bring back the classic dungeons, more than four dungeons would be welcome as well. Don't make the bosses a bunch of Ganon clones. More enemy variety; this needs to scale with the game, bigger map and less enemy variety isn't how it works; re-skins don't count. Bring back some of the unique items, maybe even as dungeon rewards. The map needs to be sized according to the content that's in the game, no need for three giant tundra wastelands. Cut down on the climbing; having inaccessible mountain ranges in the game isn't inherently a bad thing, it allows for more focused level design. Make it so climbing doesn't rely on the stamina, but give Link a fixed distance he can climb. That way a giant mountain without resting spots, or a castle wall can be actual walls. And weapon durability is stupid.

How's that?