It's not just about nostalgia, BotW and TotK are in almost a completely different genre compared to the rest of the series.
BotW and TotK are absolutely amazing games and I would still love to see what more that style of game can provide. But it's unfair to say the previous style of 3D Zelda are more "limited & restrictive" because I don't think they understand the potential.
Just because a game is more linear doesn't mean that makes it more restrictive. BotW/TotK brought new ways to play the game but features were lost along the way. This includes a more linear story telling and plot, a unique environment design alongside unique items to traverse it, unique dungeon designs from their open world counterpart due to keys and limited movement options creating more of a puzzle to find the solution, unique items for combat and exploration, the gimmicks that come with it like Mask Transformations and Wolf Link... The list goes on.
Heck, they could also innovate for the more linear classic style by heavily revamping the combat to allow a lot more options for dealing with encounters instead just having "B swings the sword". You could unlock new fighting skills, learn different fighting styles, bring back the Magic Meter and build upon that and tons more.
There is so much that can still be done with the classic style. Just the amount of Romhacks that exist for OoT and how keeping the same gameplay but changing the world and environment still feels fresh and fun to play says a lot about how much the linear method can still provide.
I can only hope they do both, but that's probably just wishful thinking at this point.
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Re: Zelda Producer Responds To Fans Who Want A More "Traditional Linear" Adventure
It's not just about nostalgia, BotW and TotK are in almost a completely different genre compared to the rest of the series.
BotW and TotK are absolutely amazing games and I would still love to see what more that style of game can provide. But it's unfair to say the previous style of 3D Zelda are more "limited & restrictive" because I don't think they understand the potential.
Just because a game is more linear doesn't mean that makes it more restrictive. BotW/TotK brought new ways to play the game but features were lost along the way. This includes a more linear story telling and plot, a unique environment design alongside unique items to traverse it, unique dungeon designs from their open world counterpart due to keys and limited movement options creating more of a puzzle to find the solution, unique items for combat and exploration, the gimmicks that come with it like Mask Transformations and Wolf Link... The list goes on.
Heck, they could also innovate for the more linear classic style by heavily revamping the combat to allow a lot more options for dealing with encounters instead just having "B swings the sword". You could unlock new fighting skills, learn different fighting styles, bring back the Magic Meter and build upon that and tons more.
There is so much that can still be done with the classic style. Just the amount of Romhacks that exist for OoT and how keeping the same gameplay but changing the world and environment still feels fresh and fun to play says a lot about how much the linear method can still provide.
I can only hope they do both, but that's probably just wishful thinking at this point.