Could Crossovers into Hyrule Work?

As we have all seen and know, crossovers can either be a boon or a disaster to any series. The Legend of Zelda is no stranger to this. From cameos in games, like Soul Calibur II, to extra content, like in Sonic Lost World, our beloved series has been represented in all its glory. It’s clear that occurrences such as these are simply a homage paid to the world of Hyrule and its characters, and it’s an excellent way to cross-promote or add a little more hype to a particular series. It works, because it’s never actually serious. However, would this dynamic work in The Legend of Zelda itself?

Now, before you start pelting me with Deku Seeds, please hear me out. We see Link’s infamous green tunic all over the place in other games. Heck, we even see inspired landscapes. So, what exactly is stopping the Zelda team from adding in some sort of extra content? Sure, yes, it has been done before, technically. We’ve all made it a point to peek through the windows of Hyrule Castle’s courtyard in Ocarina of Time, or have seen enemies that are similar to those found in the Mario Bros. series in the handheld iterations, but what if it was something a little more prominent in Zelda U for example?

While I agree that having Link’s outfit replaced with something

entirely different is fairly outlandish, what if that was an option? What if it were possible to have Link run around dressed like Mario? Would that break the immersion? Or does something like that really only work well with a game that is ridiculous to begin with, such as Bayonetta? Of course, it doesn’t have to be an outfit. What if there were some obvious Easter eggs hidden throughout the game? Perhaps a statue of the angels from Bayonetta or maybe even a very hard to get to Chao Garden in Kokiri Forest or the Lost Woods? Certainly it isn’t out of Nintendo’s hands to give a nod to the third parties that have decided to stick with them.

In Zelda U‘s Hyrule, a land that is supposed to be the grandest of any yet, there isn’t any reason why this can’t be possible. As little as we know about the game now, it seems possible that even the tiniest Easter egg might be able to find its way into Hyrule Field or one of the other areas. We’ve seen screenshots already; the world is vast. Even if The Legend of Zelda is far too acclaimed to ever incorporate crossover material in the same fashion Bayonetta, Sonic, or even South Park have, wouldn’t it be great to see them nod at another company’s franchise? Or is that the problem in itself? Is the series too large to ever have a little immersion-breaking fun? I, for one, don’t think so. It’s in the realm of possibility, especially considering how unusual it was for the series to even step into the Dynasty Warriors franchise. Considering that, I would love to see shout-outs to other games in a future title. However, will Nintendo ever go through with that? What do you guys think?