Daily Debate: What Can Future Zelda Titles Do for a Better Replay Value?

You’ve done it. You have defeated the final boss and beaten the newest Legend of Zelda title. You sit back, relax, and enjoy the final cutscenes as a reward for solving all of the puzzles and bringing light back to Hyrule. Now what? While some people jump right back in to challenge themselves in Hero Mode and others decide to try to collect everything the second time around, many players won’t see as much excitement as the first time through the game. Nothing has really changed except that you may not be able to pick up loose hearts and enemies will do more damage. The solutions to the puzzles are already engrained in your mind, so where is the challenge?

I believe that if there’s one thing that the

Zelda series lacks, it’s replay value. But the question is, what could be done to fix that? Let’s think back to Ocarina of Time. I remember beating the game repeatedly week after week. It started to get stale and I was simply playing because it was the best game I owned and I wanted to beat my best time. This alone may be a reason that I hold that game so far down in my list of favorites.

Then something incredible happened. I received a copy of the

Ocarina of Time Double Pack with Master Quest. It was a breath of fresh air to experience the story and gameplay that I loved so much, but also to be challenged by a new set of puzzles! Thinking about this recently is what brought me to today’s Daily Debate.

What do you think Nintendo could do to improve the replay value of future

Zelda titles? Would you like to see randomized dungeons? Maybe an endgame that allowed you to explore the reaches of Hyrule further? Do you want more stat customization on Link? Imagine the possibility of enhancing the combat so that players can choose to specialize in Magic, Sword and Shield, or Long Range. You could experience a new way to play every time you enter your save name. Maybe you don’t want any of this and like Zelda just the way it is. Join the debate in the comments below and let us know how you feel.