Does The Legend of Zelda Series Need a Reboot?

According to Mike Damiani over at Game Trailers, yes, the Zelda series needs to be rebooted and now is the best time to do so. Skyward Sword was the distant prequel to the series and wrapped up many past questions we had about the storyline. More recently the Hyrule Historia book completely wrapped up the entire Legend of Zelda series into a somewhat coherent timeline. We’ve been hit with an assault of Zelda storyline information consecutively and the whole series really seems to fit together now. So where can they go from here? Is it really time to shakeup the series even more? Perhaps a complete story reboot? Maybe even handing off the Zelda series to a 2nd party? Jump inside to hear Mike’s thoughts and my response.

Series producer Eiji Aonuma said he plans to make even more radical changes for the next Zelda. You know what? We’ve seen this song and dance before. I’m sorry, but it’s time somebody else got a crack at Zelda. Even Shigeru Miyamoto subtly hinted at the possibility when he said he wouldn’t be opposed to Texas based Retro Studios trying their hand at the legendary franchise. And lord knows how many times this rumor has surfaced in recent years. Retro has proven several times now that they not only fully understand what makes a certain series so unique and successful, but they have the imagination and talent to take such a series into new directions without losing the essence of that franchise. I think they’ve earned the right to revitalize the Zelda series, and they’re probably better equipped for WiiU development now more than ever if you consider their recent talent poaching.

Mike bases his argument around the fact that Nintendo has sort of done a complete 180 degree turn on the Zelda Timeline. They were so tight-lipped about it before and gave specific reasons for not wanting to go into great detail over it. Then all of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, Nintendo released the full Legend of Zelda Timeline to the public in the recent Hyrule Historia book. Whatever happened to not wanting to release it as it would limit their creative minds from a story perspective?

Perhaps this truly is a turn for the Zelda series and a shift is ready to take place. I still think Eiji Aonuma will be significantly involved moving forward with the series, but perhaps it is time for some new faces. Maybe Retro Studios does take on the next Zelda title. Maybe it is a complete reboot that is little to do with the games in the Zelda series as we know it. It certainly is a possibility and I agree with Mike that it isn’t just baseless speculation. Nintendo seems to have hinted towards this with their recent statement and actions.

I suppose the one area where I disagree with Mike in is the actual need to fully reboot the series. I think we can get some fresh faces on board and give it to a new studio to work on. However, I don’t think it is necessary to completely dislodge it from the Zelda storyline as we know it. With an adventure game like Zelda, they can piece together a storyline however the want to. They can easily set it to take place 1000’s of years after the events of Adventure of Link, Four Swords Adventures, or Spirit Tracks… the three games at the end of the three timeline splits. They can just set it so far ahead in time, that the relevancy as to how it relates to the previous games is not there. The game could truly be stand alone. However, I think even then it can have its benefits.

I think placing it so far ahead in time from the rest of the series will allow it to virtually do whatever it wants. Almost nothing is off the table from the potential limitations of the storyline, technology, or characters. However, what they can include is references to the past. Perhaps it does take place 1000’s of years after Spirit Tracks or one of the other games. Maybe the adventure Link is on leads him to discover the ruins of a prior location, or to recover the artifacts of a lost item. This all could be new material to the new game, but carries the reference to a game of the past.

The point I’d make is that change is certainly good, but I don’t think we need to just push aside the past. From a story perspective, just make a stand alone Zelda game that takes place so far in the future, but then include the smallest of connections to the past. It doesn’t even need to be a fundamental part of the game, but I think the fans would completely love that, and it wouldn’t cause new fans to shy away. There is a balance that could be reached and I think it is certainly possible without the need for a complete reboot.

Be sure to head on over to Game Trailers to check out Mike’s full article. Afterwards, feel free to post your thoughts in the comments below. Do you think the Zelda series needs a reboot? Should a 2nd party handle the upcoming games for the 3DS and WiiU? Do you think more drastic changes should be made? Let’s hear your thoughts.

~~~Recent Content Updates~~~

~~~Recent Wiki Articles~~~

Comments
Sorted Under: Site Updates
Tagged With: , , ,