Basically the storyline should have some depth to it. In the past, like in Ocarina of Time, or the original LoZ, the plot went as far as "The princess has been kidnapped, and you have to defeat Ganon".
Absolutely not. Ocarina of Time may have a simplistic story on the surface (many of the greatest franchises do--see
Star Wars,
Narnia,
Lord of the Rings) but it does a great deal more with that story than any Zelda game that came before it. In fact, I would say that out of all the Zelda games, its story resonates with me the best because of its deceptive simplicity. What are cliches to some are acceptable archetypes to others, archetypes that, when properly used, enhance rather than detract from a story.
Ocarina and its successor,
The Wind Waker, both contain so many elements of the Hero's Journey (whether the plot developers realized it or not) that their coming-of-age stories follow mythological templates almost to the letter.
Again, do we begrudge
Star Wars and
Lord of the Rings for following these templates? No, because those templates work when they're developed in the context of a convincing world and mythology. Nintendo has proven on multiple occasions that the storylines of Zelda games are strengths and not weaknesses, because, though they do not write stories that are as complex as, say,
Final Fantasy 6 (one of my favorite RPG's, in part because of its quality story), they write stories that are good nonetheless, and that directly involve the gamer. There's no reason to fix what ain't broke.
Nor do I think, for example,
Twilight Princess' "complexity" was much better. In fact, I think that game was a textbook example of bad storytelling. The entirety of the story focused on one character who was mysterious for much of the game, major plot points (such as the children) simply dropped off and were unexplained, the danger was to the Twilight Realm (which we rarely saw) more than Hyrule, the mythology was poorly described through cryptic cut-scenes that cheated the gamer, the seemingly major villain turned out to be a silly minor villain, and some characters, such as Zelda, simply dropped in and out of the story without explanation as the plotting demanded. One or two of these would not have been so bad, and perhaps they all could have worked if they were well-developed, but they were not. I think
Twilight Princess is one reason Nintendo should not attempt a more complex plotline unless they were prepared for it. Then again,
Majora's Mask's story wasn't all that bad (even though I didn't like the game) and it was layered and complex. Perhaps they can manage.
And in the future? I think part of Zelda's charm is its simplicity, so I wouldn't object to another
Ocarina or
Wind Waker, so long as they kept things relatively fresh. The demands for more complexity fall on deaf ears. At the same time, however, I wouldn't mind the creators digging in, more frankly exploring some of the profound issues they've touched upon in earlier games (such as the Sheikah). There's a lot of potential there. In reality, it depends on quality of execution and on the game itself--on the sort of story Nintendo wants to tell. So long as it adheres to some Zelda conventions (the Hero's Journey is a must for me at least), they ought to feel free to at least give the gamer more hints as to Hyrule's history. Perhaps they can connect the timelines to unify the franchise. While I admire simplicity as someone who's major dictates a cursory understanding of old literature, I also understand that in the modern world, classic archetypes might not cut it.
I think one way they could develop it would be to follow the example of the
Shenmue franchise, a personal favorite. The first game was a simplistic but effective revenge story, one we've seen a thousand times before in a thousand different martial arts movies. It still worked because it was well-presented and the characters were likable; in this way, I compare it with
Ocarina. Its sequel called into question so many of the conclusions Ryo, the main character, had made in the first game that the direction of the plot shifted entirely, but it was a smooth enough transition that the gamer didn't realize until he reached that little cave at the end of the game that this quest was about much more than he intended.
I actually think
Ocarina and most especially
The Wind Waker (with the kidnapping of Link's sister and the subsequent discovery that his friend, Tetra, is Zelda) achieve this sort of progression. The key, then, is to develop and enhance it. Give evil its motive; give races nuanced and separate histories; call into question what we're fighting for (as the Shadow Temple in
Ocarina managed to do). Ideally, keep it simple on the surface. Surprise us with plot twists we never thought possible but that, in the long run, make perfect sense and don't compromise what we loved about the game and characters in the first place. In the mean time, simplicity is not a bad thing.
I think Nintendo can manage if they play their cards right. All they need to do is develop the franchise's existing identity.