Could any 3D Zelda game work as a 2D Zelda? (And vice versa)

[Sheikah_Witch]

This is an idea and a thought that's been playing in my head ever since I had a weird dream about "Twilight Princess DS". That was a strange dream indeed, but it was kind of cool. There's been several fan games and mod games that plays around with this idea, such as the 2D Version of OoT that uses A Link to the Past graphics, and the infamous "Link's Awakening 64."

If you were to pick two, which 3D Zelda game would you love to see as 2D, and which 2D game would you love to see as 3D?

 

[Spirit]

I'd like to see Skyward Sword in 2D because it can't possibly be worse than it was in 3D. Flying would be rather unique from a top down viewpoint and we wouldn't need to worry about motion controlled diractional slashes.

I want to see PH in proper 3D, not the 2.5D fakery we actually had because then it'd have proper controls, look better and not be as terrible. It'd be nice just to have the sailing controls from Wind Waker, even that would go a long way.

 

[MW7]

I'd love to see Zelda 2 remade in 3d. It has a really interesting overworld and has a lot of cool gameplay mechanics. If you fix a couple of annoyances inherent to the old 2d sidescrolling gameplay like knockbacks into instant death pits, I think you could have a really amazing game. Plus the dungeons in Zelda 2 feel the most mazelike to me of any game and could be converted to 3d.

I'd be less excited to turn a 3d game into a 2d game, but I think Twilight Princess could work well. It has a large dungeon count which is a common feature of the 2d games.

 

[twilitfalchion]

I think Minish Cap would actually make for a nice 3D game. I could see the shrinking mechanic making for interesting 3D effects.

Yeah, of the 3D games, I agree that TP would work the best if translated to 2D. It would be kind of like a darker, grittier ALttP-style game.

 

[Cfrock]

Ooh, I can think of several 2D games that would be cool to see in 3D, but it's harder the other way around, I think.

Adventure of Link would be good, like @MW7 said. A huge open world like BotW, but with actual dungeons (!!!). I could see that.

Link's Awakening would be interesting, too, mainly because you'd have Mount Tamaranch visible from pretty much anywhere. It'd give the game a strong sense of place, with the Wind Fish Egg being like the Moon in Majora's Mask, a constant presence.

Aaaahhhh, I'm torn between Oracle of Ages and Minish Cap.

Minish Cap's shrinking would be a lot more impactful in 3D. The size differences could be really emphasised and played with, and the level design could incorporate more verticality, which the shrinking lends itself to but 2D struggles to deliver.

But Oracle of Ages in 3D would have Link in a mermaid tail. . . Think of the fanart

As for a 3D game going 2D. . . Errrr, I dunno.

Majora's Mask might work because the world is more compact and everything being in cardinal directions would work with top-down movement, but you'd lose the Moon and the world would probably feel less 'real', which is where the game gets a lot of its strength.

Ocarina of Time would probably be the easiest to translate to 2D. I don't think Twilight Princess is as suited to it because the wolf transformations might feel weird and the grand scale of the visuals would be lost. Ocarina doesn't have those issues. I dunno. I suppose I think Ocarina has the least to lose.

 

[GoronGainz]

I want to see PH in proper 3D, not the 2.5D fakery we actually had because then it'd have proper controls, look better and not be as terrible. It'd be nice just to have the sailing controls from Wind Waker, even that would go a long way.

PH's adventure with WWHD graphics & combat

2D to 3D - Honestly I'd say Adventure of Link. I feel a revamp might do the game some justice since the original is tricky. I think most 2D games stand on there own 2 feet but that one could use a leg to stand on & an up to date look in another dimension might do that.

3D to 2D - I wanna take OOT & Chrono Trigger it. That would be sweeeeeet.

 

[MapelSerup]

Honestly, I think all of them would work, but I wouldn’t want some of them. I am generally against remaking the first two games, as I think they should be experienced the original way. Many 2D games transferred to 3D would end up being short and somewhat boring, and 3D to 2D would lose the combat aspects that make up part of the game. It all depends on how it’s executed.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

That could be an interesting experiment. I'd like to see it, some fan mades done.