What Features Would You Like to See Returned or Removed from a Future Zelda?

[Djinn]

We all have certain things that we loved from a previous game that for some reason never returned in any of the sequels. And some new aspects that made you ask yourself "What were they thinking?" From the large overworld of Zelda 2, or the Deku Scrubs and their palace, we all had things from previous games that were a great addition. And there were things that not everyone was a fan of and hoped never to see again like the Spirit Train or Navi's constant "Hey! Hey! Listen" Listen!" So what would from a previous Zelda game would you want to see again and at the same time what would you never want to see used in a sequel?

One thing I want to see again are sword beams. Even though I am not too sure just how that could work out in a 3D game, they have been around since the beginning. And I do not think that they take away from other items like arrows or the slingshot because of the full heart requirement and the fact that they cannot be aimed like the Bow and Arrow. I would also want this to be an exclusive Master sword or at least high level rare sword feature as shown in Link to the Past. Any other sword should not be capable of creating beams.

I would also like to see the return of the Gerudo and the Kokiri. There have to be more uses for these two tribes other than just giving an origin to Link and Ganondorf. Even then, they are the tribes of two of the three most important characters of the series. We should see more of them. We see Zora and Gorons in just about every game released now. Even the Anouki have appeared a few times since their introduction. But of all the tribes introduced in OoT the Gerudo and Kokiri appear to be the forgotten ones. But there is something about those two that I like a little more than the Gorons and the Zora. The enigmatic people of the Desert and the hidden forest sprites, they seem to add to the fairy tale nature of the setting.

Although both the Picori and the Kokiri seem to overlap in the forest sprite category. The Kokiri are a little more important to Link.

As far as things that I would want to see removed from the series, the new and different forms of transportation. I liked Epona, Link riding a horse fit perfectly well in the medieval setting of Hyrule. But then we had things like the King of Red Lions, and the Spirit Train. I know I mentioned the Spirit train in the introduction but I really do not believe that it fits well into the Zelda universe. Plus the way it worked was not fun to me at all. It took away the open exploration of the countryside that the original LoZ established and made the player just ride the train and wait to be dropped off. Occasionally fighting some bokoblins on the way. I do not want to see any more title specific gimmicky transportation. Just leave me with a horse, and maybe a warp tile or two.

So what would anyone else like to see again in a future title, or never ever want to see again?

 

[Master Kokiri 9]

Well, I think I'd have to agree with your points on the Sword Beams and Gerudo/Kokiri. As for the exploration, while I don't necessarily agree with you on the Spirit Train, yeah I'd have to say new ways to explore Hyrule/wherever would be great. Although they have semi consistantly done that over the years, so I don't think it'd necessarily "return" but just stay to the trend.

Huge Arsenals of Items That Do Nothing​

I'd like to the huge arsenals of items and weapons with only one or two being used very much outside the dungeon you get them in disappear. It doesn't really add to the gameplay much and having ten items just burning a hole in your pockets doing nothing isn't very fun, right?

Get Item X in Dungeon Z and Use it to Beat Boss Y Since They're Both from Dungeon Z​

I'd like to see the whole "Oh, you get item X in dungeon Z so you use item X on boss Y since they're both from dungeon Z" thing either be toned down considerably or just disappear altogether. It makes the bosses way too easy to figure out. Honestly, I'd like that to be replaced by using the sword and other items, or maybe a bit of a Megaman approach (using an Ice Wand on a Fire Boss, vice versa, Electricity on Water, stuff like that).

The Magic Meter​

It's been missing in action ever since The Wind Waker and really, I think it was a great thing to have. Instead of all the various meters for stuff in other games, the Magic Meter acted like all purpose ammo allowing you to use magic spells, elemental arrows, and stuff like that. Which brings me to the next thing I want back...

The Magical Items​

Elemental Arrows, Magic Spells, Medallions, stuff like that. None of them have been present ever since The Wind Waker, and most of them just died off after Ocarina of Time. They added a lot of depth and honestly, I feel that they haven't reached their full potential yet.​

And that's about it.

 

[Djinn]

Huge Arsenals of Items That Do Nothing​

I'd like to the huge arsenals of items and weapons with only one or two being used very much outside the dungeon you get them in disappear. It doesn't really add to the gameplay much and having ten items just burning a hole in your pockets doing nothing isn't very fun, right?

Get Item X in Dungeon Z and Use it to Beat Boss Y Since They're Both from Dungeon Z​

I'd like to see the whole "Oh, you get item X in dungeon Z so you use item X on boss Y since they're both from dungeon Z" thing either be toned down considerably or just disappear altogether. It makes the bosses way too easy to figure out. Honestly, I'd like that to be replaced by using the sword and other items, or maybe a bit of a Megaman approach (using an Ice Wand on a Fire Boss, vice versa, Electricity on Water, stuff like that).

I definitely agree with you there. And I have spoken about the completely useless items that are only meant to defeat the boss of the dungeon they are found in before in other threads. They make defeating the boss of said dungeon too easy to figure out and too often they change the fight from combat to a strange gimmick that is all too often not much fun at all. And then you are left with this item that you will never ever want or need to use again taking up space in your inventory.

 

[merricontrari]

Ditto pretty much everything that Master Kokiri 9 said.

 

[Xinnamin]

Beyond the larger things like magic and some of the races from previous games, there's a couple of small things in a lot of the Zelda games that I think should be brought back and expanded on. First thing that comes to mind is Wind Waker's Ganon's Tower, where the first floor pit you back against the four main dungeon bosses. If I recall correctly, your inventory was partly disabled so you only had access to the weapons you had during the initial battle; that's the one thing I don't like. I would love them to bring back the bosses for a rematch while granting access to new ways to fight them. I think revisiting bosses like that is really rather fun. Zant did kind of a similar think in how he mimicked some old bosses, but it's not quite the same and didn't have the same feel. I personally find revisiting bosses very enjoyable.

This may be a bit random, but I'd also like to see archery minigames return to the 3D games, be it shooting galleries or horseback archery. They did have archery games in PH and ST, but it'd be so much more fun to physically aim at the targets with motion control than to just tap little circles on the screen. In fact, they should bring back bombchus and have more bombchu bowling as well. I loved bombchus and their awesome wall climbing explosive power.

As for what I'd like to see removed...that'd be the clear cut distinction between dungeons and overworld and all the one-use items associated with that formula. Open up exploration a bit more and get creative with fewer items would help a lot. Also, the constant hand holding from the partners and all the colored text pointing the player in exactly the right direction. I mean, sure it's helpful if the game plot takes you all over the place and has you revisiting areas constantly, but the games are often so linear that obvious hints from the partner just become irritating, and a bit of an eyesore.

Also, I never want to see the kind of transportation used in WW, PH, or ST again. Overworlds with large expanses of nothing, only throwing the occasional monster at you to keep you awake and the occasional collectible to be salvaged up or the like, it cuts the adventuring aspect of the game in half it seems. When there are clearly defined island locations that you can leave your transport, so much of the overworld will never get visited because there's nothing to see out there; it feels like a waste of overworld space when traveling between towns becomes little more than what's the fastest route from point A to point B. The open fields of games like TP, empty as they may have been, are still ever more preferable since they can put caves and hollows and explorable secrets without having to mark stations or docks on the map.

 

[David]

Well, I'll touch on a few things that MK9 and Xinnamin have said. Most of which, I agree with.
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Beyond the larger things like magic and some of the races from previous games, there's a couple of small things in a lot of the Zelda games that I think should be brought back and expanded on. First thing that comes to mind is Wind Waker's Ganon's Tower, where the first floor pit you back against the four main dungeon bosses. If I recall correctly, your inventory was partly disabled so you only had access to the weapons you had during the initial battle; that's the one thing I don't like. I would love them to bring back the bosses for a rematch while granting access to new ways to fight them. I think revisiting bosses like that is really rather fun. Zant did kind of a similar think in how he mimicked some old bosses, but it's not quite the same and didn't have the same feel. I personally find revisiting bosses very enjoyable.

That's a very good idea. I always loved fighting the old bosses in Ganon's Tower. And when I opened the screen to see what items i'd want to use, I was very disappointed. I really wanted to beat the crap out of a boss with one of my newer items. If they do revisits again, I'd be VERY happy to see them change up the AI of the boss. They could make them smarter, stronger, harder, and all around better in a revisit. They could challenge the player with new mechanics and new ways to use the other items to defeat enemies. If they don't have it be part of the story line, they could at least make it be a side quest that gives you an epic new item, or upgrade (magicked up Master Sword, anyone?). I would love for boss revisits.
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This may be a bit random, but I'd also like to see archery minigames return to the 3D games, be it shooting galleries or horseback archery. They did have archery games in PH and ST, but it'd be so much more fun to physically aim at the targets with motion control than to just tap little circles on the screen. In fact, they should bring back bombchus and have more bombchu bowling as well. I loved bombchus and their awesome wall climbing explosive power.

Awesome idea! These aspects of the older games were always on my top 10 list of sidequests. I love archery and bowling, so when I discovered that they put mini games for both of them in the game, I almost freaked out. I would love for a revisit to the game. They could use bombchus for the bowling, but I'd like to see actual bombs used in the bowling. In Skyward Sword, we've seen that you can roll the bombs, so why not make a bowling minigame with this mechanic? I think that it would be way fun!
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As for what I'd like to see removed...that'd be the clear cut distinction between dungeons and overworld and all the one-use items associated with that formula. Open up exploration a bit more and get creative with fewer items would help a lot. Also, the constant hand holding from the partners and all the colored text pointing the player in exactly the right direction. I mean, sure it's helpful if the game plot takes you all over the place and has you revisiting areas constantly, but the games are often so linear that obvious hints from the partner just become irritating, and a bit of an eyesore.

Well, I think I'd have to agree with your points on the Sword Beams and Gerudo/Kokiri. As for the exploration, while I don't necessarily agree with you on the Spirit Train, yeah I'd have to say new ways to explore Hyrule/wherever would be great. Although they have semi consistantly done that over the years, so I don't think it'd necessarily "return" but just stay to the trend.

Huge Arsenals of Items That Do Nothing​

I'd like to the huge arsenals of items and weapons with only one or two being used very much outside the dungeon you get them in disappear. It doesn't really add to the gameplay much and having ten items just burning a hole in your pockets doing nothing isn't very fun, right?

Get Item X in Dungeon Z and Use it to Beat Boss Y Since They're Both from Dungeon Z​

I'd like to see the whole "Oh, you get item X in dungeon Z so you use item X on boss Y since they're both from dungeon Z" thing either be toned down considerably or just disappear altogether. It makes the bosses way too easy to figure out. Honestly, I'd like that to be replaced by using the sword and other items, or maybe a bit of a Megaman approach (using an Ice Wand on a Fire Boss, vice versa, Electricity on Water, stuff like that).

While I agree with the "clear cut distinction between dungeons and overworld and the one-use items associated with that formula," I think that they could actually take the items that you have and make it so you have to use them much more. I love using some of the one-use items in the temples, but it really disappointed me when I 100%ed the games and realized that some of my favorite items weren't really used after the dungeon (Dominion rod, anyone?). I thought that it was pretty much a waste of programming to never have to use the item again. I would really, really like for items to be used more than once. I also agree that they should lower the linearality (if that's a word) of the game. They could do something along the lines of Zelda 2 in this category. They could make it so that you only get hints if you seek for them. In Zelda 2, you had almost no idea where to go. You had to explore to find out what you had to do and talk to townspeople to get hints. The old NES games were great in this regard. They were really hard the first time because (unless you cheated) you had no idea where to go. I would really, really like to see this again.
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Also, I never want to see the kind of transportation used in WW, PH, or ST again. Overworlds with large expanses of nothing, only throwing the occasional monster at you to keep you awake and the occasional collectible to be salvaged up or the like, it cuts the adventuring aspect of the game in half it seems. When there are clearly defined island locations that you can leave your transport, so much of the overworld will never get visited because there's nothing to see out there; it feels like a waste of overworld space when traveling between towns becomes little more than what's the fastest route from point A to point B. The open fields of games like TP, empty as they may have been, are still ever more preferable since they can put caves and hollows and explorable secrets without having to mark stations or docks on the map.

I completely agree with this (well, except for the WW part). I thought that the Train and Steam Boat were a stupid idea. I HATED the point to point travel in PH and ST. It completely took away from my love for the exploration in Zelda. I have always loved looking around the overworld for secrets and items and such. But when I found out that you had to draw your route on the DS games, I was pretty upset. I really wanted to explore the massive overworld on my own without having automated travel. But, I did like the system in WW. I've always loved sailing from island to island finding secrets, items, etc. I liked it much more than the ST and PH system of drawing and hardly any exploration. I'd really like to see those systems done away with, permanently.
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The Magic Meter​

It's been missing in action ever since The Wind Waker and really, I think it was a great thing to have. Instead of all the various meters for stuff in other games, the Magic Meter acted like all purpose ammo allowing you to use magic spells, elemental arrows, and stuff like that. Which brings me to the next thing I want back...

The Magical Items​

Elemental Arrows, Magic Spells, Medallions, stuff like that. None of them have been present ever since The Wind Waker, and most of them just died off after Ocarina of Time. They added a lot of depth and honestly, I feel that they haven't reached their full potential yet.​

And that's about it.

Its so true. The Magic meter has been completely missing since WW. They need to bring them back. Magic was one of the defining things of the series. It added an element to the game that requires you to watch how much of something that you do. Without magic, you don't really have an older age type story. I know that when I think of the older ages, I think of magic, mystery, and all kinds of sword fighting. Magic is a key element of that. Not to mention that the magical items were very clever and very useful. If you're far in the game and you don't want to fight a ton of enemies, you could just use one of the magic items to blow through the ranks. While it pooled some resources, you could easily replenish them with potions, and jars. Magic is a must have for the Zelda series that needs to make a reappearance.
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Some other things that I'd like to see are some of the older enemies that we haven't seen in a while. There were a lot of really cool enemies in Zelda 2 that I thought were just awesome. I can't remember any of the names, but you could probably find them pretty easily. I personally am getting a little tired of seeing the exact same enemies in multiple games, with the only changes being design and texture upgrades. Now don't get me wrong, I love the enemies in Zelda. I would just like to see some new ones and some revisits of older ones.

Another thing I'd like to see return is an instrument like the Ocarina with songs that are a key part of the game. While ST tried to bring it back, it didn't do so well. A lot of the songs were almost pointless and weren't exactly "catchy." WW, OoT, and MM all had songs that were vital to the story and that were very well written and very nice to listen to. Music has always been an integral part of Zelda for me. Catchy melodies have always been one of the best parts of Zelda. Koji Kondo has been considered one of the best video game composers of all time just for Zelda and Mario. Music is key.

I would also like to see a new game made like ALttP. A top view, 3D-esque, game that was just purely awesome. So many elements of the game were awesome. I loved the overworld, the enemies, the dungeons, and the items. The game was awesome. They need to return to some of the roots of the series back to the newer games. The old games were very successful and are still fun to play, even 10+ years after they were released.

 

[darunia]

What id like to see return are.
Fire rod.
Ice rod
You can have a yellow and the red master sword as in lttp.
Pegasus boots.
Canes of byrna and somaria.

 

[Hyrulian]

I would like gerudos back, they are my favorite in Oot, and it would be neat to see them again. What I don't want is useless items, I want every item to be used outside the dungeon, and in other dungeons. I'm not sure if they are going to do this in future games, simply cuz its hard to think of many ideas for a single item. I mean, the spinner in twilight princess was very fun to use, but you need another thing for it to work, so its hard to think of good environments for that one item... It might push there brains a little to hard.

 

[ZeldafreakCJM]

What I would like to see return:
-The Magic Meter (come on Nintendo!!! Magic is needed in Zelda)
-Magical Items, whats the point of the magic meter if we dont have magical items.
-The Gerudo, Kokiri, and maybe even the Sheikah
-Classic enemies like Deku Shrubs and Peahats
-More memorable items that get more than one use
-More items that require bottles
-random caves and items that are seperate from the story
-long side-quests

What I want to see taken away
-Useless items
-the annoying collect tree items get the master sword thing
-the annoying hints from partners

thats about it

 

[February Eve]

While I agree with the "clear cut distinction between dungeons and overworld and the one-use items associated with that formula," I think that they could actually take the items that you have and make it so you have to use them much more.

Agreed. I don't mind a lot of items, but I'd like more uses for them. I always thought the double clawshot was a missed opportunity for mountain climbing. The spinner would have been awesome in a hidden cave where it was the only form of transportation. And beyond that, just more hidden spinner tracks. I found one (with help) on the south side of the castle in my most recent replay. It was along an archway and always blended in like a border for me until now. Great idea - there could have just been so many more secrets like that.

One specific feature I wouldn't mind returning is the bank from Majora's Mask. However, if that were to happen, I'd like a specific use for the rupees. To be fair, I think the game designers thought that the magic armor would be more useful in Twilight Princess. That's probably why there are so many hidden orange rupees, because after you fix the bridge, there's not much use for them. Though if you don't realize you can reduce the cost that does use increase the price of bridge repair by 1000%. Also, the main reason the bank was there was because of the time cycle - you could also have thousands of rupees in Wind Waker. So if a bank did reappear, it would probably mean we could lose rupees in some way (they could be stolen?)

In general, I like little hints about the history of Hyrule (which overlaps a bit with the timeline, though I'm not a theorist.) So I'd like surprise appearances by races we've already seen, such as the Minish, as we got further clues. They don't have to play a large role - a cameo would actually be better so that it would be a nod to past games, rather than a rehash - though some reappearances would be automatically require more focus. The sages, for instance, had a rather large role in some parts of Hyrulian history.

Finally, sword upgrades. I doubt it will happen in Skyward Sword due to the subject, but I loved the Biggoron Sword Quest in Ocarina of Time. Love to see something similar return in the future.

 

[Xinnamin]

I just realized there was another feature I want to see return that I forgot in my first post: the Second Quest. The original Legend of Zelda had a second quest where some locations and dungeons were mixed up a bit for added challenge. AoL carried over a lot of the items without changing the game itself, and WW's second quest was mostly for aesthetic purposes, plot purposes, and sidequest completion. I'm not too partial about what kind of second quest is used, I just want a second quest. It gives added replay value for those of us who enjoy beating games again and again.

If they give us a second quest with increased difficulty, all the better for those of us who like a challenge. If they give us one with added plot or secrets, all the better for us theorist and adventurers. If they just carry over old items or have other small aesthetic changes, all the better for those of us that just like to goof off when we play. If they give us all those aspects, I'd be just ecstatic.