Zelda Dungeon Presents: Our Dream Zelda Spin-Offs

In 1986, Nintendo released the first Zelda game, and what a success it was. The years have rolled by since then, and the series boasts numerous mainline titles plus spin-offs to boot. Games like Hyrule Warriors, Cadence of Hyrule, and even the Tingle games are celebrated by fans, especially when their release parched the thirst of fans waiting desperately for the next upcoming mainline Zelda installment. 

Spin-offs in Zelda certainly are a wonderful thing. They take many of our favorite series staples and turn them into something even more unique and unexpected. Whether it’s bringing even more action to the franchise with the button-mashing hack and slash fun of Musou-style games, or doing some tech-wizardry to allow gamers to play Zelda in multiplayer form, spin-offs are a huge asset to the fanbase. The team here at Zelda Dungeon knows this, and that’s why we’ve come together to think of our own ideal Zelda spin-offs.

Sit back, relax, and get ready as Zelda Dungeon introduces you to our dream Zelda spin-offs!

Julia Wilson, Junior Editor — The Race is on to Save Hyrule, Mario Kart-Style

The Legend of Zelda games have a history of including minigames, so wouldn’t it be great fun if the best of these games were compiled and turned into a Hyrule equivalent of Mario Kart?

There are so many great racing games to choose from, like Minecart Land in Tears of the Kingdom, Rickity Coaster from Skyward Sword, Horse Race in Ocarina of Time, Sand-Seal Racing in Breath of the Wild, the Sled Race from Twilight Princess, and the Goron Race in Majora’s Mask, to name but a few.

Instead of Link racing against the clock or a single foe, imagine everyone races against each other. You could also choose to race as Zelda, a Bokoblin or Moblin, as a Goron, or one of the other natives of Hyrule. You could even compete as one of the incarnations of Ganon!

To spice this up a little, it would be fun to see crates deposited on the racetrack. Hitting a crate randomly activates a bonus, enabling Bomb Flowers,or elements including ice, fire, and lightning to be thrown at the other competitors.

The challenges could be compiled into a collection of approximately 16 races, split by region, with trophies to win for each section. Then, once you’ve won all the regional trophies, this opens a special Hyrule Castle race; only, this time the stakes are a lot higher — you must race to the Sanctum on the Master Cycle Zero while avoiding the beams of the Guardians. However, you must also beat all your competitors so you can win the race to save Hyrule! 

 

Jared Eubanks, Associate Editor — Metal Gear Zelda: Swords of the Patriots

Besides The Legend of Zelda, my favorite video game series is Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid. I was first introduced to the series a few months after its initial release on the PS1 in 1998. In the years afterwards, I became an avid fan of the series and played the various games in the series many times over, including revisiting it through its Master Collection: Volume 1 on Nintendo Switch. I have adored its profound lore, cinematic cutscenes, soul-stirring music, and challenging gameplay. So, if my favorite two series could be intermingled, what could possibly be better?

A contiguous thread through the series is the Patriots, who are an Illuminati-like group controlling the grand movements of American and world politics unknowingly to the general public. What if this group had a multi-dimensional presence and pulled strings behind the scenes in Hyrule as well?

In my dream Zelda spin-off, gameplay would start off with Solid Snake in our world, but through a freak accident, he finds himself transported to the world of The Legend of Zelda. (Think of the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.) Snake would meet up with Link and Zelda, and after a lengthy cutscene quintessential of Kojima, they would find that they are united in a common struggle against the Patriots. 

Gameplay would then transition over to our Hylian hero. However, the tone and style would switch to an emphasis on stealth. Link would have a crossbow with tranquilizer darts to take down enemies non-lethally and a wooden crate to hide under. He would have a Codec-like object to communicate with Snake and Zelda much like the Pirate’s Charm in The Wind Waker. Gameplay would rely on the ability to pop out from behind objects and quickly take down monsters before they notice Link and sound the alarm. Whenever Link encounters bosses in a Dungeon, there is a lengthy cutscene where the boss tells their tragic life story and challenges Link to a fight to the death.

In the final section of the game, Link, Snake, and Zelda work together to take on a gigantic mech controlled by Ganondorf with nuclear capabilities threatening to wipe Hyrule Castle and its surrounding villages off of the face of the map. They succeed, but an escape sequence is triggered where the trio seek to get Snake back to the real world before the multi-dimensional portal closes.

So Konami and Nintendo, I’ve given you the blueprint. Please make this dream come true!

 

Alexis Anderson, Senior Editor — A Twilit Exercize in Horror

Some of my favorite Zelda moments are the spooky ones, so I would love to see a Zelda horror game. The Bottom of the Well alone is inspiration enough, but I have always wanted to delve further into the mystique of the Twili, and the Twilight Realm seems a perfect place to set a hair-raising adventure. 

Because Zelda games are often narrative driven, a primarily jumpscare-oriented game probably isn’t the right fit. A Resident Evil-style game may work well, dropping Link — or hey, maybe we play as true form Midna in this one —  into a Twilight Realm facing an outbreak of sorts (beset by Light Realm monsters somehow or otherwise being slowly corrupted), and with limited resources our hero has to stealthily fight their way to someone they think can help stop it. This isn’t the most innovative plot proposal, but the whiz kids at Nintendo could definitely come up with a nail-biter of a tale! 

A reality-bending progression would be fascinating, bringing in enemies from across the series and mixing art and gameplay styles to the point where the player hardly knows which way is up. That may be a good vehicle for intertwining Twili history with the present story too, playing through parts of both with it unclear what fits where until the very end. I look forward to the spine-tingling journey should this dream spin-off ever become a reality.

 

Leslie Jacobson, Associate Editor — Paper Zelda 

The Paper Mario series features the well-known plumber along with other characters like Bowser, Princess Peach, and Toad; however, there are two distinct differences between this game and other Mario titles. First, the characters and setting are animated as though they are literally made out of paper cut-outs. The characters often “forget” they are made of paper until it is convenient for the plot, such as one of them turning into a paper airplane to travel a long distance. 

Second, the gameplay is similar to a JRPG, in that you travel from quest point to quest point and combat is turn-based. Various characters join Mario at different points, much like having a party in most standard JRPGs. The line between “real” and “totally made out of paper” blurs as characters literally line up on a stage and face one another as they attack. Since it’s a Mario game, when you attack, you can hit a button at the right time to deliver a stronger blow to your enemy. The charming stories and overall sense of humor really set the Paper Mario series apart from the standard platform Mario titles. That’s why I think a Paper Zelda game would be a great spin-off. 

The Zelda series experimented with JRPG elements in Zelda II such as experience points and levels, but has never done turn-based combat. In addition, the Zelda series has its own charming stories and playful sense of humor that would be perfect for a Paper title. In fact, I know I’m not alone in this idea. Four years ago, content creator 64 Bits made such a great concept video for Paper Zelda that it’s a shame Nintendo didn’t take notes. 64 Bits absolutely nailed the look and feel of a Paper-style game while highlighting famous battles and scenarios from across the Zelda series. 

Ideally, I would want Paper Zelda to be pretty much what 64 Bits had in mind. I think having Paper Link get pulled through many Zelda titles rather than basing Paper Zelda on a single game would draw in all types of fans of both series. Many of Link’s companions such as Navi, Midna, Fi, and even Zelda herself could join him in his paper-based adventure. 

Seriously, Nintendo, why hasn’t this been made yet?

 

Nicole Scott, Associate Editor — The Legend of Zelda: The Goddess Gates, a Rogue-Like

The Zelda series has already primed players to want difficult combat trials. The Cave of Ordeals and Trial of the Sword are only a few examples of all-or-nothing, punishing tests of Link’s strength, but what if these classic Zelda fixtures inspired a rogue-like game in the styles of Hades?

The Goddess Gates would be an entry in the series where the world of the Goddesses is under attack, threatening Din, Farore, Nayru, and Hylia herself. The doors to their home have been destroyed, and you have to deal with the onslaught. Gloom and Malice force the realm to be ever-changing, challenging players with progressively harder zones and enemies as they catch up to the army’s assault. 

Players get to choose from a roster of familiar faces, like Link, Zelda, or Impa, to enter the Gates of the Goddesses with bespoke weapons and skills. Ideally, there would be a power-up system, similar to the deities’ boons in Hades, but from each of the goddesses or perhaps other spirits from the series, like the Champions. As the goddesses and the dead hear of your efforts, they provide magic, weaponry, and armor to help each character. During each run, players would gather Rupees and materials to craft at home base — likely Kakariko Village or a holy entry point like the Sealed Grounds in Skyward Sword.

The game would be perfect if there were curated dialogue paths for each character. Imagine the conversations Zelda would have with Hylia and how opportunities like this could deliver an alternate route of character development. If the game was pitched as a spin-off, then the writers of this game would have free will to be creative with these interactions with minimal lore implications attached!

Ultimately, I think the rogue-like format is so popular at the moment it would be obvious to capitalize on it. Plus, opening up a never-before-seen story route, like direct interactivity with the divine, could give a spin-off a unique flavor. 

 

Brandon Schmitz, Senior Editor — Hyrule Warriors: Origins of Twilight

A key element of almost every Zelda title is the harrowing backstory (typically some grand-scale conflict) that sets the events of the game into motion. From A Link to the Past’s Imprisoning War to Tears of the Kingdom’s — well, other Imprisoning War — there’s no shortage of instances in which Hyrule failed to keep the peace. 

Now, when it comes to the notion of a game centered on one of these great battles, I generally think it’s best to leave those stories to one’s own imagination. That said, after nearly 20 years, there is one conflict that even I would love to learn more about: The Interloper War from Twilight Princess.

Supposedly set before Ocarina of Time, this war revolved around a clan of dark-magic users’ efforts to steal the Triforce, culminating in the clan’s banishment to the Twilight Realm. 

Again, there’s a certain value in leaving the specific details of this conflict up to the player’s imagination. However, as someone who has wished to see Zelda honor its own continuity a little more frequently, I think this would be a worthwhile experiment. 

Specifically, I would pitch this as the next Hyrule Warriors title. That spin-off series has already tackled something similar, with Age of Calamity serving at least in part as a Breath of the Wild prequel. Additionally, with Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, developer Omega Force has proven itself capable of telling compelling stories within the Warriors framework.

 

Nick Miller, Senior Editor — Shadows of Hyrule: The Sages’ Awakening

If you’re not familiar with Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, it goes a little something like this: You play as the bandit, Sly Cooper, as he invades the strongholds of each member of the Fiendish Five, a rogues gallery of villains responsible for killing his parents. To reach each villain, Sly must complete a series of levels that include platforming and stealth challenges, puzzles, and other unique set pieces. These aren’t just filler levels though, as each level fulfills a specific purpose in getting Sly closer to the villain. This could be acquiring a key, shutting off security lasers, or planting a spy-op device. All of these events culminate in a showdown with each member of the Fiendish Five as Sly slowly uncovers who is really at the head of this villainous group.

I think this format has incredible potential for that Sheik spin-off that everyone wants. The Sheikah are a mystery tribe that work in the shadows. They are shown using secret technology and ninja-like abilities to carry out their work, just like Sly Cooper. If we set this game within the seven years that Link is asleep in Ocarina of Time, then each “stronghold” could be a temple. Sheik can complete different tasks within structured, mostly-linear levels to clear the way to the temple in preparation for Link’s arrival, with each of Hyrule’s regions serving as hub worlds. 

“But who would be the villains?” you might ask. “Each of the temple bosses are still alive when Link arrives.” Well, what would you think if the stronghold bosses were the Sages themselves, possessed by Ganon? It is up to Sheik to break the curse that’s been placed upon them so that they may awaken as Sages when Link returns.

Think of it like this, why is it that almost all of the Sages are just barely getting involved when Link arrives? Why did it take Darunia years to rescue the imprisoned Gorons? Why did Sheik not save Ruto from under the ice until just before Link takes on the Water Temple? What was Saria doing those seven years before she entered the Forest Temple? It’s because they were under Ganon’s control until Sheik saved them. Nabooru could even provide a unique story beat where Sheik tries to free her but is stopped by Twinrova, leading to a daring escape sequence through the Spirit Temple. 

The whole concept, I think, has great potential. The Sly Cooper angle would shake up the gameplay in a fitting way, and Sly’s controls and moveset alone would be perfect for Sheik.

 

Heather Beard, Senior Editor — The Board Game That’s Never the Same

I love board games. In fact, my husband and I have half a closet dedicated to all of our board games. When thinking about my dream Zelda spin-off, my mind immediately went to, “What if The Legend of Zelda had a large, table-encompassing board game with map pieces, tokens, stands, meeples, scenarios and multiple ways to win or lose? Then, Arkham Horror, a massive cooperative board game based upon the world of H.P Lovecraft, is what spawned this Zelda board game idea. 

In Arkham Horror you choose a character and those characters have their respective skills, health, and items. You also choose a scenario where the map, monsters, and objective are laid out. In my mind I see scenarios based upon the most popular Zelda games like Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and even Breath of the Wild. What are the outcomes if Link and his friends win, or lose? How many events have to happen before Ganondorf becomes Demon Ganon? What if it’s a so-so ending? What happens if someone makes a poor choice? You and your fellow players could be the saviors or the destroyers of Hyrule in a matter of a few turns. 

I feel like The Legend of Zelda lends itself to a cooperative based board game because of the many levels of lore, villains, monsters, and heroes that the series has to offer. It would be easy to make a game with a large board, multiple scenarios, and a myriad of characters to choose from so that each game is different each time you play.

 

Sean Gadus, Senior Editor — Seeking 2D Zelda Metroidvania with a Beautiful Art Style

There is a strong argument that the Super Mario Bros., Zelda, and Metroid franchises should be the first three game series mentioned in any discussion about Nintendo’s towering impact on video game history. These three series’ have consistently showcased the company’s elite creativity, brilliant game design philosophies, and technical prowess. With their shared focus on exploration, evolving set of tools, and beautiful world design, Zelda and Metroid have always felt linked despite the obvious differences between their sci-fi and fantasy settings. It would be fascinating to see how Nintendo adapted many of the design tenets of 2D Metroidvanias to work within its iconic fantasy series. 

With Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and Echoes of Wisdom, Nintendo has moved the series towards open-ended physics-based puzzles and endless side activities, but it would be interesting to see how Nintendo might approach a return to the classic concepts like key items, locked doors, and a clearer sense of progression. Items like the Hookshot, Bow and Arrow, Pegasus Boots, Titan’s Mitt, and Paraglider could easily fit into a Zelda-themed Metroidvania game. 

Additionally, games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Hollow Knight, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown have shown the potential of fantasy settings in the Metroidvania genre, and the spin-off could feature beautiful pixel art harkening back to previous eras of gaming or a sleek modern art style that would fit the smooth 2D Metroidvania gameplay. 

 

John Lortie, Associate Editor — Malo Mart Manager

Twilight Princess’ Malo might not seem like the entrepreneurial type at the beginning of the game. But once Link encounters the Kakariko Malo Mart, the player sees how business-minded the kid from Ordon Village actually is. Before the story wraps up, Malo even buys out a high-end shop in Castle Town! Where might Malo next expand his retail empire? What else will he sell? Where does he get his wares? Malo Mart Manager, taking place after the events of Twilight Princess, provides the answers to these (probably not so) burning questions.

My dream spin-off features top-down 16-bit graphics. Players create their characters (which includes choosing hair color and skin tone) and select the Twilight Princess region where they’ll open the next Malo Mart location. From there, Malo himself will provide a tutorial on how to run the shop. This includes a bartering system in which non-player characters can pay in Rupees, other items to offer for sale in the market, or both. As the game unfolds, players will form relationships with customers and Hyrulean inhabitants. They’ll also visit shops not under the Malo Mart brand to gather new wares to offer to their customers.

What about items that aren’t offered in other stores? Say a player suspects the people of the newly-repopulated Hidden Village would love Yeto the Yeti’s soup? That’s where the dungeon crawling aspect comes into play. The player can journey to Snowpeak Ruins and find the ingredients for Yeto’s soup, solving puzzles and battling baddies as they do so. After Yeto has enough ingredients for his soup, the player then sets up shipping to their Malo Mart, so their customers can enjoy a regular supply. Players would venture into other Twilight Princess dungeons for potential wares.

Once establishing a successful Malo Mart in the selected region, players would then choose another section of Hyrule to conquer. The game progresses by players opening further Malo Mart locations, forging friendships in every region, and braving dungeons and caves for new products. Players won’t satisfy Malo until each corner of the map has its own Malo Mart!

 

Aubriel Eastman, Junior Editor — A Zelda RPG Set in High School

This year, I played through some of Persona 5 Royal, and I had a blast. As exemplified by the Persona series, one of my favorite parts of RPGs is the interactions with the NPCs — RPGs are very character focused. An RPG with a great story would be the perfect spin-off in my book, because it would really give Zelda side characters a chance to shine. 

I’m really veering into a specific type of spin-off territory here, but maybe, like in Persona, it could be set in a modern high school universe. A bit cliché for sure, but this would be something we haven’t seen in Zelda games before and it could pave the way for new avenues.

So imagine Hyrule Warriors but the gameplay is a mystery RPG, and it’s set in the modern era. It would be an “everyone is here” situation. We could see characters from different Zelda games interacting and working together in a story-centric game. If it were a turn-based RPG like Persona, there are a lot of fun mechanics and fighting styles our beloved characters could use. I also think it would be fun if it was completely new characters, but either way, it works. 

 

Chakell Hubert, Associate Editor — Zelda… Party? 

One of my favorite slept-on games from the infamous Wii U is Nintendo Land. I loved this game! I especially loved playing it with friends and family. It was such a unique idea to create a theme park with attractions based on Nintendo’s franchises, and one of my favorites was the Zelda attraction. What I realized later, though, was that I really just loved being able to traverse through temples and to best baddies alongside my buddies in Hyrule! Don’t get me wrong, we have some fun multiplayer games like Four Swords and its sequel, or Triforce Heroes, but they are far and few between, and sometimes require some complex setting up to play cooperatively (looking at you, Game Boy to GameCube link cable).

However, we’ve yet to have a Zelda game where it’s all about the minigames and just hanging with friends, rather than trying to face a looming threat. Zelda might be a little more on the serious side of things when compared to Mario, because this plumber gets the thrill of racing on motorcycles, playing board games, and even trying his hand at golf. But, I think a party style multiplayer game would be so fun set in the world of Hyrule. Link is already a contender in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, so it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to pit him, Princess Zelda, and a few other friends in whacky multiplayer minigames, with an end goal to best an evil in mind with the power of friendship (or something less cheesy). Whatever the plot, I would be all over a game like that! 

 

Josh Wittmershaus, Associate Editor — Ultimate Hyrule Tycoon

While a large part of my enjoyment in Zelda games is getting transported to Hyrule or another world foreign in many ways to my own, there are a wealth of games out there that have the player creating their own versions of a world, be it realistic or fantasy. Series’ like Cities: Skylines tap into the minds of future civil engineers, while series like Animal Crossing trade the functional challenges for creativity and personalization. As a product of the 90s, these types of building and architecture games all come back to Roller Coaster Tycoon, a game that gave you the task of creating and running your own amusement park. 

While we get a little taste of this type of creative building with Dampe’s Dungeon Maker in the Switch version of  Link’s Awakening, I wonder what sort of creations we’d see with a full-blown “build and run your own Hyrule” game, complete with fending off monster invasions, making citizens of Hyrule happy, and working out the efficiencies of carrying water from Zora’s Domain through the Gerudo Desert.

But why stop with just building towns? What made Roller Coaster Tycoon so fun was that the world was specifically an amusement park. In my proposed spin-off, Ultimate Hyrule Tycoon, each region would cater to a specific style of world-building games. Zora’s Domain is now a water park. Death Mountain is now the Hyrule equivalent of Space Mountain. The Faron region is your arena for creating your own Zelda version of Jurassic World. I feel like the multiple areas of Hyrule create a wealth of possibilities for turning this into a fully-fledged amusement park smorgasbord.  

 

Judy Cooper, Managing Editor — Rebuilding Hyrule, a Cozy Game

If Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom highlighted one thing, it’s that we all want to see Hyrule made whole again. How many of us dreamed that we’d see Castle Town rebuilt after the events of Calamity Ganon’s return? Didn’t we all hope to see the land return to its former glory at the end of those games? Enter the perfect, cozy Zelda game where the player can make that happen!

In this Zelda spin-off, the player can literally rebuild Hyrule Castle, Castle Town, and other towns and villages in the kingdom. And I don’t mean build in the same fashion that we experienced during the construction of Tarrey Town or Link’s own house, for which the latter was, frankly, disappointing. I’m talking about something along the lines of the Skyrim Hearthfire DLC that meets your typical farming sim game. 

The player should have a catalog of different structures that can be used for filling out the towns and villages. They’ll have to farm materials to build these structures. As for the buildings’ contents, these can be purchased with Rupees earned through building the structures — it all comes full circle. Items can be purchased in different colors and styles, so every home in every town can be unique. Hyrule Castle itself would have a completely separate catalog that allows the player to choose where some specific rooms can be rebuilt and what they’ll look like, as well as a vast inventory of decorative items to fill said rooms. There’d even be DLC for this spin-off, where players will be able to choose any spot in Hyrule to shape and build their very own, new town, to name as they see fit.

The player should be able to design their own avatar, which makes sense, since this is a design-based game. They’ll also have the opportunity to move forward with Link as their predetermined avatar, and either way, they’ll report to Zelda, who’ll have some kind of special reward in store whenever each town or village is complete. This reward would range from a huge monetary sum that will boost the player’s progress in their next building project, or it will be a special item that can’t actually be purchased normally.

Imagine the satisfaction as you complete the rebuilding of Hyrule and watch its citizens find their homes within. Now, imagine the replayability value of this game, which allows you to reshape the world to your own design, again and again. This game is a no-brainer!   

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So, what do you think of Zelda Dungeon’s dream Zelda spin-off ideas? Are there any you’d like to see come to life? And do you have your own spin-off idea in mind? We want to know all about it, so be sure to tell us how it would look, sound, and play in the comments below!