The Legend of Zelda: Looking Forward

I really enjoy the Legend of Zelda series. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is the first game I ever genuinely wanted to own and single-handedly introduced me to console gaming. Ocarina- amazing, Wind Waker- less intuitive then I would have liked, and Twilight Princess- a work of art. The series has always been great. I just finished playing Wind Waker, which in my opinion was the most unique of the series, and even despite my complaints, which I will keep private, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to revisit Twilight Princess- and have begun a second play through. I could hear this same story told over and over again until the end of my days. The quintessential story of good versus evil.



Link, Zelda, and Ganon. The three parts of the Tri-Force. They will always be present in the Zelda series, that much is certain. But what of the franchises future? I haven't played Phantom Hourglass, but I have actually heard reviewers saying the formula is getting dull. I will never get sick of the formula- in fact it makes me sick to hear other people saying they are getting tired of it, but I do want one of my favorite franchises to always succeed. So I started thinking about where the Zelda series could be headed. It is safe to say that at least one more Zelda game will appear on the Wii, and the gimmick will probably have something to do with the Wii's motion controls. I also hope that The Legend of Zelda series will always remain a serious one (as far as gaming goes), and will never fall into the "casual" genre. With that in mind, I tried to think of some ideas the Zelda series could explore. Here they are in no particular order.

Crossing Final Fantasy and Zelda- and spinning the idea from Wind Waker- Hyrule is located among the clouds, where airships, giant birds, and dragons are the primary modes of transportation. Everyone lives on giant islands that float through the air, some of which can change location. You could have another 2D map similar to Wind Waker, or a 3D map. Make one of the items an oxygen tank that allows Link to explore higher altitudes.

Rather then having Zelda take place during a medieval age, translate it to a modern or futuristic setting. Think along the lines of the film Romeo and Juliet by Baz Luhrmann. Link runs around with a gun made by "Master Sword Ltd." He drives around on a motorcycle. He heads into a diner to hear the latest gossip and find the newest side quests. Ganon owns a giant corporate conglomerate hellbent on destroying the environment.

Make Link African, female, or an old man. Do something to change the demographic Link is associated with. If you made Link African and built the story around African culture, you could have a really interesting game. You could do the same for Spanish, Native American, South American, Inuit, or any other number of cultures.

Make another side-scroller Zelda similar to Metroid or Castlevania. Give it graphics similar to Odin Sphere, but gameplay typical of the Zelda series (aka: awesome).