The Legend of Zeldais an iconic Nintendo IP, but oddly enough, it has only produced a few notable spinoffs. In recent years, theHyrule Warriorsseries has performed admirably by offering fans a more action-heavy take on the franchise, while other side games like Tingle’s various spinoffs dabble in further different genres. To date, however,The Legend of Zeldahas yet to get its own turn-based RPG. Nintendo doesn’t produce a lot of RPGs itself, but it has a long history of collaborating with other developers on RPGs, so it’s surprising that it has yet to reach out to another studio for help adaptingZeldainto a new format.
Nintendo may not have tapped into this potential yet, but the time is now right. There’s a major void in Nintendo RPGs right now due to the apparent end oftheMario & Luigiseries of RPGs, which were developed by AlphaDream until the studio’s closure in 2019. For years,Mario & Luigishowed that RPG adaptations of Nintendo IPs could be great fun, but Nintendo has yet to fill the void.The Legend of Zeldaought to step up to the plate in this case, since it already has tons of characters, enemies, and story threads that could inspire a solid RPG.
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A Zelda RPG’s Potential
AZeldaRPG wouldn’t have to dig deep for an interesting plot; instead, it could take inspiration fromthe firstHyrule Warriorsgame. In the non-canonicalHyrule Warriors,Link meets friends and enemies from various periods in theZeldatimeline and teams up with them to stop a threat to the entireZeldauniverse. An RPG could do exactly the same thing, starring new incarnations of Link and Zelda while bringing Midna, Fi, and other familiar faces ofZeldainto the story as party members. Link could be a standard damage dealer using variousZeldagadgets, Zelda could provide healing through her divine powers, and so on.
Playable characters aren’t all that aZeldaRPG could get out of borrowingHyrule Warriors' crossover concept. It would be great to revisitsome of the most well-lovedZeldadungeonsthrough an RPG lens too, throwing players into random encounters with classicZeldaenemies like Bokoblins, Moblins, Darknuts, and more. AZeldaRPG could also revive famous bosses from throughoutZeldahistory, using their original boss battle concepts to inspire new RPG movesets.Mario & Luigiused all of these strategies excellently, all while introducing original ideas, and aZeldaRPG could do the same.
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A New Take on Zelda Concepts
Nintendo certainly hasn’t indicated that it’s working on aZeldaRPG, but there are some possible causes for hope.Zelda: Breath of the Wildis an action-adventure game through and through, but it does contain the faintest hints of RPG elements, thanks to its heavy emphasis on equipment and player choice when increasing Link’s Health and Stamina.Nintendo has also been experimental in general lately, as indicated byBreath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey,and more. Its increasingly bold takes on its oldest properties could inspire hope for a turn-basedZeldaspinoff in the future.
Breath of the Wild 2is bound to remain the apple of Nintendo’s eye for the foreseeable future. After needing to delayBreath of the Wild 2,Nintendo has cause to focus intently on that game, rather than spreading out into otherZeldaprojects at the same time. IfMario & Luigidoesn’t return in the next few years, though,Zeldaought to fill its shoes.Monolith Soft’s risingXenoblade Chroniclesfranchisemay offer Switch users a solid Nintendo RPG franchise, but it’s not quite the same as a colorful spinoff of a classic IP. If it worked forSuper Mario,then there’s no doubt that the RPG model will work forThe Legend of Zelda.
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