Rumor Mill: Next 3D Zelda

There are some rumors going around by Nick "Spheshal" Baker about the upcoming 3D Zelda game, following Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. He has a pretty solid track record, so it's worth listening. And I personally find these rumors quite interesting in any case, because they are lining up with what I'm expecting personally, so let's talk about them...

You can listen to them in his recent podcast with Jeff Grubb, but I'll give you a brief summary:

• The game gets developed with an updated version of the engine used for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom
• A core gameplay mechanic will be tears / rifts between dimensions, which can be used to interact with the environment

A given example is about a room with a floating ball attached to a chain. By opening a rift to the other dimension water flows in, the ball pulls the chain and this opens a pathway. Zelda games experimenting with linked realms and dimensions are nothing new, where this idea is as old as A Link to the Past, but this may become an evolution of that idea, one that is a lot more physics-based.

Anyway, there are different stances on how Nintendo should proceed with the franchise. Some fans want Nintendo to return to the classic Zelda formula, which won't happen after how successful the recent games have been. Some fans want Nintendo to move on from the Breath of the Wild style and come up with something new entirely. Zeltik even calls Age of Imprisonment the "End of the Wild Era".

However, I wouldn't be so sure about any of that. When discussing the three different options for the next game's general direction, it seemed more likely that Nintendo will continue with the Breath of the Wild brand on the Nintendo Switch 2, simply because it has been going so successful. The first thing they did on the Nintendo Switch 2 was updating both Breath and Tears for it, so they really want their audiences to catch up with these games, before they release the next adventure.

They will eventually innovate the series with a new style and direction going forward, that is for sure, but whether this will already happen with the next game or the one after remains to be seen. Of course, them re-using the engine isn't any indication for the art style, or even the gameplay. After all, Twilight Princess was based upon the engine for The Wind Waker. So, keep that in mind.

However, I'm personally thinking that we could be looking at the first major trilogy in the franchise, following the adventures of this particular Link and Zelda for a third time. And one open idea has been to explore the topic of the Triforce and the Sacred Realm, which already could have been a possible topic with Tears of the Kingdom, but which didn't happen. Instead, they focused on Ganondorf and the Sages, after they had introduced the Secret Stones of the Zonai as a new plot device.

But this leaves an important part of the Zelda lore out in the open for the Breath of the Wild era. Well, no one wants to return to the same Hyrule for a third time, since it already overstayed its welcome with Tears of the Kingdom, but the Sacred Realm is actually a great way to move Link and Zelda into a different land, one where the laws of reality don't apply... See where I'm getting with this?

Of course, Nintendo always comes up with the gameplay first and builds their stories around it, but if we're truly looking at a another game where you do things "between worlds", so to say, then the Sacred Realm could become central to the story. And with it the Triforce.

With a story about "rifts in reality", they could even go a step further and explore a more recent addition to the lore: Null from Echoes of Wisdom. It could become the ultimate evil, beyond Ganon, where it's even possible that Age of Imprisonment was already hinting at the idea with its "Shades". These were a form of the demonic energy that predated both the Gloom and Malice, but in a sentient state, looking somewhat similar to Null. The Gerudo were able to control them and maybe Ganondorf was creating them, or maybe these Shades were actually coming from another ancient evil and Ganondorf was simply tapping into Null's energy here.

Also, ever since that first teaser trailer for "the sequel to Breath of the Wild", people had this idea of Link and Zelda going on an adventure together, where both become playable. And maybe you are not able to swap between dimensions, but instead Princess Zelda is trapped in the other dimension and you can swap to her.

In any case, I'm excited to learn more about the next game. But if the rumors from Spheshal are indeed trustworthy, then I'm leaning more towards a third game in the Breath of the Wild style and era, instead of something completely new.

The Next 3D Zelda – General Direction?

Both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have been tremendous hits for the Legend of Zelda and for Nintendo as a whole, where they will shape the future of the series one way or another. We can be certain that the open world direction will be kept and iterated, where a high level of freedom has become the biggest selling point. Other than that, we really don't have a clear idea about the way forward, only Nintendo does.

The most interesting question is how the game will look like and whether we're going to see a new Link and Zelda. Breath of the Wild really has established a new brand for the series, one that has become very successful and recognizable, much like the Nintendo Switch itself. With the re-introduction of both titles as "Nintendo Switch 2 Editions", it also seems in Nintendo's own interest to push forward with this brand on their new system.

On the other hand, we have a series that has always been quick to reinvent itself, to experiment with different art styles and ideas. So, it is not out of the question that they might come up with something that looks completely new and fresh. It just doesn't feel necessary at the moment...

Overall there seem to be three different options going forward:

1. A third game in a Breath of the Wild trilogy.
2. Another game in the same style, but taking place in a different era.
3. A completely new version of The Legend of Zelda. 

The first option doesn't seem very likely, because Aonuma already said so in an interview with GameInformer from late 2023 – they were not keen about making a sequel to a sequel. And they had exhausted their ideas for this iteration of The Legend of Zelda.

However, it felt more like they were talking about this Hyrule specifically. And no one wants to return to the same Hyrule a third time (or a fifth time if you count the Hyrule Warriors games), where you may even be of the opinion that Tears of the Kingdom doing so already was a mistake. That's up to debate, but a third game in the same Hyrule would certainly overstay its welcome, no matter how much they are going to change this time.

If they are going to make another game with the same Link and Zelda, it will have to take place in a different land. That's actually a very common thing to do for sequels in the Zelda series. We have Koholint Island in Link's Awakening, Termina in Majora's Mask, the world of the Ocean King in Phantom Hourglass, or Hytopia in Tri Force Heroes. But this always gave the sequels the character of a side story and if they truly were to make a Zelda trilogy for the first time ever (with that I mean a story with the same Link and Zelda for three games in a row), then it would feel weird if it were to end on a such a note.

Still, the idea of a true trilogy is tempting and there is also quite some potential with such a sequel. While Tears of the Kingdom has brought back some classic ideas from Ocarina of Time, like Ganondorf, the sages and their temples, it never touched upon the most fundamental part of the lore: the Sacred Realm and the Triforce. Despite appearing in symbols and seemingly as part of Zelda's sealing powers, the Triforce still a forgotten mystery in this world of Hyrule and we have yet to learn why that is. And making this the topic of a third game would certainly be fitting.

There is also Princess Zelda herself. Ever since the first teaser trailer for the sequel to Breath of the Wild, where Link and Zelda went to explore Hyrule's underground together, there has been a lot of interest in a game where she is also playable, right next to Link. This didn't come to fruit with Tears of the Kingdom, but Nintendo made the princess the protagonist of a main game shortly after, with Echoes of Wisdom. Maybe also to test how such an idea would be truly received...

But after all the hardships the Zelda from Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom went through, she really deserves to be in the spotlight of a 3D Zelda game where you play as both Link and the eponymous princess. It would be disservice if they were to replace her in such a scenario.

Well, there is still the problem of dealing with the same Hyrule for a third time. We don't want this, but there is no good reason for Zelda to leave this Hyrule, unless she gets forced to or this some sort of higher calling. However, this could connect quite well with a plot around the Triforce – the third game could lead both Link and her inside the Sacred Realm. And the Sacred Realm can take all sorts of shapes, maybe even reflect other Hyrules from the past somehow...

However, we are already getting Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment as an upcoming spin-off game, where you primarily follow Zelda's journey in the distant past of Hyrule's founding. So, this will already be a game where this Zelda is the playable main protagonist. And maybe, just maybe it will also explore the topic of the Triforce...

The third option certainly can't be dismissed, but it feels also not very likely. As already said, they have established a strong brand with Breath of the Wild and they are already continuing with this brand on the Nintendo Switch 2. The mix of realism and cel shading also has worked out quite well for the series, it's truly the best of both worlds. So, coming up with something completely new for Zelda at this point might not be what they want and might also not be needed.

This leaves us with the second option. Same art style, but new Link, new Zelda and a new land. This would be similar to Spirit Tracks, but it's also something that Nintendo has done very recently. Donkey Kong Bananza uses the art style of Super Mario Odyssey and shares that game's vibes, where it's easily recognizable as a spiritual successor, but it's also truly its own thing. It's a new 3D Donkey Kong with emphasis on destroying the environments. However, that game started its development on the Nintendo Switch, which won't be the case for the next big Zelda.

But staying with the current art style would make it clear out of the box that they are going to continue on the open world route, while placing it in a different era (and potentially even a different Hyrule) would allow for a number of changes. For example, such a game wouldn't have to bring back the exact same weapon system, where this never had so many fans to begin with. But that's a topic worth discussing on its own.

In any case, Zelda games always have been defined by their gameplay ideas and the next one won't be any different. The story usually gets developed around the core mechanics, not the other way around. And they choose whatever art style delivers their ideas the best. What those gameplay ideas will turn out to be, that's the million dollar question...