It’s been about two months since the release of Tears of the Kingdom, the latest entry in the Zelda series. Since then, millions of players have been adventuring through this expansive new world of Hyrule, enjoying it in a myriad of ways. Some have been exploring every aspect of the map and its new parts, others have let their creative juices flow by building anything that comes to mind, while others still just enjoy falling from as high up as they can get. Even though the game has been doing amazing on all fronts, there are a few that still wish to see Zelda return to a more “classic” style of gameplay.
In a recent interview with Dutch news outlet, RTL Nieuws, Producer Eiji Aonuma and Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi were asked about various topics on the current game, Tears of the Kingdom, as well as about any plans for Zelda to return to a more “classic” style of gameplay in any future installments. When asked about that, here is what Aonuma had to say:
“It’s hard to say anything regarding the future. Having said that; thanks to earlier Zeldas, a game like Tears of the Kingdom now exists. This game has arisen out of ideas that we had in the past. We always try to make something that delivers more than previous products. In terms of that, we don’t concern ourselves with our older games. We would rather focus on the future.”
This isn’t the first time Aonuma has commented on taking the series in a new direction either. In an excerpt from the book The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild: Creating a Champion, Aonuma shared how he felt even then with shaking things up a little from the classic Zelda style:
“I said from the very beginning of this project that I wanted to revise expectations of what makes a Zelda game. With Skyward Sword, the player descended from the sky to specific points on the surface map, and we received a lot of comments from players saying that they wanted to explore the space between the different areas. That gave us an opportunity. We had always aimed to create worlds in the Zelda games that you could play in endlessly, yet, at some point, we became constrained by expectations. So I told the staff, ‘This time, let’s build the game without shying away from anything. Let’s stop thinking about what Zelda has been up until now.’ I knew it was going to be difficult even as I said it.”
The debate of where the “Classic Style” originated varies from person to person. Some claim it started with A Link to the Past, while others say that Ocarina of Time initiated it, and then a few (such as yours truly) believe it began with the very first two Zeldas on the NES. Regardless of where or when it originated, the general consensus is that the classic style includes more of the established Zelda tropes such as dungeons, key items, and a more linear form of gameplay and storytelling. It seems that while all these things may be essential to make a Zelda game, Aonuma and his team tried their best to break away from certain conventional themes and try new things, while at the same time retaining the core of what makes a game fundamentally Zelda. This ideology is ultimately what lead us fans to being graced with the awe inspiring beauty of Breath of the Wild and eventually its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom.
Even though Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom differ vastly from some of the previous entries in the series, it doesn’t make them any less of a Zelda. These games are packed with so many obvious as well as not so obvious nods to the series over the years. Whether it be from a name of a place like the Temple of Time, to the battle with a classic enemy such as a Lynel or Gleeok, or even with the ability to go pretty much anywhere right from the beginning of the game like in the very first Zelda, these games still have a classic vibe to them even if it is not immediately apparent to everyone. And while it may seem as though the classic style may not return in mainline games, Nintendo has given us fans other gems such as the gorgeous 2019 remake of Link’s Awakening. Here’s hoping we can finally get that Ocarina of Time remake or remaster that we’ve been coveting for years. And if not let’s at least hope that Nintendo will grace us with the 3DS remakes being released on the Switch. I’d pay for that again.
