I’ve been playingThe Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Timefor over 20 years, but my most recent playthrough has me worried about the series' future. Starting withThe Legend of Zelda Breath of The Wild, the 3D entries in the series haveturned into massive open-world games with an emphasis on crafting. This trend continued in thegame’s sequelTears of the Kingdom, establishing a new norm for 3DZelda.
When asked in an interview withRTL Nieuwsif we would ever see a return to the classic formula inOcarina of Time,Zeldaseries producer Eiji Aonuma somewhat confirmed my concerns. He explained that it’s difficult to predict where the series may go, but that they prefer not to dwell on past entries and look to the future instead. Some of my favorite aspects ofZeldafromOcarina of Timeand similar games could be forever left in the past, despite being the series’ initial appeal.
Ocarina Of Time Has A Stronger Sense Of Progression Than New 3D Zeldas
Ocarina Of Time’s Linear Structure Helped Pace The Game
One aspect I greatly enjoy aboutOcarina of Timeand similarly linear 3DZeldagames likeTwilight Princessis the sense of progression. Players aren’t just finishing a series of tasks scattered across a large open world. Instead, they advance a narrative with each conquered portion of the game. While the freedom ofgames likeBreath of the Wildappeals to some,that structure also tends to rob accomplishments of their sense of importance.
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Completing a dungeon inOcarina of Timedidn’t mean crossing it off on the map and forgetting about it, it meant gaining a key item that would open up new areas to explore. It also meant triggering events that would only occur in the game’s overworld after certain parts of the game had been finished.This sense of progression acts as an excellent incentive to keep goingand to see what the game has in store next. I don’t get the same rush of excitement from finishing aBOTWshrine puzzle because it doesn’t really change anything.
Dungeons In Ocarina Of Time Have Memorable Identities
Recent Zelda Dungeons Are Lacking Strong Themes
Not only did dungeons inOcarina of Timeadvance the game’s plot, but they also had very strong identities. WhileTears of the Kingdom’s elemental-themed temples were an improvement overBreath of the Wild’s divine beasts, they still lacked the strong personality of something likeOcarina of Time’s Forest Temple, orTwilight Princess’ Goron Mines.Even unpleasant dungeons likeOcarina of Time’s Water Temple were at least memorableexperiences.
It doesn’t seem like I’m alone in this regard either. Many players have been vocal about wantingZeldagames to bring back unique dungeon experiences. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem likely if the series continues to emphasize creating massive open worlds. There’s a limit to how much a single game can offer, especially if it has to fit on a Nintendo Switch cartridge. This has me worried that ifZeldagames continue to prioritize exploring large environments,the more intimate bespoke environments of the series’ older dungeons won’t ever come back.
Ironically, Ocarina Of Time Encourages Me To Explore More
Ocarina Of Time Makes Exploration More Manageable
One would think that massive open-worldZeldagames likeBOTWwould encourage players to explore more than a game with a much smaller map likeOcarina of Time. However, I don’t believe this to be true. When it comes to exploring an open-world game, I need some incentive to want to check every corner of the map. After scouring a few ruins inBreath of the Wildonly to find some underwhelming items, I concludedit wasn’t worth my time to check every nook and cranny.
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Exploring a massive open world with no restrictions can also be overwhelming. This is something that olderZeldagames likeOcarina of Timehad figured out. Even in games likeTwilight Princesswith a larger map, traditional 3DZeldadesign purposefully limited access to certain areas of the map, while teasing that they would be accessible later.
I remember how excited I was to get the Hookshot inOcarina of Time. It felt like a ton of new places had suddenly become accessible to me, and I ran around the whole map looking for places to use my new item. By drip-feeding the ability to explore new areas, I wasless overwhelmed by possibilities and constantly excited about each new opportunity. I didn’t feel the same drive to explore inBreath of the Wild,as the entire map is essentially open from the start.
Not Being Able To Skip Content Makes Finishing Ocarina Of Time Seem More Satisfying
Newer Zelda Games Let Players Skip To The Final Boss
While difficult, bothBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomallow players to go straight from the tutorial area to the final boss if they choose to do so. This made the fights againstCalamity Ganon and Ganondorffeel less like the climax of an epic quest, and more like the last thing I decided to do after getting tired of exploring the game’s open world. I never felt the drive to complete the game before challenging the final boss, because nothing in the newZeldagames ever feels urgent.
In contrast, you cannot skip main quests or dungeons and head straight to Ganon inOcarina of Timeor other 3DZeldagames from the past. This makes reaching the final boss feel like the culmination of the player’s efforts rather than just another thing they can decide to do. Having this focused goal, and making every major quest in the game a necessary step toward accomplishing it feels more satisfying.
I don’t dislikeBreath of the WildorTears of the Kingdom, but I would be sorely disappointed if they defined where 3DZeldagames go from here. While they introduced a lot of interesting new aspects to the series, they also ignored a lot about what madeOcarina of Timeand similar games feel so special. I don’t expect Nintendo to fully return to the old-schoolZeldastyle at this point, but I do hope it can find a middle ground that recaptures some of the old magic. Or, at the very least, I’d like some better dungeons.
