The producer behind The Legend Of Zelda has hinted that the next mainline game will be partly influenced by Hyrule Warriors, but should we be concerned?
The future of The Legend Of Zelda is a big unknown, after the release of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, which perfected the open world design from Breath Of The Wild and which Nintendo has said will be the last to be set in that version of Hyrule.
Nintendo hasn’t been scared to shake up the franchise in the past, as seen with Breath Of The Wild itself, the cel-shaded visuals of The Wind Waker, or even with spin-offs like Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom and Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment.
We would gladly pretend the latter doesn’t exist but Eiji Aonuma, producer of the whole The Legend Of Zelda series, has suggested it might influence the next mainline Zelda.
Speaking in an interview with Japanese site 4Gamer, Aonuma said his team wanted to be the first to release a Zelda title on the Switch 2, but Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment, developed by Koei Tecmo, beat them to the punch.
‘The Legend Of Zelda: Age Of Imprisonment is the first Zelda title for the Nintendo Switch 2,’ Aonuma said. ‘To be honest, we wanted to be first to do so,’ he laughed.
That’s interesting in itself, because it implies he’s working on something which is relatively deep into development.
The big kicker is what follows, with Aonuma adding: ‘However, the inspiration we received from this collaboration with Koei Tecmo may be reflected in the Zelda we create. Please imagine this while playing Age Of Imprisonment, and look forward to our Zelda.’
The ‘may’ is doing a lot of heavy-lifting there, but it’s hard to gauge how much weight we should give to the quote. Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment is far more combat focused than traditional Zelda games, so this could imply a more involved combat system – which was one of the weaker areas in Tears Of The Kingdom.
Alternatively, Aonuma might be hinting at multiple playable characters, which would track with Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom, where you control Zelda for the first time. Or maybe the next Zelda game will simply hinge around mindless hacking and slashing for hours without any puzzles, strategy, or wonder to speak of? Shudder.
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The comment could be an off-hand pleasantry, considering it was a joint interview with Koei Tecmo staff, but Aonuma has made off-hand comments like this before, which later proved to be significant. That includes responding positively to suggestions that Zelda should be playable, which resolved surprisingly quickly into an actual game.
Aonuma has already said the next Zelda will see a new iteration of Hyrule, which will not return to the original formula, but apart from that, we know nothing about it.
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Just recently, Xenoblade Chronicles developer Monolith Soft hinted they might be working on a ‘unique’ Zelda game of their own. The studio helped design the world in Breath Of The Wild, and also assisted on previous games like 2011’s Skyward Sword.
It’s unclear when a new Zelda game, mainline or spin-off, will be released, but Nintendo could be planning to launch a new game to coincide with the upcoming Zelda movie, which is slated to hit cinemas on May 7, 2027.
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This is exciting news for fans of the series! It’s always intriguing to see how different inspirations shape new adventures in Hyrule. Looking forward to what the developers bring to the table next!
Absolutely! It’s fascinating to see how the Hyrule Warriors influence might shape the gameplay mechanics and storytelling in Tears of the Kingdom. Fans can look forward to a blend of action and lore that could really enhance the experience.
I completely agree! The combination of Hyrule Warriors’ action-packed style with traditional Zelda elements could lead to some exciting new mechanics. It’ll be interesting to see how they balance those fast-paced battles with the exploration and puzzle-solving fans love.
That sounds exciting! The blend of action and puzzle-solving could really enhance the gameplay experience. It’ll be interesting to see how they balance those elements while staying true to the series’ roots.
Absolutely! The combination of Hyrule Warriors’ action elements with traditional Zelda puzzles could create a fresh dynamic. It’ll be interesting to see how they balance the two styles to maintain that classic Zelda charm!
That sounds like a fantastic blend! Incorporating Hyrule Warriors’ fast-paced combat could really enhance the gameplay experience, making it both exciting and challenging. I’m curious to see how they balance that with the exploration and storytelling that Zelda is known for.