r/truezelda • u/rAdvicePloz • 7d ago
Open Discussion It's been nearly 15 years since a new, traditional LoZ was released. When do we honestly think the next one will release?
"New, traditional LoZ" means:
- Not a spinoff (e.g., Hyrule Warriors)
- Not a remake or HD remaster
- Not BotW or TotK given that they, while fantastic games, are definitely not "traditional"
Traditional formula = a 3D LoZ with the same general, dungeon-focused structured progression as OoT, MM, WW, TP, and SS.
My estimate is that it's likely we'll see one by 2029, but I'm just curious what everyone's guess is on this.
I feel it's also possible that, if Nintendo sees OoT 2026 as a way to satisfy fans who've wanted a modern, traditional LoZ (even though it's a remake), the next new LoZ could once again diverge from the traditional formula and be something distinct from anything they've made before.
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u/PuzzleheadedLink89 7d ago edited 7d ago
one released like 2 years ago called Echoes of Wisdom
I love how this post just blatantly ignores the 2D games while they're certainly traditional
Edit: I know OP means 3D Zeldas but like we've had like 15 years of the linear 3D games, let Nintendo, the developer known for shaking things up with their franchises, do something else. If you want the traditional 3D games, just play them again. Plus everyone just ignores the 2D games. FYI, 3D Zelda isn't traditional as it was a huge shakeup to the series. Out of the 18 games, the 2D games outnumber the 3D ones by 11.
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u/Bungledingus45 7d ago
Yeah i have an issue with the word “traditional” being used to describe a game series mid point.
I feel like there is a generation of Zelda players that unintentionally prioritize the gameplay they grew up with in the 90’s as “traditional” Zelda. My first game was OoT, but it’s important to recognize in the grand scheme of things that kind of gameplay formula is 2nd generation Zelda.
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u/Raid_B0ss 7d ago
Op means large 3d adventure. But you're right. EOW was a good game that successfully implemented classic zelda gameplay and narrative with open world Wild era map and exploration.
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u/Nitrogen567 7d ago
Echoes of Wisdom was a great step back in the right direction, but it's a far cry from a traditional Zelda game.
I'd say it's structured like a mix of the open air and traditional formulas, but gets the mix a bit too open air favoured.
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u/Nabujor 7d ago
I love how this post just blatantly ignores the 2D games while they're certainly traditional
They are even MORE traditional than 3D games if we’re being pedantic; 3 out of 4 games released before Ocarina of Time are 2D top-down games, and they continued to release more even after that.
What’s more, even today there are more 2D games than 3D games in the series; so, both in terms of age and sheer numbers, 2D games ARE traditional Zelda games.
I’m fed up with people belittling and ignoring EoW (and, to a lesser extent, other 2D games in general).
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u/quesadillasarebomb 7d ago
EoW felt more open world to me than your traditional linear Zeldas. It felt more akin to the wild era games
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u/IrishSpectreN7 7d ago
It's closer to ALBW than the Wild games, in that there are batches of dungeons rather than all of them being available to you from the start.
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u/TheLunarVaux 7d ago
It’s about as open as A Link To The Past was. Which yes, is open, but not exclusive to the Wild era.
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u/PuzzleheadedLink89 7d ago
It's just as open as A Link Between Worlds idk where people are getting BOTW from.
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u/LoCal_GwJ 6d ago
Think it mostly comes from all the bed ladders and tricks you can use to subvert geometry similar to how BotW allowed
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u/Existing_Is_All_I_Do 7d ago
The dungeon puzzles are much more open ended then A Link to the Past with multiple solutions and the UI is more reminiscent of the Wild games. You also play as Zelda and combat is much different from other top-down Zelda games. It does bring back some of the traditional formula, but I don’t consider it to be traditional.
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u/TheLunarVaux 7d ago
The puzzles have a bit more freedom in their solutions sure, but at least here we were mostly talking about the open world design.
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u/Alternative_Crew_681 7d ago
I believe a traditional Zelda would keep link as the MC alone with boss keys, new items, ect. Having zelda as mc made EOW qualify as a spin-off.
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u/Thunder00Bee 7d ago
Echoes of Wisdom is nothing like a traditional Zelda game in structure or in gameplay, it just looks like those games.
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u/rAdvicePloz 7d ago
It's a great game, but not what I mean by traditional - 3D as in not the top down style of EoW, Link's Awakening, etc.
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u/Chlorophyllmatic 7d ago
Top-down is traditional for the series lol. The premise of your post is just fundamentally wrong.
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u/GracefulGoron 7d ago
You say traditional formula, while ignoring AlttP.
Including OoT (which is just AlttP 3D) and ignoring the other 2D games.
What gives?
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u/A-Liguria 7d ago
What gives?
People like the guy of the post are biased.
Whoever says that the previous 3D Zelda games are "traditional" while ignoring literally all other games, and that The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild isn't a "true" The Legend of Zelda game; has clearly never even watched how the first The Legend of Zelda game is.
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u/like-a-FOCKS 7d ago
OP essentially says
BotW or TotK [...] are definitely not [...] the same general, dungeon-focused structured progression as OoT, MM, WW, TP, and SS.
He never uses "true". What he does say is just objectively true, BOTW has a very different focus and progression. Most games between ALTTP and SS follow a similar formula, which I would call a tradition. BOTW does not follow that formula, so it's not part of that same tradition.
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u/A-Liguria 7d ago
OP essentially says
BotW or TotK [...] are definitely not [...] the same general, dungeon-focused structured progression as OoT, MM, WW, TP, and SS.
He never uses "true".
Whatever he says man.
What he does say is just objectively true, BOTW has a very different focus and progression. Most games between ALTTP and SS follow a similar formula, which I would call a tradition. BOTW does not follow that formula, so it's not part of that same tradition.
And at the same time, The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild is a far more traditional game than them.
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u/like-a-FOCKS 6d ago
since a-liguria blocked me (over this? 😂) I'll reply here.
And at the same time, The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild is a far more traditional game than them.
You really gotta define your understanding of "traditional" here. In my opinion it means repetition over a long time.
I gave my explanation why grouping BOTW with the older 3D games makes little sense, they follow a different formula. I would say that formula was established well before OOT with ALTTP. Repeating this formula for some 30 years is what established the tradition. And I really don't see another tradition which is that significant in the series.
So what other tradition do you mean? (not that I'm gonna get an answer...)
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u/like-a-FOCKS 7d ago
OP prefers 3D, which is fine, many do, the best selling games are 3D.
His essential message is
LoZ with the same general, dungeon-focused structured progression as OoT, MM, WW, TP, and SS.
and that applies to ALLTP and many other 2D games as well. He just focuses on the 3D subsection of that broader tradition.
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u/Raid_B0ss 7d ago
A new large 3d zelda is almost certainly in some stage of development. AAA games are slow and expensive to make. For them to have a chance of releasing a new game in a reasonable time span they must have already started. It's nowhere near finished but they must be working on it.
My blind guess for a release is Winter 2029 or Summer 2030. They would have had 6-7 years of development by then.
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u/peter-man-hello 7d ago
You could apply this type of logic to anything. You are using your own subjective box for what a ‘traditional’ Zelda is.
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u/Chewbanga 7d ago
I strongly believe they’re keeping the traditional formula for their top down or “2d” titles and experimenting with their 3d titles. Again that’s just me, but it seems like that’s the direction they’re going. I also believe the OOT remake is supposed to teach these new developers what makes the original Zelda’s great and teaching them how to design traditional Zelda dungeons/puzzles. It’s exactly what they did with Grezzo for OOT and MM 3D, who ultimately went on to make EOW. So maybe traditional isn’t out of the picture just yet? Only time will tell.
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u/DjinnFighter 7d ago
Even though I much prefer the traditional 3D formula, I'm not expecting a new one in the near future. We are getting OoT remake and maybe MM remake, but the next new 3D game will be open world, like BOTW and TOTK.
There's a possibility that they make a third Hero of Time game after OoT and MM remakes, but that would not be in the near future and it might not happen at all.
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u/Alternative_Crew_681 7d ago
going off what I heard once said in an interview zelda games are often created as follows.
New Zelda game announced - New Zelda game finished - Team begins working on new Zelda game project immediately - pervious Zelda game releases to public.
Depending on the size and quality of a game it could very from 2 years for something OOT size and quality to perhaps 4 to 6 years for anything as large as twilight Princess, Wind Waker, or Botw.
Let's say OOT remake is the mainline drop for 2026 and the next mainline zelda is going to be large but not massive and original we may see a game by 2030.
Thats about 4 years.
If we are talking about another game near botw size. We may not see one until 2032.
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u/tiglionabbit 7d ago
Zelda has changed into something not as Zelda-like.
If you want classic Zelda, might be better to look at indie games now.
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u/Queb_Lambda 7d ago
Even indie there's nothing that scratch the itch of 3D Zelda... A shit tons of 2D-like though
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u/tiglionabbit 7d ago
Personally I love 2D Zelda so that's not a problem for me, but here are some non-isomorphic 3D games that feel decently Zelda-like to me:
Which Zelda games are you specifically looking to capture the vibe of? Are you more into Twilight Princess or Wind Waker?
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u/Queb_Lambda 7d ago
Thank you so much for the recommendations !!
Well my favorites are the N64 ones but WW, TP and SS were good too.
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u/tiglionabbit 7d ago
Have you played Outer Wilds? It has no combat or items, but it does great stuff with the time loop.
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u/Nitrogen567 7d ago
I played Lil Gator Game when my friends and I looked at the randomizer options that Archipelago supports and decided to use a random number generator to decide which games we should play.
So, despite my first and only experience being a VERY strange one, being not just a randomizer, but a co-op one across five other games, I was COMPLETELY taken in by that game.
It's so unbelievably charming.
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u/SoupOfTomato 5d ago
Lil Gator Game is a Breath of the Wild pastiche that plays like a Lego video game (explore, do simple platform/puzzle challenges, hit and destroy everything for currency/collectibles). I don't think the gameplay really evokes Zelda despite the plot referencing it.
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u/Longjumping-Style730 7d ago
I don't think we will for a while honestly.
The Wild Era has astronomically more sales than the rest of the franchise. By like.... a decent margin. Returning to the old formula in their new game would essentially signing up to make less money, which I just don't think Nintendo will do for one of their flagship franchises.
I'm not saying the next game will be exactly like BOTW/TOTK but its definitely going to have a lot of BOTW/TOTK DNA in it.
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u/condor6425 7d ago edited 7d ago
The wild era does not have more sales when looked at as a percentage of console sales. The switch did gangbusters and an average percentage of console owners bought the main Zelda of that generation. The market has changed in size so much you can't just directly compare sales numbers, you're essentially trying to compare box office sales without adjusting for inflation.
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u/like-a-FOCKS 6d ago
In that case Echoes if Wisdom massively under performed? It's raw numbers are roughly en par with WW on the gamecube and ALBW on the 3DS, two consoles with far fewer units.
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u/Oilswell 7d ago
If you’re talking big budget, probably never. If you’re willing to include mid budget throwback games, probably another ten years.
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u/Dccrulez 7d ago
Within 2 years is my estimate. They likely started pre-production before the release of totk, as long as there's no major obstacles or hang ups they should be well into the production cycle and even beginning post production aspects. We will likely see an announcement with a year.
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u/Mammoth-Strike-168 7d ago
Well we know they are working on another open world game, so I don't think we'll see a traditional 3D game by 2029.
I do think there's room to make an open world game that has a traditional dungeon structure though.
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u/amityarchives 7d ago
As long as Aonuma is in charge of the series, I really don't see the team returning to traditional Zelda anytime soon. I think EoW is the closest we'll get, which was still pretty "open-air coded". From the interviews we've had, Aonuma seems to be extremely "anti-traditional zelda", and even refers to the notion of preferring traditional zelda as only being because of nostalgia. Heavily, HEAVILY disagree with him.
If I'm correct, he even stated that the future of 3D Zelda is open-air. Which I'm okay with. I love the pre botw games so much, but the feeling of exploration and freedom is just so incredible and special. I just want traditional/better dungeons back, man.
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u/Simmers429 7d ago
That's your definition of "traditional Zelda."
To me, the tradition of Zelda is creativity. It defines the whole series and everything outside of this I do not consider a strong Zelda game.
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u/Bungledingus45 7d ago
That’s why I’m not a fan of SS, it’s was a paint by numbers instead of a structured planned Freeform. Botw is amazing but it’s like a finger painting. The next instalment should be inbetween lol
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u/batesftw 7d ago
I don't think we're ever going to see it again. These things grow and change and evolve... I do honestly believe that the next mainline 3D game will be some kind of mix between open world and traditional, but I don't think we're ever going to get a brand new game as linear as, say, Skyward Sword. Honestly I'm ok with that, I think the next few are going to find some happy medium between the old and new and I think that's going to be glorious
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u/Bungledingus45 7d ago
None of your examples are “traditional” Zelda though. The wilds era in fact is the spiritual successor to the original game.
Games like Zelda 1, links awakening, echos of wisdom, oracle of ages and seasons, have more of a traditional theme then any of the 3D instalments.
I have no quarrels with you wanting another linear 3D Zelda I just take issue with it being called traditional. I grew up playing the same games, but “traditional” because you grew up playing them isn’t “traditional” actually
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u/Nitrogen567 7d ago edited 7d ago
"Traditional" in the context of Zelda usually refers to the games using the Zelda formula that was established with ALttP's refinement of Zelda 1's formula.
The devs have said that Breath of the Wild was inspired by the original LoZ, but the reality is Zelda 1 is closer to ALttP and Ocarina of Time in it's structure than it is to Breath of the Wild.
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u/SoupOfTomato 5d ago
I agree that the 2D sequels play more like the original in terms of actual gameplay. I think Breath of the Wild is a game trying to capture the gameplay fantasy that The Legend of Zelda was trying to capture (exploring an unknown world, entering a cave you discovered) without relying on any of the preconceived notions/staples of Zelda that had built up in the time between. There are a lot of Zelda standards like how the narrative and game are structured and you make progress that are not inherent to that original core fantasy, and I think using that concept (rather than previous games) as a guiding light is more what the designers mean.
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u/Imperfect_Dark 7d ago
The series has evolved that I think remakes will be the main path here. Nintendo made 5 3D games in that style and clearly felt the series needed moving on (and they were right). I just don't see them making another traditional game for the sake of it.
Adding more traditional elements into their open world titles I would like to see however.
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u/Queb_Lambda 7d ago
I think they really need to find a balance. Like the Great Plateau in BOTW you could do almost anything but you needed the paraglider to quit. There are creative ways to make the exploration need upgrades. If the building aspect of TOTK is really the future of Zelda I have a grief to do.
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u/oinkmoocluck 7d ago
During the Legend of Zelda Nintendo Direct, it was stated that with Breath of the Wild, the series had "come full circle" as in 2D/closed to 3D/closed to 3D/open-world. To me this means that now that they have done it all, they are open to creating new games in any of these formats.
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u/Thunder00Bee 7d ago
Aonuma has directly stated what he thinks of the old style of Zelda games, so you're only getting remakes.
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u/rebillihp 7d ago
How is "3d" tied to traditional? Are the first like 5 Zelda games not traditional?