The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild has been a major hit on the Nintendo Switch, but as I have stated previously, the game isn’t for everyone. With Nintendo intending to keep the format of Breath of the Wild as the direction of the series however, the company should also provide an alternative for the series fans.
Breath of the Wild has received vast acclaim for returning to the non traditional roots of the franchise, but the fact is that A Link Between Worlds for 3DS was done first and was also an attempt at returning the series to said nonlinear roots. In that case however, A Link Between Worlds felt more like a compromise between the familiar and being a massive gameplay change.
A Link Between Worlds gave players the option to play in a non linear style, but also kept much of the standard series format at the same time. It lacked much hand-holding and gave players the chance to discover things for themselves. The game was a massive success despite the doubts that many had for it. I would even go so far as to say it is my favourite entry in the series so far, just for how well the game balances old and new.
What would be a brilliant move for Nintendo to do, would be to make a new game in that style for the Switch as an alternative to the BOTW format. This would provide a Zelda game on Switch that would give a more familiar experience while retaining the new ideas the series wants to pursue, and also allow Nintendo to experiment further. Imagine what new ideas could be applied to a sequel, considering how different A Link Between Worlds was to A Link To The Past, despite also being so very similar.
A Link Between Worlds is amazing and it feels like Nintendo cut their teeth on the intentionally non linear format for Zelda here. But there are multiple directions Nintendo could go, besides just the BOTW format for the series. This could be set centuries later, and show the worlds having changed more, and possibly introduce even more alternate worlds to travel to.
The fans who were turned off by Breath of the Wild could find something familiar here, but those who loved BOTW would also be able to enjoy a more traditional throwback, that still has a lot of what they liked. Rather than just heading in one direction for the series, Nintendo would do well to make two distinct directions for both kinds of fans. Keeping everyone happy and provided amazing content is best for the Zelda series.
Disclaimer: The above was the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of ROG or its staff.