The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild changed the course of history for Nintendo and the Zelda series forever. It was their biggest hit in years and even non-Zelda fans jumped on board. It was the must-own title for the new hotness that was the Switch in 2017. Because of its popularity, Nintendo turned another one of its giant franchises into an open-world experience.
Pokemon Legends Arceus and Pokemon Violet/Scarlet were all set in open-world areas. So, what Nintendo franchise should get this open-world treatment next beyond The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? What would make sense for the next big Switch title or possibly for the next Nintendo console?
8 Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing, up to this point, had taken place in small areas. Players were able to customize these areas to their liking with the latest being Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Switch. That took the world by storm in a scary time wherein everyone was locked up inside.
Now, imagine what Nintendo could do with an open-world version of this franchise. It doesn’t have to be a huge world, but giving players a lot more to see and cultivate on a journey with fewer restrictions could boost the series even further.
7 Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country has always been a level-based franchise even though it did get a little more open with Donkey Kong 64. With a name like “Country” in the title, it should feel like an entire country is in every game. How would a platforming game work in an open-world with Donkey Kong as the star? It wouldn’t, which is why Diddy Kong should be the hero instead.
He could go on a journey to rescue him, possibly with Dixie Kong too, as he did in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest. Players could upgrade their gear on the adventure with new wacky guns, like his peanut shooter, or a jet pack.
6 EarthBound
Fans have been waiting to play Mother 3 since it debuted exclusively in Japan on the Game Boy Advance in 2006. Will this GBA RPG ever get localized as a new EarthBound game in the West? Fans can easily play it today thanks to a great fan translation online, so they should aim higher in their desires.
What if Nintendo made a new game instead called EarthBound World or something like that? Give players a new game in a giant open-world with a whole new wacky cast of characters. That would blow the collective minds of the Internet during the next Nintendo Direct.
5 Golden Sun
Golden Sun is another RPG franchise from Nintendo that has been laying dormant. The last game, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, came out in 2010 for the DS. One of the coolest things about this series was that each sequel carried on the storyline but with new characters and sometimes the time advanced.
Nintendo could certainly do that again and advance ten or more years into the future to reflect the current state of the world. It would be interesting to see how players could manipulate the environment in an open-world experience since psychic powers are a huge part of this series.
4 Kid Icarus
Kid Icarus started as a Metroidvania between the first two games. Then, when Kid Icarus: Uprising was released for the 3DS in 2012, things took an on-rails approach. Some segments had Pit flying through a set course of action in the air while other levels allowed players to fight on the ground.
Creating an open-world sequel would deviate from where the franchise originated further, but that’s not a bad thing. Immortals Fenyx Rising, from Ubisoft, would be a good template for Nintendo to follow.
3 Mario RPG
The Mario & Luigi RPG series halted abruptly in 2019 after the launch of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey. It was a 3DS remake of the third game and alongside the launch, the developer, AlphaDream, filed for bankruptcy. Their last two games were remakes and the actual last game in this series was Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam in 2015, which was also on the 3DS.
Their closing may have ended the series completely for them, but that doesn’t mean Nintendo can’t continue and find a new developer. Nintendo could even create a fourth iteration of the Mario RPG idea and set this new title in a huge open-world, which has not been done in any of these games before.
2 Star Fox
Star Fox has gone semi-open-world before but it was limited. Star Fox Adventures was a GameCube game in 2002 and obviously, the industry has changed a lot. It’s easier now than ever before to create vast environments for open-world exploration. The fan base is split on whether or not that game holds up, but there are some undeniable good aspects of it.
The concept of taking the good and mashing it with something like Mass Effect sounds amazing. Land on a planet, explore, talk to NPCs, and then jump into a ship to fight some bad guys in space. It’s time this franchise got a dramatic overall.
1 Wario Land
Wario has gotten the shaft lately. He used to be all over Nintendo in the 90s and early 2000s but then his solo career was forgotten. Wario Land: Shake It was the last entry in this platformer series and that was for the Wii in 2008. Making an open-world Mario game wouldn’t make that much sense.
Wario is the better fit because he is greedy which could play into treasure hunting in dungeons across a giant world perhaps in ruin. Wario is also a wilder character to experiment with mechanically. Plus, Wario has a motorcycle and that thing deserves to be on the open road.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was released on May 12, 2023 and is available on Switch.