Highlights

  • The end of the Breath of the Wild era may bring back classic Zelda features, relieving fans of divisive mechanics.
  • Retiring weapon durability could mark a return to story-driven, linear gameplay and classic Zelda dungeons.
  • Open-world distractions could be minimized, focusing more on narrative and puzzle-solving in future Zelda games.

It's impossible to deny the critical success of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its direct sequel, Tears of the Kingdom. Breath of the Wild went on to win 2017's Game of the Year and Tears of the Kingdom proved to be an improvement over its predecessor in many ways. Both installments are vastly different from any other in the franchise, as they introduced survival and open-world elements the series had never seen. However, while this different era is arguably what led to each game's success, that era may be coming to an end as Nintendo has confirmed that Tears of the Kingdom is highly unlikely to receive a sequel.

Despite the disappointing news that the Breath of the Wild saga is coming to an end, it could mean the return of several key Zelda features that the latest games passed on, as well as the loss of some divisive features they introduced. As such, if this formula does indeed go out the window, it could offer huge relief for longtime fans of the Legend of Zelda series, especially for those who have struggled to welcome the new era's mechanics and structure with open arms.

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Breath of the Wild's Weapon Durability Mechanics Could Meet Their Long-Awaited End

One of the most controversial mechanics of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom is weapon durability. Never before had the franchise implemented weapon durability mechanics, largely because there was never any need.

The primary purpose of weapon durability in BotW and TotK has been to encourage players to continue seeking out new weapons in each game’s vast open world. The infamous feature has certainly accomplished its purpose, but also to the end of many players wishing Nintendo would retire it just as it is Link's Ultrahand ability. Thankfully, if the Breath of the Wild era of Zelda is departing, weapon durability could potentially leave with it.

Other Benefits to Breath of the Wild's Formula Being Retired

  • A return to story-driven, linear gameplay.
  • Classic dungeon-crawling and puzzles with specific solutions.
  • Physical gadgets and tools that work in tandem with combat and puzzle-solving.

The Series Could Return to More Story-Focused Gameplay

While the excellently crafted open worlds of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have been a joy to explore, they have created a problem with each game's story, as open worlds have been known to do from time to time. The open-world model first established by Breath of the Wild has undoubtedly set a new standard for the genre, but it still encounters the same issue that other open-world games have a difficult time avoiding. Specifically, open worlds tend to distract players from the main story, as their activities and mysteries waiting to be discovered are often difficult to resist, and BotW and TotK are no different.

If Breath of the Wild 's open-world design is going out the window, it could also bring the series back to its more narrative-driven roots.

Classic Zelda Dungeons Could Make a Comeback

Another downside of The Legend of Zelda's new era is the loss of the series' classic dungeons. Tears of the Kingdom attempted to remedy this with dungeons much more akin to classic Zelda than Breath of the Wild's were, but they were arguably far too simple in their design and required very little from players in terms of their puzzle-solving ability. Barring Breath of the Wild's formula retiring, the franchise could see a revival in the classic Zelda dungeons that fans have been missing.

There are plenty of advantages to The Legend of Zelda retaining its Breath of the Wild formula, as it has consistently proven. It could be that Nintendo chooses to keep the formula, as it has indicated in the past that BotW will serve as the series' new precept. However, in the case that it doesn't, longtime fans of the series could experience a big relief in the retirement of weapon durability and the return of story-focused gameplay and classic Zelda dungeons.