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00:00 "These tunnels are deeper than I thought.
00:03 What could be down here?"
00:05 Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we are speculating about what we might see in the next Legend
00:10 of Zelda game.
00:11 "A great evil, the Demon King, descended on the land.
00:16 He sought to wipe out anyone who opposed him."
00:20 Before we begin, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring
00:24 the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:29 Beginning with history.
00:36 Nintendo has shown an inclination to experiment with Zelda spin-offs over the years, even
00:41 within the Breath of the Wild continuity.
00:43 A brand new entry will likely take a long time to produce, so we wouldn't be surprised
00:47 if we were given another spin-off in the meantime.
00:49 We'd love to get more information about the Great Calamity, an event only briefly spoken
00:53 of.
00:54 It details Calamity Ganon's first emergence, where he was eventually defeated by a Zonai
00:58 hero, the appearance of which Link can take on with the Ancient Heroes aspect in Tears
01:02 of the Kingdom.
01:03 Speaking of which, we'd also be on board with a spin-off focusing on the Imprisoning
01:07 War.
01:08 Since Hyrule Warriors has been a major success, it seems likely that if we were to get another
01:13 spin-off, that's the style it would be in.
01:15 A New Land With both Breath of the Wild and its sequel,
01:35 Nintendo completely reinvented Hyrule, one of the most famous settings in video games.
01:39 But as producer Eiji Aonuma said, Nintendo is done with this current iteration of the
01:44 kingdom.
01:45 Because Hyrule and the way we interacted with it was so unique here, the Zelda team may
01:49 want to take Link to a new location and time period for whatever comes next.
01:54 It seems highly unlikely we'd go back to a previous one-off setting, like Termina,
01:59 and so a brand new kingdom may be waiting in the future.
02:02 That would honestly be very exciting, as a new setting has a lot of potential for different
02:06 characters, races, lore, and enemies.
02:15 Revisiting the Era Yes, we know what we just said, but Aonuma
02:22 stated they're done with this version of Hyrule.
02:25 That doesn't necessarily mean Tears of the Kingdom couldn't get a sequel.
02:29 There is a truly massive neighboring continent to the north of Hyrule that we've all been
02:34 wondering about since 2017.
02:36 Certain characters, such as Yonah the Zora in Tears of the Kingdom, speak of other lands
02:41 outside of the traditional setting.
02:43 It could also provide answers to certain mysteries, like where the hell Kass is.
02:47 Additionally, this has, without a doubt, been the most profitable era the franchise has
02:52 ever seen.
02:53 While many players are expecting the next Zelda to be disconnected from this duology,
02:58 Zelda could surprise us.
03:05 Growing Grander Again, we look to Eiji Aonuma's words to
03:13 speculate on what the future holds.
03:16 While this current era of Zelda has been extremely popular, there are some fans who miss the
03:20 linearity of previous games.
03:22 When speaking to IGN in December 2023, Aonuma expressed confusion in his response to such
03:27 criticism.
03:28 He didn't understand why people would want something that restricts or limits how you
03:32 can play.
03:33 Of course, while he is the series producer, he isn't the only one who gets a say in
03:36 Zelda's future.
03:38 Nintendo could still re-evaluate their approach.
03:40 However, we again have to look at this era's success.
03:43 The open world format may be here to stay, and if anything, we could see it grow even
03:48 grander or more intricate.
03:50 A Return of the Roots
03:57 On the other hand, there's no reason why different styles of Zelda can't coexist.
04:01 While the open world formula may get used for the next big game, there's still a lot
04:05 of love for the classic, top-down format.
04:08 Like we said, the next mainline installment will obviously take a long time to make, and
04:12 so, Nintendo may seek to hold fans over with something smaller, similar to how we got a
04:17 Link's Awakening remake in between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
04:21 In terms of new games, we haven't seen this style in a mainline entry since 2015's
04:25 Lukewarm Triforce Heroes.
04:27 However, another from-the-ground-up remake seems more likely.
04:31 Personally, I hope it's Minish Cap.
04:38 Playable Zelda
04:47 Call it a theory, a hope, or an undying desire, many fans, us included, have been craving
04:53 the chance to play as Zelda for years.
04:55 You know, the character the whole franchise is named after.
04:59 While she has been playable in Hyrule Warriors, the closest we've gotten to her playing
05:03 a bigger role in a mainline game was as the companion in Spirit Tracks.
05:07 But that isn't quite the same.
05:09 Some players have even modded Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom to replace Link
05:13 with the princess.
05:14 This is another fan request Alnuma has commented on, stating there's always room for new
05:19 ways of thinking in regards to Zelda's role, and it's a possibility for the future.
05:23 So we'll see.
05:32 Link Speaks
05:46 Nintendo seems as against letting Link talk as some fans are to hearing him.
05:50 He makes plenty of grunts and screams, and dialogue options show he does speak, even
05:55 if we don't hear him.
05:56 When Breath of the Wild brought voice acting to the series, at least in cutscenes, everyone
06:00 spoke except for the main character.
06:03 As the series continues to grow like any other, expanding the aspect of voice acting seems
06:07 like a logical step.
06:08 That is, if the new game continues on the grander trajectory.
06:12 Plus, players may eventually need to get used to the idea of a talking Link.
06:16 A live action movie is coming, and we doubt Link will stay silent the whole way through.
06:21 If that interpretation is well received, we may get a talking Link in the next game.
06:34 A New Villain
06:44 Ganon clearly plays a huge role in the franchise, and is certainly its most well known villain.
06:49 However, there have been many games across the series that he did not appear in.
06:53 Nintendo made him a huge focus in these past couple of games, focusing on his monstrous
06:58 form in Breath of the Wild, and his Gerudo form in Tears of the Kingdom.
07:02 Playing with a different villain could be an easy way to differentiate the new game
07:05 from this current era.
07:07 Although if Nintendo didn't want to leave him behind, we could also see the studio still
07:10 including him in a more supportive villainous role, similar to Twilight Princess.
07:20 Classic Dungeons
07:28 Nintendo is usually good about taking criticism of Zelda, and adapting for the next game.
07:34 Twilight Princess's mature tone was in response to the backlash of Wind Waker's
07:38 cel-shaded art style, and Breath of the Wild's freedom was in response to Skyward Sword's
07:43 overbearing linearity.
07:44 So we can look at criticism of Tears of the Kingdom to see what the series might do next.
07:49 While the dungeons were definitely an improvement over Divine Beasts, they were still criticized
07:54 for being completed the same way.
07:56 Basically, activate several switches with the sage and fight a boss.
08:00 They clearly still took a backseat compared to the shrines and open world survival aspects.
08:05 But other open world games have shown there's room for exploration heavy playgrounds and
08:10 bigger more fleshed out dungeons.
08:12 At one point, dungeons were a key ingredient to the Zelda formula.
08:16 So we're hoping, and clearly theorizing, that they'll make a strong return in the
08:20 next game.
08:27 An Adaptable Story
08:34 Whether or not you like the Tears of the Kingdom story, there were definitely issues with how
08:38 it was told.
08:39 Because of the game's non-linear structure, you could stumble upon a memory set much later
08:44 in Zelda's storyline, possibly making it less impactful.
08:47 Although the chronological order could be seen at the Forgotten Temple, we imagine most
08:51 players watched the Dragon Tear memories when they found them, since the game's key focus
08:56 is non-linear progression.
08:58 This wasn't much of a problem in Breath of the Wild, as those cutscenes all built towards
09:01 something we already knew happened at the beginning.
09:04 Additionally, that structure also meant we essentially had to watch the same cutscene
09:08 after every single dungeon.
09:10 However, if Nintendo could find a way to have the story adapt to your decisions and your
09:14 path, this would be a non-issue.
09:17 Nintendo always puts gameplay first, but as we've already seen it's willing to change
09:21 based on player feedback, perhaps the plot will be a bigger focus next time.
09:32 What do you think the next Zelda game will look like?
09:37 Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to Mojo Plays for more great gaming
09:40 videos every day.
09:41 Thanks for watching!