I’ve been a big Legend of Zelda fan for years, but I just recently realized a new direction I would love to see the series take. Although I enjoyed Breath of the Wild when it came out, Nintendo doubling down on the open-world model with Tears of the Kingdom wasn’t my favorite move, and I struggled to get into the game. However, I really enjoyed Echoes of Wisdom and would love to see Nintendo experiment more with the Zelda IP.

I frequently replay old Zelda titles, but I only recently realized that I do so for a very different reason than I initially got into them. As a kid, Ocarina of Time felt huge, but now that I’ve played massive games like Elden Ring, its version of Hyrule feels quaint. That isn’t a bad thing it’s that feeling of comfort and familiarity that draws me back to older Zelda titles. This is also why I think the Zelda series should try its hand at a cozy game.

The Legend Of Zelda Would Be Perfect For A Cozy Game

Zelda Games Include Many Cozy Game Staples

Although they are primarily action-adventure games, the Legend of Zelda series has frequently included elements that are staples of cozy games. Fishing, collecting bugs, and carnival-style mini-games all frequently appear in the Zelda franchise, especially in its 3D entries. Games like Twilight Princess also included more action-packed mini-games, like its white-water canoeing or snowboarding games. Aside from a similar stock of mini-games, Zelda games also have a good aesthetic for a cozy game.

Discounting Twilight Princess, which leaned more heavily into realism, the world of Zelda games often has a somewhat cartoonish feel. This is River Zora in Echoes of Wisdom. These cute, cartoonish characters would feel perfectly at home in a cozy game and players’ familiarity with them would also add a level of built-in comfort that cozy games from original IPs don’t have right off the bat.

Hyrule Nostalgia Would Help Players Feel At Home

Fond Feelings For Hyrule And Its Inhabitants Make It A Cozy Setting

As I said, the initial idea for a Zelda cozy game was born from my nostalgia for the series setting, and I doubt I’m the only one who feels that. While recent games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have sought to recapture a sense of adventure by making Hyrule larger and less familiar, I think taking the opposite approach would be perfect for creating a cozy game. Setting it in a familiar Hyrule that players have a strong connection to would immediately make the game feel comfortable and familiar.

Now, I don’t think a cozy Zelda game could actually recycle a map from an older game. Not only would most of them be a bit too big, but they are also partially built around the action-oriented elements of the original games. However, I do think it would be possible to create a cozy Hyrule that is made up of familiar elements from previous games.

There could be a Lake Hylia for fishing, canoeing, and any other water-related mini-games that the game could include, like Ocarina of Time’s diving game. Death Mountain could easily be somewhere players could go to mine and collect resources, while places like Hyrule Castle Town or Kakariko Village could serve as a hub for shopping and interacting with NPCs. Players’ familiarity with these locations would help create a cozy feeling even if they are changed slightly from their original forms.

The Zelda Series Is Known For Experimenting

Plenty Of Zelda Games Have Broken The Franchise Mould

Innovation is as much of a staple of Zelda games as Link himself. While there are definitely similarities between games, there seems to be a concerted effort to ensure each new entry in the series is distinct from the last. This innovation is how we got things like Wind Waker’s flooded Hyrule and sailing mechanics, or Breath of the Wild’s open world that could be tackled in any order. The series has even played around with its genre before.

The Hyrule Warriors games were full-on action games, abandoning many of the series’ staples, and Link’s Crossbow Training was a shooter. One of the strangest entries in the series was Cadence of Hyrule, a rhythm game that is a crossover with Crypt of the NecroDancer. These off-beat entries into the Zelda series would indicate that Nintendo isn’t fully against taking the Zelda IP outside of its comfort zone. That said, as much as I would love for this to mean a cozy Zelda game is possible, I still have my doubts that it will actually happen.

Why I’m Sadly Skeptical A Zelda Cozy Game Will Happen

Zelda Games Tend To Tell A Specific Type Of Story

As fun as a cozy Zelda game sounds, I’m worried that it would be too big of a project for a spinoff from the main series. Cadence of Hyrule and Hyrule Warriors had the gameplay of NecroDancer and Dynasty Warriors respectively as a basis. Creating a cozy game from the ground up might take too much focus from projects in the mainline Zelda series. It could also fall too far outside of Zelda’s brand integrity.

I could point to something like Hyrule Warriors and talk about how many essential Zelda aspects it left out, but I don’t think it’s as big of a departure as a cozy game would be. As an action game, Hyrule Warriors was able to retain the basic plot structure of Link fighting to save Hyrule. A cozy Zelda wouldn’t just be a major gameplay departure, but also a major departure from the typical type of story told in the Zelda universe.

I would love for Nintendo to prove me wrong and make a cozy Legend of Zelda game, and I doubt I’m the only one who would play it. A game with the same nostalgic feel I get from Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess with more laidback gameplay sounds like the perfect recipe for a relaxing playthrough. That said, I won’t hold my breath for something like it to be made, as it would likely be too much of a departure from the established style of story that the Zelda franchise likes to tell.