It has been a couple of years since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom hit shelves, and while the Zelda IP has continued pumping out games, like with Echoes of Wisdom and the Hyrule Warriors: The Imprisoning War, there hasn't been word on the following main title in the series. With the Wilds era's placement in the main timeline being up for debate and seemingly having a separate history, it makes sense for Nintendo to stick with this period and complete the era with a trilogy. It could make a trilogy of Hyrule Warriors games, too.
After the ending of Tears of the Kingdom, Hyrule is left in an interesting place players rarely see. Zelda games aren't known for direct sequels, with there usually being a new Link and Princess for a new game. There are a few examples of a direct sequel, like Phantom Hourglass's sequel to Wind Waker and Majora's Mask following Ocarina of Time, and even fewer instances of a trilogy. A third game would face a few challenges based on where TotK left it, but tackling them could make it special.
Tears Of The Kingdom's Sequel Can Make Zelda The Queen
It Could Explore The Struggles Of Ruling A Recovering Kingdom
Despite seeing it in flashbacks, neither Breath of the Wild nor Tears of the Kingdom has allowed players to explore Hyrule as a proper, functioning kingdom. It will still be recovering after the calamitous events of Ganon and Ganondorf, but Zelda is now in place as a proper monarch, provided she doesn't get whisked away again. While still referred to as Princess Zelda by the new Sages, she is effectively the Queen, and the third game acknowledging this could set it apart from any other Zelda game that has come before.
Ganon and Ganondorf are reincarnations of Demise, who began the cycle in Skyward Sword.
A third title in the Wilds era could play it safe and make Zelda vanish for a third time, but that would feel like a cop out considering how much people like this version of the Princess and the pseudo-companion system shown in TotK with the astral projection of the other sages. Having Zelda be around as a companion, like at the start of TotK, but throughout the game, would deliver on something people have asked for since BotW. This way, players can first-hand see Zelda's struggles with being a ruler after everything the kingdom has suffered.
Previous games had Zelda as a ruling monarch, but this wasn't ever expanded upon, given the state she was usually in. Take Twilight Princess, for instance, where it was assumed Zelda acted as the kingdom's Queen (although still called a princess) until she was held prisoner by the forces of Twilight. Zelda is still the functioning monarch of Hyrule, but by the time she can get back to ruling the kingdom, Link has stabbed Ganondorf through the chest, and the game is over, with players unable to see the kingdom they have been fighting for.
The Third Wilds Game Can Introduce A Brand New Villain
Or Go Back And Reinterpret Some Old Ones
With Hyrule acting as a functioning kingdom and Zelda as a queen in all but name, the villains could have less to do with ancient evils and more with an invading force from another kingdom or some other realm. With both Ganon and Ganondorf already being used, Nintendo will have to dig into its well of more obscure villains. Perhaps bringing back Lorule and Princess Hilda as counterparts to Hyrule and Zelda makes it the ideal foreign force looking to conquer the kingdom now that its biggest threats have been taken care of.
The Switch 2 Has A Zelda Problem, And It Could Get Worse
With BOTW and TOTK getting Switch 2 upgrades, Nintendo's newest console is already facing a problem with one of its most popular franchises.
Then again, Nintendo could make an original villain an invading force, since Zant from Twilight Princess and Majora from Majora's Mask are both great antagonists despite only being used once. An original villain would be a nice change of pace and would test Zelda as a ruler, rather than having her vanish for the sake of the plot. She could be in Hyrule Castle, issuing orders and organizing Hyrule's defenses while Link is sent on missions to undermine the enemy's efforts from behind the scenes. After everything Link has done, he's practically a one-man army anyway.
Zant usurped the throne of the Twilight Realm from Midna, becoming the realm's king and invading Hyrule.
Both Tears of the Kingdom and have innovated for the series, giving it an open world and letting players create potentially horrifying machine monstrosities. It does feel like a sequel could innovate more on the story side, giving players a look at a functioning Hyrule that isn't being torn apart by another apocalyptic event. Maybe it's more about maintaining what Link and Zelda have managed to build together after TotK from an external force looking to conquer the kingdom. Or, maybe it's about exploring new lands in search of something to help Hyrule heal.
Hyrule Can Shine More In A Third Wilds Game
Castle Town Can Be More Than Just Ruins
With the more powerful Nintendo Switch 2, the next Zelda could go even denser, rebuilding Hyrule Castle and Castle Town in all its glory and having that act as a central hub. While Lookout Landing was an adequate hub that made sense given the context of TotK, it does feel like a sequel could go bigger with its settlements, especially with the extra beef of the Switch 2. Considering how massive TotK is on the Switch, it feels like density is probably the better option rather than sheer size, just because of how long it would take to get around.
Having Hyrule Castle in all its glory as a place to come back to and maybe defend from time to time would be amazing to see, especially considering the scale of the place
Having Hyrule Castle in all its glory as a place to come back to and maybe defend from time to time would be amazing to see, especially considering the scale of the place in the previous games. It's already massive, and filling it with active NPCs, and maybe having the place customizable in some ways to help Link on his journey, would make a revisit worthwhile. Hyrule Castle in the Zelda series usually serves as a massive dungeon most of the time, so seeing it as the home of royalty would be a way to make the game unique in such a storied series.
Don't Lose Hope On The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Making It To Nintendo Switch 2
A Nintendo representative said that "all options are on the table" when it comes to a port of the Wii U Wind Waker HD possibly coming to Switch 2.
It will be interesting to see where Nintendo goes with a sequel, considering that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom didn't go in the direction many thought it would. Fusing weapons and creating machines that can fly to the stars (or commit war crimes against Koroks) was certainly an inventive take inspired by the glitches and physics exploits of BotW. Who knows where the developer will find inspiration again, but it will likely innovate just like before, although I hope that innovation involves making Zelda Queen of Hyrule.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Released
- May 12, 2023
- ESRB
- Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- Havok
- Cross-Platform Play
- N/A
- Cross Save
- N/A
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the anticipated follow-up to Breath of the Wild, released in 2017. A rare occurrence in Zelda titles, Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel instead of loosely connected. In Tears of the Kingdom, Link will take to the skies and learn about a mysterious kingdom in the clouds.
- Franchise
- The Legend of Zelda
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch
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