3. Play as the princess
Link has vanquished more bad guys than you can shake a Deku Stick at, and while it’s fun to play as the Hero of Hyrule, it would be great if the next mainline title mixed things up. After all, fans of the series have wanted to play as the titular princess ever since they first donned Link’s green tunic all those years ago. Hyrule Warriors gave us a unique opportunity to slash our way to victory with Zelda’s rapier, while the introduction Linkle only served to tease the possibility of a female hero being playable in future titles.
In Breath of the Wild we see Link’s memories of Zelda as she attempts to find the power to vanquish Calamity Ganon, but we never get to experience any of her trials first-hand. It’s certainly a missed opportunity and we’d love to alternate between both Link and Zelda in the next installment. The Witcher 3 allowed us to play as Geralt and Ciri during key moments in the game’s story, which not only gave both characters greater depth, but also added different mechanics and heightened our overall experience. Breath of the Wild may have given Zelda a voice, but we think it’s time for the Hylian princess to have more meaningful interactions outside of the usual cut-scenes and flashbacks.
4. Populated towns and urban areas
While Breath of the Wild’s open-world experience wasn’t anywhere near as detailed as The Witcher 3 and Skyrim’s bustling towns and taverns, it did give us an excellent experience devoid of handholding and clutter. Breath of the Wild’s Hyrule really felt like a wilderness and it allowed us to map out our own adventure. Running through dense forests, stumbling upon ancient ruins and discovering treasures atop snowy mountains will always be exciting, but we’d love to see more populated townships and villages in the future. It’s understandable that Hatano and Kakariko village are small settlements in the context of their role, but they feel devoid of the usual hustle and bustle we’ve come to expect from AAA RPGs.
Even the most populated areas like Gerudo Town feel insignificant and small in comparison to the lively townships we’re used to seeing in Tamriel and other open-world games. Hyrule Castle Town was off-limits due to the destruction during the Great Calamity, but it would be great if this iconic town was filled with colourful characters in a future title. It would certainly make for a great spectacle and having populated villages and towns is something we’ve yet to see in a Zelda game.
