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The story
Anticipation is building on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (Geha) board for a new mainline Legend of Zelda title rumored to be in development for the Switch 2. The debate centers on whether the series should continue the “open world” (or “open-air,” as Nintendo calls it) approach established by Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, or return to the more linear structure of games like Ocarina of Time. The thread saw opinion split down the middle, with some posters declaring they’re “sick of open world already” and arguing Japanese developers are better suited to narrow, deep design, while others hoped for a return of mechanics like Ultrahand and Fuse.
What people said
Let's hope the Switch keeps selling well until then
And some good old-fashioned Ocarina of Time-style dungeons too 😉
This Zelda's confirmed as a masterpiece before it's even out 😍
Lol, sounds like "the ultimate Zelda I personally dreamed up" (a jab at over-the-top fan wishlists)
Same goes for why we never got a new 3D Mario
That was a one-and-done thing
As long as it doesn't turn out as bad as the Switch port of Skyward Sword, I'll probably enjoy whatever they put out
Japanese developers are better suited to narrow, deep design
The one at the scale of its original concept
Nintendo these days has forgotten how to be original, so about all they can do is borrow trends from other companies
Soulslike, for example
Isn't "Soulslike" just a fancy name for action RPG?
His answers are nothing like Fujibayashi's
Given how big a hit the non-seamless Ocarina of Time was, they could decide seamless design isn't actually necessary for a great game
In recent entries it's evolved into something called the "open-air" game style, which has gotten a bit more complex. But like this time, going back to a more focused 3D Zelda creates a chance to bring in modern gaming comforts and control schemes — like being able to control the camera with a second analog stick. That makes playing a lot more comfortable.
It's open-air, clearly.
Zelda's always been a series that exceeds what we ask for
Twilight Princess fell flat because it stayed too within expectations
TotK was seriously disappointing on that front
A fully open-air game set in a brand new world
I want them to spend a full 10 years getting there
2033, as a vertical multi-release with the Switch 3
I'm gonna die from the lack of info
it'll be 10 years
2033, Switch 3 vertical multi-release, EPD's second development group
that'll be the next mainline entry
and it'll be a fully open-air game set in a fresh new world
TotK was built using BotW as its base
For the next one, I want them to start completely fresh with no leftover baggage — new and fully open-air
And then, Switch 3, Tri— (a pun on "Triforce")
And then A Link to the Past 1, 2, and then 3
Sales
A PS6 release
And for those sales to get donated to Sony's software development to lift up the whole industry
↑ That's less a hope, more an obligation, honestly
A world that's huge, but completely linear, with freedom restricted to the bare minimum
Oh, "air up" huh 😅
There's already something tied up in that, y'know 😓
Turns out it's real, so it's already begun ☺
Lambda, who moves sideways through space-time, and the original Hero of Time, who moves through it vertically ☺
If they actually cross paths that's gonna be a legit godly, heart-pounding development 😍
Zelda might go from god → human → back to god again 😍
• The final boss is Princess Zelda herself
Nintendo is a company that carefully cultivates its characters' image,
so I don't think they'd do that 🥺
Background and key points of this discussion
Since 2017’s Breath of the Wild, the Legend of Zelda series has used what Nintendo calls an “open-air” approach — vast, free-roaming exploration — and 2023’s Tears of the Kingdom carried that same foundation forward while adding building systems like Ultrahand. The thread’s disagreement centers on whether the next installment should keep going down this path or return to the more linear, dungeon-focused structure of earlier entries like Ocarina of Time, with posters voicing “open-world fatigue” clashing against those hoping to see existing systems expanded further. Note that Nintendo has not officially announced any direction for the new mainline Zelda title rumored for Switch 2, so everything in the thread remains fan speculation and wishful thinking. The thread also includes a post claiming a leaked credits list, but its authenticity is unconfirmed, and this article treats it as unverified information.
※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “What I’m hoping for from the mainline Zelda on Switch 2.”
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