Time passes, people move. Like a river’s flow, it never ends. Neither does the debate over the graphical style of The Legend of Zelda.
As we gain more distance from the release of Tears of the Kingdom, one can’t help but ponder the inevitable next title in the series. The list of questions are endless. Will it maintain the open-world format introduced by Breath of the Wild? Perhaps with a return from Zelda’s more linear elements such as lock-and-key dungeons? Will the setting be entirely new, or are we looking to revisit the Hyrule of Calamity Ganon one more time to make it a trilogy? While all of these are valid questions, today, I have a different sort of inquiry. One with a bit of a sordid history in Zelda fandom.
What will the next Zelda game look like?
Nearly every iteration of The Legend of Zelda introduces a brand new art-style, from the N64 polygons of Ocarina of Time to the cel-shaded cartoony style of The Wind Waker. One must not forget the dark fantasy pseudo-realism of Twilight Princess or the painterly watercolors of Skyward Sword either. Then of course we have the style of Breath of the Wild, which we’ve been experiencing for nearly a decade across four different titles.
So, what’s next?
To be clear, this article is written under the impression that the next game will be a brand new setting, as it is rather obvious what art style would be used by a sequel to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
What would a brand new title look like? This is a tremendously contentious topic, because of a philosophical divide in the fanbase in what the best style for the series is. One faction yearns for The Legend of Zelda to grow up. They were fatigued by the childishness of The Wild Waker and the many handheld games to use the Toon Link style, and while they can appreciate the visuals of the Breath of the Wild era, what they truly crave is a return to a realistic Zelda. A visual successor to Twilight Princess. Fans point towards the tech demo showcased on the Wii U as the visual style they would have liked the series to move towards in the HD generation. For these folks, they would be pleased if the next entry would abandon inky colours for saturation and move back towards realism.
The opposing faction consist of folks who believe the heart of The Legend of Zelda is fairytale fantasy, and wish to see visuals that reflect this. Many of these folks would love a return to the exaggerated, cartoon aesthetics of The Wind Waker, but are also content with the visual style maintained by the series with Skyward Sword and the Breath of the Wild era. As long as the series maintains a Studio Ghibli-esque animated charm, and the visuals stay in the realm of a stylized cel-shaded aesthetic, they are quite happy. A stray towards realism would displease them.
While these factions wage war across social media, I find myself between both worlds. I am most drawn to the art style of Skyward Sword, which while undoubtedly maintains a cartoonish aesthetic, has a style that is significantly more realistic than either The Wind Waker or Breath of the Wild. Characters have somewhat realistic proportions, and the environments are capable of being fairly realistic. This is ignored for effect quite often, but it results in a character like Demise feeling at home in this world as well as in something like Twilight Princess. What I would truly love to see is a development on the Skyward Sword art style, but with one step towards the realism of Twilight Princess. I can imagine a delightful middle ground between the two games, and it is one I would love to explore.
How about you? What art style are you hoping to see in the future? Do you prefer the dark fantasy of Twilight Princess, or the childlike wonder of The Wind Waker? Perhaps something new altogether? Let us know in the comments below!
Featured Image: Nintendo of America
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