The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildwas a major shakeup for theZeldafranchise. It introduced new mechanics and placed the adventure in an expansive Hyrule with hundreds of hidden secrets and challenges. The commercial and critical success of the title has spawned severalBreath of the Wild-type games, and SEGA is following in Link’s footsteps with its own adventure:Sonic Frontiers.
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The formula forBreath of the Wildcan be applied to other gaming franchises. Some of these already have the seeds of that experience, and others that may not seem so at first glance but, upon closer inspection, are more likeBreath of the Wildthan one might think. Nintendo’s properties and third parties can find inspiration from Link’s most recent adventure.
6Metroid Could Provide A Fight For Survival
TheMetroidfranchise already took one big risk withMetroid Primein transitioning the franchiseto a 3D first-person perspective. Metroid mixed things up again with Team Ninja’sMetroid: Other M, featuring a more comprehensive narrative and giving Samus a voice. Critical reception of it was controversial, to say the least. So another departure for the Metroid franchise, after finally getting its footing back with aMetroid 2remake on the 3DS andMetroid Dreadon the Switch, would be risky.
However, when comparingThe Legend of Zeldafranchise toMetroid, they do have a lot in common. Both place a heavy emphasis on exploration, unlocking new tools and abilities that can be used in different areas of the game world later on. For aBreath of the Wild-esque experience, Samus Aran could be stranded on an alien world, having to navigate the local civilizations and wildlife, while building a new suit and tools completely from scratch. This would fit nicely with the franchise’s formula of taking away the player’s major abilities and having to work through the game to reclaim them.
5It’s Time To Revisit Dinosaur Planet
When Rare released theStar Fox Adventuresgame for the GameCube, fans were hoping for some more of the classic Arwing action fromStar Foxon the SNES and Star Fox 64 for the Nintendo 64. While Arwing missions were part of the game, the bulk of the gameplay was more of aZelda-like adventure game on a planet populated by sentient dinosaurs.
While Rare is no longer working with Nintendo, it might not be a bad idea for Nintendo to revisit the Star Fox Adventures concept, but flesh it out more. Nintendo could vastly expandthe Dinosaur Planetworld, expand the culture of the planet’s residents, give Fox Dino Mounts, as well as allow Fox to fly around on his trusty Arwing.
4Enslaved: Odyssey To The West Deserves A Second Chance
While Ninja Theory’s post-apocalyptic romp reimagining “Journey to the West” enjoyednowhere near the successof theHorizonfranchise,Enslaved: Odyssey to the Westis essentially aHorizonprototype. The brutish Monkey and tech-savvy eco-enthusiast Trip wander across a United States where nature is reclaiming the remnants of human cities, and animalistic machinations wander the landscape.
With the incredible success ofHorizon, it might be worth revisiting the world ofEnslaved, but give it a Breath of the Wild facelift. It would be great to explore more of an eco-punk United States and unravel more of the mysteries of the time before the Fall. A greater emphasis could be focused on crafting and survival mechanics. Expanding the world would also give Monkey more opportunities to surf around on his hoverboard.
3Okami Has A Beautiful World To Explore
Okamiis one of those games whose praise is constantly sung but has not received an equal level of commercial success. The game puts players into the paws of Amaterasu, the Japanese Sun Goddess reincarnated as a white wolf. Armed with the Celestial Mirror and Celestial Brush, Amaterasu must travel through acel-shaded Japan, slaying demons and restoring beauty to the land.
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Given thatOkamiis similar in gameplayand themestoBreath of the Wild,Okamiis due for a revival that builds upon its foundation. A BOTW-styled incarnation would provide the opportunity to travel all of Nippon, as well as interact with more cute animals. Perhaps Amaterasu would be able to make some of Kamiki Village’s famous sake as well.
2Prince Of Persia Could Be One Giant Playground
UbiSoft’sPrince of Persiagames are known for their beautiful architecture and high-flying acrobatics. The franchise has taken the Prince on numerous adventures, includingan emo phase, as well asa Wii spinoffthat is criminally underappreciated.
If UbiSoft were to give the Prince a needed revitalization, thenBreath of the Wildwould provide great inspiration. All of Persia could become one big playground for the Prince. Traversal challenges could be found in towns or integrated into the natural landscapes. Secret rewards could be hidden in any nook and cranny imaginable.
1Tomb Raider Would Be An Archaeologist’s Dream
Lara Croft is theworld-renowned British archaeologistofTomb Raiderwho gives even Indiana Jones a run for his money. She had a successful string of mainline games on the computer and PlayStation, a few not-as-good titles, two series reboots, and a few spinoff games.
The most recent reboot of the franchise has dabbled in the open-world concept, but a new title would be an opportunity for the franchise to fully embrace it. Lara Croft could use her diverse skill set from wall-climbing to diving to explore a game world withseveral archaeological sitesscattered throughout. The shrines inBreath of the Wildform a basis for hidden tombs to be scattered throughout the land, encouraging thorough investigation. To fuel up for the adventure, Lara could use local ingredients to cook up some international cuisine.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of the Wildis available for the Switch and Wii U.
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