10 Rejected Video Game Ideas Literally EVERYONE Would've Loved

Despite being a franchise that has run for 35 years, The Legend of Zelda has rarely strayed away from Link in the starring role. Sure, it’s been many different versions of the green tunic wearing hero but, aside from Tingle’s Rosey Rupeeland, Zelda has rarely experimented with spin-offs in the same way that other long running franchises have.

However, there have certainly been attempts.

In 2022, DidYouKnowGaming revealed behind the scenes stories from Retro Studios employees and documentation about a pitch they made to Nintendo in 2004 about their desires to work on the Zelda series. The game’s leading character was a young boy reading a book about the defeat of Ganon and the player would play through the story in a Final Fantasy Tactics style tactical RPG.

With new Goron, Zora and Rito characters warring against the forces of evil, it would’ve allowed for new insights and stories set in the world of Hyrule as well as, clearly, a major departure gameplay-wise.

In recent years, until Breath of the Wild, Zelda suffered with the constraints of sticking too hard to its adventure formula. It’s hard not to think that something like this would’ve been a welcome change for fans and, considering Retro’s quality back catalogue, would’ve been a smash hit.

Alas, this storybook stayed shut.