6. Non-Linear Dungeon Progression
NintendoIn 2013, Nintendo released the Zelda title A Link Between Worlds for the 3DS, a game notable for allowing us to choose - for the most part - the order in which we tackled dungeons. To continue this trend in 2015s release would be ideal for the direction in which the series is purportedly headed. In recent titles, dungeons themselves have been starting to feel more and more like elaborate fetch quests. Sacred Flames in Skyward Sword, Fused Shadows in Twilight Princesse etc. made you go through and retrieve these items in the admittedly well-developed dungeons in order to progress. While there is nothing wrong with this, the choice to forge our own path through the perils of Hyrule means giving the player more control over the adventure that they are a part of; making it feel that they are creating their own story rather than being constrained by the world. Another interesting aspect of dungeon gameplay that could be addressed is the formulaic way weve had to go through them: theres always been more or less a certain and specific way tasks needed to be completed in order to beat dungeons (Water Temple flashbacks, anyone?) so it would definitely be an idea to shake this up a bit. While puzzle-solving and general head-scratching is an integral part of playing Zelda dungeons, a more organic, atmospheric and open dungeon replete with choice rather than constrained linearity is definitely something to consider.