Zelda 35th Anniversary: 9 Things Fans NEED To See
7. A New 2D Game
The last new proper 2D Zelda adventure, 2013's A Link Between Worlds (2015's Tri Force Heroes doesn't count), was one of the best games in the entire Zelda series. Riffing on a classic formula while making bold gameplay and pacing changes, it not only gave the game a unique identity, but helped to establish the open-world formula found in Breath Of The Wild.
While that latter game's success might make Nintendo wary of reverting to the 2D formula, fans aren't ready to say goodbye to classic top-down Zelda gameplay just yet. And if the commercial success of Link's Awakening HD (which sold half a million units in Japan and Europe, despite being a £40 remake of a then 27-year old game) is anything to go by, there is still mass-market appeal for the more traditional style of Zelda gameplay.
And though A Link Between Worlds was an original game in its own right, it relied heavily on the story and overworld introduced in 1991 classic A Link To The Past, meaning that the last time fans got to see a completely new 2D Zelda world was way back in 2009's under-rated Spirit Tracks.
While Nintendo's franchises are prioritising 3D gameplay more and more, The Legend Of Zelda deserves at least one more 2D outing before leaving its past behind.