It’s no secret thatThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomand its predecessor,Breath of the Wild, have changed the series forever with their open-world take on the classic formula. WhileBreath of the Wildwas not technically the firstopen-worldZeldagameever made, it was the first to fully embrace modern open-world design philosophy by featuring a massive, seamless map where the world itself was a core aspect of its gameplay, rather than merely serving as a backdrop. Since its release, the series has proven the groundbreaking formula isn’t going anywhere either.
Even so, asZeldamoves on into the future, it will need to do its best to innovate on that open-world formula rather than simply imitate and iterate.Echoes of Wisdomwas an attempt at doing that, acting more as a bridge betweenZelda’s more linear past and its seamless present, but the series will still need to take even larger evolutionary leaps with each new installment. One way that it could evolve is by looking at pastZeldagames, likeTwilight PrincessandSkyward Sword, where players could travel to other dimensions for temporary narrative beats. By integrating these unique moments into the formula already firmly established byBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, the series could really take its open world into exciting, uncharted territory.
Tears of the Kingdom’s Open World Sets the Stage for a Big Map Evolution
Zelda’s Otherworldly Realms Are Usually Locked to the Story
The Legend of Zeldahas upheld a lot of traditionsover the course of its almost four-decade lifespan, but one tradition in particular has seen players frequently traveling to other dimensions where a portion of the story unfolds. Places likeTwilight Princess' Twilight Realm,Skyward Sword’s Silent Realm, andA Link to the Past’s Lorule have all served as otherworldly realms that players visit only temporarily due to those locations typically being tied to the narrative. In other words, once they serve their purpose in the story, these realms are rarely visited again, and if they are, it’s in a very limited or scripted way.
AsZeldamoves on into the future, it will need to do its best to innovate on that open-world formula rather than simply imitate and iterate.
Of course, this design worked fine duringZelda’s more linear era, but now that the series has become more exploration-driven thanks toBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom’s open world, future games may want to consider a different approach. These other dimensions that players have been able to visit in the past have always been compelling in their design, tone, and sometimes even their unique gameplay elements, so leaving them to their one-and-done nature might feel like a missed opportunity. Instead, perhaps these other worlds should be available to players at all times after they’ve been visited at least once.
Tears of the Kingdom’s World Design Opens the Door
Fortunately,Echoes of Wisdom’s Still Worldhas already proven that not only can this be done, but it can be done well. Technically speaking, the Still World acts as an alternate dimension of Hyrule — just as places like the Twilight Realm and Lorule have in the series' past — only players can access it at any time once a rift has been opened. GivenEchoes of Wisdom’s efforts to blend elements ofZelda’s past with its present,Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomare ultimately to blame here, setting up the future to take this concept even further.
The Still World also has a different gameplay feel to it, making it worth multiple visitations.
Assuming anewZeldagame for the Nintendo Switch 2plans to adopt and evolve that open-world formula, it shouldn’t halt what progressEchoes of Wisdomhas made in ensuring any other dimensions remain accessible at all times after players' initial visit. This would not only gradually expand the open world as a whole, but it would give players more time to explore and appreciate the distinct environments and potential gameplay features unique to them. In short, it would be an effective way of evolvingTears of the Kingdom’s open world without squashing its blueprint.
