As The Legend of Zelda's 40th anniversary looms, I'm begging Nintendo to stop ignoring its greatest run of Zelda games and make this generation's Ocarina of Time

Catering to The Legend of Zelda fans can't be easy. Though it's idyllic to picture one big happy family of Link lovers, the 39-year-old series has gone through so many iterations and evolutions that the games that work for some players may not appeal to others. Not all fans introduced with Ocarina of Time or Wind Waker may dig Nintendo's 2D games, for example, just as newcomers from Breath of the Wild might not vibe with the more linear structure of past entries.

Even as something of a Zelda sicko, I'll admit to having a soft spot for the 'classic' run of 3D entries. Spanning 1998's Ocarina of Time right up to 2011's Skyward Sword, the era married its predecessors' tricky dungeons and satisfying item progressions with improved combat and a greater emphasis on exploration. I've been revisiting those gems in recent months, first replaying Wind Waker and now Twilight Princess (I'm up to Arbiter's Grounds, thanks for asking), and it's made me realize: that era's sweet spot has stayed refreshingly sweet, and returning to that formula for the next mainline Zelda game would be the best decision Nintendo could make.

Temple(s) of time

When Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom doubled down on open world exploration as their core premise, there was a strange misconception. Some players loved their sprawling nature, while some missed the tighter structure of their predecessors. Whichever side of that debate you may have landed, everyone seems to agree on one thing: this, for better or worse, is the future of Zelda.

But that's not entirely true – or at least, it shouldn't be. The Legend of Zelda has never followed a linear progression. 2D games continue to be released alongside their 3D counterparts, while the overarching story has jumped across several timelines since branching in Ocarina of Time. And while Breath of the Wild stumbled upon a formula that's shaped many of the best open world games since, that doesn't mean Nintendo is now beholden to make every 3D Zelda game fit the same template.

While replaying Wind Waker, I was surprised by how modern the 23-year-old game feels. A large part of that is its soft cel-shaded art style, but it wasn't until after rolling credits and jumping into Twilight Princess – which feels like a precursor to the likes of The Last of Us and post-reboot God of War – that I realized that the core tenets of Zelda are responsible for its timelessness.

Take Ocarina of Time, or Majora's Mask. Although their N64 controls are slightly awkward if you're playing on Nintendo Switch, the games themselves hold up shockingly well. Few games have pulled off a concept as interesting as Majora's Mask three-day cycle, while Ocarina of Time feels like a blockbuster adventure crammed into a now-modest open world. I'd argue that Wind Waker and Twilight Princess only really suffer from crude padding – think collecting Tears of Light, or the Triforce treasure hunt in the original Wind Waker – but even those feel more like missteps of their time than failings of the formula. To put it very inelegantly, Zelda works best when it's an action game on a long leash.

That said, it's been 14 years since Nintendo went all-in on that style of Zelda with the perennially underrated Skyward Sword. In that time, Nintendo has remastered every game mentioned in the last paragraph – but never released another like them. It's a crying shame, because going back and playing them now – at a time when big studios are only now starting to reckon with bloat and open world fatigue – makes me appreciate their tight scope and structure even more.

With Nintendo yet to reveal a mainline Zelda for the Switch 2, one question hangs over the series. How do you top Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom? Here's the thing: Nintendo doesn't have to. By releasing something completely different and not inviting comparisons at all, as it did by following up Tears of the Kingdom with Echoes of Wisdom, the developer would have a chance to sidestep expectations.

While another 2D release would perhaps prove divisive, a mainline 3D entry with the same scope as Twilight Princess or Ocarina of Time could meet fans in the middle – something for both adventure sickos and fans longing for 'classic' Zelda. Maybe I'm hitting the copium too hard, but I truly believe that building upon Zelda's greatest era is the most exciting thing Nintendo could do with the series. But who am I kidding? We'll probably get another remake first, and I'll eat it right up because I'm still Nintendo's hungry little cucco.

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