This may be an unpopular take, but I really enjoy sequels. Every time The Legend of Zelda introduces a brilliant idea, I get excited about where Nintendo will take it next. Then, the next game arrives with a new hook, and that idea gets left behind. The recent Ocarina of Time remake has me thinking about the potential of sequels to both revisit and expand on established worlds, rather than simply remastering them in HD.
Some of the biggest missed opportunities in The Legend of Zelda franchise are entire worlds we hardly got to see. The Minish live right under Hyrule’s nose, while the Twili have a mysterious realm of their own. New Hyrule’s railway network also deserves another shot. I want Nintendo to revisit these six adventures with new stories and new challenges, rather than send us back through the same dungeons again.
6
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
A Tiny World That Deserves a Much Bigger Story
Shrinking is still one of my favorite ideas in The Minish Cap. It’s such a simple mechanic, but it really works. Link becomes small enough that grass looks like a forest, and puddles prove to be serious obstacles. The Minish make it work. Their hidden civilization gives the world a wonderful sense of mystery. The original Game Boy Advance game gets so much out of that idea, and I want to spend far more time exploring it!
Put the consoles in the correct order.
I’d love to enter a house at full height, shrink down to crawl through its walls, and find a whole Minish neighborhood behind the furniture. Borrowers-esque. Familiar enemies become terrifying, and the same location offers different paths depending on Link’s size. Bring back Kinstone fusion, too, and let those tiny friendships change the bigger world. Remaking the original preserves the trick, and a sequel lets Nintendo build an entirely new story around it.
5
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Twili Have More Stories to Tell
Midna is one my favorite Zelda companions, so I hate how little time we spend in her home. Twilight Princess introduces the Twili, gives them a striking visual identity, and then keeps most of the game in a Hyrule covered by twilight. The Palace of Twilight is our main glimpse of her world. I want to see how its inhabitants live when they aren’t dealing with Zant, Ganondorf, or an invasion of the light world.
A direct follow-up could explore Twili settlements and puzzles built around light and shadow. There’s also an ending Nintendo needs to respect: Midna destroys the Mirror of Twilight, cutting off the established route between the realms. It’s no fun if that sacrifice is undone with some magical repair. Tell the next story from within the Twilight Realm or give Link a genuinely earned reason to reach it.
4
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Let New Hyrule Grow Beyond the Rails
I know a train sounds like an odd replacement for a horse or a boat, but Spirit Tracks turns the idea into one of Zelda‘s most memorable ways to travel. Planning routes and watching New Hyrule roll past gives the journey its own personality. I also love how involved Zelda is (spoilers for number one). Her spirit can possess Phantom armor, making her a real partner in dungeon puzzles.
The sequel I want takes the railway concept much further. It’s weird for a Zelda game, let’s make it weirder. Let me help extend the network, connect overlooked settlements, and decide which towns get access to new routes. New junctions can open side quests, upgraded trains could make cargo deliveries more interesting. I’d also keep Zelda as a proper partner, with puzzles that demand more cooperation between her and Link. A remake could definitely improve the DS controls, but a new game could finally make New Hyrule’s railway feel like a living part of its world.
3
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
I Want to See Hyrule Before It Became Hyrule
Skyward Sword tells the earliest major story in Zelda‘s established chronology, and that’s exactly why I want Nintendo to return to its era. We see Skyloft and the Master Sword’s origins, but we’re still far from the familiar Kingdom of Hyrule. The space between the first game and the later kingdom interests me more than another retelling of Link’s fight against Demise.
I’d love a sequel about people making a home on the surface for the first time. Give us growing settlements and new relationships with the Kikwi and Mogma. Loftwings deserve a bigger role, especially if flying opens routes that weren’t accessible before. Skyward Sword HD already improved the original’s presentation and controls. Nintendo should use its next trip to this era to show history being made, without pretending the fully formed Hyrule Kingdom already exists.
2
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Wall-Merging Still Has So Much Potential
Few Zelda abilities change how I look at a room like wall-merging in A Link Between Worlds. One moment, Link is exploring a familiar top-down dungeon; the next, he’s a painting sliding along its walls. The energy meter adds just enough pressure to make the odd mechanical choices interesting. It’s an excellent central mechanic, and the Nintendo 3DS game only begins to show what it can do.
A sequel could go wild with dungeons that constantly shift between flat surfaces and three-dimensional spaces. I want moving walls and secrets that only appear when Link changes perspective. Lorule deserves another visit as well, especially with new regions that don’t mirror the familiar Hyrule map so closely. The original also gives players freedom through its item-rental system, which pairs brilliantly with open-ended puzzles. This is the rare case where I want a sequel primarily because the mechanics are too good to leave behind.
1
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Give Zelda Another Game
Echoes of Wisdom sits at the top of my list because I want Zelda’s first major solo adventure to make a return. The Tri Rod copies objects and creatures, turning encounters into experiments. I love stacking furniture to reach unexpected places or summoning monsters to fight for me. Bind and Reverse Bond add even more possibilities. The game proves that Zelda can easily lead a game built around her own abilities.
For the next game, I can see better ways to organize Echoes, deeper interactions between summons, puzzles designed around combining several abilities at once. Let Zelda make more decisions as Hyrule’s princess. Link’s traditional swordplay has carried the series for decades, but Zelda now has an identity as a playable hero worth developing. Give Zelda another chance with an even more creative toolkit.
