Crafting and RPG mechanics
Zelda’s status as part of the RPG genre has been in question since its earliest 3D iterations. Although acquiring life-hearts through completing dungeons and acquiring special weapons to defeat various boss encounters loosely echo RPG progression-mechanics, Zelda has always been much more of an action-adventure title than a role-playing experience. Breath of the Wild, however, with its stamina wheel, dozens of hearts, survival mechanics requiring the use of different apparel, and the ability to cook food for various buffs certainly brought the series the closest it’s ever been to a true RPG.
It is, perhaps, a sign of the times. We’ve seen dozens of popular IPs across different genres incorporate RPG mechanics. Take Assassin’s Creed Origins, for example. As they did for that franchise, there’s no doubt that incorporating elements of RPG systems added a layer of depth to the Zelda experience that wasn’t there before. And it’s a depth that feels particularly well suited to the open-world design.
While we wouldn’t necessarily want to see progression-via-combat and traditional RPG leveling in a new Zelda game, other aspects such as a more robust crafting system would be great. Perhaps, even a choice in the way Link’s abilities or skills play out in some way? At the very least, if we’re going to have a deeper narrative, some degree of branching dialogue could also introduce a welcome change of structure that we haven’t seen in any previous Zelda title.
