As the Nintendo Switch generation slowly comes to a close, the Legend of Zelda series finds itself with a gap in its release schedule. The Legend of Zelda has been very successful on the Switch, with blockbuster titles like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom and other impressive games like two Hyrule Warriors entries and the recent Echoes of Wisdom. With the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, more Zelda games, and more spin-offs like Hyrule Warriors, should be on their way, and fans may not need to wait that long to hear more about them.
Prospects of a third full Hyrule Warriors title look good, even if little more than speculation about such a game exists right now. Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity are strong counterparts to the Zelda franchise and Breath of the Wild, respectively, and the ongoing resurgence of Dynasty Warriors lends credence to Nintendo and Koei Tecmo teaming up for another Zelda-flavored Warriors title on the second Switch. It helps that despite the amount of ground covered in each Hyrule Warriors game, there’s still more of the Zelda universe left to adapt, and there is one character in particular that deserves the Warriors treatment.
Related
What Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Ganondorf Can Teach the Demon King’s Next Incarnation
Ganondorf’s appearance in Tears of the Kingdom is one of his most popular yet, and the next Zelda game could take some cues from it.
There’s Enough Zelda Characters Left For Another Hyrule Warriors
Both Hyrule Warriors titles have plenty of playable characters, but there are still some missing. For the franchise-oriented Hyrule Warriors, fan favorites, like Groose from Skyward Sword and Vaati from The Minish Cap and the Four Swords games, could finally get their time to shine in a sequel. Age of Calamity, meanwhile, has done an admirable job of making almost every noteworthy character in Breath of the Wild’s present and past a playable hero. Some others, like BotW’s Rito minstrel Kass and AoC’s original villain Astor, could have come as DLC, but there’s another Zelda title that a third Warriors game can draw from now.
A Hyrule Warriors Adapting Tears of the Kingdom Could Work Wonders
Tears of the Kingdom is the third game set in BotW and AoC’s Hyrule, and it has plenty to offer another Hyrule Warriors iteration. Fans have already come up with Hyrule Warriors: The Imprisoning War as a counterpart to Age of Calamity, and it could set its action in the distant past that is depicted in TotK’s Dragon Tear memories. If Link travels to the past alongside Zelda, a new Hyrule Warriors featuring the ensuing war against Demon King Ganondorf, alongside the ancient Sages, writes itself. The Sages could certainly use the extra screen time, but players might be more keen on unlocking their historical foe.
Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf Must Be In The Next Hyrule Warriors
Whether the next Hyrule Warriors concerns the Imprisoning War or is just a generic Hyrule Warriors 2, it needs to include Tears of the Kingdom‘s Ganondorf as a playable character. Regardless of one’s opinion on TotK’s story, it’s a widely-held opinion that this iteration of Ganondorf is a highlight of the game. From his multiple designs, to his voicework in multiple languages, to the looming threat of Phantom Ganon, and all the way to Tears of the Kingdom’s epic final boss fight, the latest incarnation of the Gerudo king has earned his fans. Giving them his reins in a Warriors title just makes sense.
Regardless of how this new Hyrule Warriors is handled, Demon King Ganondorf should stand out. Not only could he wield multiple weapons to parallel Age of Calamity‘s Link, his Demon King transformation could either be its own character or a unique power-up mechanic. The Secret Stones that TotK introduced as the catalyst of said form could even influence a larger mechanic, either like the Fairy system from the first Hyrule Warriors or the Sheikah Slate abilities from the second. Although a new Hyrule Warriors is just a fantasy right now, it can’t miss the chance to make TotK’s Ganondorf playable when it comes around.
- Released
-
November 20, 2020
- ESRB
-
T for Teen: Fantasy Violence
- Publisher(s)
-
Nintendo