The Legend of Zeldabrought fans two great open-world entries withBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, but the next game may be quite different. As of now, it’s unknown what the nextLegend of Zeldagame will look like, but if past comments from series producer Eiji Aonuma still hold true, then it won’t revisit theBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomformula.
In a past interview, Aonuma stated, “WithTears of the Kingdom, we were seeking to build on top of the world we created withBreath of the Wildand really exhaust the possibilities of what we could put into that world.“Aounuma’s comments about TheLegend of Zelda’s futuremay be disappointing to fans of open-world titles, but it also leaves a lot of room for something new. Since it’s unlikely that there will be a return to an open-world approach, that also means that Korok Seeds may not see a return to the franchise, either.
Korok Seeds May Remain Unique to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom
Expanding Link’s Inventory
InBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom,collecting Korok Seeds is essentialto expanding Link’s inventory. These seeds can grow the in-game inventory by a substantial amount, but it’s hard to imagine this feature in any futureLegend of Zeldagames that is linear. Open-world action adventure games thrive by featuring inventory systems that can be upgraded, since it gives players an incentive to explore the world. Collecting Korok Seeds pushes players into this type of exploration, but a non-open-worldLegend of Zeldagame makes such a concept unnecessary.
For example, if the next chapter inThe Legend of Zeldafranchiseis linear, the use of Korok Seeds may have no real feeling of satisfaction to it.Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomrequire players to search and solve puzzles in order to find these Korok Seeds, which makes getting them far more rewarding. While it’s hard to imagine using Korok Seeds in a linearLegend of Zelda, there is the possibility that the puzzle focus of gaining these seeds could still work.
InTears of the Kingdom, there are 1,000 Korok Seeds for players to uncover. However, players only need 421 in order to max out Link’s inventory slots. Link starts out with nine weapon slots, five bow slots, and four shield slots. When maxed out, he has nineteen weapons, fourteen bows, and twenty shields.
Korok Seeds Could Return, Just in a Different Way
Instead of having to search for puzzles to unlock Korok Seeds, puzzles can still be featured along a linear path. They could be used to increase inventory slots, but they could also be reworked togive Link weapons and health upgradesthat keep the feature fresh while making more sense in a linear world.
The Switch 2 Could Bring Forth a Zelda Announcement Soon
A Switch 2 Nintendo Direct event is scheduled for Jul 31, 2025.
It’s unclear what all will be featured atApril’s Nintendo Direct event, but many are expecting launch title announcements. If that’s the case, there is the possibility that the nextZeldagame could be present. This is just speculation at the moment, but it isn’t impossible.
After Aonuma claimed thatTears of the Kingdomwas “the final form of that version ofThe Legend of Zelda,” it will be intriguing to see what is next for the beloved franchise. It remains to be seen, but there will hopefully be somefeatures fromBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomreimagined in new ways.
