I’m not sure many people come to The Legend of Zelda games for the story other than me. Yet, despite many likely telling you that, at least in the modern era, the story isn’t as important, it has been made abundantly clear to me that the series has a serious problem with its narratives. More crucially, both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have failed spectacularly on that front, despite being some of the most critically acclaimed games of all time.
Yet, even the Nintendo Switch’s best games need a good critiquing from time to time, as it is never good to let Nintendo rest on its laurels. It is absolutely time that it addresses the clear issues with The Legend of Zelda, especially when there is so much potential for greatness. Many likely expect the Hyrule Warriors series to do all the narrative heavy-lifting, but, unfortunately, not even it can save Zelda from its story woes. No, to fix Zelda, Nintendo needs to make a major change.
Story Comes Second In BOTW & TOTK
It Just Isn’t An Important Element
It is very clear that both BOTW and TOTK are missing a crucial element. While they offer the best exploration in any video game ever, as well as dynamic and compelling open worlds, both of them lack a heart-wrenching narrative to tie them together. The two most recent Zelda games’ lack of narrative prowess is well documented by this point, and yet Nintendo seems somewhat reticent to rectify the issue. Instead, it continues to deliver underbaked stories that are neither well-paced nor interesting.
There’s the occasional lore tidbit that may help clarify the already confusing Zelda timeline, as well as a handful of scenes hyping up the final boss fight. However, neither game, Breath of the Wild especially, does much with their stories, often repeating the same information, the same handful of cutscenes, and cycling through the same familiar characters. It all gets a little repetitive, especially thanks to Link’s controversial inability to speak.
Narrative has always felt supplemental to both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, which is perhaps why, as much as I love both, the former especially, I rarely find myself thinking about them. Sure, BOTW is a revolutionary RPG, and TOTK’s many innovative changes make it an excellent experience. However, I don’t have a handcrafted memory I can cling to in the same way that I remember devastating character deaths from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 or mind-blowing revelations in Death Stranding.
Hyrule Warriors Can’t Just Pick Up Zelda’s Slack
Some People May Miss It
Of course, the Hyrule Warriors games have come in to pick up the slack and flesh out the barely developed stories in both Breath of the Wild and now Tears of the Kingdom. The new Hyrule Warriors game, Age of Imprisonment, seeks to deliver what TOTK lacked and offers a more cinematic experience that delves into the admittedly fascinating lore teased in the original game. That’s definitely exciting, but it is undeniably the wrong approach.
Hyrule Warriors is a spin-off series, and, as such, should be supplemental to the base game, and not fundamental. You shouldn’t have to play Hyrule Warriors to understand and enjoy the original game’s narrative. Rather, it should serve to expand upon it in ways that perhaps the original couldn’t, or, indeed, tell its own narrative. However, in both Age of Calamity and now Imprisonment, it feels as if you must play them to appreciate the stories BOTW and TOTK were trying to tell.
That’s a problem, especially when many may not actually play either Calamity or Imprisonment. Some will likely dislike the Musou-style gameplay, and thus skip the Hyrule Warriors games out of boredom. Others may want compelling open-world gameplay and a complementary narrative, which neither Hyrule Warriors games deliver. That’s why these games shouldn’t be instrumental in one’s enjoyment of the original game’s narratives or, indeed, the sole way to answer their biggest mysteries.
The Next Zelda Game Needs A Well-Integrated Story
It Should Be A Focal Point
Instead of parceling out the narrative across an extremely long exploration-focused open-world game and a lengthy Musou spin-off, Nintendo should consolidate its narrative efforts into one title. The next main Zelda game should deliver a strong, memorable story that’s cinematic and epic. There’s so much intriguing lore, characters, and worldbuilding Nintendo could pull from or expand upon, as well as so many new ideas I’m sure it has.
If it is struggling, then why not bring onboard Monolith Soft or Intelligent Systems to help write a compelling JRPG-esque narrative for Zelda? It can still retain the somber, bleak, apocalyptic tone of both BOTW and TOTK while featuring epic moments. There is so much potential here for a truly phenomenal story, and all Nintendo needs to do is make it the focal point of the next game.
I’m not even asking for Nintendo to pull back on its open-world efforts, nor for the story to be overbearing. All I want is for Nintendo to realize the importance of story to the Zelda franchise, and how a really great one can turn an excellent game into a perfect masterpiece. I love both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, but I would love them a whole lot more if Nintendo had given them actually good stories, rather than splitting a bad story across multiple games.
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