Daily Debate: Do You Want Underwater Exploration in the Next Open World Zelda Game?
Posted on March 30 2024 by Aubriel Eastman
Ever since I saw the beautiful underwater foliage in Breath of the Wild, my imagination ran rampant with possibilities. If Breath of the Wild was able to expand the lands of Hyrule so much as opposed to past games, imagine what it would be like underwater! When the “sequel to Breath of the Wild” was announced, I was ecstatic, because I explored nearly every inch of Breath of the Wild. Raking in 135 hours of gameplay, I completed every possible thing to do except for collecting all the Korok Seeds. I sort of hoped to explore lands other than Hyrule, but after seeing an interview stating Hyrule would remain mostly the same, I remarked to a friend that I believed the next game needed underwater exploration. We both figured it would be the perfect way to add to something fresh and build upon the first game.
Obviously, we did not get underwater exploration in Tears of the Kingdom. The Depths are nice, and I enjoy the Sky Islands, but I can’t help but feel that it’s a waste of potential. We already know that the Zora in previous games had underwater infrastructure. Imagine exploring the ruins of historical Zora palaces. Imagine, perhaps, even seeing the ruins of other places from the Legend of Zelda series that sank beneath the water. Maybe some of the islands from Skyward Sword, because where are they now? I personally did not come across anything resembling those islands during my time traversing the skies of Tears of the Kingdom. On another note, I’m sure whoever is behind the Korok Seeds would have a field day putting Tadtones or some other tedious fetch quest within the oceans. At this point, I would not even complain.
Doubtless, it would be a lot of work to implement underwater exploration, especially if it’s paired with land exploration. But I believe there are endless opportunities to harness for open world underwater exploration, beyond even the scope of what I’ve mentioned here.
Do you think Nintendo should add underwater exploration to the next open world Zelda? What ideas or mechanics for open world oceans do you have? Let us know in the comments!
Aubriel has been an avid Zelda fan since she was 13, when she discovered Twilight Princess. She loves writing screenplays and composing music, and is currently going to school for a BA in film. Aubriel is a staff writer for Zelda Dungeon.
