Daily Debate: Should The Next 3D Zelda Game Reuse Breath of the Wild’s Art Style?
Posted on June 10 2019 by Sean Gadus
One of The Legend of Zelda‘s defining characteristics is its willingness to change and evolve its art style. Since its inception, the developers and designers of the Zelda series have made drastic changes to its art style. The willingness to adjust and change has helped make The Legend of Zelda one of the most versatile and well respected series in the gaming industry. It’s amazing that The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are from the same franchise, despite the differences in art.
With the massive success of Breath of the Wild, which used a beautiful cel-shaded look (sometimes compared to the work of Studio Ghibli), Nintendo has to make a decision about whether to retain the art style of the game or make adjustments/changes to it. The series has reused an art styles several times, the most notable examples being the use of Ocarina of Time‘s art style for Majora’s Mask, along with Spirit Track‘s use of Phantom Hourglass‘s design and assets. Should the next 3D Zelda game reuse Breath of the Wild’s art style?
One benefit of reusing an art style is that this choice may shorten the development and design time for a sequel. Part of the reason Majora’s Mask was developed in just about two years was the reuse of the art style and game engine. That being said, if a studio reuses an art style, it doesn’t mean that those future games will have the same tone and style. Majora’s Mask and Ocarina of Time share models and characters, yet the story and tone of both games are drastically different.
But what do you think? Should Nintendo reuse Breath of the Wild‘s art style? Let us know in the comment below!
Featured Art By AdamRoush
Sean Gadus is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. His first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time, and he loves all of the 3D Zelda games from 1998-2011. The final battle of Tears of the Kingdom is one of his favorite final battles in the entire series. He wants to help build a kinder, more compassionate world. You can check out his other written work at The-Artifice.com.
