Daily Debate: What Is Your Favorite Art Style For Zelda, And What Art Style Would You Like To See Be Used for a Future Zelda Game?
Posted on March 18 2019 by Heather Beard
Since the beginning of The Legend of Zelda series we’ve seen a great evolution in the art style of the game. The series has produced some of the most memorable artwork in video game history, and many of the styles and features have become iconic to the Zelda series. The question, “What is your favorite art style for Zelda?” is rather hard. As an artist and graphic designer, I have a deep appreciation for every style that we’ve seen from the Zelda series. After much thought, and after flipping through The Legend of Zelda: Art and Artifacts again, I have narrowed my choice between two.
Number One: Twilight Princess – I absolutely love the darker tones, the design that went into the Twilight realm, and the Twili people. The style has a very gothic vibe to it, and I think the style fits perfectly with the themes of light and darkness throughout the storyline. I also think that this iteration of Princess Zelda is one of the most beautiful in the entire series. The detail given to the different regions, cultures, people, and spirits makes it one of the most memorable in my opinion.
Number Two: Breath of the Wild – By far, my favorite style that has been seen in a Zelda game. The game, the promotional art, and everything that followed after is beautiful. The promotional art features very painterly strokes, vivid colors that centralize around the Champion’s blue, and as cliche as it sounds, I think the style breathed new life into the series. The style also fit beautifully with the open world game. Another detail that makes it my favorite is the stylization of the Sheikah culture that played a vital part in the game. Everything was beautiful, blue, and consistent, and it makes this artist’s heart explode with happiness. Other notable things would be the Zoras, the different armors and weapons, and the throwbacks to previous Zelda games. I mean, I could go on and on.
Now for “What Art Style Would I Like To See In a Future Zelda Game?” Honestly, I haven’t given it much thought, but I would love to see a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild and see a return of the beautiful art style. I also could see an art mashup of the dark/light of Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild too. I think that future games could build from Breath of the Wild, I’m not saying let’s have a cookie cutter look to the next game, but enough to make it stand out among the series.
If you’re into art, and would love to learn more about the progression of the art style of Zelda, I recommend picking up The Legend of Zelda: Art and Artifacts; for more about Breath of the Wild, I recommend The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Creating a Champion.
What are your thoughts? Do you have an art style that you love? What style would you like to see in a future Zelda title? Sound off in the comments below!
This Daily Debate was inspired by Discord user @Rhunewolf25#9759.
Hi I’m Heather! I’m Senior Editor and Art Director at Zelda Dungeon and I’ve been a member of the ZD team since 2019. I am a graphic designer, artist, and nerdy mom to an awesome little boy. When my nose isn’t in a book, working on my novel or watching anime you can find me curled up with my cats Mandy-Lynn and Daisy Mae.
