How Zelda Can Take Inspiration From Metroid

If Eiji Aonuma is to be believed, the Zelda series as we know it will soon change. His promise to rethink the conventions of Zelda is a lofty one that won’t easily be fulfilled. After all, how does one go about reworking the formula of a series that is arguably as near perfection as it can get? With a lot of risk and potential reward on the line, Zelda will have to plant its feet firmly on new soil to avoid a costly stumble backward. But the next Zelda doesn’t necessarily have to break its own ground. It can seek aid from outside design influences as well.

An unmistakable landmark on the road to modern gaming, the Metroid series is an old dog that stands to teach the next Zelda a few tricks. The Metroid series’ impact on gaming is so profound that we often forget who to thank when new items, upgrades, or abilities grant access to previously locked areas in our favorite games. Not even Zelda remains untouched by Metroid’s timeless innovation. For example, many dungeons tease players with inaccessible paths before opening the way with a new item. That being said, Metroid still has much to contribute to Zelda’s classic design.

After the jump, find out why Metroid is a top candidate for inspiring future Zelda games!

Oddly enough, A Link Between Worlds scrapped a lot of Zelda’s past Metroid influences. It instead set its own precedent for change with a largely non-linear main game. Since dungeons were altered to require their respective items before they could be entered in the first place, completion was gated entirely by puzzles and enemies rather than lack of a necessary item. But non-linear gameplay and Metroid-style progression are not mutually exclusive. A Link Between Worlds may only be the first step toward uniting the two.

Like most of us do in anticipation of a new release, I imagined myself playing A Link Between Worlds. I pondered what the new item rental system might mean for overworld exploration. It’s a tad embarrassing now, but the idea I had was closer to past Zelda games than A Link Between Worlds. I envisioned a carefully repurposed version of A Link to the Past‘s overworld where portions of the map were accessible only by a particular item or set of items, encouraging early item rentals. What I got in its place was a far less restricted overworld with only a handful of impediments to exploration. While this approach fell in line with Nintendo’s goal of creating a game with more freedom than past Zelda titles, it also let slip an opportunity to create more rewarding progression.

If the next Zelda integrates Metroid sensibilities equally inside and outside of dungeons while continuing on A Link Between Worlds‘ path of non-linear progression, the result would ultimately be more personalized and fulfilling than A Link Between Worlds. An overworld that begins with only a few areas that Link can access, each branching into new pathways as he collects items and abilities, could spawn deeper and more spontaneous exploration. Friends would talk about the separate locations they explored and the varying secrets they uncovered instead of the simple order they decided to complete dungeons in.

But how would this be accomplished? By keeping every item and ability as an essential part of Link’s arsenal even into the late game. Each dungeon and section of the overworld should be designed with this and player choice in mind. If a player heads in one direction and obtains the Hookshot, then he or she should find new areas to explore and secrets to discover upon returning to previous locations. Dungeons should also be more massive, complex, and open-ended, with several viable paths for completion that rely on different items. Entirely optional dungeons that require specific sets of items to be used together would be a great new addition to the mix, but of course not without some sort of reward. And finally, the end-game should be a culmination of everything Link accomplished until that point. With many potential routes to be taken, collecting every item and ability beforehand will provide players with a more complete end-game package. All-in-all, it would be the kind of game that incites players to dig deep for a richer experience.

If Zelda is truly going to change, it must do so without rocking the solid foundation upon which it has stood for over two decades. It needs to take that foundation and craft new intricacies upon it. Seeking further inspiration from Metroid’s famous brand of progression can do exactly that. But most of all, the next Zelda needs to please fans by living up to the series’ pedigree. How do you think it can accomplish that? Are there any series, Metroid included, that have something to offer to the Zelda series? Comments on the matter are highly encouraged!