The removal of design decisions previously viewed as irksome would undermine so much of what Breath of the Wild managed to achieve, and the last thing I want to see is Nintendo steering its formula in a direction that abides by more traditional genre conventions. Assassin’s Creed and similar games of this ilk are arguably more akin to content mill, built to draw you in for hundreds of hours even if much of that time is filled with uninspired busywork. The time you spend with the game is what matters, and Breath of the Wild managed to challenge a system that has become increasingly tired in the eyes of players. Its sequel needs to continue chasing that ambition, and not compromise on its own design ethos.

With Resident Evil Village opting to retread this sacred ground and falling short in the process, I’m worried that a full remake might fall to the same fate, but considering the trend of Resident Evil remakes, I imagine it’s going to happen whether we like it or not. Now don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to see what it does with Leon’s journey on the new, more powerful consoles, but I also don’t want to come away from it feeling underwhelmed, to feel that perhaps the past should have been left exactly where it belongs. Only time will tell, but right now, I remain unconvin

However, neither of these games encourage experimentation like Breath of the Wild does, rpg redemption stories so it’s much easier to provide us with an easier mode of traversal instead of artificially increasing the time required to reach our destination. However you slice it, these games viewed climbing in the rain and weapon degradation as negatives, choosing to build upon Nintendo’s vision by removing them entirely. I understand why games that adopt so many of the ideas pioneered by Breath of the Wild opt to change them, because every game is different and it’s unfair to tar them all with the same brush. That being said, I don’t want the upcoming sequel to follow in their footsteps. Nintendo needs to stick to its guns, favouring clumsy wet traversal and obscenely delicate weapons over an adventure that simplifies things to the point of triviality.

This didn’t feel the same in Resident Evil 3 or Village, due to a forgiving focus on action and campaigns that were so short that you never had enough time to feel overwhelmed. You’re on a relatively linear track of varying locations and setpieces, meaning Ethan Winters and Jill Valentine never feel lost or alone amidst foreign circumstances. They’re also armed to the teeth, so zombies and werewolves that would feel like the end of the world to a normal civilian are little more than pesky obstacles to our unstoppable her

You also can’t climb in the rain, with Link being encouraged to find another route up a mountain the moment a drop of water falls from the sky. These are all polarising mechanics, and for good reason, but they also help define Breath of the Wild as a special experience that always changes things up, seldom having you repeat the same tasks in order to complete your objective. If it wasn’t different, it wouldn’t be Zelda.

As a silent protagonist - with the exception of all manner of grunts, yelps, and screams - Link is only able to communicate in a certain number of ways. However, all of the characters around him speak fluently, expressing their struggles and motivations through eloquent dialogue as Link can do nothing but stand and watch. But he doesn’t need to talk, his baby blue eyes and determined body language saying all that needs to be said when it comes to establishing an unwavering promise to help his loved ones and save the wo

It is also possible that Capcom could tune-down the action in comparison to the original, and create an experience more akin to the Resident Evil 3 Remake, or a unique experience that truly attempts to mend the survival horror and action genres in innovative ways. This could certainly put to rest the historical controversy among some die-hard Resident Evil fans over whether or not Resident Evil 4 took the series in the right direction or not, or whether Resident Evil 4 could still be considered a survival-horror ga

If anything, its sequel is likely the primary candidate to accomplish such a feat, with the recent reveal trailer unveiling an experience that isn’t afraid to be vastly different, while also remaining true to the masterful foundations it was built upon. While the Divine Beasts were grandiose monoliths and the various civilizations of Hyrule were saturated in fascinating glimpses of a wider culture, much of the real beauty was found in Link hims

Breath of the Wild is so special because every moment feels like a discovery you made on your own terms. A mixture of basic yet impactful abilities like stopping time and lifting metal objects allows you to play with the game’s definition of physics in ways that are still being discovered to this day. You can build a chain of metal weapons and charge them with lightning to activate a distant switch instead of following the traditional solution, showing that the game’s systems are built to be toyed with and taken advantage of in ways that have near limitless potential. Nobody will play Breath of the Wild in the same way, and given the open world genre largely remains defined by chasing down icons and completing repetitive objectives, this is a breath of fresh air that remains unmatched. You could argue "it doesn’t feel like Zelda" because its dungeon design abandons tradition, but the rewarding discoveries of Breath of the Wild are intentionally spread throughout the entirety of Hyrule.