In the thirty-six years Legend of Zelda franchise exists, many games have been released in the franchise, although not as many as some may think. Every main game, including remake, remaster and spin-off, there have been about 40 games in it The Legend of Zelda. That’s certainly higher than most video game franchises, but it seems low compared to the number of games with Mario or pokemon surf. The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises, but it’s not as ubiquitous as some of its ilk.
This could be due to a number of factors, including Nintendo’s usual commitment to quality and the fact that Zelda is not treated as the mainstream recognized face of gaming that Mario and pokemon sometimes be. Rising costs of game development have also contributed to less Zelda games in the HD era, and the unification of Nintendo’s handhelds and consoles into the Nintendo Switch further reduced what was being made. There still are Zelda titles and spin-offs coming out, but like Nintendo’s other franchises, there’s a lot of room for them Zelda games between major releases like Breath of the Wild 1 and 2. The solution may lie with: Kirbyanother first-party Nintendo franchise with roughly the same number of games, but a more consistent release schedule.
Spin-offs are a huge part of Nintendo’s mascot franchises
Nintendo’s largest franchises are often extensive enough to have sub-franchises in their own right. Mario has Mario party, Mario Sports, Mario RPGand Mario Kart just to name a few, and other games fall even outside these broad categories. pokemon doesn’t have spin-off franchises that big, but there are still side games like Pokemon Rangerseveral pokemon puzzle games, the Pokemon Stadium and Colosseum titles, Pokemon Mystery Dungeonand even the two pokemon snap spell. Many of these are on the Nintendo Switch alongside their major counterparts, providing alternative play experiences for fans or non-fans interested in something different.
While it may not have as many games as the last two franchises, Kirby shows how well this model can work. Kirby has gained his following in almost every game genre, including various types of puzzle games, fighting games, racing games, sports games, and many mini-games that come with larger ones. Kirby titles. Only the Nintendo Switch can last Super Kirby Clash, Kirby Fighters 2, Kirby Star Allies, Kirby and the Forgotten Landlots of retro titles and the recent ones Kirby’s dream buffet. Ever since Kirby debuted in 1992, there have been only four years without a new entry in the series, and it wasn’t until 2021 before there was a year without Kirby games at all. The franchise has never rested on its laurels and has benefited greatly from it, especially on the Switch.
The Legend of Zelda could use more spin-offs
Kirby‘s model is in stark contrast to how The Legend of Zelda does things. While there are a number of remasters, remakes, and spin-offs, most of the games are great adventures. Even if they deviate from the traditional gameplay, the default quest format remains. For this reason, many games have too wide a reach to be considered spin-offs, such as Super Kirby Clash and Kirby’s dream buffet. As obvious as spin-off they are, four swords, Four Swords Adventuresand Tri Force Heroes are still expanded games that take players hours to explore and beat. While many Nintendo systems could be said to be only “lesser” Zelda titles, no one is going to call The Minish Cap a spin-off.
Only a few titles in the franchise can actually bear that name, and most of them are set in the distant past. the CDI Zelda trilogy, the LCD games and the Satellaview titles are all very obscure and are not counted towards the rest of the series. It lasted till Link’s crossbow training on the Wii for a new spin-off to come out in their level of interest. The two tingling DS games are both firmly in the realm of spin-offs, though they’re practically a new series of their own.
There is also Cadence of Hyrulewhich has the unique status of being a hybrid Zelda and Crypt of the NecroDancer spin off. Finally there are the two Hyrule Warriors games, both of which have epic stories and impressive amounts of content. Even with ventures in other genres, most Zelda spin-offs are action-adventures with full campaigns just like their regular counterparts. As Kirby and friends have shown, so much more can be done with the Zelda franchise then tread the same terrain over and over again.
How The Legend of Zelda Could Follow Kirby
The most direct way to follow the Switch strategy of other Nintendo franchises is to enter more genres with a greater number of spin-offs. The Legend of Zelda franchise has a lot of potential for this, with an infrastructure prepared for everything from a full fishing game to a deep Kirby-like party title with multiple links. A good one The Legend of Zelda Maker could be released as a major spin-off in the spirit of the Hyrule Warriors titles, or something new could be done with Tingle. There are many opportunities for expansion and there is a lot of time to fill in between major releases.
While the Zelda franchise doesn’t strictly need this, it could propel it to even greater heights. Many old characters and enemies can be brought back in updated art styles as they were before the Paper Mario or Mario party titles, and even more art styles could be experimented with. There are plenty of years when no Zelda games came out, giving Nintendo plenty of opportunities to play both the Zelda name relevant and complete the company-wide release schedule.
HAL Laboratory is working on Kirby has proven that a steady stream of high-quality spin-offs are not inherently exhausting for players, and big hits can potentially spawn series of their own. The Legend of Zelda is a name that commands the same respect and admiration as Nintendo’s most financially successful franchises, and everyone could benefit from using it more often.
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