So, recently a piece of artwork relating to the next Zelda game was revealed at E3, and soon after the image hit the wires.
It shows us a picture of Link with a mysterious female character posing in front of him. Absent from the picture is Link's master sword, a detail that Miyamoto took the time to point out in a recent IGN interview- A detail that is emphasized by the fact that Link is still holding his classic shield.
So here's what I'm betting on.
In an attempt to make the zelda series a tad more accessible to Nintendo's new audience, Nintendo will take a new streamlined approach to the weapon system. I'm betting that the mysterious character appearing in the picture will have the ability to transform into whatever weapon is needed at any given point, on the fly.
Say you were fighting an enemy that was right in front of link. Simply placing the cursor on the enemy will allow this new character to transform into Link's sword. Point at an enemy further in the distance, she'll become his bow. Point at a target, she becomes his famed hookshot. A simple mechanic like this will render combat much more fluid, and in the heat of action can allow link to dispose of enemies near and far without having to do anything more than simply direct the on-screen reticule.
For the core gamers who would want more variety in the combat. I'll leave that to the actual designers
Perhaps a simple tap of the Dpad can allow you to change weapon, or perhaps enemies can be designed with the most effective weapon coming up as you target specific parts. The finer details..
It would fit into the classic Zelda model as well. Instead of opening up a chest and discovering the boomerang,maybe she'll inherit special abilities or traits from fallen enemies in dungeons - effectively making her a constant upgradable, transformable weapon.
It fits.
It streamlines the gameplay, avoids some menu navigating, allows for much quicker and effective battles, pleases the veterans, is more accessible for the new audience, and can fit into the story in numerous ways.
The picture says it all. Shield in one hand, sword mysteriously missing.... a new intriguing character in focus in the foreground.
Bet on it!
http://blogs.ign.com/nerazzuro/