Things in Zelda that need to change

[invertedzero]

 

1. Finding the same old items again and again

Agree we need some new items, but not too many ultra gimmicky trying to be different for the sake of it type ones. I really like the Spinner even though it was gimmicky from Twilight Princess, but many of the other items like dominion rod and ball and chain were poor. What the next Zelda needs are a wider selection of items, including items you don't actually need to get, but are availble to obtain anyway. Ocarina and MM, as well as the GB games had these, but not so much WW, TP. (can't remember but think Skyward improved it slightly). Ocarina had many sidequest items, like the magics, and some items that were obtainable in different orders or that you could upgrade. A more open world approach to Zelda would definitely need to expand from this. Some items need not be even useful for dungeons, but have mutiple uses in the overworld. The main dungeon items shouldn't be one offs either that can only  be used in that dungeon.

2. Kicking you back to the Dungeon entrance when you reload a save

Not too bothered, depends how big the dungeon is and how the design the game. 

 

3. Restarting from 3 hearts when you die

This should be kept. In fact I hope  the game has harder difficulties from the start that make you incur other minor-ish penalties too

 

4. Empty Overworlds

I agree, but OoT was certainly not an empty overworld for it's time. It was a fantastic example of a content-filled one. The issue is we've never really seen it evolve to the scale we'd expect in today from a Zelda game. WW, TP and SS didn't even match the density or meaningful exploration and interactivity of the N64 games. We need worlds where, leading from 1, many of the items can be used in context, often secret context. The environment should react to particular items you use in different ways. A simple example, rolling into a tree - it shook, sometimes things fell. Playing certain ocarina songs in particular areas spawned fairies and things like that, planting magic beans. Different strengths of rocks that were immovable, things that changed according to the mask being used, night and day, hooking the fisherman's cap, capturing bugs, using bugs, bombchus, invisible rupees, cows you can get milk from and talk to, gossip stones etc etc. It was incredibly interactive and well designed for exploration for it's day, and even today most games about can take lessons from it.

 More detail and uses to the effects weapons have woud be great. OoT did this well, but something like how the latest showcase of FFXV episode duscae showed - where using different types of magic in diffe rent areas affect the enviroment. The new Zelda needs a greater variety of items, including variations and upgrades of the same item, that have different effects on the world around. A Ocarina-like device, where input is custom but certain combinations achieve different things would be good.

 

Now let me reiterate; they are still great games. It's just that moving forwards, I see these areas as obvious room for improvement, and I would be disappointed if any of them persisted in Zelda U.