I'm a huge Zelda fan and the games are all either very good or great, but a number of elements are bad and/or need changing. Personally I agree with the statement above that says the series needs a OoT-style recharge since they've been building off that engine for a couple decades now. But that aside, my list:
-No more hints. I want to try to solve puzzles before my sword tells me what to do. Hints could come from villagers, or men in caves or whatever if you explore enough, but not thrown at you as soon as you reach a puzzle.
-No more "no sword, instant death collect-a-thon" quests. Hate those low-effort ways of extending the game.
-Add NPC Voice acting. Not having it is cheaping out.
-Revised combat and camera. Z-targeting was a great innovation... in 1998. I'd like a hybrid camera system that follows behind you for general movement and possibly when you encounter one enemy or shoot at one from the distance. But when encountering a key combat or puzzle situation I'd like it in a locked position, possibly overhead, for the best or needed vantage point. Combat should be hectic and involve lots of enemies, and with a locked overhead view it could be precise and action packed. Dodging arrows, moving around quickly, using multiple weapons, - the standards of classic 2D Zelda. I use the Batman: AA series for reference as to how it could work in terms of camera, though I would say the combat should be much more detailed and not just button mashing. The closest modern Zelda to get this style is WW.
-Related to the above, weapons should be cool and have various uses. Slash with the sword, use a boomerang to stun, fire a magical blast in quick succession. And less emphasis on using the item in the area it was found. There should be creative use throughout the game.
-Multiple areas and cities. I don't want just one "town". I'd like the feeling of a "journey" to multiple lands.
-And yes, Link should change his outfit. In Zelda 1, Link was only green for the early outset. For most of the adventure he wore blue after getting the blue ring. I'd like to see that simulated with Link starting out wearing the tunic but soon after getting a far more badass blue-silver chain mail outfit. Later outfits could be red or gold or plate-style as homage to Zelda's red ring.
-Overall I'd like to see return to the elements of the original that have been lost a bit. Intense action, innovation, cool collectibles and an overall feeling of mystery exploring an interesting world. I'm hopeful some of this return to the roots feeling will be in Zelda U/NX
