Eiji Aonuma Comments On The Possibility Of A Playable Zelda In The Future

I mean, it's already her legend. How much more can we really give her?

Well, she's already playable in Hyrule Warriors, Smash and I think Cadence of Hyrule as well. So wouldn't be that surprising to be honest.

Honestly I’ve always been fine with link. I don’t think we need playable Zelda.

I would love it, to play with Zelda.
Would be cool if you had the option to play Coop, but that will never happen lol.
When playing Ocarina of time for the first time, and i saw Zelda becoming Sheik, i was like, i want to play with that character (Zelda/Sheik)

Could be a cool DLC idea to play as Zelda whilst she was sent back in time. Show more of what she got up to etc.

I really hope so. Even if it's just for a part of the game, I really want Zelda playable in a mainline game.

Either do it, or don't. (Preferably do it.)
I don't care for these "maybe" kind of teasers.

I've wanted a playable zelda for years, preferably in an old-school 2d style. Sorry just wish-listing outloud.

It doesn't really matter much to me who the playable character is. Cool if it ever happens, not going to cry if it doesn't.

The Legend of Zelda: "The Missing Link"

The title is painfully obvious.

Zelda could save Link for once.

Already played as Zelda in Botw with mods. It was a fun change of pace

I always thought that green boy with pointy ears was called Zelda.

... anyway... Zelda is already playable in the Hyrule Warriors games, Spirit Tracks (sort of) and the CDi Zelda games..

For me, TOTK DLC where you would be playing as Zelda during the time of the Imprisoning War would have been a dream come true.

Anyway, it doesn't sound like they're very committed to the idea, but I guess that if playable Zelda was a thing, they would save the announcement for when the game would actually be released. It would be a game-changer, quite literally.

Yes, please; also, add in photo mode so I can zoom in to all the good bits.

I can't wait for The Legend of Link where we get to play as Zelda.

And how would the gameplay work? Zelda is not supposed to be a fighter in the main series. I'm fine with Link handling the monsters as long as they keep on doing the good job with the series.

She already is in The Wand of Gamelon XD.

i really don't get why people are so obsessed by the idea that zelda is a playable character. not that i care much but i think it's a vocal minority and i think it shouldn't be a big factor in the design of the next Iteration of Zelda

@Cia In my dream scenario. I like to imagine a coop game where you control both Link And Zelda. It would be more puzzle involved (rather than action) but you swap between both characters to open doors, press switchs at the same time, lower boxes for the other to pass, etc.. A bit like resident evil 0 or 5 partner mechanics if you like but better implemented (and with no zombies lol).

I think that would be cool especially if they do like the Hyrule warriors games and give Zelda, her own style of fighting (she has so much to draw from given that she is a magic archer and has often been trained in some form of hand to hand). I would love to have a game similar to OoT (in that Link and Zelda are working together) but you get to play as Zelda in her Sheik disguise. She did a lot of off screen work in OoT. The only issue is I don’t think zelda devs can pull off ninja game play (perhaps ask K-T for help?). Link just runs up and hits stuff, Zelda can’t do that.

I don’t think Zelda should be out in the open though. She is not only a monarch but her powers are usually required to seal evil… there’s a reason world leaders don’t fight in wars anymore. As long as they keep giving her agency in the series (really the Kingdom trilogy was all about her and I love it) I am happy.

Honestly think this should have happened sooner in a more official capacity that's not just spin off or CD-I.

@LinktotheFuture and for the logo you could have the letter made out of chains with one link missing

I totally misread the title and thought people were asking for a Zelda game set in the future to which my response was “eew no!”. But a future title where we can play as Zelda? Heck yeah that would be awesome!

@Captain4359 It's not obsession, it's just fans wanting to play as their favorite character. This is like the most common thing in all forms of media.

From comics, to movies, to video games, books, etc... Humans attach themselves to fictional characters and just imagine a scenario where said character is the main hero/heroine.

It's not even an bad idea either.

@jojobar We don't need to play as Link either. Need implies importance, and there is nothing important about this franchise in the grand scheme of things. It's just something fans of Zelda would like to see some day.

It's not an inherently bad idea either. No one expected the side characters of Mario to be a success and yet, Wario, Luigi, and Peach have proven they each can star in their own games without Mario overshadowing them.

Why is it impossible to do that with Zelda? Nintendo has already proven they can make a spinoff a success. Why doubt them now?

I see nothing wrong with a Zelda title in the future.

They know fans want it, at least. That can be enough sometimes for them to make it happen.

It's ofcourse up to Nintendo, but I do feel like having an optional playable Zelda or a female Link (Linkle ) would be cool.

@Key19 A game with a playable Zelda would obviously be called "The legend of Link" to keep people confused.

Oh boy I can't wait for the spinoff "The legend of Demise" in which the protagonist is Groose.

Maybe as a side character, sure. But as the main one? Nah, I'll stay with Link please and thank you.

I just hope they don’t make a playable Zelda similar to Link. Something more than a sword and arrows please. And a hook shot doesn’t count.

Zelda deserves more.

That's fine as long as it's fun

Some people seem surprised by Aonuma's wording or the apparent lack of willingness to embrace Zelda as a playable character. But it makes sense to me.
Most Zelda games are about playing as Link to save Hyrule along with Zelda who usually awakens to her powers at the end, the power needed to seal or destroy an evil being.
Link is the star of the show, the chosen hero. Courage itself. You can't have the story without Link because he's your Link to the story. Doubtlessly that's how they see him. Zelda, on the other hand, is the damsel in distress who is also the key to saving the world. Having her separated from Link allows her to move the plot forward in her own way and awaken the power she needs to defeat villains like Ganondorf whilst also allowing Link enough freedom to explore by himself without anyone slowing him down. It's a single player game, after all. We have travelled the sea a bit with Tetra, and we had spirit Zelda in Spirit Tracks. So it's not like we can't ever travel with or control Zelda ever. But when it comes to mainline titles, Link will travel alone for the majority of the game and for good reason.
Aonuma can't go giving away major features of upcoming games or make promises this big in an interview on the spot, so it's perfectly reasonable for him to say 'maybe'. It's not out of the question, but it's not too likely either. People should accept that.
All that said, playable Zelda does sound fun, if implemented properly. I think it'd make for a good spin-off, whether she's the lead or it's Zelda and Link together. I just don't think Zelda traveling with Link for the entirety of of a mainline game would be ideal.

Everyone likes to forget about Spirit Tracks. Only one comment about It before me.

Just give me Linkle!!!!

@Cia

And how would the gameplay work? Zelda is not supposed to be a fighter in the main series.

Sheik might want to disagree with that.

So is everyone just gonna forget we already played as Zelda in Spirit Tracks?
I'm fine with her just having a bigger part in the story. Heck, most of the story in TOTK and BOTW is about her, so I don't see what the big deal is here.

No thanks, that would offer absolutely nothing to a potential game unless there is some sort of couch co-op component and they need two characters to make the story work (though they've proven with the fantastic Four Swords and Triforce Heroes games that we don't even need that). She was controllable in Spirit Tracks also, so this isn't even a new or novel thing.

Honestly, I was surprised Zelda wasn't playable in TotK. I thought for sure they'd have us play as Link in the present and Zelda in the Distant Past.

@FatBeverly I enjoy how you are so absolutely sure of yourself there. We don't how a game with Zelda alone would fare, because well...there is none.

There all kinds of genres, and stories that can be told. I'm amazed you are 100% confident in yourself nothing can be done with the character.

This may shock you, but there are plenty of successful spinoffs from gaming...all the way to movies and beyond.

Until a Zelda game is presented and judged accordingly upon release, the only thing you, and others who are sure of yourself that it's a bad idea can is speculate.

To everyone who says a new Zelda game needs to have Link and Zelda in their conventional roles (and therefore playable Zelda wouldn't work), remember that Link's Awakening and Majora's Mask had only Link and no Zelda, and they're considered among the best games in the series. They could easily make a new game with Zelda as the sole protagonist and give some explanation for Link's absence, just like there was an explanation for Zelda's absence in LA and MM. I would prefer that to Nintendo repeating the same, tired "damsel in distress" plot again and again for decades.

@Boo_Boy52 Well played!

There's two games now that star Peach on top of all her other playable appearances.

Not sure why the possibility of a playable Zelda is such a big "maybe" all the time. Just create a spin off series like they have with Princess Peach.

I'd still like to be able to switch between the two in real time.

Son: "Dad can I have <widget>
Me: in my head ('unlikely')
Me: "Maybe someday"

Worthless thing to make an article about.

A lot of very comments here with very rigid views of what the games needs to be.

There is no reason for a playable Zelda to:
Be able to ‘fight’ in the same combat sense as Link.
Be the only playable character.
Be with Link all the time.
Be the ‘damsel in distress’.
Be part of a repeated Triforce themed story.
Be in a single player game.

How great would it have been in TotK to be able to play the dragon’s tears? We could have been Zelda, investigating, researching and achieving certain spoilers. They would have been great playable chapters between the open world adventures of Link.

Or what if you could switch at will between the two? Not unlike a certain time mechanic in previous entries, performing actions as one character could influence the path of the other.

Or it could be her own game entirely, other game characters are not proficient in combat and yet are able to fight. Alan Wake is a writer yet he fights evil in his games to name a recent example. Plus as others have pointed out, Zelda has been both Shiek and Tetra, she can be extremely capable.

And Link’s quests aren’t always the epic Triforce story, look at Link’s Awakening and Triforce Heroes. Why is Zelda restricted to that story?

I feel like it half the commenters here were in charge we’d still be getting rehashes of Ocarina of Time.

Sometimes the best thing to do to something is to break it so that it can be reformed into something new. It’s what BotW did with both Zelda and open world games to varying degrees and what made it so great!

@Ogbert Absolutely! There are so many genres within the gaming scene that the idea Zelda can only exist in one concept and therefore isn't suited for a solo game is weird to me.

I think it's long overdue. Have it be a game where you can swap protagonists to perform different abilities, similar to Castlevania III with Trevor, Sypha, Grant, & Alucard. For Zelda, I'd imagine it would work similar to how the masks operate in Majora's Mask. Why not throw Ganondorf in as well so you get all 3 triforce wielders as playable characters?

I really expected TOTK to have a small playable role for Zelda and underwater exploration, probably the two biggest misses for me from the gameplay perspective (I won't go into story or characterization).

It'd be better than gender-swapping Link but if Nintendo does make Zelda playable I'd hope it's because the devs want to do it and not just to pander to people on Twitter and those who write for certain websites.

I could see them giving her a smaller-budget game to test the waters not unlike the Peach solo games. It would be interesting if they called it the Legend of Link to keep things consistent.

Additionally, it would be cool if you could just switch between the two like in many other games or pull a witcher and have certain sections of the game you play as Zelda and others as link. Then you can open of co-op as well. Lots of way to slice it. Like in TotK, you could have played as Zelda in the past and had to do certain tasks to make things available for Link in the future.

Peach has her own game coming up so I don't see what's wrong with Zelda having her own game as well, doesn't need to be in the style of the current Zelda games which means it can have some kind of unique gameplay and not necessarily sees her fighting enemies.

I'd prefer Link stay as the only playable character

@Captain4359 Completely agree

@Darknilious Idk it can really hurt the pacing and feel of a game when you have to switch your character

When I was a kid I called myself making up my own version of Zelda where Link and Zelda would be playable in co-op, Link with his sword and Zelda with magic. Drew all sorts of junk maps and ideas on paper. That idea may have been dumb but playable Zelda in her own adventure (or alongside Link) is not.

I still long for the day Nintendo realizes how much of a shot in the arm playable Zelda could give the series.

4 or 5 years to wait for a brand new zelda game..

@johnedwin
Unless there is a secondary team working on a smaller release.

The Legend of Hyrule: Zelda's Kingdom

Odd that a midget guy in a green leotard had his own game before the actual main heroine of the series.

I'd be thrilled with Zelda, especially if they gave her completely different mechanics. Considering the new direction seems to be about the way you interact with the world, that seems like a really interesting prospect.

If it's just a gender swap, Link always seemed pretty neutral anyway, so Linkle seemed like a redundant concept.

@Cia Zelda can be whatever the devs want her to be.

They can do a twist where you think you’re playing as Link, but then reveal he is actually a she, and she is actually Princess Zelda.

Awesome news!!! Playing as a fully powered Zelda was one of my favourite things in 'Age of Calamity' and her powers were amazing and to be able to play an open world Zelda game with powers like that would be a lot fun.

@johnedwin Could be less since the creators of Hyrule Warriors said a third game is very likely to get made based on the success of Hyrule Warriors and Age of Calamity. Age of Calamity was the biggest selling Warriors game ever made and one of the biggest selling games on Switch. I would love a sequel based in the alternate timeline where Mipha, Revali, Urbosa and Daruk live and they could play out the events of Tears of the Kingdom again with Ganondorf returning but with the original champions helping Link and Zelda defeat him.

@Axecon The lack of underwater exploration in Tears of the Kingdom was one of the most disappointing things for me too especially since I heard Breath of the Wild was originally going to have underwater exploration and they created additional Divine Beasts which included two that were underwater but they cut them out due to time.

I would have preferred underwater exploration much more than The Depths.

Swapping protagonists just doesn’t feel like a Zelda game to me. I love the concept of the player being linked to all these adventures by the hero, Link. It’s a huge part of the charm of the series for me and I hope they hold fast and never make Zelda playable. She isn’t just a random hero that appears when needed in Hyrule. She is a part of Hyrule itself and holds a unique place in the lore. I think it actually cheapens her to make her playable in a mainline Zelda game. The player doesn’t get to BE Zelda. I’m just a kid with a wooden sword who wakes up in a world that’s bigger than me, full of magic and a timeless war between good and evil. Zelda is an essential part of Hyrule and the fight against that evil. She should never die on screen because a player messed up and ran out of hearts. She is not just a damsel in distress. And she could never be a voiceless protagonist that serves as a stand in for the human player. Link is flat because he’s the link between Hyrule and the world of the human player. We recognize him, not because of his personality or his character but because he has a green tunic. Zelda should never be reduced to an avatar that way. She’s more essential than that. She’s the reason we care about Hyrule and enter into it to join her in the fight against evil and Ganon. If they wanted to do a spinoff or something that could be cool. Different gameplay. Different mechanics. Different themes. But otherwise, I hope they stay true to the lore they’ve established in Legend of Zelda series.

TLDR: Noooo, Nintendo! Don’t do it! Zelda’s too big-time to be played by us! ;D

To do that I think it would need to be set in a new Timeline, maybe one where Zelda is forced into a situation where she needs to save link or he just doesn’t exist as the hero, though honestly I, not sure how you would do that since Link being a hero is a constant across every timeline.

@Snatcher All they need to do is copy the formula of the Hyrule Warriors games and make it that you can switch back and forth between Link and Zelda. You can easily have both of them as playable characters without having to sacrifice one for another. Princess Peach is a playable character along with Luigi, Toad and Yoshi in multiple Mario games so it not that hard.

An open world adaptation of Age of Calamity where you could play as Link, Zelda, Impa, Mipha, Revali, Daruk and Urbosa would be awesome

@Key19 That's literally what this article is all about, dimwit. Stop asking dumb questions.

@LinktotheFuture That game already exists, and you still play as Link in it.

@johnedwin Still better than to wait 6 years for a bloated version of Breath of the Wild.

@Thirteen1355 10 people got the joke. You were not one of them.

@Key19 Your joke is complete nonsense. That doesn't help

When it comes to this kind of thing, Nintendo lives in the previous century.

@Vexx234 I never said it was an obsession. I was just expressing a personal opinion, and I am perfectly aware that there are many people who want playable Zelda. But I personally have never really wanted it, that’s all I was saying.

@nhSnork same

Studio Ghibli has already collaborated with a game studio for Ni No Kuni, so it wouldn’t be entirely impossible that they could work with Nintendo for the next Zelda game, which could have a female heroine in real Ghibli tradition.
I would really like them to explore new definitions of what a Zelda game could be, like they did with BotW. But that philosophy should also extend to smaller, more focused games.

If I’d be the boss of Nintendo I’d produce:

• Another huge open world game, but set in the far future, om a strange planet. There’s no reason one of the timelines couldn’t take place in a Hyrule that has advanced technology. This could have really stylish art with cel shading.
• Every two years, a small scale, traditional Zelda game based on the Link’s Awakening engine or the OOT/MM 3DS engine
• An RPG where Zelda rebuilds Hyrule after it gets destroyed, with foraging, hunting and adventuring. All with a really unique Nintendo twist, of course.

you can already play as zelda in spirit tracks

Well well well…