Nintendo on 2D Zelda’s future, wants it as contrast to 3D games

Nintendo has reaffirmed its commitment to 2D Zelda titles, with series producer Eiji Aonuma mentioning in a recent interview that the company’s wants “to keep this up as a contrast to the dynamic 3D games.”

Much of the hype surrounding the franchise these days has been in the 3D space. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have been two of the most acclaimed games across the entire industry. Still, it’s clear that 2D Zelda isn’t going anywhere.

Aonuma shared the following in a recent Famitsu interview:

“The top-down gameplay style that has been used continuously in the series is very ‘Zelda-like’, and we’d like to keep this up as a contrast to the dynamic 3D games. We want to not just create something that inherits the mechanics of Echoes of Wisdom, but add new elements to make people go, ‘So this is what they’re doing this time?'”.

It took Nintendo nearly a decade to come out with a brand new 2D Zelda game. While we did see Link’s Awakening in 2019, that was a remake. Before Echoes of Wisdom launched earlier this year, we only saw A Link Between Worlds on 3DS in 2013.

The Echoes of Wisdom team also recently revealed that Link almost spoke in the game, which you can read about here. They also recently addressed criticism surrounding the frame rate and menu system – check that out here.

Those interested in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom can purchase the game on Nintendo Switch now.

Translation provided by SatsumaFS, Philip Proctor, and Simon Griffin on behalf of Nintendo Everything.