Nintendo doesn’t always make direct sequels to the Zelda series, but Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is one of the few in the series right after the 2017 Game of the Year winner Breath of Nature. With the success of both games, and the upcoming arrival of the Switch 2, Nintendo has the opportunity to do something extraordinarily rare in the franchise and make a Wilds trilogy. After all, these versions of Link and Zelda are very popular, and seeing more of them could be a great way to capitalize on their recent success.
Tears of the Kingdom ends in a place similar to Breath of Nature also, with Princess Zelda back on the throne, probably as queen, with Link at her side. The villain is defeated, all is right in the world and Link still gets his old arm back, so It’s not like the game’s ending point is a giant obstacle to a direct sequel. Still, as both titles consumed a lot of resources from the Zelda formula, this will mean that Nintendo will have to get creative when it comes to the next game.
A separate timeline means a BOTW trilogy is possible
Freedom and experimentation is the name of the game
Strangely, although this was the third game in the subseries, with the formula that Zelda series has frequently employed, a sequel would actually have more freedom than a new Zelda with a new version of Hyrule. The Wilds series also benefits from being completely separate from the rest of the series. Zelda timeline, meaning developers don’t have to worry about how the next game will fit into it. Truth be told, the timeline doesn’t make much sense, so this isn’t something Nintendo seems to care too much about.
With the Wilds series being completely separate and the only official mainline Zelda games that are not in the timeline, could be the perfect series to try out a trilogy. There has only been one other trilogy in the serieswhich includes The Minish cap and the two Four Swords titles. This trilogy wouldn’t be as straightforward as the Wilds trilogy; however, since The Minish cap occurs many years before the first Four Swords game and the Link (or rather, Links) presented in the games are not the same.
Why a New Villain Seems Likely for a TOTK Sequel
Ganon and Ganondorf have already been used
One thing that would have to be resolved for a potential TOTK the sequel would be the villain. Both Ganon (as Calamity Ganon) and Ganondorf have been usedso an entirely new villain would have to be introduced to the series in this third game. This shouldn’t be too difficult, considering that the Zelda the series has a multitude of villains who are not reincarnations of Ganon. Vaati and Majora are good examples of villains who have nothing or little to do with Ganon.
This could even be an opportunity to take the series to a darker place, like with Twilight Princess, and introduce an entirely new entity to combatlike the shadow creatures of the Twilight Realm. With the age of myth before the beginning of Breath of Naturethere’s also a lot of story the third game could bring to bring in a new villain. Perhaps some ancient, mechanical evil could emerge in the style of the Sheikah Guardians, and it could be a good opportunity to explore more about the Ancient Hero of the age of myth.
Zelda Characters Who Could Return as the Villain
There’s an impressive pool to draw from
Although Ganon is known as the main villain of Zelda series, like Bowser in Mario franchise, there are plenty of other villains who could return for a third Wilds game. A being of pure evil, similar to Echoes of Wisdomis null or Phantom Hourglass‘ Bellum, could be used, as both villains come from games where Ganon has already been defeated. This would allow Nintendo to do almost whatever they wanted with these villainsas long as they are some kind of ancient or primordial evil that came to conquer the world.
There are also some recurring villains that were not seen in the Zelda franchise for some time that could have a potential return. For example, Skull Kid could return in some form, and it would be interesting to see what can be done with the character without Majora. Twinrova (Kotake and Koume) were actually in TOTK in a sceneand although it has potentially been tens of thousands of years, the two could return to try and exact revenge in Ganondorf’s name.
That being said, it’s not like the villain needs to be a villain from another game. Sure, the return of a Dark Link would be interesting, but Nintendo could shake things up by having another character become a villainlike a possessed or desperate Midna coming to conquer Hyrule for the Twilight Realm. Perhaps the villain could even be created by one of the heroes, with Purah inventing a powerful automaton that goes rogue with an army of machines at its back. There are many options.
How a Third Game Could Shake Up the Story
Almost every Zelda trope has been used
A potential third game in the Wilds series would need to venture into uncharted territory, considering many of the franchise’s staples have already been used. Ganon and Ganondorf have already tried to take over the world and the Divine Beasts have already done their part. A third game would have to do something completely different from a story perspective, especially since the last two games were so different mechanically, with their open world and physics-based systems.
ONE Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom the sequel could introduce more political elements, with Zelda actually fighting to rule Hyrule after spending a hundred years without a monarch. Without a common enemy to support, perhaps the conflict could focus on trying to keep the peace with the Gerudo, Gorons, Zora, and Rito. The franchise has rarely delved into the mainstream lore, so perhaps helping Zelda navigate being queen would be a good way to shake up the story.