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As great as the Zelda

Innovative Multiplayer

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“ Imagine a Zelda where, instead of “HEY! Listen!”, you could look at the notes left throughout the landscape by other players.

Competitive and Co-operative

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“ You could invite players in to help with two-player (or four-player) puzzles.

True Freedom of the Map

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“ Without sequential dungeons, the way that the Zelda games hand out items could be much more fluid.

But then Aonuma announced a new HD Zelda during the latest Nintendo Direct and flipped the script. In his announcement, Aonuma revealed two key principles the developers were rethinking for the as yet unseen and untitled Zelda HD for Wii U: the need to complete dungeons in a set order, and playing Zelda alone.These changes potential to revolutionise the way we experience Zelda, and there’s already a perfect example of how it could be done: one of the standout games of this console generation, Dark Souls.A multiplayer Zelda needn’t be about playing simultaneously with others, like Four Swords. Games like Dark Souls and Journey don’t use obtrusive multiplayer mechanics. Their seamless multiplayer requires no input from players, and there is no single dedicated multiplayer mode – instead there’s an integrated multiplayer experience that enhances the single-player gameplay.Miiverse is the ideal community for this type of game. A quick browse across Twitter and the Dark Souls forums will see endless exchanges of tips and dialogues between players stuck at countless sections of the game. With the addition of multiple Miiverse communities per game coming in a Spring title update, players could form micro-communities where posts could be specific to dungeons, bosses, or whatever else, making it easier than ever for players to get the answers they’re looking for, if they want to look for them. And that means no need for Fi.Zelda HD could also let players record their performance and share it with friends as a mini-guide. Dark Souls included blood stains which, when touched, allowed you to see how previous players failed to overcome upcoming obstacles as ghosts. But with the GamePad, players could now see exactly how their friends tried (and possibly failed) to defeat a group of enemies.If you’ve played Zelda: Four Swords or New Super Mario Bros on the Wii or Wii U, or almost game in Nintendo Land, you’ll know that Nintendo can be masterful when it comes to creating multiplayer gameplay that’s both competitive and co-operative. Everyone works together until it’s time to collect the rewards, at which point everyone’s trampling over each other in the scramble for coins/gems. Dark Souls’ unique twist on competitive and co-operative gameplay is masterful too: you rely on summoning other players to help you, but you’re also constantly in fear of being invaded.Straight-up invader combat probably wouldn’t be appropriate for a Zelda game, but it could certainly riff on the idea. Player invasions could happen in certain dungeons; like Demon’s Souls Old Monk, one of the bosses you face could actually be another player, perhaps a Shadow Link.Dark Souls drops players in the middle of a vast open world and says “go”, without offering any more guidance – exactly like the original Legend of Zelda. Zelda HD has the potential to do the same.Gear-gating has long been the engine driving Zelda's game design, but it needn't be the only way the game guides you. In Dark Souls, if you wander into an area that's too tough you'll soon be decapitated by a vastly overpowered skeleton; Zelda HD could lay out its map in a similar way, warning you away from areas you aren't ready for with stronger enemies, rather than a cracked wall you can't get past without bombs.

Dark Souls has a ton of ideas that would be great for Zelda, but the spirit of the games is different. Dark Souls is incredibly challenging, where Zelda has always prized itself on inclusivity. As much as “Zelda Souls” sounds awesome, it's important not to forget about that core philosophy (or about the many thousands of people who play Zelda for the first time each iteration). Creating an experience that gives players true freedom without making them feel lost, and multiplayer that innovatively enhances the single-play experience, is a difficult challenge indeed. How would you like to see Aonuma and his team tackle it?

Brett is a freelance journalist currently trying to get the world to fund any and all Death Star Kickstarters. Follow him on IGN and Twitter