Cadence of Hyrule was announced during the Spring Nindies Showcase. With its announcement came a complete shake up of expectations for Nintendo’s intellectual properties. This is because the developers of Crypt of the Necrodancer are making the game. Not only is the title not being made in house, a rare occurrence, but it’s being made by an indie developer at that. Plus, the game is serving as a sequel to Brace Yourself Game’s previously mentioned title.

The Legend of Zelda license being given to an indie developer to use, and they’re using it to make an action adventure and rhythm based game. A crazy mash up that no one expected to see come from that showcase. With Nintendo’s stated interest in continuing to allow indie developers use their IPs, the future of not only The Legend of Zelda but Nintendo as a whole, could be anything.

Cadence of Hyrule wasn’t the only way Nintendo shook up the 2D Zelda. In their direct from early this year, Nintendo revealed a remake of Link’s Awakening. It uses a completely new style of art for a Zelda game, and it sets a new standard. Nintendo had previously stated they wanted to release a Zelda game every year. With the help of remakes, indie titles, and original titles all working in sync, that seems like a possibility.

From 2017 to the end of 2019 we would have had four Zelda games release:

Breath of the Wild (2017)

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (2018)

Cadence of Hyrule (2019)

Link’s Awakening (2019)

The Future with Indies

I believe the future of 2D Zelda games lie largely with indie developers. For new titles, remakes will still be done in house. This means basically every style of game is within reach of the series. While Mario has taken the helm of the party game scene, Zelda is taking the action adventure helm.

These games are spin offs, which means they aren’t tied to the canon limits of the main franchise. They’re also low budget, low responsibility titles, that will sell like hotcakes. Nintendo isn’t going to stop at just Zelda though. Still, Zelda is where they are choosing to start.

Some game styles we might see:

Classic action adventure 2D Zelda game

Metroidvania

Rogue-likes

Hack n Slash

Platformer

Simulator

There are endless more, but here are some that would be great to see by themselves or combined. Crypt of the Necrodancer was technically a rogue-like, but we don’t have confirmation of Cadence of Hyrule following that pattern.

The World of Remakes

With Link’s Awakening on the horizon, and Nintendo’s wish to put out a Zelda game every year, it isn’t a question of if we will get another remake. The questions are when and which. Basically, every Zelda game that’s 2D with the exception of A Link Between Worlds is in need of a remake. Some games more than others.

Titles such as Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks would need entire reworks. Due to them being DS titles, their controls are grounded on having two screens. So, unfortunately for their fans, those titles are unlikely to be considered. Other games that might be tricky are The Minish Cap and the Oracle games. These games were developed by Capcom, not Nintendo. This doesn’t completely sink their ship, but it could be a trickier situation that Nintendo may not want to prioritize.

Basically, all other games would be great contenders however. A Link to the Past is often regarded as the greatest Zelda game of all time. Getting to see it remade in a similar style as its sequel would be exceptional. Zelda II and the original Zelda are both desperately in need of a remake as well. For many, their NES quality graphics hinder the ability to play them, and they have some technical errors as well. Having to draw your own map or look one up for the original Legend of Zelda is one such difficulty.

Ignoring potential hiccups in their development, here are the games I would like to see remade in order:

A Link to the Past

The Minish Cap

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

The Legend of Zelda

Oracles

Four Sword Adventures

Four Swords

Phantom Hourglass

Spirit Tracks

Tri-Force Heroes