The first game in The Legend of Zelda series was created alongside the original Super Mario Bros. game. Mario has his roots as a character from Donkey Kong, a game released in 1981, but it was not until the release of Super Mario Bros. in 1985 that the character earned his recognition and fame. Essentially, Super Mario Bros. was a spin-off that made Mario famous. The Legend of Zelda, despite being one of Nintendo’s oldest and greatest ongoing series, has not received near the same level of attention as Mario. It is of course difficult for Link to compete with Nintendo’s mascot, but it would be fair for the Hylian hero to get more of the spotlight every now and then. With that in mind, Mario has received many spin-offs in the form of sports, role-playing, and racing games.
This is not to say that The Legend of Zelda has never received spin-offs. Recently, Nintendo brought us Hyrule Warriors, a very non-traditional Zelda game mixed with the mechanics of Koei Tecmo’s Dynasty Warriors series. In the past, there was also Link’s Crossbow Training, a small shooting game bundled with the Wii Zapper, and then there are the obscure Tingle-inspired games on the Nintendo DS that never even made it to the States. Even more obscure than that were the Japan only BS The Legend of Zelda games on the Super Famicom, which did not star Link, but rather a generic boy or girl character representing the player. It makes sense to mention Link has made his way into some notable crossovers, appearing as a playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series, Soul Calibur II on the GameCube, and Mario Kart 8’s first DLC pack. The Zelda universe has been featured in games outside the core series, but it would be nice to see more.
If Link and company were to be in more spin-offs, it would not necessarily decrease the value of The Legend of Zelda brand. As previously mentioned, Mario has appeared in a number of games, and having his name in a title has been enough to sell the first Mario Kart or Mario RPG, just on his reputation alone, and fan continue to play those games because are usually fun. Hyrule Warriors is a Dynasty Warriors game coated with a Zelda paint, and that is all some fans needed to try out an otherwise unfamiliar game. The Legend of Zelda series definitely has the reputation to sell any Nintendo games attached to it.
Crossover games like Super Smash Bros. have also given star power to many of its playable characters, such as Marth from Fire Emblem and Pit from Kid Icarus. Marth’s popularity in Super Smash Bros. Melee was one of the reason the Fire Emblem franchise, which before had never been localized outside of Japan, has consistently seen releases in the west. Pit’s design for Super Smash Bros. Brawl eventually led to the interest and then development of a sequel to Kid Icarus, a series that had been dormant for decades until Kid Icarus: Uprising on the Nintendo 3DS. The announcer shouting Link’s name on the character selection screen has probably helped to get some people to stop calling him “Zelda”. His appearance in Soul Calibur II certainly did not hurt the games sales on the GameCube as the game outsold its XBox and Playstation 2 counterparts by a wide margin.
There is also less risk involved in creating spin-offs and crossovers; while a mediocre spin-off may go overlooked, a bad game in the core franchise would do nothing good for the series. The Legend of Zelda is franchise blessed with many great titles, but each new installment is standing on the shoulders of great games like Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. Nintendo has to work hard to make each new title deserving of The Legend of Zelda brand. A spin-off is a different story. Whether Hyrule Warriors is loved or hated, it will not leave the same impact as if The Wind Waker turned out to be a terrible game. Hyrule Warriors may just be remembered as that time the series decided to do something a little different. Worst case scenario, a spin-off ends up as bad as the CD-i Zelda games, and fans can just agree that it had nothing to do with The Legend of Zelda series. On the other, it could possibly become something really great and unforgettable, spawning a side series of its own.
Nintendo should give The Legend of Zelda more spin-offs and crossovers not only to expose its characters to a wider audience, but for for the series’ to explore untapped potential. The core games have not strayed far from the action adventure genre they pioneered, and even The Legend of Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma himself has expressed a need to change the Zelda formula. Spin-offs would allow the freedom to expand into other genres. It is not hard to imagine a Zelda role-playing game or strategy game. There is plenty of source material to take from to make a cohesive game in almost any genre. Even if it is a game that relies on traditional Zelda mechanics, Nintendo could always give us a different protagonist. Give Link a break every now and then.
People often accuse Nintendo of Nintendo overusing its characters and franchises, but they should consider the fact that Nintendo fans do want more of these properties. Mario fans like myself are lucky to not only have a new Super Mario game every few years but also Paper Mario and something like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. However, I am an even bigger fan of The Legend of Zelda, and I always would like to see more of the Zelda universe in a variety of games.
Would you like to see more spin-offs of the Legend of Zelda series? Let us know in the comments.
