The Legend of Zelda’s debut on the newest Nintendo platform, the Nintendo Switch 2, has been a fairly quiet one. At launch, the only noteworthy releases in The Legend of Zelda franchise were Switch 2 Editions of the franchise’s wildly acclaimed Switch games, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. In the near future, the only Zelda game on the horizon is Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, the third entry in the spin-off franchise that combines The Legend of Zelda and Dynasty Warriors.
Of course, Zelda fans are not starved for content with the franchise, as Tears of the Kingdom is only two years old, and the newest mainline entry, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, was released just last year. These recent releases may indicate that the next mainline entry in The Legend of Zelda franchise may still be a few years away. Still, the next game has one major area to improve upon from the franchise’s recent Switch titles.
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The Legend Of Zelda On Switch 2 Has Room To Improve On BotW and TotK’s Master Sword
The Legend Of Zelda’s Master Sword Has Been Nerfed As Of Late
When The Legend of Zelda is ready to go on the Switch 2, it needs to take a good look at the Master Sword. This sword is naturally Link’s signature weapon, and much of the franchise’s marketing and lore centers around it. In Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, the Master Sword was notably optional, only being acquired by completing specific in-game quests, and its importance was also heavily downplayed in Echoes of Wisdom.
Despite being the franchise’s iconic weapon, the Master Sword was noticeably nerfed in Zelda’s two 3D Switch entries. Its base attack stat is 30, and even though that number can increase when it enters its Awakened state, its maximum attack stat is still lower than several weapons in both titles. Furthermore, the Master Sword is beholden to the two games’ weapon durability system; while the sword itself doesn’t break, it does need to recharge between uses.
The Master Sword’s Importance To The Legend Of Zelda Should Be Noted
The Switch 2’s first major Zelda game should take the time to make the Master Sword a more powerful weapon. It has helped Link destroy evil forces time and time again, to the point where its nicknames include the Blade of Evil’s Bane and the Sword that Seals the Darkness. As a pivotal piece of Zelda’s lore ever since its first appearance in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Nintendo should increase the Master Sword’s damage output when the next Zelda game is ready to go.
While this could apply to more than just the Master Sword, the next Zelda game should also remove the durability system from the item. Weapon durability at large has been one of the biggest sticking points of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, so much so that the Switch 2 re-releases of these titles added a limited weapon repair item through the Zelda Notes feature on the Nintendo Switch app. While it was an interesting feature, the next Zelda game should ditch weapon durability entirely, especially with the Master Sword.
When The Legend of Zelda is ready to go on the Switch 2, it needs to take a good look at the Master Sword.
The Next Legend Of Zelda Could Give The Master Sword Greater Story Focus
One other thing that the next Zelda game on the Switch 2 can do is give the Master Sword an even greater story focus than it already has. Nintendo did a fantastic job integrating the Master Sword into the story of Tears of the Kingdom, but it’s rather odd that this sequence could be skipped entirely because the Master Sword is optional. Considering the weapon’s importance to Zelda as a whole, the next game should make the Master Sword a mandatory item once again.
The Legend of Zelda has seen the Blade of Evil’s Bane nerfed and downplayed across the last few titles. As the franchise’s most iconic weapon, it seems the weapon’s acquiescence to more experimental elements of new games has downplayed its importance to the series. When the next Zelda game arrives on the Switch 2, it should do everything to remind players of what made it so special in the first place.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Released
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May 12, 2023
- ESRB
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Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Engine
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Havok
