The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom brought to life the vision of the original Zelda. The art from the NES manual and box promised a lush, adventurous world that the 8-bit graphics couldn’t fully deliver. With the Switch games, the gap between imagination and reality was finally bridged. These titles feel like the culmination of that original dream, offering players a fully realized Hyrule. As we look ahead to the Switch 2, I’m hopeful for a new take on the series—perhaps a smaller, darker world with the surreal undertones of Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask.
Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer - 1818
Noor said:
Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer - 1818
Incredible! Thanks for sharing this. For others, here’s the painting: Wanderer above the Sea of Fog.
@Kai
This used to be my new tab splash in Brave. Such a beautiful painting. Then Brave updated, and now it’s AI-generated nonsense.
Davi said:
@Kai
This used to be my new tab splash in Brave. Such a beautiful painting. Then Brave updated, and now it’s AI-generated nonsense.
Yeah, what’s up with that? It’s like 50/50 if my custom page shows up or not.
@Kai
This totally reminds me of the view of Liurnia in Elden Ring after beating Godrick.
@Kai
This art seems like it inspired the Breath of the Wild box art, at least for Japan and North America.
I always thought Link looked like he was short and walking instead of crouching.
Pace said:
I always thought Link looked like he was short and walking instead of crouching.
Same! I can’t unsee it now.
Pace said:
I always thought Link looked like he was short and walking instead of crouching.
Same! I can’t unsee it now.
Doesn’t help that his head is huge compared to his torso.
Pace said:
I always thought Link looked like he was short and walking instead of crouching.
He might be intentionally short because the original sprite had similar proportions.
I’d love a new Zelda game with the aesthetic of the original artwork—and bring back redhead Zelda while we’re at it.
Uma said:
I’d love a new Zelda game with the aesthetic of the original artwork—and bring back redhead Zelda while we’re at it.
Agreed! I always imagined Hyrule looking like those cel-shaded, painted backgrounds.
Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom capture the sense of wonder the original artwork promised. I hope the next game shifts the tone—maybe something darker and surreal, like Majora’s Mask.
@Wade
TotK had a little of that with rebuilding towns and fixing problems, but I’d also love more unique dungeons.
Kai said:
Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom capture the sense of wonder the original artwork promised. I hope the next game shifts the tone—maybe something darker and surreal, like Majora’s Mask.
Can we get proper dungeons back, though?
As someone who’s been playing Zelda since the NES, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom were exactly what the series needed. I’d love a cycle of open-world and traditional dungeon games to keep things fresh.
@Jules
I’m burnt out on open worlds, but I miss classic 3D Zelda. They’re so unique compared to everything else.
The modern Zelda games look great, but they’re not the same. The dungeons, items, and music are all forgettable.
Rowan said:
The modern Zelda games look great, but they’re not the same. The dungeons, items, and music are all forgettable.
I think the gameplay in BotW and TotK is incredible. The creativity and freedom are unmatched—so much better than just following markers on a map.