I am planning on updating the original Zelda game in a way that stays true to the feel of the game and Nintendo’s vision for the game. Modernizing it while still keeping the 8-bit graphics and the music.
One of the first ideas for this project that I had was new enemies. Not, say, recolored Moblins, but rather entirely new enemies with entirely new sprites, animations, and attacks. This would require an entirely new but relatively simple AI. For a melee enemy, it would just walk to a target tile, say, Link, and then attack. Every tile, it would change its sprite to make it look like a walk cycle.
My second idea is to modify existing enemies. The Stalfos is an enemy I am definitely planning on revamping. Instead of just cannon fodder, my vision for these enemies is more akin to the modern Stalfos. Elite, rare skeletal knights that require a bomb to kill, and you can only bomb them once they are downed.
My third idea is a bit of an ambitious one. Revamp or replace entire areas. Instead of doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo doo doo doo, this is a forest full of Moblins, this is a forest full of Octoroks, forest, forest, forest, etc., it would be more like Breath of the Wild. This is a forest, and north of it is a graceful, unassuming pond. And then, a massive crab leg juts from the pond’s surface. A Gohma pops out of the water and attacks, and you have no bow to defend yourself. You run and run and run, and then you come across a camp full of Moblins. You slay the beasts, and claim their treasure for your own.
The main goal for this game that Shigeru Miyamoto had in mind was exploration, like how he would run off into the woods and explore as a child. But the limitations of the NES at the time were absolutely draconian, and the game barely achieved its goal. The overworld feels boring. Dull. Just a forest, and then a river, and then a mountain. No desert or volcano or rainforest. No camps full of monstrous life. No secret boss fights or lively towns. Just Octoroks and dungeons.
Breath of the Wild had all that, but there was no enemy variety to that game. The original Zelda was brimming with monsters, but they couldn’t be used in the way they should have due to the limitations of the NES. So, let’s fuse the two with the gift of modern technology.
I want to make a Zelda game. A good one. And I want to see if I can.
P.S. Is this even legal? Will I have an army of lawyers knocking on my door anytime soon because I want to update a game from the 1980s? Especially since I will be “importing” enemies from other Zelda games such as Bokoblins, Magtails, etc? I won’t be selling it to anyone, if anyone asks.
