2) Inhabit Hyrule With Charming, Whimsical NPCs
If I had to put my finger on any one particular ingredient that makes The Legend of Zelda games unique, it would be charm. From the attention to detail, to the worlds themselves, through to the characters that dwell in them, the best games in the series are overflowing with whimsical charm. The NPCs are especially important in this regard.
Just as I stated previously that a vast world would be nothing without lots of secrets to find and places to visit, so would be the case if Hyrule wasn’t populated by the colourful characters that we’ve come to expect from The Legend of Zelda series. From the mysterious Happy Mask Salesman in Majora’s Mask to Twilight Princess’s cheeky, enigmatic Midna, The Legend of Zelda series boasts some truly memorable characters, each with their own charming personality and a host of problems that need solving.
Aside from the lack of direction, one of the gravest challenges facing open world games is that in trying to desperately to populate the world, the developer may fail to make the inhabitants interesting. Although I’m sure many would disagree with me here, Skyrim is a prime example in my opinion, with a host of dull NPCs delivering instantly forgettable lines.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild must not fall into this trap. Not only would it place further strain on the game world to maintain player interest, but it would dent the whole identity of what makes a Legend of Zelda title. Simply put, we need to see interesting, charmingly mad NPCs throughout this version of Hyrule, with problems that we can really become invested in.