Summary
- The success of the Hyrule Warriors spin-off series proves that The Legend of Zelda can tackle different genres and stories outside of the main titles.
- Persona's history of spin-offs shows that the series has become experimental and open to different gameplay formats, making it a potential fit for a Legend of Zelda spin-off.
- A Persona-themed Legend of Zelda spin-off could explore a world where the mythology of the franchise has become an urban legend, offering interesting possibilities for gameplay and story development.
The Legend of Zelda is surprisingly suited to a Persona-themed spin-off. As one of Nintendo's largest franchises, it's always worth keeping an eye out for where The Legend of Zelda could go next. After Tears of the Kingdom, the series' stock has never been higher, and fans have good reason to be excited about what else could come next. While another main installment is likely a few years away, there's no reason why a spin-off couldn't fill that void, especially since the series has seen success in that way before.
The success of the increasingly mainstream Hyrule Warriors games showed definitively that The Legend of Zelda can tackle genres and stories outside of the main titles. These games took several famous faces from The Legend of Zelda series and saw them fighting across Hyrule in a Dynasty Warriors-inspired format. The mix turned out to be a perfect fit, leading to the sequel Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. While that wasn't the first spin-off for The Legend of Zelda, it's certainly the most well-known and well-regarded, and it could be a blueprint for the future. The series can still deliver in several more formats.
The Legend of Zelda Could Fit Well Into Persona's Gameplay Formula
The Persona series is no stranger to spin-off titles, with the Fire Emblem-esque Persona 5 Tactica being only the latest example. After Persona 4 managed to make the biggest impact of any Shin Megami Tensei game up to that point, Atlus and Sega began to make spin-offs for the Persona titles. Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5 all have dancing spin-offs, and Persona 4 Arena brought the series to fighting games. There is also the Persona Q titles, which melded characters from the Persona games with gameplay elements from Etrian Odyssey. The Persona games have clearly become much more experimental over the last decade.
Since the franchise's beginning, mythology and folklore have been the main source for Shin Megami Tensei's many demons, which also play the role of Persona's titular Personas. Considering how long-running and famous The Legend of Zelda series is, it should be no surprise that it has its own set of legendary figures that range from the heroes of Hyrule, to Ganon's fearsome forces, and many other characters of note. Although The Legend of Zelda is a purely fictional universe, its lore is rich enough to take inspiration from. Many of Hyrule's most notable names could easily see themselves repurposed as Personas in a spin-off title.
A Persona-themed Legend of Zelda spin-off may have to take place later in The Legend of Zelda's timeline. Its setting could be a period where the adventures of Link and the wars against Ganon have faded into memory. However, when the evil forces that once plagued the world returned, the protagonists could channel the powers of Hyrule's legends in the form of Persona equivalents. The party could have several famous characters like Darunia and Impa as their Personas. As for the protagonist themselves, they would certainly either have Link or Zelda as their Persona, or otherwise feature them as endgame-level options for the player.
If The Legend of Zelda had a Persona-flavored spin-off, it could take an interesting direction for the series. A world where the mythology of The Legend of Zelda games have become urban legend is a fascinating idea worth exploring, especially in regards to what powers could be derived from the legends in question. After experimenting with the series in a Dynasty Warriors format and seeing positive results, trying another direction with a spin-off could prove fruitful. The Persona formula could hold a lot of potential if applied to a Legend of Zelda spin-off.