Summary
Over its nearly 40-year history,The Legend of Zeldahas producedsome of the most incredible gamesin the entire industry. But for all of its landmark releases, Link had a few adventures snuffed out before they could reach the finish line. Canceled video games aren’t a new phenomenon, and it’s an affliction that can curse even the strongest franchises.
In the case ofZelda, the series has seen a multitude of titles get the ax, whether they were in full production or just beginning development. As strong as the Hero of Time is, even he can’t stand up to the cruel and heartless world of business decisions. Everything from direct sequels to strange spin-offs, Nintendo has shelved several tantalizing games in this long-running adventure series.
6A Zelda 2 Remake On The SNES
NES Game Was Nearly Remade For Super Nintendo
Although it felt rather differentto the first game,Zelda II: The Adventure of Linkintroduced several elements that would become crucial parts of the franchise moving forward, like the magic meter. The dramatic reinvention of the series was prepped for a remake on the SNES, planning to take advantage of the nascent 3D technology the hardware was capable of and use polygons instead of sprites.
Thanks to the Super FX chip, which powered games likeStar FoxandSuper Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, Nintendo was planning something big for Link on the machine. But as they tend to do, plans changed and the project was scrapped in favor of the nextZeldagame being a fully 3D adventure on the N64. It’s a shame, as this unique game in the series could benefit from a remake, especially after the delightfulLink’s Awakeningremake on Switch proved so successful.
5A Sheikah JRPG
An RPG Exploring The Sheikah Was In Development In 2007
If any of the numerous races andtribes in the Zelda seriescould justify a spin-off, it would be the Sheikah. This fascinating and mysterious sub-race of the Hylians hasn’t appeared as frequently as others, but their impact on some of the games dating all the way back toOcarina of Timecan’t be understated. And in 2007, Retro Studios was in the midst of prototyping a JRPG that explored the origins of the Sheikah.
Set to explore the origin of the Master Sword, the Sheikah RPG was destined to be the strangest spin-off in the series, but potentially its most compelling. Unfortunately, due to regime changes within Retro, the project was eventually scrapped, and the studio began work on what would becomeDonkey Kong Country Returns. Interestingly, the next mainlineZeldagame,Skyward Sword, would solidify the origin of the Master Sword in 2011.
4Zelda 3 Was Going To Be Far More Ambitious Than A Link To The Past
Third Zelda Game Planned To Explore A Science Fiction World
Before Nintendo releasedA Link to the Paston the SNES in 1992, a game known as Zelda 3 was in development with a far more radical shift for the series. In Zelda 3, Link would explore three different locations and actions taken in the hub world would affect the others. It was a very ambitious project, one that ultimately influenced whatA Link to the Pastwould become.
Another element of Zelda 3 was the use of a party system, one seen in the most popular RPGs of the time. It would feature Link with two companions, but this was also left behind once the thirdZeldagame was solidified into something more concrete. Science fiction withinZeldais rare, but this scrapped vision of the franchise on the SNES was prepared to explore it to the fullest before cancelation.
3Ura Zelda Would Add More To Ocarina Of Time
64DD Add-On Planned To Create A Persistent World
In an effort to improve the capabilities of N64 games, Nintendo created a disk-drive add-on for the system known as the 64DD. One of the first games planned to take advantage of this was a title called Ura Zelda, which would takean already spectacular gameand upgrade it into something even more amazing.
Elements like chopping down trees that would stay in the world and permanent footprints were just a few of the things Nintendo planned, but the 64DD didn’t quite work out the way they wanted, and Ura Zelda was shelved. Later games likeBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomwould bring some of what Ura Zelda planned back into the fold, while a massive Nintendo leak in 2020 saw some material find its way online.
2The Wind Waker 2 Was A Direct Sequel To The GameCube Classic
A Sequel To The 2003 GameCube Game Was Canceled In Favor Of Twilight Princess
Despite reservations surrounding its cel-shaded art style and more kid-friendly feel,The Wind Wakerwent on to become one of the best games in the franchise. Like they had previously done withMajora’s Mask, Nintendo wanted to re-use some of the assets from the previous game in the series to cut production costs and create a new entry quickly. This resulted in them working on a direct sequel toThe Wind Waker, which would be once again directed by Eiji Aonuma.
Unfortunately, as Aonuma saw the desire for a more matureZeldatitle start to rapidly grow and watchedThe Wind Waker’sweak performance in North America, the prospect of the sequel seeing the light of day dwindled. The sequel was canceled and production moved to creatingan entirely newZeldagamein the form ofTwilight Princess, as characters like Midna were transferred from the axed Wind Waker 2 project to the next mainline game.
1A Zelda Tactics Game Pitched By Retro Studios
A Tactical RPG Would Have Explored A New Angle For The Zelda Series
The concept of a tactical strategy RPG set in the world ofZeldais a rather enticing concept, which is exactly what Retro Studios thought when they pitched that exact idea to Nintendo in 2004. Known as Heroes of Hyrule, it was planned for the Nintendo DS and would have seen Link take a backseat to three playable characters that were learning abouthis epic conflict with Ganon.
In a pitch document obtained by the YouTube channel DidYouKnowGaming, the game known as Heroes of Hyrule would have focused on a book found by a young boy that evolved over time. As more pages were found, more areas and story elements would unlock. Battles were intended to unfold in a tactical RPG format, while the game would also include traditionalZeldapuzzle solving. It sounded like an ambitious game, but Nintendo opted to assign Retro to the nextDonkey Konggame and theirZeldatactics game was rejected.
