With Eiji Aonuma stating that the next Zelda game is unlikely to be a continuation of the BotW line, the future of Zelda is once again up in the air. I personally am constantly thinking about what the next Zelda title will look like and what they will do to keep the series fresh. I'm gonna divide my thoughts into sections for easier reading.

Gameplay

Large hopes for the gameplay would be to keep the fighting of BotW + the targeting system. I think the targeting of the other games is ass to be honest, the BotW isn't perfect but it's the best we've had. Dungeons and puzzles are of course a must, hopefully with added difficulty and only unlockable with story locked items. To me a good dungeon must be integral to the story, atmospheric, challenging and fun without being goofy. The bosses of said dungeons should reflect the dungeon and be rewarding to fight + defeat. I would also like to see music be brought back into part of the gameplay again since music has played a large role in Zelda games for some time now and was unfortunately missing in the recent titles.The magic meter should also make its return in the next game since it hasn't been seen in a finished game since Wind Waker. I really want Link to use magic again maybe through the Goddesses blessings again or something to that effect since Link himself doesn't have magic.

In terms of the "smaller" aspects of the gameplay. I want to see the return of special utility items that break up gameplay and contribute to puzzles throughout. I also want weapons to not break. Sorry BotW I love you dearly but at the very least don't want the Master Sword to break. I think it was good for the BotW universe but it has ran its course. I think a nice balance would be regional weapons you can buy and use throughout the game with the master sword being the usual final one. The upgrade system in BotW should also stick around just maybe a change of where you go to get it. Food should also stay. It's such a fun addition to the game and adds to Link's personality too.

World

For the next game in the series I 100% want to keep the open world of the BotW line. At this point I personally find it impossible to go back to a Hyrule that isn't open world because of how much it adds to the atmosphere of the game. That being said I don't want the story to be free reign but I'll talk about that later. The various domains of the races are always really important to the game so I would like to see a bit more innovation with their designs maybe?

I want to see the different races in more amped up/fantastical villages that are different than previous instances. Zora's domain should be completely underwater this time because we really haven't gotten that before. Goron City is difficult to decide on since there isn't much to do with rocks. What could be cool would be having Goron City underground near the magma chamber and vent of the volcano. Ritos are fun to explore since BotW/TotK is only their second appearance so not much has been done. I think having some parallels between the Rito and Zora areas would be nice as a callback to WW Rito. Gerudo Town/Valley has ALOT of room for ideas and growth.

How built up the world is really depends on the story and where the game is placed. If it's very underdeveloped with few established areas I would like to see small tent settlements of wandering Hylians to break up the empty space. Having a more developed Hyrule would be equally interesting. Various large towns would be really fun and can provide differentiation between Hylian settlements which we saw a bit in TotK. Speaking of TotK. The Depths and Sky Islands bring up an important question of if one of the other will make a reappearance specifically the Depths since they haven't appeared before TotK. Even though they're freaky to me and I don't know what they'd do with them I think it'd be fun to see them again.

Art Direction

I don't want Zelda anywhere near realism. Like at all. The closest allowed is Twilight Princess but even that is balanced with the high fantasy design. I am also of the cult that believes gaming graphics peaked with the gamecube and ps2 so take that as you will. I think Nintendo and Zelda excel at stylized designs and I would want them to lean into that more with the next game. I don't care if people hated Wind Waker for being so cartoony and stylized! I enjoy it and I appreciate the simplicity of the style. I would want to see a more high fantasy leaning style.

I would like to see them experiment with the art style more and incorporate that into the story/gameplay sort of like Okami. Once again this is an aspect of the game that will greatly rely on the story they choose for this iteration.

The Story

I have had an idea for the next zelda game since before I finished ToTK. My big idea would be to do a game centered on the Ancient Hero from the Calamity Tapestry and the special armor you get. I know that now they've said they won't do a sequel to that universe BUT this wouldn't be a sequel per say. My reasoning for wanting this is several reasons. 1) Link would not be Hylian most likely 2) It would explore a very young Hyrule and 3) Link and Zelda could be related in it. Starting from 1, Link not being Hylian is very likely given the fact the Ancient Hero is atleast part Zonai or maybe fully. I say part since Ganon says Rauru and his sister are the last Zonai and I have interpreted it as them being the last full blooded Zonai. This gives Link the chance to be part Hylian BUT the Ancient Hero armor has red hair and a headpiece similar to the Gerudo.

I think having this iteration of Link being part Gerudo could be incredibly interesting since all other Link's have been Hylian. It would 100% be possible too since this would have to take place after Ganon is sealed beneath the castle meaning a new Gerudo son can be born. I imagine the story having Link growing up in exile due to being the first new Gerudo son since Ganon and the Gerudo are now trying to keep relations with the Hylians. The world would be a new Hyrule with the kingdom still relatively young and other settlements not fully established aswell. The Zelda of the story would likely be more powerful due to being closer to Sonia's time and could have Zonai esque feautures but definitely not much since Rauru and Sonia's kids are already only half Zonai. The story would have the Ancient Hero navigating his place as technically a "King" in exile while being chosen as Hylia's champion. This would be create alot of tension between the early Hyrule, Zelda and Link due to what happened in the ToTK flashback.

The world of this story would be similar in a way to BotW where the kingdoms aren't very connected anymore and Hyrule isn't at full force. It would be able to explore how the depths previously were used, the remnants of the Zonai and the Sheikah being more technologically advanced. I would want the Sheikah to play a bigger role with Zelda in this game since we don't get much of that anymore. This game would be more serious in a way since it will need to navigate the tensions of Zelda and Link's relationship along with Link's connection with the Gerudo and other races. It would be great in creating a Link who is very fleshed out and different than past incarnations since he has something to prove. This iteration could bring back the Triforce as a pivotal plot point as Link would have to show that he is the inheritor of the Triforce of Courage not Power as it would be assumed and how he has to grow as a hero to show to himself that that is true. The reason why this likely wouldn't happen is because this story would have to feature the Divine Beasts and Guardians again which is very unfortunate and why I won't go into this one much longer.

Conclusion

My main story idea will be here since this is getting to be too long and I have this next idea pretty fleshed out. These are just my ideas and mostly hopes for the next game as we head into the development years for the new game. I hope that the team continue to innovate and develop interesting ways to continue with this amazing series.