For those interested in the aesthetics of Zelda!
I still have a hard time picturing what a land featuring Zelda would look like. I’m not familiar with any of the games in general.
Same. Based on my lack of knowledge on the IP, I’m not sure how to picture it. There’s some pretty good concepts in this thread from the past few months.
I am still of the mind that I’d rather they tear down the majority of the land. I get that there are some construction/financial incentives in not doing this though. Maybe the restaurants/store fronts being gutted and rethemed would be fine. I trust Universal, especially in partnership with a third party, but just want the land to feel fleshed out and permanent.
Here are some good and relatively short samplers!! and Spoiler'd to not clog the thread with media thumbnails!
Reel of many prominent locations and landscapes from Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) for Nintendo Switch. The most likely visual style for the land. Features a ruined Hyrule 100 years after a devastating attack from the most vicious incarnation of the main antagonist. Nature and the varied citizens of Hyrule persist nevertheless in a lonely, but ever beautiful landscape.
Reel of locations from Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002) originally for Gamecube, remade in HD for Wii U (2013). It features a more distinct "Toon" artstyle that was divisive in the early 2000s, but has gone on to be a beloved and influential staple of the franchise with many different games in the Zelda series sharing the style up and into a more grounded take on it with Breath of the Wild.
Reel of locations from Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998), for Nintendo 64. The very first 3D Zelda game, meaning the visuals might seem quaint by today's standards but they set the tone for the franchise going forward and were revolutionary for it's time. Features a thriving Hyrule, unlike the Ruined Kingdom from Breath of the Wild, or the flooded Hyrule from Wind Waker.
The Mario Kart 8 DLC Track "Hyrule Circuit" (2015), for Wii U and Switch, featuring many iconic landmarks, items, and enemies in a broader, more generic Hyrule not taken from any specific game or subseries artstyle. Almost a more general Super Nintendo World-y style to this one. If you want a clear image of what Zelda looks like, this is probably the clearest.
Finally, an evolution video of boss fights against one of the more iconic Zelda enemies, Gohma, which is essentially just a giant Spider! It's a longer video but even just skipping through gives a taste of how varied and individual each Zelda game can be in it's gameplay and artstyle while still looking distinctly "Zelda". If you're sensitive to that sorta thing then Spoiler warning, but Gohma is usually a beginner level boss anyways so
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There is no singular Zelda world. Because the game focuses the story as being a legend, one being retold again and again across time and space. There are direct sequels occasionally, example being Tears of the Kingdom (2023) for Nintendo Switch as a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild featuring the exact same Hyrule, characters, etc. But that is not always the case and because of that even the most iconic and consistent Zelda locations or characters will have different looks from game to game.
Despite this, Zelda worlds are consistently grounded in a sense of reality, albiet a more fantastical and old-school medievel one than ours. Zelda worlds differ from those of LoTR, The Witcher, etc mostly off of the quirkiness and charm that Nintendo brings to each game. Zelda worlds are often fun, occasionally spooky, dark, or foreboding, or somber, quiet, reverent, but always and consistently adventurous, quirky, and full of heart. Really, I don't think there's much of a better candidate for a new island of adventure than Hyrule, in whatever form it takes!
Hope any of this helps to showcase a bit of what the IP has to offer!