Over the course of its history,The Legend of Zeldahas had a fair few spin-off games. Recently, Nintendo has been experimenting extensively withHyrule Warriors,putting aDynasty Warriorstwist onThe Legend of Zeldathat gives tons of franchise stars the power to hack and slash their way through Ganon’s armies. Farther back than that, Nintendo has released games likeLink’s Crossbow Training,a companion for the Wii’s Zapper accessory, and even the Tingle-centric spin-offFreshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland,among other games focused on Tingle.Zeldaisn’t Nintendo’s most prolific franchise in terms of spin-offs, but nevertheless, there’s enough of a pattern that it seems like Nintendo ought to consider making more side games for the series.
If Nintendo considers givingThe Legend of Zeldamore spin-offs, then it should make at least one focusing on Impa. Throughout theZeldafranchise, from the very first game toOcarina of TimetoBreath of the Wild,different incarnations of Impa have appeared, whether she’s the wizened servant of Hyrule’s royal family or Princess Zelda’s battle-ready bodyguard. Impa has really grown as a character in recent years, andHyrule Warriorshas proven her potentialas a player character. As such, maybe it’s time to examine Impa’s roots as a Sheikah more closely.
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Why Impa Deserves a Zelda Spin-off
Although Impa started out as nothing more thanThe Legend of Zelda’s questgiver, she has evolved into a far more compelling character in recent years. For instance,The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordfeatures a wonderful depiction of Impa; thanks toSkyward Sword’s time travel elements, while her young self guards Zelda and looks down Link, Impa’s elderly self serves as an ally to Link throughout the game.Ocarina of TimeandHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityhave also both offered alternative versions of Impa, rather than always relegating her to the role of the elderly wizened woman. The many versions of Impa create the valuable possibility of aZeldacrossover game that unites many Impas from across time.
Impa’s role as a Sheikah also makes her a great character to focus on in a futureZeldaspin-off. WhileBreath of the Wild’s Sheikah are far more approachable than usual, as a general rule, the Sheikah are a mysterious group who help guide Hyrule’s future from the shadows. Impa would serve as a great lens with which to examine past incarnations of the Sheikah and everything they’ve done to affect the events ofThe Legend of Zelda.Breath of the Wild’s exploration oftheZeldatimeline’s far endis great, but digging intoZelda’s past would be fun too.
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A New Style of Zelda Game
AZeldaspin-off about Impa - or various versions of Impa - would offer Nintendo a great opportunity to dabble in a new genre: stealth. Since the Sheikah are skilled at operating unseen, Nintendo could create a game where Impa is tasked with some mission that leads her to infiltrate various dungeons and villainous lairs in order to protect Hyrule. Stealth-focused combat focused on precision weapons and skillful use of Sheikah magic could be very refreshing forZeldafans.Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityalready offers a great template for Impa’s potential Sheikah skills; Nintendo just has to expand on it.
IfTingle can get a handful of games, then surely Impa is worthy of a spin-off by now too. She may not always be in the middle of the action inZeldagames, but she’s a trueZeldamainstay whose various roles in the franchise offer tons of source material to inspire a spin-off game. Nintendo certainly ought to consider it. Right now, theZeldafranchise is naturally focused onBreath of the Wild 2,but afterwards, maybe Nintendo will experiment with the franchise a little more by putting the spotlight on somebody like Impa.
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