The Legend of Zelda has been one of the most dominant forces in the industry for nearly 40 years, but the last two mainline entries have altered the series in some pretty significant ways. Both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom took the franchise into a new direction, abandoning many of the tropes and concepts that defined the series. Zelda has routinely tapped into classic fantasy tropes, utilizing them in innovative ways in order to create its unique worlds, but recent entries have taken inspiration from contemporaries like Dark Souls, favoring a low-key approach over the traditional elements from the past.