I want to make an action RPG in the style of Zelda that's a nod to the Zelda series. The main difference is, the protagonist is a mermaid. This project is still in the planning phase, but here's what I've decided so far:

~ The title: the game will be called Mermaid no Monogatari, or A Mermaid Story. ~ The general plot: a powerful demon has broken the soul gem of the ocean into pieces and scattered them, and you have to collect the pieces to repair the soul gem and defeat the demon to restore peace to the ocean. ~ Dungeons: themed dungeons with shaped map layouts, each of which contains a special item you need to use to solve puzzles and traverse obstacles in the dungeon. The boss at the end can only be defeated by using the dungeon's special item in some capacity. ~ Buff items/crafting: there will be bracelets you can collect throughout the game, some of which you find, some of which you have to get from shops by trading the materials needed to make them. These bracelets will offer a variety of buffs, such as decreasing the damage taken by certain types of enemies. ~ Treasure hunting: you'll be able to collect treasure maps throughout the course of the game that lead to little caches of goodies, such as currency, exclusive bracelets, and crafting materials. ~ Sword upgrade sidequest: optional questline that spans several chapters of the game, where you trade items with many NPCs in succession to ultimately get a more powerful sword ~ Platform: I'll probably eventually make this game in RPG Maker. (It was either that or a Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages romhack, and I thought RPG Maker would have less of a learning curve.)

What I'm not sure about: ~ which dungeon themes to do ~ which special dungeon items to include ~ whether to include minibosses ~ whether to include dungeons on land (these would require a quest line where you gather the materials needed to make a transformation amulet so you can take a human form) ~ what consumable items to include

So here's my question to you fine people: what sort of stuff would you like to see in a game like this? More specifically, what stuff can I put in to tip my proverbial hat to the Zelda series? When you think "Zelda-like RPG", what sort of features or details do you think of?

Ooh your game sounds like a cool idea! I love the idea of a LoZ-style game but underwater.

Personally, one of my favorite games in the series is Majora's Mask for the ability to get new powers and forms with masks. Same goes for Twilight Princess, since I loved playing as Wolf Link and running around Hyrule in that form. I also really enjoyed Skyward Sword for the variety of dungeons. In Skyward Sword, they definitely followed the traditional elemental dungeons of previous games, but I just remember the bosses and aesthetics to be more memorable.

When I think of Zelda-like RPGs, the use of tools that you've already mentioned absolutely comes to mind. I also imagine unlockable areas that open up as you get tools, or places you return to in order to advance the plot (e.g. Kakariko Village in TP) with your new abilities. Traveling between dungeons was also always a neat experience, especially if there were mini dungeons to be found.

For your game, since it features a mermaid, one thing to consider is what sort of underwater tools the character might use/need. A bow and arrows may not work as well, for example. A net might be an effective weapon for enemies that take the form of schools of fish.

I'm not sure if you're planning a 2D or 3D game, but if it's 3D, being able to swim in all directions may also add a really cool element to the game that isn't always possible in LoZ, which would help it stand out among other games that reference LoZ. (I think this could be pulled off in 2D, too--it would just require thinking outside the box a bit.)

Good luck developing your game! I hope it's a fun and successful project!

Thanks for the tips and suggestions! As for the idea of going back to previous areas to unlock more stuff, I did have one idea in mind so far. In the beginning of the game, you get your sword after visiting the mine just outside your hometown. I had the idea that partway through the game, an earthquake happens that cracks a back wall in that mine, leading to one of the dungeons. I was also toying with the idea of that same quake opening a ravine in town that leads to another dungeon or cave or something, along with a set of disaster relief sidequests, one of which involves rescuing a mermaid calf who fell into the ravine.

I was planning on including some Zelda staples as dungeon items, like a power glove/bracer thing, a reflecting mirror for light beam puzzles, etc, but I'd need to think more about the dungeons and puzzles I'd include in order to make a more complete list. Ooh, if I want to include a ranged weapon/item thing, maybe I could do a harpoon!

The game is gonna be 2D. I'm aiming to do grid-based map and sprite placement with non-grid-restricted movement, like in the Oracle games (my main inspiration). Not sure how I'd go about doing vertical movement in that format; maybe a multi-level map or something, where you can dive up or down to different depths of the same map screen? I wasn't initially planning on including it, but it's certainly something to consider.

You've given me some good stuff to think about! Thanks! Oh yeah, and here's an idea of what the main character would look like: Private Outfit