A couple of weeks ago, Nintendo announced a new game in their Nindies Direct, called “Cadence of Hyrule.” The announcement trailer started with the main character from “Crypt of the NecroDancer” doing her usual thing, dancing to the beat, but then a subtle tune started playing.

Zelda fans knew this tune and started wondering what was going on, but then they showed it. Link and Zelda will be in this new game, as it is a new rhythm game set in the Zelda universe from the creators of “Crypt of the NecroDancer,” Brace Yourself Games. Not only does this new game look good, but I am hoping this means much more for Nintendo as a whole. I hope this is a sign that Nintendo might be letting other companies use their properties.

I love Nintendo, and I love almost every single one of the properties they create. However, it is easy to see that some of their series could use a breath of fresh air. Also, some of their series take way too long to create a new entry. Think about this, it has been 16 years since the last F-Zero game. That is way too long to be waiting for a new entry, and with the number of developers making high-speed racing games, Nintendo should be hard-pressed to use that industry to make a new entry if they won’t.

       Using outside help will also bring in a new thought process to the game. They aren’t held to the same conventions that the regular series is, and because of that, they can change things that wouldn’t normally change. For example, look at when Capcom made a few Legend of Zelda games. They feel like Zelda games, but they also do a lot of new things. In “The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap,” the main gameplay mechanic is a breath of fresh air.

However, “Cadence of Hyrule” is even more different than this because it’s coming from an independent studio. I’m hoping this sets a precedent where Nintendo lets smaller studios take their properties and use them. Imagine the developers of “Hollow Knight” taking a shot at the Metroid franchise. That would be a dream come true. Or imagine if the developers of “Fast Racing Neo” took a crack at F-Zero. Well, you get the point. Indie developers have been making outstanding games for years and it’s time for bigger companies to realize that. Nintendo could easily bolster their catalog on the Switch by utilizing the wide variety of indie developers to help them make more games.

Nintendo is one of the most stubborn companies out there. That has led to bad things happening to the company, like the Wii U. However, we have seen them start to open up. “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” is not a game that would have been made by old Nintendo. Not only because of the technology but also because Nintendo has never made an actual open-world Zelda, with no traditional dungeons before. I hope them opening up in terms of their development also leads to them opening up their properties for others to use.