The objective seems to have been to develop a Zelda game that took full advantage of the unique DS hardware. But this is a double-edged sword: sometimes you get a Breath of the Wild and sometimes you get The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
From the Zelda II: The Adventure of Link onward most new entries either revamp the design, explore new technologies, or both.
One of the reasons Zelda has endured for so long is that Nintendo doesn’t let the series get stuck in a rut.
