Published , by Bryan Lefler
Published , by Bryan Lefler
There was a lot to unpack in the long-awaited gameplay trailer for the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a name that Nintendo is sticking to specifically so there isn’t too much revealed about its plot. We got to see some potential new abilities for Link as well as different locales set in the sky, but we were also left with many inquiries.
With a release date tentatively set for 2022, there’s still a lot of time left to wonder what Breath of the Wild 2 will hold for everyone waiting to continue the adventure that reshaped The Legend of Zelda forever. Everyone has a wishlist of additions, changes, or would-be improvements they would make to BOTW, I’m certainly no exception. Here’s a handful of features I would like to see added or possibly removed from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2.
Weapon durability has long been a decisive sticking point for Breath of the Wild and there are a lot of fans who would welcome its removal from the direct sequel due next year. Having your weapon break in the heat of battle without a suitable backup can be a considerable problem, especially in the early game. With a new open-world to explore, many Switch owners at launch found themselves frustrated by the encounters that could be triggered by an ill-equipped and inexperienced Link.
This is where the great divide in degradation lies, between players that want to experience this adventure on their own terms and players willing to accommodate the intended game design. For those on the former side of the debate, I would implore them to embrace those moments of improvisation that are thrust upon the player. The emergent moment-to-moment chaos that interrupts normally serene exploration provides a contrast that is lost once given a de-facto ‘best’ weapon.
The Master Sword is locked behind so many hours of gameplay exactly because using one regular sword in the meantime would get boring. The different weapon types in BOTW not only give the player something to use when that sword eventually breaks, they also give Link an entirely new style of attack between types, with effective uses against different enemies. One problem for players that might welcome the removal of weapon durability in Breath of the Wild 2 is the requirement to collect Korok Seeds so they can carry more weapons. Perhaps the extermination of tedious collectible hide-and-seek would make them happy, or maybe some would be thrilled if there were even more bits and bobs to find.
The first time you watch Hetsu perform the Korok Dance in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it’s so adorable and hilarious, it seems like it could never get old. Some players, like myself, might find themselves skipping this ritual after sinking dozens of hours into the vast open-world of Hyrule. I don’t know if I’ll ever find all 900 Korok Seeds in BOTW, but I do know I’ve experienced every different mechanic there is in finding them. It was fun uncovering a cute Korok at every conspicuous crevice or outcrop in the map, at first.
Once your inventory is expanded enough to hold a moderate selection of weapons and shields, the thrill of finding new Korok Seeds is diminished to a been-there-done-that affair. I’m sure many people would relish in the eradication of such bothersome fetch questing altogether, but I think there’s room for improvement here rather than outright dismissal. Maybe detaching your weapon carry limit from your willingness or availability to explore every nook and cranny would be a start.
I enjoyed trying to find different components of recipes and armor upgrades throughout my trek in Breath of the Wild, but not everyone has the time or inclination to invest in the ultimate loadout. Sometimes you just want to go on a well-crafted journey that equips the player fairly during their adventures against varied and balanced bandits. Several things sorely needed for Breath of the Wild 2 that I can’t imagine anyone being upset about their inclusion would be more enemy types.
I don’t think anyone can argue that Breath of the Wild was more than a basic look at the extensive cast of opponents introduced in the 35 years of Zelda games. For dozens of hours, it looks like Bokoblins, Moblins, and Lizalfos are just about all you’ll ever fight. There are variations of each enemy type thankfully, with each naturally inhabiting a different part of Hyrule or attacking Link at night. Of course, this is also a simplification with Lynels, Hinox, Keese, Chuchus, Octoroks, and more making regular appearances.
Even with the new Guardian enemy-types, it’s easy to see that there’s still something lacking in the variety that is encountered during the protracted playtime of the game. Even the first 3D outing for The Legend of Zelda with Ocarina of Time seemingly had more interesting and miscellaneous misfits to mix it up. The Zelda franchise has a storied and vibrant past catalog of foes for Link to fight in Breath of the Wild 2 and I say the more, the merrier. Bring back the Tektites, the Red Bubbles, Leevers, Skulltulas, Deku Scrubs, and Floormasters. Let’s capture Poes and push Armos statues.
That’s just a small sample of returning enemies that could populate the new landscape of Hyrule in Breath of the Wild 2. The first game has few flaws when it comes to objectively judging its content, but the lack of different things to fight is one that can’t be ignored. I could see entirely new enemies being designed for the upcoming adventure of Link and Zelda, and the teaser shown at E3 2021 hints at least one. A great way to bring a diverse cast of baddies to contend with would be the comeback of proper dungeons, giving a reason to populate each with its own set of adversaries.
Before Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda and dungeons were like a homogenous mixture, unable to be separated without fundamentally altering the core ingredients. Nintendo caused a small controversy with the transformation of the traditional dungeon structure to shrines and Guardians in BOTW. While this was necessary to fit within the new open-world that harkened back to the very first Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild 2 could do with a little more dungeon variety.
Since you are granted with every ability that would act as acquirable items and weapons in previous Zelda games in the form of the Sheikah slate, the usual progression needed an overhaul. I wasn’t necessarily upset by this change, but the repetition in setting and aesthetic for every shrine, Guardian, and boss fight in the game wore tiresome after a full romp through BOTW. A return to bespoke and unique dungeons would be entirely welcome for Breath of the Wild 2, and I eagerly await the day when we get to explore themed Temples again with a core mechanic and clever ability-inspired puzzles that feel offbeat and diverse rather than rote and overused.
We still don’t know if every ability will be available to Link at the start of Breath of the Wild 2. If so, the return of classic dungeons might not be on the table. We do know that there is a new arm sleeve that bears resemblance to Sheikah technology and Link utilizes it in the latest trailer to reverse a rolling spiked ball back up its path, maybe even backward through time. With a reversed BOTW theme acting as the score for the teaser, some sort of time reversal is greatly hinted at. Another huge hint revealed is the potential to play Breath of the Wild 2 as someone else altogether.
One thing that has long been a staple of most games in The Legend of Zelda series is that you don’t play as Zelda. It’s hard to imagine anyone that has played a Nintendo handheld or console that didn’t know about Link being the actual protagonist of the games with a girl’s name. Fans have long desired to be able to adventure as Zelda and not just the Hero of Time and there have been some spin-offs or notable times where the princess of Hyrule makes a playable appearance.
Breath of the Wild 2 would be the perfect time for Zelda to take up arms alongside Link and make her debut as a playable character or companion. The teaser trailer shown at E3 2021 had some very interesting and thought-provoking glimpses of the action centering around someone that might not be the hero we take for granted. One is the scene where the Sheikah-looking arm sleeve is being affixed to the player, the fingernails and hand are quite feminine but this is a stretch. There’s still one more notable piece of evidence teased with the hair length of Link shown throughout the short trailer.
Link does have longer hair than his 2017 outing, but pay close attention to the hair on the character that passes through the solid rock outcropping at the end of the video embedded above or on Nintendo's official website. Their hair is considerably longer than the cut Link was sporting in the minute previous. The outfit on this long-haired individual is also different from the Champion’s Tunic shown just seconds before, but the mane is the real evidence. I think having Zelda as a playable character is overdue for her franchise and I would be surprised if she is still relegated to only furthering the plot in Breath of the Wild 2.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild not only helped launch the Switch into the sales stratosphere but also altered the way we think about 3D Zelda games. BOTW is so massive that many players are still finding new surprises and uncovering secrets to this day after playing the game for a hundred hours or more since it was released. Breath of the Wild 2 will most likely offer a similar amount of content or perhaps more. It might even be the last we see of open-world Zelda games for the remainder of the Switch’s lifespan. There’s no telling where the franchise will go after Breath of the Wild 2, but it’s easy to say that players will be enjoying these two games for generations to come.
What do you want to see from the next open-world Zelda game? Do you think Zelda will continue its new open-world formula for the foreseeable future or will we get something entirely different after these two monumental adventures? Sound off in the comments below with your thoughts on Breath of the Wild 2. If you’d like to stay up to date on any announcements or news about Breath of the Wild 2, keep a tab on our topic page for the game. The Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is currently set for a release window in 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.