Nintendo confirmed us a few weeks ago: Breath of the wild, the epic Zelda title for the Nintendo Switch, gets a sequel. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 already got one breathtaking trailer which will show us a much darker world.
But what else will be different? Nintendo dropped the bomb at the end of his E3-2019 presentation: Breath of the Wild 2, actually a DLC, appears as a large, independent video game for the hybrid console from Nintendo. I don’t think we need to go far, because Breath of the Wild was a masterpiece in open-world game design in 2017 and put the Switch on the road to success. It is therefore no surprise that Nintendo is working on a direct sequel. And as already on that Nintendo 64 the sequel title seems to be a little darker.
But will we be on the same map as in the 2017 offshoot? Definitely no, at least that is the current wording. We can look forward to a completely new card that is incomparable to anything we’ve seen from Zelda so far.
Take your time, Zelda
Between Skyward Sword (Wii U) from 2011 and Breath of the wild (Wii U / Switch) from 2017 was six years old, although development of the latter was delayed due to problems with the game’s physics engine.
Given that the team appears to be reusing the same engine and open world hyrule setting Nintendo probably won’t need the same lead time to release this game as at Majora’s mask on the Nintendo 64, which only came on the market after two years after the legendary Ocarina of Time from 1998, and reused many of the same in-game assets.
With the landing of Link’s awakening At the end of 2019, we also cannot imagine that BOTW 2 starts too soon afterwards. December 2020 appears to be the earliest date when it could be released, with a window for 2021 appearing more likely.
The first trailer to Breath of the Wild 2
We got our first look at BOTW 2 on E3, with this creepy trailer in which Zelda and Link explore an underground chamber – with some mysterious runes, shining hands, and a brand new haircut that set the Internet on fire. Suffice it to say: We are excited.
The The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 trailer is only 82 seconds long and there is no dialogue at all – but there are a few pointers.
It shows a torch-bearing link and Zelda crossing a dark dungeon under Hyrule (no big surprise). Ghostly tendrils crawl around the musty grave they are exploring, and the couple rides a large, elephant-like animal. Something shakes the couple, and then we move on to what looks like the resurrection of a long-dead (and creepy-looking) warrior. Could this be the Return from Ganondorf be?
All the DLC that never existed
In an interview with Kotaku said the Zelda series producer Eiji Aonumathat there were originally plans for more DLC content for BOTW after the 2017 add-ons for The Champion’s Ballad and Master trials gave.
“In the beginning we only thought of DLC ideas,” says Anouma. “But then we had a lot of ideas and said:” These are too many ideas. Let’s just make a new game and start over. “
A darker twist for the series
All we really know at this point is how little we know. The unexpected trailer has already sparked a lot of speculation, hopes, and hot takes on what the next main Zelda title could include.
We have from the producer of the Zelda series, Eiji Aonumaheard the game one darker tone as Breath of the wild will have and even “a little darker” than Majora’s Mask (Nintendo 64) will be (via IGN).
Is Ganandorf coming back?
–
The trailer certainly supports this as Ganondorf’s body is revived by a disembodied hand and apparently pictures of Twilight Princess dates from 2006, in which Hyrule turned into a desolate shadow realm – mainly in response to the much happier and more cartoonistic story of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.
The Twilight Realm
The bright blue hand in the trailer is the biggest hint that we will see more of the Twili shadow people descended from Hylians trying to take the power of the Triforce to themselves. The hand is wrapped in sinuous shapes that are reminiscent of Twilight architecture, while the swirling magic could remind of some of the portals that Twili let into Hyrule in the 2006 game.
We know that the development team at BOTW originally played with the idea of an alien invasion and it would have been possible to see shadow creatures teleport from the sky as they had planned this time.
Many dungeons (and an expanded map)
The latest rumors about the continuation of Breath of the wild suggest that we could look forward to a new card that is incomparable to anything we’ve seen from Zelda before. In addition, some new job openings suggest that Nintendo looking for people working on designing some dungeons and hidden bosses for the game – so far, so exciting.
Zelda in the spotlight?
One of the most popular fan theories is the Hyrule princess. She has a practical short haircut and is dressed in a way very similar to Link’s own adventurer gear – which makes some think she’s a playable figure.
Can you play Zelda?
–
Zelda’s developers seemed to reject the idea of a female connection in the past – unfortunately – but we can see sections in the game that play as Zelda, or at least if it plays a more active role in the story.
Breath of the Wild 2: What we want to see
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is generally considered one of the best games in the series, and there will be a lot of pressure to deliver a game not only as well but in its own way. We hope that Nintendo will be able to publish the sequel when it lands.
Data transmission from the predecessor
For those of us who spend a lot of their time in BOTW have invested, it seems a waste to have to start from scratch when you switch on the next game – especially if this happens right after you quit.
Some bigger dungeons
Sure, one can technically say that the above-ground landscape of BOTW was an independent dungeon: full of enemies, treasures and surprises without having to go underground. However, the nibble-sized shrine puzzles and divine beasts have never quite restored the scale and wonders of the most famous temples in the Zelda series, and it would be great to see a dungeon or two really pulling the stops.
No more korok seeds
For the completers out there, the hiding koroks were from BOTW a sweet addition to the game. But the reward of a golden jerk for collecting all 900 Korok seeds was a certain anti-climax – and we really don’t want us to have to collect them all again.
Everything was so good
Regardless, we hope that Nintendo’s formula of BOTW – Exploring the open world, destructible weapons and environmental puzzles – comes close enough not to lose what made entry so successful. Just better dungeons please!
Breath of the Wild 2 would have some new supporters. So would like to Halo-Composer, Martin “Marty” O’Donnell, at Nintendo collaborate on the soundtrack for the game.
–
