By Joseph Walter
Fueled by the sudden, unexpected reveal of a direct sequel to what I think is one of the best games of all time, I immediately put finger-to-keyboard in the hopes of jotting down and sharing my hopes, fears and theories about what wonders "Breath of the Wild 2" could, should, and maybe should not bring us. That was 2019.
It's now 2021, and with E3 around the corner, it's all but confirmed that we're finally going to get more details on this mysterious sequel. Therefore, I figured I might as well poop this ludicrously unkempt essay out into the world, finished or not.
Again, what you're about to read is completely unedited, unfinished and untamed. Will you even read it? Why would anyone want to read it? Who knows. I don't. Enjoy?
... actually, after giving it a quick glance, it's more complete than I thought. Wow.
Either way, I'll just say one more thing before you take the plunge: I'm legitimately excited to see if any of these initial thoughts are going to pay off, for good or ill... and we don't have to wait much longer to find out!
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Once Nintendo revealed (in an almost totally random act) that the three distinct Zelda timelines would all end with Breath of the Wild, I immediately knew for sure that we were getting a direct sequel to the almighty masterpiece.
What I didn't expect, however, was that we'd be getting one so soon. Well, to be fair, we don't know if it's "soon," but judging by the trailer's use of an in-engine, real-time cutscene, it's fair to assume that things are further along than its predecessor was when it was revealed.
Regardless, with Breath of the Wild, the Zelda team had shattered the series' stagnant formula, crafted an impressive new engine and lovingly created an intricate, mysterious world filled with an undeniable magic that captivated millions, including myself. And, after the ambiguous epilogue, I didn't want to see a new Zelda game without the characters and world that I fallen in love with (probably literally, in the case of Zelda herself) and craved a sequel like I had with no other game in the franchise... so, needless to say, I am excited beyond belief.
That said... I have some concerns about what little we've seen so far, so I figured hey, let's talk about my hopes and concerns about Breath of the Wild 2, and maybe even theorize a little about what I think might really be going on with the story...
Heading to the Northern Continent
Another of these phobias is seeing places that you aren't allowed to go to, such as the mysterious gates that lead "backstage" in Disney World (although I've been back there on the super-awesome "Keys to the Kingdom" Tour). More specifically, though, this fear usually kicks in the hardest with video games (like the Ice Key chamber in Banjo-Kazooie) and Breath of the Wild was no exception.
Going to the northern-most part of Hyrule, players were greeted with a huge chasm, and, across the way, an enormous chunk of land, just begging to be reached. Creepier yet, there were shadowy outlines of what appeared to be buildings, such as a distinct maze pattern. So not only could I see this unreachable location, but there were cryptic markings on it, which made things exponentially more terrifying. I had to know what was going on over there so, although it gave me a heart attack, I watched videos of people breaking the game to explore this area, and it turned out to be an impossibly massive, grass-covered, glitchy landscape that was arguably larger than Hyrule itself.
Why do I bring this all up? This answer is simple: let's get out of Hyrule.
The Zelda series has taken place in other locations before, namely Termina, and there's even a direct precedent for exploring another "continent" in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, so it's not unheard of.
It makes sense, too: for hundreds of hours, we've explored and uncovered the secrets of this particular Hyrule, so huge, new locale would be a welcome change of pace.
Honestly, though, my hope is that we get to explore a somewhat rebuilt Hyrule AND a whole new continent. That would be totally awesome.
.... and I swear that I'm not asking for this a means to conquer my fears. That's just an added bonus.
Please Don't Be Ganondorf
That seems obvious, but, like, let's not, okay?
Can't we just be done with him? It's like the Metroid series with Metroids. We get it, they're scary, but we've fought them so many times and know basically everything there is to know about them that they've lost all meaning.
There are so many other interesting villains in the series, but most of them have been unfortunate one-offs or, at worst, been mere pawns of Ganondorf. In terms of storytelling, Ganon is holding the series back at this point.
Breath of the Wild was unashamed to dramatically shake up the franchise, and Ganon's seemingly permanent demise (no pun intended!) was the ULTIMATE shake up.
Still, and I'm loathe to admit it, but there is evidence that "Dark Beast Ganon's" eradication wasn't actually what it was meant to be.
In English, Zelda states that Dark Beast Ganon "has given up on reincarnation and assumed his pure, enraged form," while in Japanese, she declares that "this form was born from his obsessive refusal to give up on revival."
So, the English version implies that Dark Beast Ganon is the result of Ganondorf giving up his corporeal form to fully embrace his supernatural, deity-like might in some kind of "Final Form" moment, while the Japanese version postulates that it's a unique form that was created due to his refusal to give up on reincarnation. That's a pretty serious difference.
That said, what the hell was that thing in the cocoon if it wasn't Ganon's attempt to reincarnate himself? Regardless, things get WAY weirder as both versions flip-flop on whether or not Ganon is totally destroyed at the end of the game, with the English edition saying "Ganon is gone for now," but with Japan definitively stating that Ganon, and his threat, are "gone."
There's no denying that Ganon/dorf was an integral and well-liked characters for the franchise, but sometimes a character needs to permanently depart in order for a story or series to move forward, and this is one of those times. Hell, if it's really that big a deal, this can even be a temporary vacation, but, for the love of the Goddesses, can we just leave this guy behind for awhile?
If Ganondorf really is back, his inclusion's absolute greatest crime (aside from the fact that it's a massive, unashamed fan-wank) would be that it totally guts the emotional and poetic conclusion of BOTW. The final boss and ensuing conclusion dripped of pure, tangible finality, and to see that retroactively rendered pointless would be an artistic travesty.
Don't Go Back to the Ocarina of Time Formula
Gone was the rote process of collecting an item that is the obvious solution to all of a dungeon's puzzles and the key to beating its boss. Instead, players are given all of their tools at the start, and each dungeon and boss have a multitude of viable approaches... and it was awesome.
That said, there was a vocal chunk of the fanbase that screamed in horror at this change. Even on comments left under the BOTW2's trailer, you'll see stuff like "I hope they go back to the traditional 'get item, use item to solve dungeon, use item to beat boss.' Hated what they did in BOTW."
Uh, no.
Stagnation is a death sentence. The Zelda team knew that. Hell, the game's own story is about this. Over-reliance on what worked in the past is NOT the key to the future.
So please, stick with moving forward... especially the new approach to tools and the open strategies for bosses and dungeons.
Let The Dungeons Be Like Zelda 1
That said, I'd want the dungeons to be like they were in the very first Zelda, where they were strewn across the land, often out of the way or residing in mysterious, hidden locations.
One of the most thrilling parts of the original classic is when you stumble upon one of these ominous-looking locales by total accident.
That feeling was definitely present in BOTW with the various Shrines and mazes, but imagine if it was done with old school, story-critical dungeons?
Aside from the hidden locations, my biggest hope for BOTW2's dungeons would be that they were highly reminiscent of Zelda 1's style, but brought to the modern age. Haunting, foreboding locations with evil-looking exteriors, filled with puzzles, traps and beasts that can be handled in a variety of ways, just like the Shrines.
Forging!
This leads me to believe that some kind of weapon forging/enhancing was considered during development, but later abandoned... and I'd love to see it make a return.
I still think weapons should break, but I also think you should able to craft brand new weapons (even going as far as being able to imbue them with elemental powers), and possibly repair severely damaged items. Even cooler would be the ability to enhance and evolve your arsenal.
Keep the Same Composers and intelligent approach to the writing and implementation of the music
While its occasional simplicity and generally sparse implementation left some players divided, I found that the results of strategically choosing when, how, and where to use music to be particular phenomenal, as it made the mere appearance of music be something that has meaning (such as when monsters are chasing you in the middle of a stormy night and you're severely wounded, but you can hear the faint theme of a town nearby), but I was even more impressed with the arrangements and implementations of classic Zelda motifs.
The return of these techniques and styles are an ABSOLUTE must.
In fact, I hope they implement even more classic motifs in interesting ways (Dear God, please let them use the Zelda 1 Labyrinth music) and go even further with thoughtful application of music, in general.
My greatest fear, on the other hand, is that Nintendo might accidentally listening to the whining fans that wanted rousing field music (despite the fact that it wouldn't make any thematic sense.)
The last thing we need is another overwrought, mind-numbing score like Twilight Princess.
Keep Evolving The Storytelling
It effectively made the story optional (which is great for an open world game), but it also immersed you deeper into Hyrule as you slowly uncovered more of what happened. As an added bonus, it even aided in helping you get a lay of the land.
This method of storytelling (and the story itself), rubbed some people the wrong way, and I can see why, considering that almost every other game in the series uses traditional methods.
That said, I hope Nintendo sticks with this evolution in how the majority of the game's story will be told, and takes it even further. Obviously, the use of "memories" wouldn't make sense, so perhaps discovering certain areas will lead to Zelda deciphering ancient runes or something like that. I wouldn't even be against there being more "normal" story-related events and cutscenes, either... just as long as they don't scrap the non-linear method entirely.
Plus, going back to "traditional" storytelling will only hamper the outstanding level of freedom that Breath of the Wild so courageously fought to bring to its players, and that'd be a no-no.
Enhance the Survival Aspects
To start, despite the fact that there are so many available resources, only a few had truly unique properties. By the end of the game, I knew how to make the simplest of meals that were more powerful than ones I would've gotten from complex recipes. Worse yet, most of the non-food items were barely good for anything but selling or pumping into upgrades.
If there were more things to craft and more special properties for materials, then spending items for upgrades would be much more of a strategic choice, especially if we incorporate the aforementioned forging element. Likewise, it'd be great to see more nuance with the cooking system. Again, I had a lot of fun with it, but I couldn't help but cheese it by the time I finished the game.
Refine The Difficulty
As the journey progressed, however, few enemies posed a challenge, and near the quest's conclusion, even Guardians were a walk in the park.
It was definitely cool for there to be a reverse difficulty curve, and it made you feel like you were truly getting powerful enough to fight and defeat Calamity Ganon, but things occasionally felt like they were getting too easy, especially the bosses.
I don't really have a good suggestion for it, but I'm hoping Nintendo finds a way to balance the difficulty... at long as it's nowhere near the unending nightmare hellscape of Master Mode. That should be reserved for the most masochistic of players.
Don't Link It Too Much To The Past / Stay Ambiguous
All kinds of references abound, some subtle and some not, but it was never too explicit. Now, with the game acting as something of a soft reboot to the franchise due to all timelines converging into it, it's important for it to remain its own thing, bravely going forward into uncharted territory and not relying on the past (but never forgetting it, either.)
The only reason I'm even bringing this up in the first place is that there are some theories swirling around that the "Ganondorf" in the trailer might be the one from Twilight Princess (even though that doesn't really make too much sense) and I feel like that'd be far too direct (and unnecessary) of a connection.
For what it's worth, there is one thing from the series' past that I would kill to see, but we'll get to that a little later...
Keep The Awesome Sense of Discovery, but Enhance the Actual Discoveries
Something about the overall design and layout of Hyrule just makes you want to explore. You want to go EVERYWHERE. And best of all, there's almost ALWAYS some kind of reward awaiting courageous explorers, no matter what unexpected area they venture to.
These rewards were typically Shrines, which almost exclusively offered Spirit Orbs, although there'd be the occasional elemental weapon or piece of armor. Other times, players would find an environmental puzzle which, upon completion, yielded a Korok Seed.
All of those items are extremely helpful, but they loose their luster when you're deep into the game.
My hope is that this incredible sense of discovery continues to flourish in BOTW2, but that the actual discoveries have far more variety, like unique weapons and armor, special powers, ultra-rare materials, or even unique story moments.
Don't Go Back On The Bold (and Necessary) Changes to the Formula
Any direct steps backwards would be foolhardy, and they would undo an enormous amount of what helped make Breath of the Wild as special as it is.
To take a reverse course on how the tools (and expanded powers) were doled out would be an apocalyptic mistake, as would undoing breaking weapons or removing the stamina bar.
Aesthetically, alterations to the way the thought process behind the music or how the story-telling works would also be a dramatic mistake.
These changes were absolutely necessary to help evolve the franchise and preserve it for years to come. That said, there is still room to enhance these new additions, as detailed in other entries of this list.
Don't Listen To Idiotic Fans
Most would agree that Breath of the Wild is not only one of the best Zelda games in history (if not THE best), but one of the best games in history, period, but there's STILL a loud and angry segment of fans that feel personally hurt by the "changes" BOTW made (despite most these stemming from the ORIGINAL Zelda), and continue to angrily lambast it, despite how irrational it is.
One of my most sincere hopes is that Nintendo ignores this highly vocal (but woefully misguided and uninformed) minority, and sticks to their guns. Honestly, though, this is NINTENDO we're talking about; they almost exclusively do nothing BUT stick to their guns and move to the beat of their own drum.
Oh, and don't think the irony of this entry went past my head, either. Clearly, I meant that Nintendo shouldn't listen to any idiotic fans EXCEPT for me. Obviously.
Majora
By far the most the most mysterious and malevolent force of evil throughout the entire series, I would have a heart attack if the next trailer shows an archaeologist reporting to Zelda that he found something strange... which a brief smash cut reveals to be a weathered, unsettling mask with glowing eyes.
With Ganon supposedly being out of the picture (disregarding what is almost 100%-likely to be Ganondorf in the trailer), there's a massive void awaiting a new, regular villain for the series, and Majora fits the bill, even if only for a few games.
Weirder yet, BOTW2 is already spiritually connected with Majora's Mask thank to how it is seemingly using the same engine and (modified) assets of its predecessor, which is exactly what happened with Ocarina of Time. Majora's Mask was also exponentially darker than what directly preceded it, and BOTW2 also seems to be in the same boat. Heck, they might even consider bringing back the transformation masks, and they could act as the equivalent to the Champion powers of BOTW.
So what exactly do I want from Majora, as a character, if it were to appear? A little more information regarding it would be cool (but not too much, as spoiling its mysterious horror wouldn't be good) but I'm more interested in it corrupting or controlling a whole legion of pawns, subtly or otherwise. And perhaps its reappearance would also herald the reappearance of a certain Fierce Deity...
Majora's arsenal of powers and general existence is also fascinating. Contained within the titular mask, it influences others (especially those who wear it) and gives them extraordinary powers. It's also able alter reality, create surreal dimensions, and manifest itself into a living, supernatural form. Best of all, though, is its curious personality. It appears to be some kind of malevolent god, but its actual personality swings between destructive cruelty, tragic sadness and childlike playfulness often enough that it's difficult to really understand what we're dealing with. Then there's its goals which... to put it plainly... are essentially unknown. In Majora's Mask, it states that it wants to "consume all," but that's hardly the only going on... and figuring out what exactly this entity wants would make for one hell of a compelling story.
In conclusion, Ganon/dorf has been done to death, and new villainy is needed to keep things interesting. While Majora has technically been done before, it's familiar enough to cater to old fans but mysterious enough to be a worthwhile character and story element. It's also capable of raising the stakes if necessary... though an apocalyptic moon fall doesn't have to be the means through which it does it. Basically, Majora would present a type of threat that is the polar opposite of Ganon. For our heroes to achieve victory, it would require a strategy that simply wouldn't apply to Ganon, and that is very exciting.
Speculation (Based on the Trailer)
I'll drop my biggest bomb first: I don't think the corpse we see is Ganondorf.
Heresy, I know, but hear me out!
Being Ganondorf seems far too obvious. Nintendo isn't Hideo Kojima. They don't give too much away in any of their trailers. Not even Breath of the Wild's most expansive trailers revealed too much of what was going on. If anything, they love to pull the rug out from under you. So, for me, for this figure to blatantly be Ganondorf seems more than a little suspicious, and, honestly, I think it might be a red herring.
The trailer, and its evocative imagery, has gotten everyone sufficiently hyped up, but they don't yet understand the context or nature of what they're seeing, which fits right in with Nintendo's typical methods, which only add further fuel to my belief in the red herring theory.
So, if it's not Ganondorf, than who is it? I think we're looking at Phantom Ganon. Aside from the fact that it's an undead creature, the painting on the wall shows a Gerudo figure riding a horse and wielding a trident-like spear.... just like Phantom Ganon.
Moving on, I thought that the ghostly hand hovering above the corpse was actually giving it life, rather than keeping it in place. Now, that could still be the case, but most evidence seems to point to the hand being a seal, specifically the weird, swirling magic, which contains the phrase "Seal Ganon" in Gerudo.
Obviously, this basically punches a major hole in my "it's not Ganondorf!" and "it's holding bringing him back to life theories!" but, again, I'll stick to my unpopular opinions until more info comes out, as this could still be part of some kind of distraction. For example, maybe Nintendo wants to make us think we're witnessing a super serious, plot relevant moment, but we're really just watching a mini-boss come to life. Unlikely, I know, but figured I'd throw it out there.
I suppose it's possible that the corpse is the Ganondorf from approximately 10,100 years ago that was defeated by the Divine Beasts and Guardians, but, like I said, we just don't know enough to confirm that yet.
Some final, uninteresting speculation is that I don't think Link and Zelda are actually under Hyrule Castle during the trailer, and the shot of the Castle rising was spliced in to make it seem like they were. It also seems Link will either be losing an arm (which would be supported by BOTW concept art... but then again, so is Ganondorf's existence and a floating fortress) or, at least getting new powers from the strange energy tearing through his wrist.
My Theory (Based On Almost nothing But Hopes)
An unknown threat plagues the Northern Continent, this time in the form of a strange mask uncovered in a dig site. The powers of the cursed influence the royalty of the Northern Continent, and slowly infests many of its people. It's up to Link and Zelda to uncover the mystery of this mask before it can gain full power, allowing its malicious plans to take full effect.
I predict that players will have to find and explore at least eight, large dungeons (which, like the original Zelda, will have plenty of combat and complex puzzles) but that there will be some kind of equivalent to Shrines.
I believe that Link will still have access to the powers of the Sheikah Slate, but also gain new utilities that are in the same vein as the Champion powers. If he does end up losing his arm, I think he will get the Sheikah prosthetic as shown in concept art, and it will be upgradable to allow for attachments like the Hookshot (say good bye to slipping while climbing during rain storms!)
I know it's unlikely, but I really hope that Ganon is truly dead and gone once and for all, and that a new villain (Majora, in this case) takes the throne of main antagonist, at least for a while.
What about you? Any theories or speculation you'd like to add? Feel free to let me know below!