On February 21st, The Legend of Zelda franchise will be 35 years old. It would be a golden opportunity for Nintendo to release Breath of the Wild 2 to coincide with Link’s Birthday, but what changes are coming to the new open-world formula of Zelda titles?
Breath of the Wild takes places hundreds if not thousands of years after all other current Zelda timeline events. This time gap leaves an excellent opportunity for Aonuma and Co. to flex some creative muscle. It’s also a perfect opportunity to build on some solid foundations Breath of the Wild laid down back in 2017.
In no particular order, here are some suggestions that would fit in nicely with a Breath of the Wild direct sequel:
Human Form Ganon
Ganon was a bit of a let down in Breath of the Wild. Whilst the overall game, mechanics and scope is impressive; boss battles were unimaginative and empty. Whilst it’s common knowledge in Zelda lore that Ganon’s demon form lacks book smarts, a more challenging experience would have been welcomed by most.
With the trailer focusing on a corporal Ganon that animates with malice, it would be great to see Aonuma retcon Calamity Ganon as a weakened state, with Ganon’s human form harnessing the power of malice to become the ultimate evil in Hyrule.
It would also be nice to see the Gerudo reaction to Ganon’s return. Because of Ganon’s actions, Gerudo women now have to mate with males from other faces to survive.
Revisiting Skyloft/Floating Hyrule Castle
At the end of the Breath of the Wild 2 trailer, it seems that the ground beneath Hyrule Castle crumbles with the castle rising skyward. With Skyward Sword being the origin story for the Legend of Zelda timeline, it would be poetic to see the end game of that timeline to pay homage to Skyloft.
Breath of the Wild hints at Skyloft with the Dragon Guardian portals. Is it just me, or do they look like the same portal in Skyward Sword that Link used to visit the then-unclaimed lands of Hyrule? There’s plenty of potential here, let’s hope this idea prevails in Breath of the Wild 2.
A Focus on Story
Breath of the Wild is a fun romp with the backdrop of a tragic culling of Hyrule inhabitants thanks to an unruly evil. The problem is that the fun things have already happened. Breath of the Wild lacks the pacing and structure of previous titles, in-part due to its open-world environment.
Time wasters such as Korok Seed collecting, side-quests and other filler content take away from the game’s gravitas. Instead of developing distractions, make fewer but more engaging side quests related to the overall game theme.
4: A Full Standalone Title
Breath of the Wild 2 will be re-using many of the original assets being a direct sequel. It’s hard to imagine a fully-fledged sequel that isn’t going to re-use old ideas and stick close to the status quo. Whilst Nintendo made their name taking risks, will this be more of a continuation of Breath of the Wild or a Majora’s Mask situation?
Majora’s Mask used Ocarina of Time’s assets to make a solid sequel in around 12 months. Aonuma and team have had nearly four years to create a new adventure. Let’s hope it follows the creative path of it’s predecessors.
Refined Game Mechanics
The main aim of a sequel is to improve on the original in nearly every way. I am of course talking about Breath of the Wilds rain mechanics. During rainfall, Link slips as he climbs, which can ruin gameplay flow depending on location.
Whilst it’s a realistic feature, it’s an annoying one that breaks immersion. Dulling the effects of rain or introducing a new mechanic that circumvents rainfall effects would also be a great choice.
A Return to Traditional Dungeons
A big complaint of Breath of the Wild was the dungeon gameplay. The four divine beasts provided a little challenge. The games 120+ Sheika shrines are a great twist on the Zelda formula, but they don’t make up for the challenge of a solid dungeon fans are used to.
It looks like Sheika Shrines won’t return. It’s doubtful Nintendo would want to rehash the divine beasts again, let’s hope this is a return to form. Four or five complex dungeons to collect or complete something to aid Ganon’s destruction would be grand.
The Return of Demise?
Think about it, the curse of Demise chained himself, Link and Zelda to reincarnate again and again across time to fight the same battle. Link and Zelda’s appearances and powers haven’t changed that much, but Demise/Ganon has.
Is it that far fetched to see human Ganon return, to then mutate into Demise due to finally finding how to summon the powers of the true demon king? Ganon has had millennia to think about his revenge and how he will gain control; this would be a great way to tick some boxes.
We would love to hear what you thought of our list. Which of our entries get you in a adventuring mood? Do you have hopes for BotW 2? Comment below or hit us up on social media.
