-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel announced
- Thread starter AlexFlame116
- Start date
I don't really buy that theory. The shadow on the wall doesn't show a stabbed Ganondorf but a healthy one. Also I don't think his neck snaps back in to place. He just looks over at Zelda and it makes that noise because it hasn't moved in thousands of years.
Story wise, yes. But these were completely different games and engines(and platforms for PH). Majora's Mask was an extension of OOT, using the same engine and gameplay concepts.
Exactly, never got the overused complaint ganon is actually overused. And besides who doesnt want to hear ganondorfs badass voice!?
I'm sure this has been pointed out before but it's weird the analysis videos don't mention the hand sealing Ganondorf is a right hand but the hand that saves whoever from falling is a left hand.
Edit: Oops, nevermind. I'm wrong.
Edit: Oops, nevermind. I'm wrong.
Last edited:
Is there any way to extract that screenshot of Link drawing magic into his hand?
If this Ganon is one from a previous game I think it more likely they would attach it to OOT rather than Twilight Princess.
Given BoTW's avoidance of timeline shenanigans I am betting they will not directly connect this Ganon to any previous game. Not beyond bits that people can read into possibly being links to multiple different games at least.
Seems to me that he will likely just be 'Ganon(dorf)'. End of story. If we get any details of his war as depicted on the walls it will probably not line up exactly with any prior games.
Given BoTW's avoidance of timeline shenanigans I am betting they will not directly connect this Ganon to any previous game. Not beyond bits that people can read into possibly being links to multiple different games at least.
Seems to me that he will likely just be 'Ganon(dorf)'. End of story. If we get any details of his war as depicted on the walls it will probably not line up exactly with any prior games.
If Shrines return, which I kind of hope they don't, I would hope that they totally revamp them. I don't think they worked quite as well as they hoped. They kind of felt tacked on and lacked any real satisfying rewards or progression. A big issue with the shrines is that they don't function very well with the open world design of the game, and their attempts to work within that framework only serves to water them down. While they attempt to have some progression of difficulty that is in direct conflict with the free form nature of the rest of the game and has to accommodate that fact by flattening the difficulty/complexity of the shrines.
You have simple and almost introductory shrines to certain puzzle/challenge types with then other shrines that build on and increase the community and difficulty of those puzzle/challenge types throughout. Yet the chances of you actually experiencing those shrines in that easy to hard order is very unlikely. It's pretty much impossible to play them in any kind of fix order. The odds that any two players randomly played them in the same order is probably next to impossible. As a result the overall difficulty is quite flat because they can't know which shrines you may or may not have experienced already. Every shrine has to be designed as if it's one of the first you might encounter. So even the "hard" shrines are still pretty easy and basic.
It would be nice if they just created one big Shrine dungeon or something. There's a bunch of ways to handle this. First option would be to have a lot fewer Shrines overall, remove their focus on puzzles and instead focus on discovering them within the world. Stuff like the various platform activation quests and Outset island and Shrines with environmental hazards around them. Once you get into the Shrine that's it you've completed it, but that's just the start. Then the Spirit Orb, or equivalent, you acquire upon completing them would be used as a means of unlocking areas within a central dungeon. Each section could then be a series of rooms and puzzles that build off each other and the sections that preceded them. Not just one off rooms. The Shrines would simply act as gatekeepers to the real full dungeon which would then be played in a linear fashion allowing for the devs to appropriately and substantially increase the difficulty as you progress further through it.
Another option would be that they could do it so that each shrine operates as they did in BotW but is independent of the location you found it. Basically the shrine entrance is just a portal to the next room. You will always play through the Shrine in order. So it doesn't matter which shrine you go to if it is in Hyrule Field or Death Mountain if it's your 15th shrine you'll experience the 15th Shrine Challenge. This way there would be a fixed progression they could then build up on to be more complex and challenging knowing exactly what the player has overcome prior. Problem with this approach is you'll still only have small bite sized challenges to overcome, where as full fledged central dungeon with larger sections could incorporate larger and more complex puzzles.
I'd prefer a big central dungeon that you unlock in sections rather than just a series of smaller independent rooms, but either works better than the Shrines in BotW. You could also have more substantial rewards tied to the Shrines as well since again you'd have a fixed progression that players couldn't circumvent by going to a specific shrine. At the end of a section or after X # of Shrines you could be given a more meaningful reward like actual items that could then be used in subsequent sections or rooms since they know you'll have access to the Hook Shot or what have you and not just the very basics of runes.
You have simple and almost introductory shrines to certain puzzle/challenge types with then other shrines that build on and increase the community and difficulty of those puzzle/challenge types throughout. Yet the chances of you actually experiencing those shrines in that easy to hard order is very unlikely. It's pretty much impossible to play them in any kind of fix order. The odds that any two players randomly played them in the same order is probably next to impossible. As a result the overall difficulty is quite flat because they can't know which shrines you may or may not have experienced already. Every shrine has to be designed as if it's one of the first you might encounter. So even the "hard" shrines are still pretty easy and basic.
It would be nice if they just created one big Shrine dungeon or something. There's a bunch of ways to handle this. First option would be to have a lot fewer Shrines overall, remove their focus on puzzles and instead focus on discovering them within the world. Stuff like the various platform activation quests and Outset island and Shrines with environmental hazards around them. Once you get into the Shrine that's it you've completed it, but that's just the start. Then the Spirit Orb, or equivalent, you acquire upon completing them would be used as a means of unlocking areas within a central dungeon. Each section could then be a series of rooms and puzzles that build off each other and the sections that preceded them. Not just one off rooms. The Shrines would simply act as gatekeepers to the real full dungeon which would then be played in a linear fashion allowing for the devs to appropriately and substantially increase the difficulty as you progress further through it.
Another option would be that they could do it so that each shrine operates as they did in BotW but is independent of the location you found it. Basically the shrine entrance is just a portal to the next room. You will always play through the Shrine in order. So it doesn't matter which shrine you go to if it is in Hyrule Field or Death Mountain if it's your 15th shrine you'll experience the 15th Shrine Challenge. This way there would be a fixed progression they could then build up on to be more complex and challenging knowing exactly what the player has overcome prior. Problem with this approach is you'll still only have small bite sized challenges to overcome, where as full fledged central dungeon with larger sections could incorporate larger and more complex puzzles.
I'd prefer a big central dungeon that you unlock in sections rather than just a series of smaller independent rooms, but either works better than the Shrines in BotW. You could also have more substantial rewards tied to the Shrines as well since again you'd have a fixed progression that players couldn't circumvent by going to a specific shrine. At the end of a section or after X # of Shrines you could be given a more meaningful reward like actual items that could then be used in subsequent sections or rooms since they know you'll have access to the Hook Shot or what have you and not just the very basics of runes.
Last edited:
One thing I noticed about BotW is that the idea of the Triforce seemed largely forgotten. It's been a while since I played it but I really don't remember anyone mentioning it in the game at all.
Since OoT the Triforce has been represented on the back of Link's, Zelda's and Ganon's right hands. Link's right hand is what is overcome with energy in this trailer. I think a big part of the game will have to do with some sort of reawakening of the Triforce. Maybe it's even possible that the reunion of the Triforce in that underground chamber is what revived Ganondorf?
Since OoT the Triforce has been represented on the back of Link's, Zelda's and Ganon's right hands. Link's right hand is what is overcome with energy in this trailer. I think a big part of the game will have to do with some sort of reawakening of the Triforce. Maybe it's even possible that the reunion of the Triforce in that underground chamber is what revived Ganondorf?
They wanted lots of warp points too. In the sequel, I want 120 shrines on content, but only 30 actual shrines. Basically, make them more spread out, 4 times bigger, and have a full container and "boss" at the end. Still do divine beasts too.
I like the idea of a central dungeon too. One way they could do it is with dozens/hundreds of "keys" scattered throughout the world. Basically like Stars/Shines/Moons from 3D Mario games. You have all of these keys scattered throughout the world, some easy to obtain, some you have to go through trials (like Eventide Island or the Thundra Plateau) but each one leaves a warp point where you get it, so it still serves that purpose that Shrines served. And like with the Spirit Orbs you can use the keys for various upgrades but they're also needed to unlock more rooms in this central dungeon, like Peach's Castle in Mario 64.
With Hyrule Castle/Ganon's Tower looking like a major focal point of the world I can see something like being core to the game's overall structure.
Right, it appears but it still seems like it's basically been forgotten. Nobody mentions its existence in the game (again, from what I remember). We don't even know if Zelda is fully aware of what it was that she did.
My theory is that the sequel will focus on the Triforce becoming a major plot point again. Granting Link powers with his right arm and all of that.
I would really like the Goddesses behind the Tri Force to be involved a bit more.
Yes! Bring back Din, Farore and Nayru. All this Hylia focus in SS and BotW feels like a retcon
Well it looks like Calamity Ganon was made of the malice that was seeping out of Ganondorf's body. That suggests that Ganondorf's body is what created Calamity Ganon in the first place. And the Blight Ganons.
As Zeltik said in his analysis, Ganon/dorf is no stranger to making phantom copies of himself. His hatred unchecked can do a lot over 10,000 years (or more).
Of the games I've played, it always feels like they are way in the background of the cosmology. Hylia is more prominent, although my undeserving is that she's a lesser deity.
In a game like BotW 2 you coul really use them contextualize lots of different kinds of content. My personal fanfiction desires for BotW 2 game design features them quite heavily for flavoring of content. You could make different kinds of dungeons and shrines associated with each of the three goddesses, along with rewards.
Last edited:
Yup. Their really only referenced in naming now.
Such as the regions (Eldin, Lanayru, Faron) and the dragons (Dinraal, Farosh, Naydra).
They really should play more of a role. Maybe it's morning ancient history for Link and Zelda to uncover? Ancient dungeons that used to honor them buried underground etc.
Hopefully he's super threatening, and PLEASE talk. His skeletal appearance reminds me of the Night King which inspires worry...
It would be really cool if that's what they traced the malice back to
Didn't the trailer kinda make it clear that his body was the source of the malice? I thought that was the intent from showing it seeping out of the body.
And yeah I really hope he talks, and has a compelling backstory and motivation. "Grahh evil mummy, must destroy" is boring.
But if his sealed, mummified body is able to create Calamity Ganon and basically destroy Hyrule, you can only imagine what he can do when he's fully revived. He will definitely be threatening.
You're probably right. I thought it could've also been Malice going back into him after Calamity Ganon defeat but thinking about it more that doesn't make much sense
The DLC isn't that long (except for Trial of the Sword, which can take quite some time depending on how good you are). But yes, you should.
Yup, I'd like for them to contextualize it with something new and central to this game's plot than continue with the Sheikah Shrines. We've seen and done that plenty already. The Zonai seems like the logical choice from what we've seen in the trailer. A dungeon themed around that would be great, with different biomes and such for each major section.
I really want a return of items to the game. Bring back the Hook/Claw Shot, Spinner, Iron Boots, Dominion Rod, Gust Bellows, Mogman Mitts, etc that can be used for exploration and puzzle solving and have indirect uses in combat. A central dungeon would help with this a lot I think by providing a fixed progression said items could be introduced and/or built upon that can then be used elsewhere. Including the access of further "Shrines"
Some of the "Shrines" used to unlock further sections of the central dungeon could require some of these items to access them. Many you just need to find in the world and that's it but as you say others could require a bit more thought and effort with mini puzzles like the 7 Heroines, Thundra Plateau and so on, some of which would also then require the use of items and skills acquired elsewhere in the world or from that central dungeon.
Similar soft gating could be used for other stand alone dungeons and areas within the world. Iron boots would be an amazing addition for both adding further depth, literally, to the underwater sections. Being able to swim under water again would be great, but Iron boots would further let us explore and interact with underwater areas again with things like pressure switches. Iron boots as well could be a really interesting combination with something like the paraglider. There could be puzzles and areas that have extremely powerful up-streams of wind where any use of the paraglider will rocket us to high to to safely free fall, but Iron boots would counteract that by allowing us to slowly glide down as the added weight would counteract the powerful wind.
I liked the Runes in BotW, and I'm a fan of having access to a core set of items from early on, but the lack of additional abilities/items or progression of them definitely was noticeable and would certainly be a detriment to experience that same thing again. So I really hope there's a lot more depth, advancement and quantity of said abilities/items. It's not easy to do with a totally open world, but there's definitely room for improvement and a lot of things they could do to improve it while not curtailing that freedom much, if at all.
Hmmmmm... maybe they could combine the idea of Spirit Orb upgrades with the item rental system of ALBW. Instead of Spirit Orbs (or whatever "keys" there are if we're using the above framework) granting extra stamina and hearts, they could be used to purchase items.
For example- 5 keys gets you your choice of a hookshot, flippers, or digging mitts. 10 keys lets you upgrade to dual clawshot, or iron boots, or spinner. 15 keys for hover boots, blue candle, etc. Stuff like that.
EDIT: Or to make it simpler, 5 keys for any new item. And then 5 keys for an upgrade to each item.
Since we're talking about contextualizing all of these rewards, I kinda wonder how they'll deal with hearts/stamina in this game, since it's a direct sequel. Will Link start with 3 (or was it 5 in BotW?) hearts again, even though most players wound up with way more than that?
I'd prefer straight up fixed acquisition of items through exploration with may some available through normal purchasing, never cared for the rental system. Too much busy work for no real benefit.
Hearts and Stamina though might be better served elsewhere too I think. I'd like a return of Full Heart and 1/4 or 1/6 Heart Containers, as they would make for more substantial rewards for exploration. Something similar could be created for permanent Stamina boosts as well. But I think a potential opportunity for Hearts and Stamina in general is via equipment.
The dmg system in BotW was OK, but not great. Instead of dmg reduction via armor it might be more interesting if different equipment offered up greater or lesser amounts of "permanent" Heart and Stamina boosts. A positive to this would be incentivize the upgrading and use of different outfits as well as place greater motivation for farming materials to upgrade them. While a negative could be that players would potentially feel like they're being penalized and put at a disadvantage for wearing the outfit they like the most or feeling forced to wear the "best" set, but that largely depends on how the various Heart/Stamina bonuses are handled. Plus there's always the potential for temporary boosts of Yellow Hearts/Stamina from food and potions that would allow players to offset those potential limits on their preferred outfits.
Even then we don't know what changes they've made to the outfit system, so there could be more layers and depth there than the basic 3 slots of BotW. Which could help or hurt this idea.
More and better sidequests could be useful on this front too. The rewards from said quests could be more meaningful as important upgrade materials to our equipment, as well as potential equipment or Heart/Stamina Containers themselves for really big quests. A few rupees or a meal generally was a bit of a letdown as a reward in BotW.
the thing is, most antagonists are either Ganon (Calamity Ganon should count) random monsters or Ganon wannabes
Ganondorf may return but this still Calamity Ganon 2.0 as far as we know
Ganondorf is popular but they are trying to make him this amalgamation of evil, not just a single character
I'm not sure I'd like hearts tied to equipment to that extent. Like you said, it kind of shoehorns you into choosing certain equipment without much consideration for you personal preferences. Maybe if you could upgrade equipment to have specific modifiers like extra hearts that could work.
Yeah, it depends on how it's handled. I'd prefer a mix of permanent Heart/Stamina boosts and Equipment based Hearts/Stamina. Something like you start with 3 hearts and can get 12 permanent Hearts from containers, with the remaining 15 only available via equipment. Same for Stamina, two full wheels from container rewards, last one(though maybe bump it to 4 total wheels instead of 3, so last 2) only via equipment. This way you're not completely dependent on equipment if you don't want it, but it does provide a significant benefit, especially early on.
So most of us are onboard for Underrule rather than Skyrule/Flyrule as the main area to explore? I'm assuming instead of climbing mountain ranges we'll be scaling down massive crevices. Also, they can possibly bring back that digging tribe from skyward sword and maybe add a few more unique races hopefully.
It would be cool if Ganondorf is characterised somewhat like Thanos in Infinity War. Menacing, occasionally soft-spoken and terrifying in his relentless pursuit of his goal. Voice acting will only make him even more memorable.
Time to discard the pure evil/moustache-twirling characterisation of the older 'dorf in favour of something more nuanced. That would assuage my slight disappointment that he is the villain yet again, rather than some new antagonist.
Time to discard the pure evil/moustache-twirling characterisation of the older 'dorf in favour of something more nuanced. That would assuage my slight disappointment that he is the villain yet again, rather than some new antagonist.
The rise of the Subrosians is upon us. That's why Link and Zelda are wearing hoods in the trailer, they're trying to fit in.
I don't mind it really. Calamity Ganon and Ganondorf might as well be two entirely different beings functionally. One is basically just a force of nature and the other is an actual character with motivations and desires. There's a chance that could change in BotW2 I suppose, but I'm perfectly fine with Ganondorf being the main antagonist since he hasn't technically been the villain of a Zelda game since Twilight Princess well over a decade ago.
Here's my idea on his progression could work: the player needs to find whatever it is that can bring them to where Ganon is hiding in Hyrule castle. This can be done either through finding and completing the 5-8 dungeons hidden underground in a gigantic cave area that sprawls throughout most of Hyrule, or it can be done by taking on all the remaining dungeon bosses one after the other to gain direct access. This gives a complete non-linearity to the game while also allowing for full dungeons. The dungeons themselves are themed and give upgrades to the Shiekah slate/arm that are similar to classic Zelda items (hookshot, spinner, iron boots, etc.). These items are used in different dungeons for the main way to complete them, but the dungeons can be completed without any of these, albeit in a much more difficult and hidden way.
The world itself will stay completely open, but the dungeon items you get may help you to explore some areas better or even reach some previously unreachable areas (underwater, etc.). This gives the player an incentive to explore, find, and defeat the dungeons, but keeps them as optional so that whatever the player decides to do, it's their choice.
The world itself will stay completely open, but the dungeon items you get may help you to explore some areas better or even reach some previously unreachable areas (underwater, etc.). This gives the player an incentive to explore, find, and defeat the dungeons, but keeps them as optional so that whatever the player decides to do, it's their choice.
Here's how you do it:
- You can do the dungeons in any order
- Your starting tools will get you through the first half of each dungeon
- Each dungeon contains a unique item that gets you through the second half
- The unique item in one dungeon is NOT used in other dungeons
- However, each unique item gets extra optional use in the overworld
BAM
- You can do the dungeons in any order
- Your starting tools will get you through the first half of each dungeon
- Each dungeon contains a unique item that gets you through the second half
- The unique item in one dungeon is NOT used in other dungeons
- However, each unique item gets extra optional use in the overworld
BAM
I mean they kind of already went that route in Wind Waker. It'd be cool if it continued here
I liked the idea from earlier in the thread where the hero that defeated The Calamity 10,000 years ago wasn't Link, but it was Ganondorf, tired of being the villain. But then after defeating The Calamity (aka his evil side I guess) he was betrayed by the Sheikah or Gerudo or whomever and imprisoned under Hyrule Castle, and during that time his hatred and malice seeped out and recreated the Calamaity Ganon.