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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel Development Thread- News, Updates, and Speculation
- Thread starter WestEgg
- Start date
- Status
E3 2021 Trailer
I'm not certain they did. We might have seen two different characters.
Edit: or not given the shirtless character in the trailer thumbnail.
Nah, man. She's gone. In addition to the shirtlessness, that character's hair is too long.
Funny--after all that speculation, it turned out that Zelda's new hair style actually de-confirms her, according to this trailer.
Zelda seemingly being absorbed by an evil void once again is so thoroughly disappointing to me. BoTW might have revolutionized the gameplay loop of the series but the tropes of the actual narrative and character relationships are waaaay past their expiration date. Just my initial read on it anyway, I hope I'm wrong on that.
The latest trailer seems to confirms my suspicions; Zelda will explore the underground, while Link will explore the above ground.
Nice show-off of a new shield and a new ability. Judging by the different weapons and shields seen in the trailer, the breakable weapon system is still in; good.
Looks like they're still keeping the story cards close to their chest.
Nice show-off of a new shield and a new ability. Judging by the different weapons and shields seen in the trailer, the breakable weapon system is still in; good.
Looks like they're still keeping the story cards close to their chest.
Looks fucking STUNNING.
Also, that trailer cemented for me that there is definitely a reason they have been stressing how important Skyward Sword is to the Zelda story. There will be connected lore.
Also, that trailer cemented for me that there is definitely a reason they have been stressing how important Skyward Sword is to the Zelda story. There will be connected lore.
I think it's way too early to make any assumptions about Zelda's role in the game. They're very deliberate with what they choose to show or not, and I think they want to keep any hints locked away until the full reveal.
I have faith in the team to listen to pertinent and useful feedback and avoid fridging the female character for a second time in 2022
Seems like Shiekah slate is actually gone, arm has new runes. Stasis was replaced with time reverse/alter rune.
Haven't seen any underwater gameplay. :(
They aren't showing Link's face, and didn't show him holding any weapons in his right hand. Maybe his weird hand augments weapons somehow that they don't want to show yet?
They aren't showing Link's face, and didn't show him holding any weapons in his right hand. Maybe his weird hand augments weapons somehow that they don't want to show yet?
If there is a time travel mechanic, I hope the storyline basis for it isn't that we have to go back in the past to prevent Zelda from falling into the pit, but knowing Nintendo that will likely be it.
On the other hand, the idea that the mummy is actually a past version of Link is extremely cool, but it doesn't seem like it's in Nintendo's wheelhouse to do something like that.
EDIT: Actually, I meant to post this in another thread. I'm so confused, lol.
On the other hand, the idea that the mummy is actually a past version of Link is extremely cool, but it doesn't seem like it's in Nintendo's wheelhouse to do something like that.
EDIT: Actually, I meant to post this in another thread. I'm so confused, lol.
I have the feeling the island structures (atleast some of them) could be the equivalent to the shrines. Because in the first scenes we dont see any land underneath the floating islands, so i assume its not above the BotW map at that point.
Maybe me teleport to them at some points.
Just in the some of the last scenes we see ground below the islands. Thats why i assume there are two types of sky
Maybe me teleport to them at some points.
Just in the some of the last scenes we see ground below the islands. Thats why i assume there are two types of sky
The possibilities I'm thinking are behind this are either a before/after situation, the scenes with blue shirt link take place before Hyrule castle blasts off raising large chunks of the land across the map into the sky.
Or traveling between 2 world maps, one that is normal Hyrule from botw, and one with the sky islands.
I have to assume the Hyrule Castle thing happens very, very early in the game, like how the Towers rose up from the ground right at the beginning of BotW.
Cool catch on links flamethrower.
Also, Wow. It wasnt until seeing those screens of botw1 again that I realized how much higher poly botw2's environment geometry is.
Okay, well, I posted this in the other thread, but since this is the actual BotW Sequel Development thread, I guess I'll post it here, too.
Having let it marinate in my mind for a while, I'll say now that the most disappointing thing about this trailer is what it did with Zelda herself. At the same time, I completely expected that (and I was warning others to expect that, too), and I'm at least glad that Nintendo got it out of the way that we won't be playing as her in BotW 2 (and I suspect they cut the trailer this way for the specific purpose of getting that out of the way). And I do think there is still a possibility that Zelda will have at least some kind of role in the game. I'm basing this off the Skyward Sword E3 2011 trailer, which featured the clip of Zelda getting swallowed by the Imprisoned. That scene does happen in the game, but the way the trailer showed it was misleading. I'm hoping that something like that is happening here, and Zelda getting sucked into the void is ultimately misleading us to think she'll spend the whole game damsel'd when she actually doesn't. She won't be playable and no one should be expecting that, but I'd say there's still a 50% chance she'll get to do... something, at least.
I've leaving it at 50% because I just don't know how to read Nintendo on this. Nintendo seems to have at least a general awareness that fans like Zelda as a character and want to see more of her, as evidenced by the spin-offs such as Smash Bros., Hyrule Warriors, and Cadence of Hyrule. Heck, right before this trailer debuted, they showed her revving up on the Master Cycle in the AoC DLC. Someone at Nintendo does seem to be aware of fans' desire to see more of her. At the same time, the actual LoZ team seems to be consider it to be an essential part of the LoZ experience for her to be gone for practically the whole game. Forget about having her be playable; I'm talking about just having her around, period, as an NPC that we can talk to and interact with. Nintendo seems to believe that Zelda must be kept away from the player as much as possible for it to be a "true" LoZ game. So I really don't know what to expect.
The mummy guy intrigues me, especially with the possibility that it's not straight-up Ganondorf and may be connected with the hero from 10,000 years ago. I honestly don't believe Nintendo will do anything like that, because it speaks to a level of emphasis on the storytelling that I don't see Nintendo ever committing to, especially with the possibility that it had been planned this way from the start due to the red hair on the hero in the tapestry. But if they are doing something like that, it'd be really wild. And it would be a pretty solid reassurance that Zelda's role is going to be more in-depth than simply getting stuck in a hole the whole damn game. But this is definitely getting into "I'll believe it when I see it" territory.
The other thing is that they showed this game waaaaay too early. If you combine the 2019 footage with this footage and then make that combined trailer our first look at the game (whether this year or last year, in a non-COVID world), I think it would have been a lot better. They simply showed the game too soon. This also had the negative consequence of setting people's expectations for a relatively quick turnaround, which obviously is not and will not be the case.
Having let it marinate in my mind for a while, I'll say now that the most disappointing thing about this trailer is what it did with Zelda herself. At the same time, I completely expected that (and I was warning others to expect that, too), and I'm at least glad that Nintendo got it out of the way that we won't be playing as her in BotW 2 (and I suspect they cut the trailer this way for the specific purpose of getting that out of the way). And I do think there is still a possibility that Zelda will have at least some kind of role in the game. I'm basing this off the Skyward Sword E3 2011 trailer, which featured the clip of Zelda getting swallowed by the Imprisoned. That scene does happen in the game, but the way the trailer showed it was misleading. I'm hoping that something like that is happening here, and Zelda getting sucked into the void is ultimately misleading us to think she'll spend the whole game damsel'd when she actually doesn't. She won't be playable and no one should be expecting that, but I'd say there's still a 50% chance she'll get to do... something, at least.
I've leaving it at 50% because I just don't know how to read Nintendo on this. Nintendo seems to have at least a general awareness that fans like Zelda as a character and want to see more of her, as evidenced by the spin-offs such as Smash Bros., Hyrule Warriors, and Cadence of Hyrule. Heck, right before this trailer debuted, they showed her revving up on the Master Cycle in the AoC DLC. Someone at Nintendo does seem to be aware of fans' desire to see more of her. At the same time, the actual LoZ team seems to be consider it to be an essential part of the LoZ experience for her to be gone for practically the whole game. Forget about having her be playable; I'm talking about just having her around, period, as an NPC that we can talk to and interact with. Nintendo seems to believe that Zelda must be kept away from the player as much as possible for it to be a "true" LoZ game. So I really don't know what to expect.
The mummy guy intrigues me, especially with the possibility that it's not straight-up Ganondorf and may be connected with the hero from 10,000 years ago. I honestly don't believe Nintendo will do anything like that, because it speaks to a level of emphasis on the storytelling that I don't see Nintendo ever committing to, especially with the possibility that it had been planned this way from the start due to the red hair on the hero in the tapestry. But if they are doing something like that, it'd be really wild. And it would be a pretty solid reassurance that Zelda's role is going to be more in-depth than simply getting stuck in a hole the whole damn game. But this is definitely getting into "I'll believe it when I see it" territory.
The other thing is that they showed this game waaaaay too early. If you combine the 2019 footage with this footage and then make that combined trailer our first look at the game (whether this year or last year, in a non-COVID world), I think it would have been a lot better. They simply showed the game too soon. This also had the negative consequence of setting people's expectations for a relatively quick turnaround, which obviously is not and will not be the case.
I think that creature is designed after a dragon. It also has a broom on its chest. So i assume maybe this is our flying companion which we use to fly from one island to another.
After thinking about this game for a while this morning, I've become 1000% convinced that Zelda is playable and will be exploring the underground caverns. It simply makes sense.
Firstly, we now know that BotW2 is set in the same landmass as BotW1. There will presumably be lots and lots of changes, but the main topology will be the same. Now there's lots of reasons Nintendo could have decided this was the way to go, but obviously in a sequel you also have to add new terrain to explore. So if you're reusing the same map and have to add new places to explore, what are the two most obvious options you have? Well, they are:
1) Add floating stuff in the sky
2) Add caverns underneath
And if anything 2) is more obvious than 1). The notion that Nintendo thought of 1) but didn't think of 2) is silly. Hell, the original trailer is entirely about exploring a cavern underneath the castle. "But Zelda falls into a pit in the trailer!", you say. Yes, but what do you think happens next? She dies?? They didn't show her getting captured or frozen inside a crystal, they showed her getting separated from Link. The red aura under the castle presumably blocks Link from going after her. This cleanly separates the two characters, which also makes sense from a game design perspective.
There's also the Nintendo guy today saying the title hasn't been revealed yet because it could spoil the game. Now, what could that mean? "Twilight princess" doesn't spoil the game. "Wind waker", "Breath of the Wild", "Ocarina of Time", "Skyward sword"... All of those are at best vague hints at what happens in the game, nothing that could be considered a spoiler. But if the title of BotW2 hints at two characters being playable, that would be a spoiler at this point since it's not yet revealed.
Also this is not very strong evidence, but imo at this point BotW2 is severely lacking a "hook", or like an elevator pitch. It's BotW1 with new tools and some floating islands? That's it? That's just because the hook hasn't been revealed yet.
Firstly, we now know that BotW2 is set in the same landmass as BotW1. There will presumably be lots and lots of changes, but the main topology will be the same. Now there's lots of reasons Nintendo could have decided this was the way to go, but obviously in a sequel you also have to add new terrain to explore. So if you're reusing the same map and have to add new places to explore, what are the two most obvious options you have? Well, they are:
1) Add floating stuff in the sky
2) Add caverns underneath
And if anything 2) is more obvious than 1). The notion that Nintendo thought of 1) but didn't think of 2) is silly. Hell, the original trailer is entirely about exploring a cavern underneath the castle. "But Zelda falls into a pit in the trailer!", you say. Yes, but what do you think happens next? She dies?? They didn't show her getting captured or frozen inside a crystal, they showed her getting separated from Link. The red aura under the castle presumably blocks Link from going after her. This cleanly separates the two characters, which also makes sense from a game design perspective.
There's also the Nintendo guy today saying the title hasn't been revealed yet because it could spoil the game. Now, what could that mean? "Twilight princess" doesn't spoil the game. "Wind waker", "Breath of the Wild", "Ocarina of Time", "Skyward sword"... All of those are at best vague hints at what happens in the game, nothing that could be considered a spoiler. But if the title of BotW2 hints at two characters being playable, that would be a spoiler at this point since it's not yet revealed.
Also this is not very strong evidence, but imo at this point BotW2 is severely lacking a "hook", or like an elevator pitch. It's BotW1 with new tools and some floating islands? That's it? That's just because the hook hasn't been revealed yet.
I like your reasoning. Someone over in the Trailer thread said that we are in the same stage now as during the Twilight Princess first reveal, in which there was no notion of Wolf Link, Twilight Realm or Midna.
I get the feeling they'll save the "hook" (and thus title) for when they've got their release date locked down. With the first teaser being entirely about caverns, and this second one about the sky, I don't have much doubt that we'll have 3 "overworlds" to explore. How connected they are, and if Zelda will play an active role, remains to be seen.
By the way, I'm not entirely convinced of the re-exploring of Hyrule. They even brought back the same enemies I've been fighting for 1000 hours now :P . Let's hope the "twist" pertains to the way we'll interact with Hyrule as well.
Theory -
Malice corrupts Link's hand when he accidentally releases Ganondorf.
This means that he can no longer wield the Master Sword.
The Spectral Hand that sealed Ganondorf thousands of years ago is freed. This spirit becomes a companion to Link but doesn't merge with him straight away as we saw in E3 2019 trailer.
The hand agrees to aid Link on his journey. Link's hand is corrupted with Malice and the spirit fuses with Link to seal the corruption in his right hand to stop/delay it from spreading.
The Spectral Hand contains the Malice within the gold symbols/jewellery on Link's right hand. This gives Link new powers but he still can't wield the Master Sword as there is still an ancient evil embedded in his arm.
Link then must go on a journey to the skies, guided by the Hand Companion - where they visit sacred sites of a lost civilisation to revive the Hand's power and to eventually free Link of the corruption that is spreading from his arm to other parts of his body.
Link's new ancient outfit is a result of the first ceremony in the sky - we do not see an ancient hero.
As Ganondorf's power grows on the surface, the corruption in Link's arm is strengthened and spreads to his face and chest, disfiguring him and causing an internal struggle.
When the Malice is eventually cleansed, he can once more hold the Master sword - but the spirit will remain merged with his arm.
Zelda falls into the underworld at the beginning. From there, she embarks on a series of underground challenges which releases further islands into the sky - changing the landscape of Hyrule and expanding the scope of Link's journey in the skies.
Malice corrupts Link's hand when he accidentally releases Ganondorf.
This means that he can no longer wield the Master Sword.
The Spectral Hand that sealed Ganondorf thousands of years ago is freed. This spirit becomes a companion to Link but doesn't merge with him straight away as we saw in E3 2019 trailer.
The hand agrees to aid Link on his journey. Link's hand is corrupted with Malice and the spirit fuses with Link to seal the corruption in his right hand to stop/delay it from spreading.
The Spectral Hand contains the Malice within the gold symbols/jewellery on Link's right hand. This gives Link new powers but he still can't wield the Master Sword as there is still an ancient evil embedded in his arm.
Link then must go on a journey to the skies, guided by the Hand Companion - where they visit sacred sites of a lost civilisation to revive the Hand's power and to eventually free Link of the corruption that is spreading from his arm to other parts of his body.
Link's new ancient outfit is a result of the first ceremony in the sky - we do not see an ancient hero.
As Ganondorf's power grows on the surface, the corruption in Link's arm is strengthened and spreads to his face and chest, disfiguring him and causing an internal struggle.
When the Malice is eventually cleansed, he can once more hold the Master sword - but the spirit will remain merged with his arm.
Zelda falls into the underworld at the beginning. From there, she embarks on a series of underground challenges which releases further islands into the sky - changing the landscape of Hyrule and expanding the scope of Link's journey in the skies.
Link and Zelda look to destroy the Ganon curse by destroying the corpse of Ganon found under Hyrule Castle.
This triggers the reawakening of the Demise who seeks to send humans back to the skies above by reversing past events.
BotW Link (Land) and the original Link from SS (Skies) must work together in the present and past to ensure that their prior work to stop Ganon/Demise cannot be undone.
This triggers the reawakening of the Demise who seeks to send humans back to the skies above by reversing past events.
BotW Link (Land) and the original Link from SS (Skies) must work together in the present and past to ensure that their prior work to stop Ganon/Demise cannot be undone.
OP
OP
Anyone else get the feeling the game could end with Link loosing his arm after the story is over? It would make for a very bittersweet ending as he would lose his defining characteristic of being an unstoppable warrior. Zelda games tend to leave off with the implication that Link continues on with his adventures in some capacity, but if they did the opposite and ended with Link being forced to give up the heroic life and adjust to one as a civilian (albeit one with high favor from the reigning monarch), that could be very memorable.
Highly doubt Nintendo would leave Link in such a position at the end of a game. He'll either end it with the arm a permanent feature, or (more likely I think) it will leave him and his regular arm will be restored.
The main issue I have with ideas about Zelda being in the underground while link explores the sky is that I have trouble picturing how the switching back and forth would work, and such a restriction seems against the openness of BotW. If Zelda is playable and underground it couldn't be a restriction beyond essentially a tutorial area like the great plateau.
After people pointing out the symbols on the serpent/dragon stone creature in the sky I think it is likely friendly. The green energy it seems fueled by has not had any indication of being hostile yet.
If they are going with a skyward sword above the clouds world I hope they learnt from skyward sword and make the sky feel full and rewarding to explore.
My small-time wish for the game is for Ganon to be at different states of regeneration depending on when you go after him. Assuming they allow you to go straight for him again shortly after the beginning.
OP
OP
If Link were a persistent character like Mario or Samus, I would agree, and I'm not saying this will happen. But at the same time, I think something like this could happen to finish out the story of this particular Link. Things like this always seem impossible until they happen.
Had to pre-order Skyward Sword from Japan to get the amiibo as well as a nice little fold out poster and am curious if it'll have English options from Japanese.
It depends, If they want to make a Breath of the Wild 3 then I don't see him losing his arm, I see a BOTW3 being more of a leaving Hyrule and exploring the world type of game if BOTW2 is there end of this Link's adventure then yes I can see him losing his arm. Heck, it was said that the Hero Shade from TP is the Hero of Time and that was said that he got lost after Majora's Mask and died (I would love a sequel to Majora's Mask).
All I want for BOTW 2 are a return to classic style dungeons and awesome bosses. The Zelda formula would be perfect if they just did that.
OP
OP
The Hero's Shade is proof that Link made it back to Hyrule, which is one of the reason the "Link is dead in Majora's Mask" theories bug me. He's a direct blood ancestor of TP Link per his final bit of dialogue and is heavily implied to be the one buried under the tree in Hyrule Castle. He's also an indication that Link doesn't necessarily always get a happy ending, as despite being likely the most iconic iteration of Link, he died with regrets strong enough to keep him from passing on properly. But I do agree that they'll keep Link intact in this new game if there are potential plans to keep this particular Link's series going.
this is an old game, there's no reason to doubt it'll be a global sku, like most games are anyway.
I was really hoping to find out if this was happening or not at E3. Another potential year of not knowing is agony.
All right, time to see how I did! (NOTE: The "2019 ME" paragraphs were written in 2019--specifically, in post #310 of this thread--with minor updates I wrote last week. The "2021 ME" paragraphs were written just now, with the new teaser taken into context).
2021 ME: Puzzle-solving is going to be more important than exploration this time around. Nintendo loooooves its Puzzelda, and we're going to see that comeback big-time in this game. I think they're going to try to resurrect their "the whole world is a puzzle!" scheme that failed with Skyward Sword. I'm leery of this, but maybe they'll pull it off this time. We'll see.
2019 ME: The Shrines are definitely going to be gone. I'm not sure what explanation, if any, Nintendo will provide for their absence. It probably doesn't matter.
2019 ME: Everyone expects Link's glowing arm powers will replace the Slate functions. This is pretty much a guarantee, but I would go a step farther: I think Link's arm powers might replace the weapon inventory system, too. I think there's a chance Link's arm could "turn into" the various weapons/tools that he needs. This would eliminate the weapon durability system and altogether remove one of the most divisive aspects of the first game. And while I'm at it, there's no chance Link keeps the Master Sword after that opening area (which is probably what is depicted in the trailer). Most likely he'll drop it during the earthquake and won't get it back till near the end of the game, if at all.
2019 ME: As the first BotW attempted to recreate the original LoZ's Overworld, I think the second BotW will attempt to recreate LoZ's Underworld. I think the focus this time will be on exploring underground mazes, tunnels, chambers, and ruins. With a 10,000 timeline to mess around with, there's plenty of opportunity here for Nintendo to say, "Hey, the original Hyrule still exists, just buried deep underground." The purpose of the Overworld this time around will be to find the entrances to the Underworld, just like in the original LoZ. And just like in that game, where all the labyrinths actually existed side-by-side on the same map, all the underground areas will ultimately be connected, even though it obviously won't be a wide-open space like the Overworld. You wouldn't be able to get to all the various areas of the Underworld without finding the different entrances on the Overworld, but eventually you'll open up enough routes and be able to explore the entire Underworld as a single, unified area. UPDATE: I would still like to be right on this, but I've had a new idea about the direction Nintendo might take the game, one that seems more distinctly Nintendo-like; see below.
2019 ME: For example, while traveling through a part of the Underworld, you might be able to see an area that you can't reach from where you are. But by studying the terrain and your map, you might be able to get a good idea where the Overworld entrance to that part of the Underworld must be. So you go back to the Overworld, search around, and ah, ha! You find the Underworld entrance, just as you thought you would. Once down there, you can lower a rope bridge or something to connect those two parts of the Underworld and travel freely back and forth between them, without having to go back up to the Overworld.
2019 ME: This time around, instead of gathering a bunch of Link's memories, we could be gathering information about Ganon's past. Maybe the reason why Link (and hopefully Zelda with him) is going around all these underground ruins is because the original Hyrule is buried down there, and there are clues that will be necessary to help us figure out how to defeat Ganon once and for all. As part of this, when we find a "memory" (or an ancient tome, or whatever form or container these might take), we'll see a cutscene, like in the first game--but of events from Ganon's life, not Link's. These events could be things that actually happened in previous Zelda games, rendered and voice-acted with the BotW engine. I think that'd be super-cool.
2019 ME: All of this comes together in a game that would lean in to players' desire to know more about Hyrule's history. Nintendo could actually make a game that's all about uncovering Hyrule's ancient secrets. This would combine Nintendo's gameplay-first focus with the fans' interest in Hyrule's mythos and lore. These two things could actually combine into one in BotW 2. Let's hope Nintendo sees the value in doing something like that. This would be the perfect time to do something like this, as this game is a direct sequel to an existing game (which itself was a palette-cleanser that wiped the slate clean of timeline shenanigans by relegating every other Zelda game to 10,000 years in the past), and its appeal will be to those who have already played the first game. Plus, being a sequel, the audience for the game would be people who already own a Switch and BotW, so this game wouldn't have to deal with the pressure of being a system-seller the way the first game did. Just like MM did after OoT, there's a chance for this game to go much more in-depth with exotic, esoteric topics than what we saw previously. And again, Aonuma himself said this game grew out of ideas from the first game's DLC. If anyone here has read the Creating a Champions book (the Dark Horse book released last year about BotW's development), you know there is a lot of stuff they could still do with this world. If we're ever going to get a Zelda game like this, now would be the time. UPDATE: No chance Nintendo does this.
2019 ME: Hopefully, all the ruins of Hyrule will have been rebuilt, or there'll be a sidequest system, similar to the Tarrey Town sidequest in the first game, that lets us rebuild them as the game goes on. Every time I play BotW, my heart aches whenever I pass one of those ruins. I would love to be able to see a fully-functioning Hyrule in all its glory. UPDATE: I have a different thought on how Nintendo might let us see a fully functioning Hyrule now.
2019 ME: Let's hope the game doesn't get delayed long enough to tempt Nintendo into putting it on the Switch 2. We haven't had a hassle-free, worry-free, delay-free console Zelda game release in literally decades. It'd be nice to get a Zelda game to come out during the middle of a Nintendo console's life cycle, like they used to, rather than at the very end, like they have for the last dozen years now. UPDATE: Ha ha, how innocent I was.
2019 ME: On that note, I hope Nintendo has a better and more viable plan for post-release DLC this time. I'd be completely in favor of getting 2 Seasons Pass worth of DLC, rather than just 1. That would carry us through the rest of the Switch's life cycle and give Nintendo time to work on the first post-Switch 3D Zelda game, which would be free to reinvent the wheel in a way this game won't."
2019 ME: First of all, I don't expect BotW 2 to radically reinvent the wheel compared to BotW. This is a sequel that grew out of leftover ideas from the first game's DLC. It's gonna use the same artstyle, the same control scheme, and the same physics engine, with at most some minor improvements and modifications. I think people expecting BotW to take place in a totally new world are missing the point. BotW 2 won't be attempting to deliver the same experience BotW did; it'll be doing something new within the BotW framework. So I expect that it will take place in BotW's Hyrule, but with modifications. UPDATE: I am expecting more out of BotW 2 now than I did then; see below.
2021 ME: Definitely uses the same artstyle, most likely uses the same control scheme, almost certainly uses the same physics engine, and at this point we don't know how far the improvements and modifications go. It's also definitely taking place in the same Hyrule and might actually have fewer changes to the original map than I'd expected (it seems like the floating landmasses are coming from somewhere else and are not tearing up the terrain below). This is both something I expected and something I didn't expect at the same time. Classic Nintendo.
2019 ME: I don't think exploration is going to be the big focus this time around. Nintendo has a long-standing bias against doing the same things over and over. Just a couple of months ago they mentioned delivering new experiences with BotW 2. So I don't think we should go into it expecting to get the same thing out of BotW 2 that we did in BotW 1. The world will still be there, and we'll probably still be able to run around in it similar to how we did before, but I believe Nintendo is going to design much tighter, more purposeful objectives for the player than before. Whatever focus exploration plays in BotW 2 will probably be centered on uncovering differences between the map as it appears in the sequel compared to the first game. UPDATE: I have a new take on this; see below.
2021 ME: Puzzle-solving is going to be more important than exploration this time around. Nintendo loooooves its Puzzelda, and we're going to see that comeback big-time in this game. I think they're going to try to resurrect their "the whole world is a puzzle!" scheme that failed with Skyward Sword. I'm leery of this, but maybe they'll pull it off this time. We'll see.
2019 ME: The Shrines are definitely going to be gone. I'm not sure what explanation, if any, Nintendo will provide for their absence. It probably doesn't matter.
2021 ME: Yep.
2019 ME: Similarly, the Sheikah Slate will be gone. It's not in the trailer, which it should be if Link or Zelda (most likely Zelda) still has it. The Slate was designed to be a Wii U Gamepad. Nintendo's not gonna want the reminder of that albatross staring it in the face every day. UDPATE: I still think Link won't be using the Slate. However, I would add the caveat that if Zelda is playable for certain segments of the game, she most likely will use the Slate. AoC has demonstrated that Nintendo is not as psychologically scarred at seeing the Slate as I figured they might be.
2021 ME: Slate's history. We'll never see it again. I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't even get mentioned.
2019 ME: Everyone expects Link's glowing arm powers will replace the Slate functions. This is pretty much a guarantee, but I would go a step farther: I think Link's arm powers might replace the weapon inventory system, too. I think there's a chance Link's arm could "turn into" the various weapons/tools that he needs. This would eliminate the weapon durability system and altogether remove one of the most divisive aspects of the first game. And while I'm at it, there's no chance Link keeps the Master Sword after that opening area (which is probably what is depicted in the trailer). Most likely he'll drop it during the earthquake and won't get it back till near the end of the game, if at all.
2021 ME: Slate powers are in the arm now, obviously. Looks like picking up weapons from defeated enemies is still in the game. This is actually a bummer because it's one of the gameplay systems I hoped Nintendo would completely overhaul. Guess not.
2019 ME: Removing weapon durability would also free up the designers to create more enemy types, which hopefully is at least somewhat of a priority for Nintendo this time around.
2021 ME: Verdict is still very much out on this one.
2019 ME: Everyone talks about the first game lacking "proper" dungeons, but what it was really lacking was more areas like Hyrule Castle. The simplest way to illustrate this is to take the maze island in the northeast corner of the map as en example. All Nintendo had to do to make that maze a truly unique, frightening area was put a roof on it. Simply cutting off the player's access to the sky instantly makes that maze a hundred times more intimidating. They could do more, of course, like putting unique enemies in there, or keeping it always dark (like they did in that one forest), but a roof alone would make a huge difference. Or how about the Forgotten Temple--instead of being simply a big area with a bunch of Guardians in it, why couldn't it have been its own little mini-dungeon? They could have put a pyramid in the desert somewhere. Think about the hidden Shrine in the northwest mountains, in the same cave with the Leviathan bones--that could have been an elaborate network of tunnels and corridors. The Zonai Ruins could've been an abandoned ancient temple complex. Nintendo missed a lot of opportunities to do stuff like that in BotW. Let's hope they seize the opportunity this time around. UPDATE: Still hoping for this.
2021 ME: My guess is that Nintendo will attempt to resurrect its failed "the whole world is a puzzle" idea from Skyward Sword. There probably won't be designated "dungeon" areas as much as the whole world will be a series of puzzles to figure out how to get around in the sky/underground.
2019 ME: I really don't see Zelda being playable in this, at least not as a stand-in for Link. She doesn't seem to have the Slate anymore, and I don't see any reason to expect her to get the same kind of arm powers Link does. Plus, during the trailer there's a brief clip of Link helping her up a ledge, indicating she can't climb it herself. If Zelda can't climb, she'd be almost useless as a PC in a Breath of the Wild game. She's also shown as the one riding the mount (riding side-saddle, no less--a classic pose for princesses), while Link goes on in front, and she's the one who turns around and gasps when Ganon starts to revive. Aonuma's answer to the question of Zelda being playable indicated sheer surprise on his part why anybody even wanted that. I don't think Aonuma "gets" why some people are so hung up over this. Best-case scenario is that Zelda accompanies Link throughout the game as a companion, possibly using that huge mount as a disembark station or something. Maaaaaybe she might be used in a 2-Player co-op thing, but I suspect that even if the game does have co-op, it'll be of the Mario variety where the second player controls a cursor, or something (remember, every multiplayer Zelda game to date has had the multiple players simply play different colored versions of Link). I think a Wolf Link-type situation is the best we can hope for here. I don't think it'll be a situation where we switch between them during gameplay, because that would be extremely disorienting in a game the size of BotW. Plus, them having separate abilities and needing to work together to get through areas would create a situation where both characters would have to be basically tethered together pretty much at all times, which would be super-annoying. If she's going to be playable, it'll be in a Wind Waker-type set-up where we briefly switch off from Link to use Zelda to solve a specific puzzle, or something (I actually thought they would do this with Zelda while I was playing WW and was super-bummed it didn't turn out that way). Seeing as how Nintendo has never really gone back to that gimmick, it seems to be one they don't think highly of, so I'm not too excited about those prospects, either. Last but not least is the voice acting issue. It would be extremely weird for the player character in a Zelda game to suddenly talk. I'm convinced Nintendo will never give Link a proper voice, and this Zelda already has one. Switching the roles now would be very weird, probably too weird for Nintendo to consider it (and I don't believe Nintendo has ever seriously considered, or even just considered, period, making Zelda playable in an actual Zelda game... and I don't think they're going to start doing that now).
2021 ME: No way is Zelda playable in this game.
2019 ME: That being said, I would like very much for Zelda to have an expanded role in the game, and her prominence in the trailer would seem to indicate that. There's usually a direct connection between how prominently Zelda features in a Zelda game and how far in advance of the game's release Nintendo starts releasing images of her--the less she appears in a game, the more likely we won't see her until close to the game's release. The fact that she was all over the trailer would seem to indicate that she will be in this game a lot, but this is mitigated by the fact that the entire trailer likely takes place in the first hour of the game. Her having her hair cut probably means that she's an in-game asset this time around, rather than being strictly relegated to cutscenes, as she was in BotW. So we should expect to get to interact with her, at least for a little while. Still, even after saying all that...
… my gut feeling tells me that Zelda will likely be captured as soon as the cutscene depicted in the trailer ends, and Link will have to spend the whole game getting back to her. I don't want this to happen, but all my instincts are screaming at me that this is probably what Nintendo will do. Nintendo has never seen the value in Zelda as a character and has never seemed to understand why players want to see more of her. They seem to consider spin-offs like Smash Bros., Hyrule Warriors, and Cadence of Hyrule as being sufficient to satisfy players' desires on this. So until proven otherwise, this is what I will expect. This is one area where I hope I'm wrong, however.
2021 ME: "So until proven otherwise, this is what I will expect." Nothing has happened to change my mind on this.
2019 ME: As for me, I would like to see Zelda fill a role like that of Evelyn Carnahan in the movie The Mummy. I think it would be so cool if Nintendo could somehow create an experience of going down into spooky caves and ancient ruins and uncovering evidence of the ancient past, with Link being the "doer" and Zelda being the "thinker." Zelda actually being around and doing things and helping out Link and interacting with him is one of the other experiences I've always wanted out of a Zelda but have never gotten. The spin-offs have come close, but nothing would compare to getting to do this in an actual, proper Legend of Zelda game.
2021 ME: Still waiting for that experience. Sigh....
2019 ME: As the first BotW attempted to recreate the original LoZ's Overworld, I think the second BotW will attempt to recreate LoZ's Underworld. I think the focus this time will be on exploring underground mazes, tunnels, chambers, and ruins. With a 10,000 timeline to mess around with, there's plenty of opportunity here for Nintendo to say, "Hey, the original Hyrule still exists, just buried deep underground." The purpose of the Overworld this time around will be to find the entrances to the Underworld, just like in the original LoZ. And just like in that game, where all the labyrinths actually existed side-by-side on the same map, all the underground areas will ultimately be connected, even though it obviously won't be a wide-open space like the Overworld. You wouldn't be able to get to all the various areas of the Underworld without finding the different entrances on the Overworld, but eventually you'll open up enough routes and be able to explore the entire Underworld as a single, unified area. UPDATE: I would still like to be right on this, but I've had a new idea about the direction Nintendo might take the game, one that seems more distinctly Nintendo-like; see below.
2021 ME: Who knows.
2019 ME: For example, while traveling through a part of the Underworld, you might be able to see an area that you can't reach from where you are. But by studying the terrain and your map, you might be able to get a good idea where the Overworld entrance to that part of the Underworld must be. So you go back to the Overworld, search around, and ah, ha! You find the Underworld entrance, just as you thought you would. Once down there, you can lower a rope bridge or something to connect those two parts of the Underworld and travel freely back and forth between them, without having to go back up to the Overworld.
2021: I was probably on the right track, but in the wrong direction. Instead of thinking of Overworld-Underworld, it seems that Nintendo wants to do Sky-Overworld. I wonder if this just a hang-up with Aonuma because Skyward Sword was so terrible and he wants a re-do.
2019 ME: This time around, instead of gathering a bunch of Link's memories, we could be gathering information about Ganon's past. Maybe the reason why Link (and hopefully Zelda with him) is going around all these underground ruins is because the original Hyrule is buried down there, and there are clues that will be necessary to help us figure out how to defeat Ganon once and for all. As part of this, when we find a "memory" (or an ancient tome, or whatever form or container these might take), we'll see a cutscene, like in the first game--but of events from Ganon's life, not Link's. These events could be things that actually happened in previous Zelda games, rendered and voice-acted with the BotW engine. I think that'd be super-cool.
2021 ME: Although this is still probably too much to expect, I actually think something like this probably will happen in BotW 2. There's definitely some kind of time-element involved, and that Mummy is definitely ancient and we're definitely going to have to figure out how to defeat him. So even though I don't think Nintendo will go through with this to the degree that I'd like, I'm not giving up on this one yet.
2019 ME: All of this comes together in a game that would lean in to players' desire to know more about Hyrule's history. Nintendo could actually make a game that's all about uncovering Hyrule's ancient secrets. This would combine Nintendo's gameplay-first focus with the fans' interest in Hyrule's mythos and lore. These two things could actually combine into one in BotW 2. Let's hope Nintendo sees the value in doing something like that. This would be the perfect time to do something like this, as this game is a direct sequel to an existing game (which itself was a palette-cleanser that wiped the slate clean of timeline shenanigans by relegating every other Zelda game to 10,000 years in the past), and its appeal will be to those who have already played the first game. Plus, being a sequel, the audience for the game would be people who already own a Switch and BotW, so this game wouldn't have to deal with the pressure of being a system-seller the way the first game did. Just like MM did after OoT, there's a chance for this game to go much more in-depth with exotic, esoteric topics than what we saw previously. And again, Aonuma himself said this game grew out of ideas from the first game's DLC. If anyone here has read the Creating a Champions book (the Dark Horse book released last year about BotW's development), you know there is a lot of stuff they could still do with this world. If we're ever going to get a Zelda game like this, now would be the time. UPDATE: No chance Nintendo does this.
2021 ME: I'm actually... kinda hopeful that Nintendo will do this now. The way they're clearly connecting this game, at least stylistically, with Skyward Sword, which is at the very beginning of the timeline, plus the fact that they clearly have tons of leftover material from the making of BotW itself, gives me reason to think that they actually are going to do something interesting with the story this time around. My guess is that, via time travel shenanigans, BotW 2 will somehow end up resulting in the events of Skyward Sword's backstory, thus establishing the entire LoZ series as one enormous, never-ending time loop. Since time travel has already featured extensively in the LoZ series for a long time, I could legitimately see Nintendo doing this.
2019 ME: Hopefully, all the ruins of Hyrule will have been rebuilt, or there'll be a sidequest system, similar to the Tarrey Town sidequest in the first game, that lets us rebuild them as the game goes on. Every time I play BotW, my heart aches whenever I pass one of those ruins. I would love to be able to see a fully-functioning Hyrule in all its glory. UPDATE: I have a different thought on how Nintendo might let us see a fully functioning Hyrule now.
2021 ME: No idea. Nintendo doesn't seem to have an interest in doing this, unfortunately. It's plain that the castle, at the very least, will once again be the final dungeon. If anything, Nintendo is likely going to add even more ruins—the ones in the Skyworld—not fix the ones they have.
2019 ME: Let's hope the game doesn't get delayed long enough to tempt Nintendo into putting it on the Switch 2. We haven't had a hassle-free, worry-free, delay-free console Zelda game release in literally decades. It'd be nice to get a Zelda game to come out during the middle of a Nintendo console's life cycle, like they used to, rather than at the very end, like they have for the last dozen years now. UPDATE: Ha ha, how innocent I was.
2021 ME: HA, HA, HA, HA, HA! How innocent I was!
2019 ME: On that note, I hope Nintendo has a better and more viable plan for post-release DLC this time. I'd be completely in favor of getting 2 Seasons Pass worth of DLC, rather than just 1. That would carry us through the rest of the Switch's life cycle and give Nintendo time to work on the first post-Switch 3D Zelda game, which would be free to reinvent the wheel in a way this game won't."
2021 ME: This game is going to come out late enough in the Switch's life cycle that it'll probably end up in the same spot BotW was in—cross-gen with Nintendo's next system, thus inherently limiting its potential for DLC. Another bummer.
Y'all really think they would have revealed the "playable Zelda" megaton in that little teaser 1 year in advance?
And I don't even want playable Zelda, I'm just saying. They're still holding the game's concept close to their chest.
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