Given the success of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo faces the insurmountable task of developing a sequel that will not only surpass the success of the original but will ensure the continuous interest of Nintendo fans with The Legend of Zelda. Of course, this challenge is nothing new, given that most sequels will always be compared and try to live up to the original. But how will Nintendo be able to surpass such an iconic game? And what important lessons can The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 learn from the massive success of its predecessor?
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The Formula of The First Game Won’t Work in Breath of the Wild 2
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild story begins when Link was awoken from his 100-year slumber having no memory of who he is and what has transpired. He immediately discovered that King Rhoam and the Champions have died, and Princess Zelda used her magic to trap Ganon in Hyrule Castle. It is heavily implied that Ganon is about to get free given that Zelda’s hold on him is starting to falter, but the game did not specifically specify on when this will happen. This allowed players to experience the game’s story without any sense of urgency, unlike previous entries in the franchise where the threat is already imminent.
In Breath of the Wild, players are encouraged to explore the game’s vast open-world environment to prepare Link for the upcoming battle. Although the threat of Ganon’s escape is only a matter of time, the game’s narrative justifies the need for the player to embark on a journey first before heading straight to Hyrule Castle given that after Link’s been asleep for over a century, he has no memories, no hearts and stamina, and no trusty sword. This narrative justifies the need for the player to divert Link in an adventure through Hyrule to prepare him for the final confrontation with Ganon and to also get the Divine Beasts back at their side.
This gave players the freedom to explore Hyrule’s vast open-world environment and tackle the game’s main quest at their own pace, which is one of the defining features that made Breath of the Wild a massive success. However, at the end of the first game, players were already able to bring back Link’s memory and restore his previous strength and stamina, which is why Breath of the Wild 2 won’t be successful if it will only replicate the formula that made the first game a success. Doing so would make the sequel far too similar to its predecessor, and players will soon feel that the game is repetitive and that their actions in Breath of the Wild were useless in the sequel. So how should Nintendo approach Breath of the Wild 2 that will still feel familiar but not repetitive?
Breath of The Wild 2 Should Have a More Urgent Linear Story
Given how Breath of the Wild ended, Nintendo may be forced to develop the sequel’s story and game progression in a much more linear fashion. Sure, the game should still have an open-world map that would allow players to tackle the main objectives at their own pace. But Although Breath of the Wild was renowned for its prioritization of immersive open-world gameplay, which sacrificed its story, the same cannot be applied to Breath of the Wild 2.
Instead, the sequel should employ a more story-driven narrative, which should have a sense of urgency in order for the game to feel fresh and new despite having familiar elements such as its map and dungeons. This approach also makes sense to the story given how the first game ended. Given that the threat of Ganondorf’s return is only a matter of time, it wouldn’t make sense for Link and Zelda to just take their time exploring Hyrule as they did in the first game, especially now since there is an external force that would drive the narrative forward. In the end, Nintendo has a challenging task ahead of it to ensure that Breath of the Wild 2 will be a worthy successor to the 2017 game. While many loved the relaxed open-world pace of Breath of the Wild, this approach will no longer work for the upcoming sequel.
A sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is currently in development for the Nintendo Switch.
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