Breath of the Wild’s Soundtrack Makes Heavy Use of Piano and Environmental Sounds

Breath of the Wild carries on the Zelda series’ tradition of outstanding music, but with a unique approach. According to the demos we saw from Treehouse Live, Breath of the Wild‘s soundtrack will make extensive use of minimalistic piano music and environmental sounds. As Link explores the Great Plateau and beyond, players will hear ambient sounds such as birds, wind, crickets, and the like. But every so often, a soft piano theme may play, soothing players as they leisurely explore the world. Even in more exciting moments, such as when Link first steps out to see the open world, the music escalates only to crescendo into a distinct piano melody

Zelda Informer’s E3 show floor team has been hard at work looking at the fine details of the game, and we have a few more details to add on aspects of the soundtrack. We found that piano continued to be a primary aspect of music during early cutscenes we saw in the demo, such as with a dramatic piano refrain when Link first encounters the threat that confronts Hyrule and with a unique piano flourish when he speaks to the Old Man. While players may hear more instruments and sounds throughout the game (including some Asian flute), it’s clear the piano serves a primary role in the early stages of the soundtrack.

Keep your eyes on Zelda Informer for more Breath of the Wild coverage and more from the E3 show floor.

Rod Lloyd

Rod Lloyd is the Editor-In-Chief at Zelda Dungeon, overseeing the news and feature content for the site. Rod is considered the veteran of the writing team, having started writing for Zelda Informer in 2014 as a Junior Editor. After ZD and ZI officially merged in 2017, he stepped into the Managing Editor role and has helped steer the ship ever since. He stepped up to lead the writing team as Editor-In-Chief in 2023.
You can reach Rod at: rod.lloyd@zeldadungeon.net