Check Out This Beautiful “Hateno Village” Arrangement Featuring Marimba and Violin
Posted on April 14 2022 by Sean Gadus
One of my favorite things about Breath of the Wild is the inclusion of major towns in different regions of Hyrule. The amount of towns featured in the game is a huge jump from other 3D Zelda games, and visiting each of the towns makes the player’s journey feel special All of the different towns have distinct layouts and designs; for example, Rito Village is extremely vertical, reaching up into the air, while Zora’s Domain is a sprawling city built over a large lake. Of the all towns in the game, Hateno Village is one of the most striking. Built on the side of a mountain slope, the bustling town is full of amazing shops and scenic vistas.
This rich arrangement of “Hateno Village” by Issara International Sound faithfully creates one of the most memorable songs from Breath of the Wild. This version of “Hateno Village” features a variety of instruments including marimba, violin, and some other light percussion. For those who are not aware, the marimba is an instrument that consists of a set of wooden bars that is struck with mallets, and it comes from the same musical family as the xylophone. The marimba can produce very clear and beautiful tones, and the instrument is used to establish the peaceful and playful tone in “Hateno Village”. In this arrangement, the violin is used to play the main melody of the song, and the iconic string instrument fleshes out the overall sound.
Breath of the Wild took a very different approach to music compared to other Zelda games. The overworld and wilderness feature very sparse music that gives the player a sense of isolation. This makes any time a player enters a town (and hears a strong melody kick in) feel very special. The moment the soothing music from Hateno Village kicks in, the player knows they can let their guard down. It is a great example of how withholding music at certain moments can affect how players react to more developed songs in other parts of a game.
If you enjoyed this arrangement of “Hateno Village,” Issara International Sound has some other Zelda arrangement you might want to check out. This includes versions of “Kass’ Theme” and “Outset Island”.
What do you think of this arrangement of “Hateno Village” by Issara International Sound? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: Issara International Sound
Sean Gadus is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. His first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time, and he loves all of the 3D Zelda games from 1998-2011. The final battle of Tears of the Kingdom is one of his favorite final battles in the entire series. He wants to help build a kinder, more compassionate world. You can check out his other written work at The-Artifice.com.
