Daily Debate: Is Slow Motion Combat Link’s Special Ability in Breath of the Wild?
Posted on July 06 2020 by Charles Xavier
The addition of the Champions in Breath of the Wild is pretty cool; they had decent character developments, their fates were tragic, and they are way more helpful than Sages of the past, which they could be compared to. At first glance they do seem like a different take on Sages, and I suppose a case could be made in this regard. However, Link is considered a Champion in the game too, which makes the possibility seem less likely.
It seems the criteria to be deemed a Champion is having a unique power, and being able to pilot a Divine Beast. Link pilots a Divine Beast (the Master Cycle Zero), but what is his unique ability? If it’s his increased focus in combat, allowing him to see enemies in slow motion, that might not be a skill that is exclusively his.
In the Champion’s Ballad DLC, during Urbosa’s memory, we see her perform a Perfect Guard. After successfully pulling that move off, time slows down from her perspective, so she may have been able to Flurry Rush. We are left to wonder if this was simply done to add cinematic effect to the cutscene, or if it was an instance showing us that slow motion combat isn’t a skill exclusive to Link.
If slow motion combat is Link’s Champion ability, and Urbosa can use it, does that mean all of the Champions could have been able to use each other’s abilities after enough practice? Although it appears that the spirits of the Champions are aiding Link when he uses their abilities, could it be that that he is really the one using them, rather than the spirit of the Champions? And could that be confirmation that a Champion can use any of their other companion’s powers? These are all interesting points, and they could be true, but I don’t think they are the answer. Ultimately, I don’t think slow motion combat is Link’s Champion ability. This leaves him without a really cool power like the other Champions, and that’s a bummer. But Link can still do something that nobody else can: he can wield the Master Sword. Maybe that is his Champion ability after all?
What do you think Link’s special skill is? Did Urbosa also manage to use slow motion combat? Sound off in the comments below!
Charles is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. He is a Visual Development artist focused on enviroments and pitch paintings. Check out his Instagram and Twitter to see his latest artworks, a lot of which is Zelda fan art! His favorite candy is Skittles – he feels the world should know this.
