Daily Debate: Should the Music in Tears of the Kingdom Be Less Ambient Than in Breath of the Wild?
Posted on January 21 2023 by Alexis S. Anderson
The music in Breath of the Wild is pretty unique for the Zelda series as the songs are much more ambient and subtle than in previous titles. The series does a great job of incorporating music appropriate for its designated setting, but while the music in Breath of the Wild reflected the vast natural landscapes Link could traverse, their ambiguity meant they were less than memorable. Most Zelda songs have been both catchy and tolerable to listen to for hours on end, but for me Breath of the Wild’s songs lacked the former quality. Should The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom attempt to incorporate more structured songs to remedy this?
While Breath of the Wild’s songs aren’t stuck-in-my-head-worthy, they are incredibly pleasant. It was initially jarring and isolating for me to journey along with this ambient music, but upon replaying the game it became a very welcome companion. I would know what time it was, how the weather had changed, whether a dragon was around, and so on based on subtle changes in the music. The ability of this music to communicate information by seamlessly morphing is ingenious, and should not be absent from Tears of the Kingdom. Given how used to this kind of ambiance players got playing Breath of the Wild, it would likely be jarring all over again to have that turned completely on its head in the game’s direct sequel.
However, seeing as Tears of the Kingdom is (I hope) shaping up to bridge the gap between some of the best aspects of the Zelda formula and Breath of the Wild’s highly praised departure from that style, one thing it can bring back is memorable music tied to particular locations and characters. Some iconic songs from prior games appeared in classic locations like Kakariko Village and Great Fairy Fountains. This was a welcome surprise, but Tears of the Kingdom has the opportunity to provide new memorable songs to different locations. Ideally, this version of Hyrule will be more built up than the one we were in post-Calamity, so there will be more communities with distinct personalities to make catchy tunes for. In addition to locations, we will hopefully see full temples and dungeons in this game– providing even more chances for memorable themes.
I am optimistic that music with as much staying power and impact as songs from prior Zelda games will be scattered throughout Hyrule in Tears of the Kingdom. They shouldn’t be everywhere. We don’t need all the land we traverse to have epic themes like Hyrule Field in most series installments but there are certainly openings for such songs to be tied to other places, events, and people– songs that will stick in the mind and bring fans right back to the feeling of playing through that part of the game. Here’s to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s most memorable song not being a song that’s only in its trailer!
Do you think Tears of the Kingdom should incorporate music that is structured more like music from prior Zelda games or stick with the ambient style? Do you agree that Breath of the Wild lacked much memorable music in the first place? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Alexis S. Anderson is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon who joined the writing team in November, 2014. She has a JD from the UCLA School of Law and is pursuing a career in Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law. She grew up in the New Jersey suburbs with her parents, twin brother, and family shih-tzu.
