Daily Debate: What Zelda Series Conventions Would You Like To See Broken In Breath of The Wild 2?
Posted on May 14 2022 by Alexandria Weber
Breath of the Wild is mostly known for the way it broke new ground for the Zelda series. Open-world exploration and lack of linearity in a Zelda title, for example, was something that had never been done on such a massive scale. Breath of the Wild also introduced elements such as weapon durability, a move away from traditional dungeons, and a mode of storytelling where the narrative is explored by the player. Although some elements were not as well-received as others, it would come as no surprise if Nintendo continued to shake things up when it comes to Breath of the Wild 2. Perhaps Nintendo will try new things that have never been done in the history of the series, perhaps things inspired by other video games, or even things that are new to gaming as a whole.
I definitely think that Nintendo will continue to break conventions, but may end up reintegrating conventions into Breath of the Wild 2. Not only will they take into account the desire of the fandom to return to traditional dungeons, but Breath of the Wild 2 offers a different experience that may require a trading-out of the conventions broken. Breath of the Wild was about grasping for straws in a ruined kingdom. The protagonist had amnesia, his memories were disjunct and triggered all over Hyrule, the challenges he faced were spread out so to have the satisfaction of finding something new, and the weapons were relics of a bygone century, already tattered and half-broken by a war lost a hundred years ago. Breath of the Wild 2, in contrast, seems to be about a greater picture, trailers teasing Ganondorf, a return to the sky, and more upfront plot points like Zelda falling into the abyss. Link knows who he is and what he likes to wear, he may have newly forged weapons, there may be established dungeons in the sky, and the plot will be happening to him instead of something that happened in the past. It’s for this reason that I think there may be different conventions that the development team will break, but what?
Although I could go and on say that the broken convention should amount to an established romance between Link and Zelda, I don’t want to be too much of a broken record when it comes to that subject. I think the convention I want Breath of the Wild 2 to break is Link being silent and stoic. It’s obviously a traumatic experience he’s going through in the trailers, and he should be showing that and reacting to that. I think it would make the story more human and believable, and I think it would be in line with the momentum of Breath of the Wild. In my opinion, Link should be emoting and maybe even speaking.
What do you think? What Zelda convention would you like to see broken? What Zelda convention would you like to see return? Let us know in the comments below!
Alexandria Weber is a Senior Editor and an aspiring creative writer. Her favorite food is apple pie and she loves her cat Galadriel. Ask her for pictures!
