Daily Debate: Would Better Developed Characters have Helped the Story of Breath of the Wild?
Posted on May 01 2018 by Kat Vadam
Breath of the Wild had such great potential. Years in the making, a massive open world, a large cast of new characters, and a chance for the best Zelda game we have ever seen. Yet, many agree the game didn’t just fall short, it stopped half-way to the finish line. So much story remains undeveloped and untold.
Something that enhances the experience of storytelling is a cast of strong, well-developed characters; sadly, and to the disappointment of many fans, Breath of the Wild lacked this. Now, don’t get me wrong, I actually enjoyed the game. A lot. Yet, even I have to admit that most of the characters should have been a little more fleshed out. Perhaps by giving each of the Champions more solid backstories – even beyond The Champions’ Ballad – they would have felt more complete. Not to mention, their descendants did not feel like characters at all, merely forced interactions. Even just expanding on Link, how he came by the legendary sword in the first place, or knowing anything about why he became a knight so young, might have added to the story of Breath of the Wild that we all so desperately wanted.
What do you think? Would better-developed characters have helped with the story of Breath of the Wild? Or was the story so lackluster that not even better developed characters would help? Let us know in the comments below!
Kat Vadam is a mother of one, proud cat mom, and wife to someone far nerdier than she could ever hope to be. She also works by day as an analyst, writer, and editor. Here at Zelda Dungeon, she is the Head of Social Media and a copy editor, though she still enjoys occasionally writing things. Someday, she plans on giving up all her worldly possessions to move to the forest and become best friends with a korok. Were it so easy.
