Daily Debate: In What Ways Should Breath of the Wild 2 Be “Darker”?
Posted on October 28 2019 by Rod Lloyd
I was introduced to the Zelda series during the Nintendo 64 generation with Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. And as much their grand scale and state-of-the-art graphics left an impact on me as a young gamer, the inclusion of horror elements in these games equally stuck with me after I had finished their main quests. Locations like the Shadow Temple and Ikana Canyon fueled nightmares; and enemies like ReDeads and Dead Hands sustained a profound fear of the dark I held throughout my childhood.
Looking back, I admire how bold the Zelda team was by including these terrifying images and scenarios. And as the years have gone by and as The Legend of Zelda has developed, I’ve come to miss the more horrific elements that we saw in Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. That’s why I found myself excited when series producer Eiji Aonuma stated that Breath of the Wild‘s sequel will be a “darker” entry than what we’ve previously seen; the debut trailer was certainly a glimpse at that darkness. But in what ways should this anticipated sequel be “darker”?
If its first trailer is any indication, I’m excited to see more dreary, claustrophobic environments in the sequel. Breath of the Wild — other than perhaps The Lost Woods and Thyphlo Ruins — unfortunately did not feature any areas that inspired fear like Ocarina‘s Bottom of the Well. Breath 2, with what appears to be a subterranean setting, has a great opportunity to lead players into dark (both dimly lit and foreboding) environments that build suspense the further we venture into the depths.
I also want to see the darker side of Hyrule represented in the sequel. Calamity Ganon and its corrupted Guardians — and even Ganondorf’s reanimated corpse — can be scary enough, but their evil is one dimensional. If we were to explore a different side of Hyrule, one that reveals the evils of the kingdom and its people, I think that would inspire deeper fear and unease than the traditional antagonist. Discounting blatant gore and violence, I would love to see evidence of hatred, fear, treachery, and greed in Hyrule’s past, like the Shadow Temple had in Ocarina.
We’ll just have to see how far Breath of the Wild 2 will go. In what ways should Breath of the Wild 2 be a darker game? In what ways shouldn’t the sequel be dark? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Rod Lloyd is the Editor-In-Chief at Zelda Dungeon, overseeing the news and feature content for the site. Rod is considered the veteran of the writing team, having started writing for Zelda Informer in 2014 as a Junior Editor. After ZD and ZI officially merged in 2017, he stepped into the Managing Editor role and has helped steer the ship ever since. He stepped up to lead the writing team as Editor-In-Chief in 2023.
You can reach Rod at: rod.lloyd@zeldadungeon.net
