Music is a defining feature of The Legend of Zelda series, so much so that it becomes its own character. The soundscape molds Hyrule around Link and his friends, giving character to those he interacts with and helps the player connect with them on an emotional level. The awe-striking music from The Legend of Zelda played a significant role in why I chose to pursue Bachelor’s Degree in music, and it is why I have decided to take an in-depth look at different tracks throughout the scores that inspire me as a musician. I thought a good starting point would be Breath of the Wild, one of the soundtracks that I am least familiar with. Now, seeing as Breath of the Wild has a little over 4 hours worth of music (that’s 211 tracks, wow!), I figured I would start with working my way through the Sound Selection CD included in all limited editions of Breath of the Wild’s original release.


Continuing on with our giant enemy theme, there are a couple other ‘titans’ in the world of Breath of the Wild. Last time it was a completely new foe to the series. This time we’ll be taking a look at the battle theme of a more familiar monster, one that had players old and new shaking in their boots the first time they looked the monster in the eye.


Introducing the Piece

This new battle theme, Track 11, ‘Hinox Battle’ marks the first track on the Sound Selection to be composed by assistant Hajime Wakai. The Hinox is a ferocious ogre-type beast, ready to smash Link with trees, rocks, fists, and pretty much anything else it can get its hands on!


Special Instrumentation

A traditional mbira from Zimbabwe is usually adorned with bottle caps as resonators.

Right off the cuff, there’s a lot going on in this track. This piece gets so much energy from the various percussive instruments, including a glockenspiel, various shakers, clappers, and even what sounds like tubular bells. However, the instrument I want to focus on is the one that plays right at the beginning: the Mbira. The mbira is an African lamellophone (meaning ‘tongued’ instrument). The metal tines that protrude (like a tongue) are plucked with the fingers. An mbira usually has a series of ‘resonators,’ usually in the form of pieces of metal attached to the body that vibrate as you pluck. The mbira featured in this piece, however, does not sound to have any resonators. I think at this point, it is also prudent that I point out a lack of instrumentation. If you listen to the entire track, this will be the first one so far that does not have a single note from the piano.

 

 


General Analysis

This piece has an abundance of intense tropical/boreal undertones, mostly owing to the repetitive mbira line:

This ostinato repeats through the entire piece, right from the beginning, rooting both the player’s ears and the player in the situation at hand. The phrase only relents in the last few seconds, and only after Link has defeated the Hinox. It is as though Wakai is saying that once you have entered this battle, there is no escaping it until either Link or the Hinox is dead. The battle only intensifies as things go on. This is accentuated by the different instruments being pushed to their range limits. The trumpet, for example, is taken up to an F at one point, which is the absolute top range of an average high school student. Just like the trumpet, this tune is helping to create a situation that pushes the player to the absolute limit.


Theoretical Analysis

This piece starts, and remains, in C-Major. The brass section, however, relies heavily on ‘accidentals,’ being notes that do not belong in the current scale, or in simpler terms, are sharp (#) or flat (b). This removes any feeling of a tonal center, leaving the player dangling at the edge of a cliff with no hope in sight. The piece is also in the static time signature of 5/4. However, the rhythm of the bass marimba (yes, it’s a thing, check it out) is very disorienting to the ears:

Usually when composing in 5/4, a composer commonly uses one of two patters. This pattern either splits the bar into 3 beats+2 beats or 2 beats+3 beats, instead of 5 straight beats.

3+2

OR

2+3

Instead, Wakai has decided to give us a piece with… apparently no useful pattern. This is quite confusing when trying to follow along, as essentially every percussive instrument seems to be playing its own rhythms throughout the piece. We do, however, get to see the 2+3 in my favourite section of the piece, the horns (around 0:24):

I love this line because it takes the simple concept of step-wise motion (one semi-tone at a time) and makes it complicated by adding things like triplet rhythms, and the odd time signature. And the fact that it is played on the trumpet, arguable the most showy concert instrument ever, really makes this line pop!


Matt’s Musings

This theme is actually one of my favourites on the Sound Selection, and in the entire game for that matter. I love the intense energy that comes with all the percussive instruments (no, I’m totally not biast to percussion instruments…). I think, like the Talus music, the track is a little wonky with those trombones, but that I think is what gives Breath of the Wild its charm. In my first Hinox battle, I remember thinking “Oh hey, it’s that mini-boss from Link’s Awakening– Oh crap it saw me! Run!!!” Followed by a fun time of not being electrocuted in the thunderstorm that was happening, trying to figure out how to kill it without arrows, and getting engrossed by the driving soundtrack. All it all, it was a memory that always stuck and always comes back when I hear this tune.


What do you think of this battle tune? Is it worthy of the monster it represents? Why do you think Wakai chose to omit the piano in this track? Let us know in the comments!

Matt Pederberg is part of the Writing Team at Zelda Dungeon, holds a Bachelor of Music, and has used that knowledge to develop his love of excellent music in excellent video games!

Tagged With: No tags were found for this entry.