The Nature of Malice in Breath of the Wild is Examined in this Theory Video
Posted on November 14 2017 by Rod Lloyd
One of the more intriguing elements of Breath of the Wild‘s world was the existence of a mysterious, dark energy known as Malice. Pools of this putrid substance stain many areas of the game’s overworld, as it continues to seep into soil and choke life from the surrounding environments. We do learn that Malice was spread across the land by Calamity Ganon, who is said to be infected by the substance as well; but beyond that, players aren’t given a lot of information regarding the mysterious, malicious force. Luckily, NintendoBlackCrisis on YouTube recently attempted to understand the true nature of Malice in a thought-provoking theory video.
NintendoBlackCrisis’ theory draws upon clues within Breath of the Wild‘s Hyrule Compendium, specifically in the descriptions of monsters cursed by dark substance. Both the compendium and observations of in-game behavior reveal that these creatures lack the intelligence and personal agency found in their living counterparts, which leads the YouTuber to speculate about Malice’s influence on Calamity Ganon and the many spirits of Hyrule. From there, we’re shown Malice’s potential appearances in other Zelda games and ways it could pop up in future titles.
The theory presented in the video does appear to contradict some of the backstory information explained by King Rhoam early in Breath of the Wild‘s story, but NintendoBlackCrisis’ reasoning is well-researched and thorough enough to paint the ancient king as an unreliable narrator. If anything, the theory presents an interesting take on Breath of the Wild‘s relationship with other games in the series through the nature of Malice and its corrupting powers.
Be sure to check out NintendoBlackCrisis’ YouTube channel right here for many more Zelda theories.
What did you think of this theory video? Do you have any theories regarding Malice? Let us know 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