I’m worried that Breath of the Wild 2 likely won’t heed this advice, with Zelda being yeeted into a hole in the latest trailer and seemingly imprisoned as Link, Ganon, or whoever we end up playing as is tasked with saving her and freeing the realm. It’s far too early to draw conclusions about exactly how BOTW2 will play out, but it’s easy to assume that Nintendo will abide by series conventions and go for something safe.

As much as I love them, flashbacks simply don’t facilitate an approach like this. They’re an elusive manner of storytelling by design, providing brief snapshots of memories as we’re left to fill in the blanks for ourselves. It informed the overall tone and thematic delivery of the last game, but now that enigmatic atmosphere has subsided, it’s time to commit to something more definitive.

Judging from the trailers we’ve seen thus far, Breath of the Wild 2 is going to be rather similar to its predecessor - at least in terms of moment-to-moment gameplay. The version of Hyrule we explored in the last game is making a return, with Link stumbling across familiar landmarks and enemies with an outfit and movements we recognise from the last game. I imagine towns have been rebuilt and the region is a little more alive now Calamity Ganon has been vanquished, but the layout is likely similar. Because of this, the way in which we explore this world should remain recognisable, so returning players feel welcome and newcomers aren’t alienated by a sequel that challenges some of its younger sibling’s most daring and creative ideas.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but Zelda has always been a wonderfully diverse series. Not to the extent of Mario which has crossed all manner of genres in its years, but it is diverse all the same. It has shaped the RPG genre numerous times since the ‘80s, inspiring the likes of Dark Souls, Secret of Mana, Shadow of the Colossus, and now, the aforementioned Genshin Impact. You can see how much the RPG genre varies with Zelda’s inspirations alone and that’s telling. After Breath of the Wild 2, it needs to do something different again. Going back to the classics might not scream new. In fact, it sounds like a step back, aye? Well, that’s the thing. The triple-A space seems to be scared of its own history, desperate to move past it and become more cinematic, more graphically domineering. It’s all about tech and visual prowess. But art style is just as import

Despite Breath of the Wild being recognised as a masterpiece, its storytelling aspects are one of its most criticised elements. Given the nature of its narrative, and how Link finds himself awakening a century after the world began to fall apart, it’s natural that a number of critical characters have either perished, moved on, or just aren’t part of the picture anymore. It’s a lonely game, but deliberately so.

The real wildcard is the new landmass that floats in the sky, a location that could throw everything we know out the window and incorporate a playstyle that is completely different from anything we’ve seen before. Link ( or could it be Ganon or Zelda? ) is capable of morphing through solid objects and flying through the air, so perhaps the need for climbing is obsolete in these circumstances. There are so many questions, but even now it seems Nintendo is acknowledging some of the previous game’s flaws and instead of removing them, is introducing diverse new gameplay ideas that provide other avenues of movement and traversal. Don’t just ditch the encumbrance of climbing in the rain or fragile weapons - instead, provide alternate ways of movement and combat that force you to rethink previously frustrating moments in a new way. Blatant removal feels like cowardice.

Hyrule is safe once more, but so much was lost to acquire even a semblance of peace. Now, Zelda must emerge from the ruins of destruction and build something from the wreckage. It’s a heartbreaking conclusion to her destiny, and Zelda is left with so much emotional and physical baggage that it’s easier just to cut it all away - this detachment has been presented in a rather literal sense with her new hairstyle.

There are a few things that always come up when you talk to someone about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild . Weapon degradation is one of the defining discourses around the game, aaa vs indie gaming with fans either despising the fact your equipment bursts into nothing after a handful of strikes or adoring how it forces you to think outside the box and constantly adapt your strategy to a changing inventory.

Breath of the Wild is so special because every moment feels like a discovery you made on your own terms. A mixture of basic yet impactful abilities like stopping time and lifting metal objects allows you to play with the game’s definition of physics in ways that are still being discovered to this day. You can build a chain of metal weapons and charge them with lightning to activate a distant switch instead of following the traditional solution, showing that the game’s systems are built to be toyed with and taken advantage of in ways that have near limitless potential. Nobody will play Breath of the Wild in the same way, and given the open world genre largely remains defined by chasing down icons and completing repetitive objectives, this is a breath of fresh air that remains unmatched. You could argue "it doesn’t feel like Zelda" because its dungeon design abandons tradition, but the rewarding discoveries of Breath of the Wild are intentionally spread throughout the entirety of Hyrule.