How Can Nintendo Top 'Zelda: Breath of the Wild'? GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Opinion News > Gaming
How Can Nintendo Top 'Zelda: Breath of the Wild'?
Spoiler: It doesn’t even need to
By Charlie Sorrel Charlie Sorrel Senior Tech Reporter Charlie Sorrel has been writing about technology, and its effects on society and the planet, for 13 years. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 21, 2021 01:53PM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Gaming Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming Key Takeaways
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild might be the best game ever made.‘Breath of the Wild 2’ is not the official name of the sequel.The game will go on sale in 2022. Nintendo Nintendo has released a new trailer for the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BOTW2), and it looks fantastic. But how on Earth (or in Hyrule) can Nintendo improve on the best video game ever made? The sequel will arrive in 2022, and may well be a launch title for Nintendo’s OLED Switch upgrade, which is rumored to have improved graphics and a 4K TV output. The original BOTW is widely regarded to be the best game ever, and if you’ve played it you’ll probably agree. The only problem is, how can you possibly top it? "Although the first version of the game was a masterpiece [it can still be] improved by the creators," gamer and jeweler Hitesh Patel told Lifewire via email. "Weapons in the older version break easily, for instance." How Can Nintendo Top BOTW
The easy answer is that it doesn’t have to. For most fans, more of the same will be more than enough. BOTW departs from the historic Zelda formula with a new, open-world design where you can complete missions in any order, or not complete them at all. You can just wander the world, cooking, hunting, and taking selfies. If Nintendo did nothing but add new missions to the old game, that would be fine for many players. Nintendo’s teaser trailer gives little away, but the Japanese gaming giant did make one disclosure: Breath of the Wild 2 will not be called ‘Breath of the Wild 2’. Apparently, the actual name gives away too much of the plot, so Nintendo is keeping it secret for now. Up in the Sky
Hyrule, the world of The Legend of Zelda, is already pretty much set, and already quite vast in BOTW. To expand the game, Nintendo has chosen to soar into the sky. In the trailer, you can see floating islands in the clouds. How do you get to these? If Nintendo did nothing but add new missions to the old game, that would be fine for many players. Previous Zelda games have played with two worlds. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past had dark and light versions of the same world, and you had to warp between them to reach some locations. A 2019 BOTW 2 trailer took place underground, so that’s another direction that may expand Hyrule. Perhaps the warp tiles concept will return. Perhaps, as the trailer seems to show, you will "swim" to these sky islands. Or, perhaps, as one theory goes, you will use time travel. Time Travel
The Zelda series is set in a magical fantasy realm, but there’s also plenty of "ancient" technology, from giant robots known as the Divine Beasts, to drone helicopters with lasers. One gets the feeling that Hyrule was once an advanced technological society. Nintendo Zelda expert Triforce Trends has speculated on the time travel aspect. It gets a bit wild, playing parts of the teaser trailer soundtrack backwards to support his theory, but there is some solid evidence, too. The style of the architecture is more ancient, for one. Also, Link, the hero of the game, and the character you play, seems to exist in two versions, one younger than the other. The original BOTW has plenty of flashbacks to Link’s adventures from 100 years prior. Perhaps he’s going back there? Or disappearing even further into the past? Weapon Durability
If there’s one way to gin up a forum fight about BOTW, it’s discussing weapon durability. Weapons break constantly, and you have to find new ones. You might shatter a sweet flaming sword, then have to do battle with an old chunk of wood or bone instead. Some folks hate this, and want everlasting weapons in keeping with previous Zeldas. Others love it, or at least tolerate it. "I don’t understand people’s gripe with weapon durability. It forces you to actually actively search for more weapons instead of hoarding them from day one," says commenter infamousbach on Reddit. Nintendo "As much as the break mechanic frustrated me at times, it was an excellent balancing tool and I'm sure that whatever they do it'll be fair to the player," replies mvanvrancken in the same thread. A change here seems unlikely; unbreakable weapons would break the natural-world feel of the game. More Gear
This IGN video examines the minutiae of the trailer. There’s redesigned armor, new shields, and new enemies to fight. Also, lending more credence to a time-travel theme, Link has a robotic arm that appears to be able to freeze and reverse time, albeit on a local scale. It seems, then, that Nintendo really is just giving us more of the same. There’s a whole new plot, a new floating world, and lots more, but the underlying mechanics and world appear to be mostly unchanged. And that’s great news. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review: An Beautifully Designed RPG for the Switch How to Find, Tame, and Care for Horses and Mounts in Zelda: Breath of the Wild How to Get the Master Sword in Zelda: Breath of the Wild How to Cook in Zelda: Breath of the Wild How to Find and Use the Best Weapons in Zelda: BOTW How to Transfer Save Data Between Users on the Switch The Ultimate Guide to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Recipes How to Unlock All Captured Memories in Zelda: Breath of the Wild How to Beat Guardians in Zelda: BOTW How to Get and Use Armor in Zelda: BOTW The 9 Best Nintendo Switch Games, Tested by Lifewire The 10 Best Nintendo Switch Kids' Games, Tested by Lifewire Link’s Awakening Review: A Refreshing Throwback in the Zelda Franchise Immortals Fenyx Rising Review: A Greek Hero In An Open World How to Make Elixirs in Zelda: BOTW How to Defeat a Lynel in Zelda: BOTW Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies