Breath of the Wild is lauded as, perhaps, the greatest game of all-time. Despite this, the game is fundamentally flawed. From the lack of traditional dungeons, lackluster puzzles, a coherent story, and a Link with no character, Breath of the Wild simply wasn’t that great of a Zelda game. Don’t get me wrong – it is a very good game. It simply isn’t as great as people make it out to be and is the most overrated game of all-time, simply because it is Zelda. I’ve been replaying Twilight Princess, and all in contrast to Breath of the Wild, it has so much of what title is missing. Breath of the Wild laid down a fantastic foundation, but Breath of the Wild 2 has the potential to rectify Breath of the Wild’s fundamental flaws.
Traditional Dungeons
While Breath of the Wild took some interesting choices with regards to the dungeons of the game, there are only four of them and the puzzles themselves are lackluster, and that’s an understatement. The shrines, totaling over 100, are a nice touch and have some interesting puzzles, but, they are short that they simply are not up to par. Zelda has always been about dungeons and puzzles. Puzzles are, in fact, the reason why I love the Zelda franchise so much. The open-world aspect of Breath of the Wild was majestic, but it failed miserably on the dungeon and puzzle front. Not only that, but the bosses of the game lacked variety. There are just five main bosses, and all of these are variations of Calamity Ganon. This is lazy. With the promise of Ganondorf in Breath of the Wild 2, the game has the potential to finally return to its roots. If traditional dungeons, traditional weapons, and a variety of bosses are brought back to the series, Breath of the Wild 2 will outshine its predecessor.
Story
Breath of the Wild’s story is atrocious. While Ocarina of Time’s story is simple, it’s executed to perfection. It’s unfortunate because Breath of the Wild has the foundation set. The problem is is that the story of the game takes place 100 years ago. The “memories” are disjointed and don’t add to a coherent narrative. It’s possible to have an open-world game and a fantastic story, as games like Red Dead Redemption 2 have proven, but Breath of the Wild failed miserably at this. One of the most exciting things about Breath of the Wild 2 is the return of Ganondorf. He hasn’t been seen since 2006’s Twilight Princess, and is by far the best villain in the Zelda franchise, if not video game history. Every game he’s appeared in has had a fantastic story: The Wind Waker, Ocarina of Time, and Twilight Princess. Even an incarnation of his hatred, Demise, appeared in Skyward Sword, which arguably has the best story in the franchise. Breath of the Wild 2 needs a superb story in order to be considered an excellent game. The trailer hints that the game will not only have an open-world, but will also be more story-driven. If this is the case, it has the potential to not only fix Breath of the Wild’s missteps but also be one of, if not the best Zelda game of all-time.
An Expressive Link
One of the great things about previous Zelda games is that Link has character. He’s expressive, from his mannerisms to his facial expressions. This was lacking in Breath of the Wild and was one of the things that I noticed almost instantly. Link was the most lifelike in The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword. He even had character in Ocarina of Time, but due to technology, it was hard to convey the complexities of facial expressions. Link in Breath of the Wild lacks all of this, which takes away from the game. I never felt like I was “Link.” He was bland. This may be because there was a lack of story and he was a blank slate, but regardless, it was a step backward for the character. Link needs the determination and character that he so blatantly expressed in previous games. This is one of the biggest problems in Breath of the Wild, although it may seem like a rather small gripe. Link needs a drive and a motivation, and the introduction of Ganondorf may very well give him that in a story-driven game.
Breath of the Wild is a good game; it’s just not a great one. It lacks many of the things that made Zelda such a timeless franchise and traded that off for an open-world adventure. It set the foundation for an excellent game but fell short because of some fundamental flaws in its design. Breath of the Wild 2 has the chance to rectify this. As long as traditional dungeons are brought back, there is a coherent story, and mind-bending puzzles are brought back, the game will be not only the greatest Zelda game of all-time, but the greatest game of all-time.
The foundation is there, the potential is there; let’s just hope Nintendo delivers on their next iteration of the Zelda series.