The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is an atypical Zelda game, directly following up on the first Breath of the Wild instead of adding on a brand new Link and setting.
The reveal trailer for Breath of the Wild 2 hints at a much darker tone than the first game, and it looks like Zelda might play an even more prominent role.
To keep things interesting, however, Breath of the Wild 2 needs to break off from the Zelda formula even more than its predecessor. The sequel needs to do away with Ganon, to make its story and world even more engaging, and possibly terrifying.
The Legend of Zelda’s Best Villains Aren’t Ganon
Ganon, and his human incarnation Ganondorf, might be the iconic villain of the series, but throughout Zelda’s history, its best villains haven’t been him. Ganon is that archetypal force of evil hellbent on destroying the world, and while some games have added wrinkles to this, the smaller villains are the much more interesting ones. The eccentric Ghirahim is deeply unsettling, Zant’s wild mask is incredibly memorable, and Skull Kid taunts and messes with Link as if it were a game. All these characters have interesting quirks that make them immediately memorable, and they provide different threats to Link than Ganon.
Ganon in Breath of the Wild is even less interesting than ever, as he’s only known as the “Calamity.” It’s possible that Breath of the Wild 2 could finally give more backstory on Ganon, but it’d be a much better option to just double-down on a brand new villain. A new villain would allow the game’s story to go to wild new places, separate from Hyrule. Alternatively, an otherwordly threat could help change the face of Hyrule itself, letting Breath of the Wild 2 use the same assets as the first game but in an entirely different way.
The first trailer for Breath of the Wild 2 showed a mummified corpse that most fans believe to be Ganondorf, and while it most likely is, the corpse could be reanimated by some other force. It’d be an interesting twist to see a new villain manipulating Ganondorf’s corpse to their own whims. Some fan theories are already positing that there is some kind of outside force at play. The concept art seen in the trailer shows a hand seemingly sealing Ganon away, and some fans seem to think it could belong to someone from the Twilight Realm of Twilight Princess.
Breath of the Wild 2 Should Follow Majora’s Mask
Majora’s Mask is widely regarded as the weirdest Zelda game out there, both in terms of gameplay and story, and Breath of the Wild 2 could take a few cues. Just like Ocarina of Time to Majora’s Mask, Breath of the Wild 2 will use the same engine and assets. Breath of the Wild 2 will, no doubt, want to expand on the gameplay systems fans loved in the first game, but it also needs to be ambitious and try new things. To capitalize on this, the sequel should go off the rails with its setting and story.
Based on initial impressions, the game seems to be doing this. In the trailer Link uses some kind of new magical power that seems to cause him pain. It could be something similar, in theory, to the mask system of Majora’s Mask; a mystical power that transforms Link, at a cost. There’s an unsettling air that lingers over everything in Majora’s Mask, like everything is familiar but different at the same time. Almost like a nightmare based on something you know. Breath of the Wild 2 could succeed thematically by introducing those familiar elements, but putting an unsettling twist on everything.
This also applies to its main villain. An otherwordly threat, like Majora, would work much better than something that comes from within Hyrule. Majora adds an air of mystery to everything, something that Breath of the Wild 2 seems to be harnassing already.
Next: Artist Imagines Breath Of The Wild 2 With Link’s Awakening Remake Graphics (& It’s Good)
