Even though it’s a direct sequel,The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2has a pretty mysterious plot. From the moment Nintendo first revealedZelda: Breath of the Wild 2, fans knew that the new game was taking place in a very different context from the original game. Link and Zelda’s discovery of the presumed corpse of Ganondorf raises all kinds of questions about what exactly is going on in theBreath of the Wildsequel and how the game’s protagonists tie into the narrative. While Link will surely serve some major role as a force for good, fans also want to know what Nintendo is planning to do with Zelda.
Zelda’s potential role inBreath of the Wild 2provoked conversation among fans as soon as Nintendo confirmed the game was in development. Many Zelda fans expressed optimism that Zelda herself would be playable, taking the protagonist mantle from Link for once.TheBreath of the Wild 2trailerpresented at E3 2021 casts some doubt on that and generally creates some confusion about what will happen to Zelda. It looks like Zelda might be in some new form of trouble inBreath of the Wild 2, but what kind of trouble is it exactly, and how prevalent is it to the overarching story? What role will Zelda play in theBreath of the Wildsequel?
RELATED:Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 Should Bring Back One Feature the First Game Skipped
The Contrasting Messages About Zelda’s Impact
The firstBreath of the Wild 2trailer, revealed at E3 2019, sent a heartening message about Zelda to the franchise’s fans. Seeing Link and Zelda delve into some mysterious catacomb together suggested that, for once, the two of them would truly be a team in the nextLegend of Zeldagame. InmanyLegend of Zeldatitles, the two are often kept far apart, in spite of what the franchise’s name would suggest. Having Zelda travel alongside Link and help him on his next journey—or even become playable during some parts of the game—would makeBreath of the Wild 2a refreshing change of pace.
As exciting as this potential game plan was, the E3 2021BotW2trailer sent the opposite message. The trailer begins with a couple of different cryptic sequences. One of them shows a frightened Zelda falling into the darkness as if she’s just been thrown off a cliff. That sequence’s conjunction with Ganondorf’s rising corpse, as well as several shots ofgameplay seemingly showing Link alone, make it look like Zelda takes a back seat inBreath of the Wild 2after all. She might be in the antagonist’s clutches, meaning Link has to save her from dark forces once again.
It’s hard to reconcile these two trailers. One suggests a level of independence and engagement with the plot that’s nearly unprecedented forThe Legend of Zelda’s depiction of Zelda, while the other suggests she’s in a highly traditional role as a distressed damsel. One way or another,Breath of the Wild 2plans on incorporating both of these versions of Zelda. Taken at face value, those two versions of her character might seem too dissonant to be mixed in any significant way. However, there are actually a few ways Nintendo mightbring Zelda’s two potential paths together, making a narrative greater than its parts.
RELATED:Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 News Should Ramp Up in August 2021
How Zelda Could Influence Breath of the Wild 2
One option available to Nintendo is making Zelda’s separation from Link relatively unimportant. The originalBreath of the Wildwas all about Link trying to free Zelda from her century of imprisonment inside Hyrule Castleby defeating Calamity Ganon. It’d be a little surprising ifBreath of the Wild 2was all about rescuing Zelda from the undead Ganondorf after delivering a game so hugely focused on exactly the same premise. Instead, the first act ofBreath of the Wild 2might require Link to quickly save Zelda after Ganondorf’s calamitous awakening. After that, she and Link might work as a team as the first trailer suggested.
A similar plot point that Nintendo could work with involves a major fan theory. Maybe early on Zelda does appear to be captured by Ganondorf, and Link tries to rescue her, only to learn Ganondorf was trying to protect her from whatever true evil lurks beneath Hyrule. ManyLegend of Zeldafans thinkGanondorf might not be a villaininBreath of the Wild 2,speculating that he was once Hyrule’s true savior in this part of the timeline. Zelda’s involvement in the twoBreath of the Wild 2trailers could just be leading to a surprisingly positive encounter with Ganondorf.
Nintendo could also consider making Zelda playable, but only in specific contexts. Strictly speaking, the E3 2021Breath of the Wild 2trailer only suggests that Zelda gets separated from Link; it doesn’t clearly claim that Zelda is in the antagonist’s clutches. It could be that Zelda is somehow trapped somewhere—such as in Hyrule’s underground—while Link fights evil on Hyrule’s changing surface. Nintendo could incorporate small sections where players take control of Zelda this way, like howMarvel’s Spider-Mansometimes had players take control of Mary Jane Watson and Miles Morales. ImportantBotW2story beats reached by Link could be accented by a small section about Zelda making a discovery beneath Hyrule.
Zelda Should Stand Tall in Breath of the Wild 2
Many fans ofThe Legend of Zeldaare tired ofsaving Zelda all the time.Breath of the Wildwas a bold, refreshing take on the franchise in a lot of ways, but its central narrative borrowed the damsel in distress concept from manyZeldagames that came before it. The title ofThe Legend of Zeldasuggests that the story is truly about her, but that can be hard to believe when so many of the games are about heroic feats that Link accomplishes in search of an imprisoned or helpless Zelda. The princess herself deserves to take a more active role in shaping narratives in a franchise that borrows her name.
Breath of the Wild 2could still be the game that breaks the damsel tradition. Even though the E3 2021 trailer suggests that Zelda is in need of help, Nintendo might still have a trick up its sleeve. Zelda’s distress might only be a momentary conflict that helps get the story moving, or it might be used as a gameplay device unlike anythingThe Legend of Zeldahas tried before. TheBreath of the Wildsequel deserves to be as unique and clever as the first game, including in its means of storytelling.Breath of the Wild 2could establish itself asa truly uniqueZeldagameby representing Zelda herself in some way that previous games haven’t done before.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2releases in 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.
