AlthoughThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildwas revolutionary for the long-running series and open-world games generally, it did away with a lot ofZeldastaples. The most infamous example is dungeons, asBreath of the Wildhas 120 smaller-scale Shrines andfour similarly designed Divine Beaststo explore rather than traditional expansive palaces. The upcomingBreath of the Wild 2may make a lot of changes to the formula on account of it being a sequel, thus having more freedom to go nuts with established concepts.
Dungeons with original boss battles are one placeBreath of the Wild 2could innovate, but there are plenty more facets ofZeldahistory to draw upon. The Sheikah Slate acted as Link’s one-stop shop for items inBreath of the Wild, and while its Runes were effective evergreen tools to explore Hyrule, it would be good to let players gain additional permanent upgrades again - which the sequel’sE3 2021 trailermay hint at with Link wielding a dragon-head shield that breathes fire. Another niche thing it would be interesting to see make a return is Nintendo references like enemies, somethingThe Legend of Zeldahas integrated for years.
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Nintendo References in The Legend of Zelda Games
When discussing outside Nintendo characters appearing inThe Legend of Zelda, many fans will no doubt think ofLink’s Awakening. The classic 1993 Game Boy title (and its 2019 remake on Switch) is chock full of references toSuper Marioin particular. Tarin, who looks a lot like Mario, eats mushrooms and turns into a raccoon. Link can also win a Yoshi Doll as part of a trading quest, team up with a Chain Chomp, and battle enemies such as Goombas.Super Marioisn’t the only source of references inLink’s Awakening, as players also run into Kirby enemies and Prince Richard fromThe Frog For Whom the Bell Tolls.
One may try to brush off references inLink’s Awakeningbecause the game literally takes place in a dream, but it is far from the onlyLegend of Zeldatitle to feature Nintendo cameos. Chain Chomps also appear inA Link to the Past’s Turtle Rock dungeon andFour Swords Adventures' Kakariko Village, becoming such an iconic part ofZeldalore that Koei Tecmo’s hack-and-slashHyrule Warriorsuses a Chain Chomp as one alternate skin for the Ball and Chain. A Bullet Bill appears on Fyer the clown fromTwilight Princess, andTri Force Heroeshas multiple references like the Hammerwear outfit resembling a Hammer Bro.
TheLegend of ZeldaandSuper Mariocrossovers may be common, but there are other Nintendo franchises throughout the series too. A character named Mr. Wright inLink’s Awakeningreferences Dr. Wright fromSimCityon SNES, and he appears again as Dr. Left in bothOracle of SeasonsandThe Minish Cap- the latter game also including Lakitus and Bob-ombs as enemies. Nintendo hardware appears in various titles, from the Game Boy Advance-themed Tingle Tuner inThe Wind Wakerto a R.O.B. appearing inMajora’s Mask 3D. InPhantom Hourglass, Link even visits an island shaped like a Nintendo DS.
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Nintendo Enemies Could Create Variety in Breath of the Wild 2
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildmay have revolutionized open-world movement and won numerous accolades in 2017, but its version of Hyrule was not filled with a lot of unique enemies. Players primarily came across color or elemental variants of classicZeldafoes like Bokoblins, Lizalfos, Octoroks, Wizzrobes, Chuchu, Keese, and Lynels. Minibosses like Talus, Hinox, and Molduga were peppered around the map, but full bosses were largely limited to the Blight Ganons and Monk Maz Koshia inThe Champions' BalladDLC.
Probably the most original set of enemies inBreath of the Wildwere Guardians, as well as members of the Yiga Clan - an antagonistic ninja group living in Gerudo Desert. However, with only basic footsoldiers and blademasters popping up, and Master Kohga appearing as one boss fight, even the Yiga wore out their welcome.Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamityoffered new elemental variants for foes like Guardians and Hinox, which would be fun to see carry over inBreath of the Wild 2, but this sequel’s more oppressive air demands a greater opposition for Link.
Hyrule inBreath of the Wildwas a serene place, haunted by spirits of a civilization long destroyed but naturally beautiful and relxing to explore.Breath of the Wild 2may be turning this on its head, as a malignant force underneath Hyrule Castle (presumed to be Ganondorf) is freed from containment and startslifting islands into the air alaSkyward Sword. Not only will this radically change the landscape and open up new mechanics like skydiving, the E3 2021 trailer also shows new enemies including a Talus housing a Bokoblin camp and a slug that appears weak to fire.
AsBreath of the Wildwas full of references to previousZeldagames, its map covered in locales named after characters across the series, the upcoming sequel could return to thetradition of outside Nintendo crossovers. It might be silly to imagine enemies such as Kirby fromLink’s Awakeningmake a return, but something like a Chain Chomp could fit the ancient Sheikah tech aesthetic with a slight makeover. Other enemies such as Lakitu would also add mechanical depth, introducing more skybound opponents to fit with floating islands.
Some of these crossovers may not have to be enemies at all.Breath of the WildDLC introduced referential outfit pieces like Majora’s Mask or Tingle’s uniform, and with Link shown to use a sort of flamethrower there’s room to imagine fireball-throwing gloves akin toTri Force Heroes' Fire Gloves, serving a similar purpose as the Fire Rod weapon. Either the base game or amiibo support could introduce new allies similar toBreath of the Wild’s Wolf Link, such as Pikmin who could gather items and cooking ingredients. IfBreath of the Wild 2opens itself up to these references, it could balance out a seemingly darker tone with fun mechanics befitting aZeldagame.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2releases in 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.
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