The sprawling landscape of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Hyrule is an almost unparalleled sandbox in action-adventure games. It redefined what a Zelda game could be and was widely celebrated, but a few years after release, Breath of the Wild feels like only a prelude to its sequel.
Many open-world games are bogged down by multitudes of map icons, menus, and gameplay systems, but BOTW, in what is the best game Zelda tutorial so far, quickly introduces players to its easy-to-grasp mechanics and sends them on their way. The entire game is tightly-wrapped around Link's weapons, armor, and Sheikah Slate abilities, as many parts of the world are responsive to players' use of these items. This all combines for a fun experience that can last hundreds of hours, despite BOTW offering very little beyond its core mechanics and world.
It's not hard to imagine how difficult the development of BOTW must have been, especially when it involved reimagining such a beloved and tradition-bound series as The Legend of Zelda. At this point, a sequel feels necessary simply to deliver on the aspects of a great Zelda game BOTW didn't: a compelling story, legitimate and challenging dungeons, and meaningful side content.
BOTW 2 Has Even Greater Potential Than Breath Of The Wild
The narrative of Breath of the Wild isn't necessarily bad; it's just barebones. Most of the important characters are already dead, and the same, flashback-filled Divine Beast-capture process is repeated four times before an underwhelming final boss fight. Now that gameplay foundations are already set for the sequel, a more enticing story might emerge. The Breath of the Wild 2 trailer already hints at a more involved and darker tale.
Much of the criticism of Breath of the Wild stems from its lack of proper dungeons. The Divine Beasts are decent dungeon-like experiences and even make for some exciting narrative beats the first time they're seen, but they barely scratch the classic Zelda dungeon itch. They, along with the many small Ancient Shrines, feel like a consequence of Nintendo putting more emphasis on the design of core gameplay itself. Some of the Shrines are genuine brain teasers, but a lot feel like just an excuse to make the player use the Sheikah Slate powers for a reward.
Unfortunately, many of BOTW's side quests were just methods of discovering new Shrines, as well. More meaningful side content, like building Tarrey Town, created some of the most memorable parts of the game. Hopefully, BOTW 2's Hyrule will have more people around to give Link tasks with substance, leading to a reward other than yet another Spirit Orb. Nintendo has reinvented several major series on Switch, so it's exciting to imagine how a proper sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild could further the series' growth.