Warning: This Post will contain some
Spoilers for Breath of the Wild.
When Breath of the Wild launched to
probably the best critics of any video game in the last decade, it
was pretty certain that from now on this game would serve as the
blueprint fro the Zelda series moving forward. Just like with Ocarina
of Time nineteen years ago. And just with Ocarina of Time I hope they
use the engine to create an immediate successor, which, while using
the same blueprint, goes into a different direction.
It's a well known story by now, but
after the release of Ocarina of Time Eiji Aonuma wanted to create a
new kind of Zelda game. Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo green lit the
project, but only if Aonuma could deliver the new installment in the
span of one year. Even during the N64 days this was a ridiculously
short time to develop a game. They only managed this by using many
assets from Ocarina of Time and creating a dense and focused game
world. The result was Majoras Mask, which is lauded as one of the
best Zelda titles today.
You may already have guessed in which
direction todays Thoughtpiece will go. Yes I'd like to talk about a
Breath of the Wild sequel. The Game was a huge project. The biggest
development team Nintendo has ever had. And I'm sure with over five
years of development it wasn't cheap to make either. It's not a wild
guess to say that Nintendo is already hard at work and a new Zelda
title is at least in the concept stage. They already have a working
physics and graphics engine. Under this premisses a sequel to Breath
of the Wild would be not to expensive to make and probably won't take
five years either.
So as customers we now have to ask
ourselves what do we want from a sequel? Should Nintendo try
something different or build on the foundation of Breath of the Wild?
Familiar but different:
A direct sequel to Breath of the Wild
would, in my opinion, the weakest way to create a new Zelda game.
Exploring the same (maybe rebuild) Hyrule with different threats
would be much better suited for a DLC to the original game. In Breath
of the Wild the World was the star of the game. I think using it
again, even though slightly changed, would lead to a huge fatigue
factor with the player. In Breath of the Wild you had the feeling
that you could discover something around every corner. A direct
sequel couldn't offer the same, if the landscape wouldn't drastically
change by some apocalyptic event. So a rebuild Hyrule is out of
question, but what about another form of direct sequel. One that only
takes the characters and moves them to a new location. Yes I'm
talking about Breath of the Wilds Majoras Mask. Just like after
Ocarina of Time Link got thrown into this new world Termina, the same
could work for Breath of the Wild. Let me give you a quick overview
of my idea.
After their victory over Calamity Ganon
Link and Zelda are hard at work to rebuild Hyrule. But their progress
is slow and riddled with setbacks. The land is still infested with
Monsters and different races are scattered and low in numbers. The
knowledge of the past is mostly lost. But one day a strange traveler
arrives and he tells the two about a Mask that can grant wishes. This
Happy Mask Salesman tells the Story of the Mask hidden away in an
island nation off the coast of Hyrule. Now Link and maybe even Zelda
head out to find this Mask to grant their wish of a rebuild Hyrule.
Yes it's exactly what it sounds like, I
would love to have a modern Majoras Mask. The genius idea of the
three day cycle that repeats itself every time is still responsible
for one of the most alive feeling video game worlds of all time. And
I would like to see that repeated in the modern age. Just think of
the possibilities such a game would create nowadays.
Just like Termin this Island could work
as a sort of Mirror to Hyrule, which would allow them to re-use
several assets from Breath of the Wild. It, of course, wouldn't need
to be so vast and huge like it's predecessors game world, but could
make up for this fact by re-introducing the time travel mechanic. It
would increase the loop to five or seven days however. The
possibilities created by this system are endless. Of course it's a
lot of work, but with a big and experienced team I think it's
possible. And the game wouldn't need to be done in one year. Instead
they should take their time and maybe release the new Zelda during
holiday 2019.
The three day loop in Majoras Mask
really made the inhabitants of Termina feel alive. Even today. Just
think of the possibilities with todays technology. It would also fix
the problem of Breath of the Wilds side quest feeling very
lackluster. Majoras Mask was a game nearly completely made up of
memorable side quests. The dynamic of NPCs having not only their own
daily routine, but this being influenced by your actions or
non-actions, is what made Termina such a ''realistic'' world. In
Breath of the Wild we already have a very realistic world. In my
review I said this is because every action creates a logical
reaction. Everything has weight. People seek shelter when it rains or
are startled when you draw your sword. If Nintendo would take this
foundation and combine it with the daily routines from Majoras Mask
they could create the most realistic Open World so far.
Just like Majoras Mask was a smaller,
but more focused version of Ocarina of Time, the Breath of the Wild
sequel could do the same. And seventeen years after the release of
Marjoras Mask I think it's time to try the concept once more.
Into the Unknown:
Another possibility would for them to
try something completely new. Just a new land with the same
environments wouldn't do it. After all Hyrule pretty much covers
everything already. Mountains (hot and cold), Forests, Jungle and
Desert. You have it all. So why not go into a completely new
direction. Breath of the Wild already introduced technology to the
series. Why not make the next installment go full Steampunk? Instead
of a natural Hyrule create a mechanical one. Give us something we
truly have never seen before in a Zelda game.
Or create a world where Ganon won. A
kind of apocalyptic version of Hyrule with Link roaming the wasteland
as a lone wanderer. A kind of Apocalypse/Western mix.
The problem with such a proposal for a
sequel is that it would take a lot of work creating new art assets
and models. While a Majoras Mask 2 could justify re-using a lot from
Breath of the Wild this couldn't work here. If Nintendo has
streamlined and optimized their development process I'm sure they
could create such a game in around three years, if they used the same
engine as Breath of the Wild.
With Breath of the Wild Nintendo gave
us the most complete and definitive Hyrule for a long time to come.
That's why now would be a great time to experiment with the Zelda
series and step out of the High Fantasy comfort Zone they used as
framework for so long. With Breath of the Wild they have already
proven that they are willing to question some of the foundations of
the series, so why not go even further with the next installment. But
what they shouldn't do is trying to recreate Breath of the Wild in
any way, shape or form. They did that with Ocarina of Time for a long
time. And while there was never a bad Zelda games, one can only
wonder what could have been if they stepped out of their comfort zone
earlier.
Of course I know it's funny for me to
suggest them trying something new and wanting a Majoras Mask sequel
only several paragraphs before, but that is because Majoras Mask
approach to an Open World is still unique even after seventeen years.
At least I can't think of a game that tried something similar.
To new realms:
If a Breath of the Wild sequel happens,
and I have no doubt it will, and no matter how they approach it, they
should not cling to closely to the predecessor. Instead I hope they
boldly try something new (or old) to create a experience that may use
the blueprint, but doesn't feel anything like Breath of the Wild.
So what are your hopes and/or wishes
for a Zelda sequel? Would you like something completely new? Or are
your still enthralled by the wilderness of Hyrule? If you have any
cool ideas let me hear them in the comments below.
And as always
thanks for reading
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