What Can We Expect From Breath of the Wild 2?

It should be considered bad news that we don't even have an official name for the game just yet, as we don’t even have information on its name and thus it could still be delayed. So, throughout the article, we will be referring to The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild's sequel as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel for clarity. That said:

Breath of the Wild 2 is the sequel to the Game of the Year winner Breath of the Wild title by Nintendo; the fifth Legend of Zelda game to get a direct sequel. Due to the massive popularity of its predecessor, fans cannot wait to get their hands on the upcoming release.

Graphics & Gameplay

As mentioned before, we don't have a lot of information about Breath of the Wild 2, but thankfully we do have some information regarding the graphics and gameplay. 

In an E3 teaser trailer last year, Nintendo revealed the gameplay and how similar it is going to be to the original. Although we aren't aware whether the game will feature some of the more disliked mechanics present in the original — such as the weapon breaking system — we do know that we will be traversing Hyrule with floating chunks of land.

The trailer does not show the Sheikah Slate; however, it does give us a glimpse at a glove that seems to work similarly to it, such as the Magnesis Rune and a brand-new fire one.

As the trailer ends, we get one look at Hyrule from one of the floating lands above the clouds, with the shot being very reminiscent of the original game's overlooking the forest. It seems that exploration and some forms of combat will continue to be the main core values of the sequel.

Music

We have even less information regarding the music. Although we don't know who is composing the music for Breath of the Wild 2, speculation implies that some of the composers for the original will be returning, as both the director and producer have reprised their roles. That said, both the trailers contain drastically different soundtracks; one showcases a creepy theme akin to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (one of the five The Legend of Zelda titles to receive a sequel) and the other takes a more adventurous theme similar to The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

Story & Setting

Alas, the truth remains that we don't know a lot about the game's story or setting, although there are several bits of information that we have gathered from interviews. One of the reasons why we don't know the official Breath of the Wild 2 title is because it will "start to give little bits of hints about maybe what's going to happen". By this information, it seems safe to assume that a crucial event will take place throughout Hyrule that can be summarised in a subtitle that would give us a lot of information, thus the game might contain more lore-heavy gameplay than its predecessor.

We will be revisiting Hyrule in the sequel; however, this time the map will have more of an emphasis on the game's sky. As producer Eiji Aonuma mentioned, "the setting for the adventure has been expanded to include the skies above Hyrule". This has drawn further similarities to Skyward Sword, especially since several trailers show Link airborne via gliders or even travelling to a floating piece of land. According to the teaser trailer, we also know Ganondorf will somehow be reawakening.

Release Date

Announced back in 2019, Breath of the Wild 2 has been in development for several years. That said, the game is supposed to release sometime this year, although, without a concrete release date, it is fully possible that the game will be delayed to next year.