There’s no shortage of speculation about the currently untitledLegend of Zelda Breath of the Wildsequel online. Some think that the story will involve the playertaking control of Ganondorffor the first time, while other have fixated on the teased areial abilities that will be added to Link’s arsenal. While there’s plenty of great theories about what’s to come, one classicZeldamechanic should make a return for the sequel that was absent in the original Switch title: playable music.
Music has been tied toThe Legend of Zeldasince its early days on the NES. Even for the time, it featured groundbreaking tracks, so it made sense that Link would start using musical instruments so that players could participate in the franchise’s music firsthand. WhileZeldais most iconically known for the titular Ocarina of Time, Link had been playing music since the very first game with the flute found in the fifth dungeon. In fact, most mainlineZeldatitles feature some sort of music mechanics, but they were notably absent fromBreath of the Wild- something that should change with the sequel.
RELATED:Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 Could Make Better Use of the Branching Zelda Timeline
Bringing Music Back for Breath of the Wild 2
On some levels, it makes sense thatBreath of the Wildwould ditch the classic music mechanics of the franchise in favor of focusing on the new things it was bringing to the table, such as climbing and the robust physics engine. Narratively, it also makes sense that Link wouldn’t devote his time to learning a new musical instrument when he needs to endCalamity Ganon’s reign over Hyrule, but it did feel like the game was missing something when all was said and done.
Breath of the Wild’s musicin general was criticized by some for being lacking, as it didn’t feature the rolling orchestrated numbers that previous titles had. The broken nature of its music was part of the point, however; as Link goes on a journey across the broken remains of Hyrule, it would have felt off for the game to feature a sweeping score. In general, the entire experience feels a bit more somber than otherZeldatitles, so giving Link an ocarina, flute, or harp would have perhaps injected too much whimsy into a story that didn’t need it since joy was found in other areas.
All of those elements are evidence enough that the originalBreath of the Wildwas right to not feature a playable musical instrument for Link, but with the sequel, it might be time for him to pick up the hobby once more. Although there’s very little known about the sequel’s narrative, it seems to be taking a darker direction than the original, similar to howMajora’s Maskwas a darker take on the formulaset byOcarina of Time. If that’s the case, then a musical instrument could also be given a darker connotation, with each time Link uses it being a chilling moment similar toMajora’s Mask’s Song of Healing.
As mentioned above,Breath of the Wildwas somberin its tone, so giving that type of levity to Link whenever he needs it could have messed with the feel Nintendo was going for. IfBreath of the Wild 2is going to be darker, then it might be good to give players the ability to play an instrument when they need to take a break from doom and gloom. Whether it’s used as a chilling narrative beat or a symbol of hope,Breath of the Wild 2would benefit from putting music back in the hands of its protagonist, as it’s aZeldastaple that connects the game to the player on an emotional level.
The unnamedLegend of Zelda:Breath of the Wildsequel is currently in development for Nintendo Switch.
MORE:The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 - What Could the Real Title Be?
