Breath of the Wild is considered one of the best games on the Nintendo switch. In fact, The Legend of Zelda franchise has always been a draw for many Nintendo fans for nearly 35 years. As we inch closer to the series' 35th anniversary, the fan-base is holding its breath, awaiting news of the teased Breath of the Wild sequel.
It may have been too much of a departure from the original series for some fans, but there was still so much to love that it became the top-selling Zelda game even over the likes of Ocarina of Time. Breath of the Wild offered a fresh take on the franchise, giving players a beautiful open world to explore, room to be creative with interchangeable weapons and skills, and plenty of secret shrines to uncover.
Unfortunately, with all of these changes, some of the fan-favorite traditions were left on the cutting room floor, and not every new addition was well-loved. As we await the release of Breath of the Wild 2, there are so many things we want to see happen in this new game. However, here are a few things that we hope get left behind this time.
1. Breaking items: Why does everything have to break?
One of the new mechanics in Breath of the Wild was breakable weapons. This idea began in Skyward Sword, where players had to be mindful of their equipment since it would breakdown over time and need to be repaired. Breath of the Wild takes this a step further by completely destroying weapons after a few battles.
What's most frustrating about this new mechanic is that everything but the Master Sword breaks. Regardless of the weapon type, how strong it is, or its outward condition, it will eventually break — sometimes faster than you think. This can be especially frustrating if you went out of your way to get a special shield, sword, or bow. Typically, if I came across anything amazing, I would be tempted to "save" it and never use it. Certain weapons became a part of the too-good-to-use club.
How they can fix it
The whole weapon-breaking issue can be solved in a few ways. First, breakable items should have a damage bar so that you can keep track of your weapon's life span. Not every weapon needs this — sticks and torches, for instance, are easy to gauge without a bar since they're flimsy and meant to break.
Another way to avoid this issue is to have Link get three distinct weapons that don't break: a low-level sword, a mid-level sword, and the Master Sword. Players would still be able to find and use other weapons, but their access to them would be limited. However, they would still always have that one sword to fall back on. As the game progresses, that sword can upgrade to the next level to keep up with the difficulty level.
Finally, it would be great to see developers add a blacksmith to towns or villages that can repair weapons. This can add a new level of fun to the game. Players can have breakable weapons, but they can also repair and upgrade what they have, which could be especially important with rarer weapons.
2. Too many shrines: Less shrines and more dungeons
One of the biggest complaints across the board about Breath of the Wild was the lack of dungeons. Sure, players could discover plenty of little shrines all over Hyrule, and the Divine Beasts had dungeon-esque qualities, but they didn't even come close to the epic exploration of previous dungeons. There were no sprawling dungeons, caves to explore, or ancient ruins with pretty sweet rewards. The shrines had some interesting puzzles, but they were pretty much all the same when it came to aesthetics and feel. Even the Divine Beasts left something to be desired since they were often copies of each other.
How they can fix it
This one is very easy. Add dungeons. I get that shrines were the main way to get Spirit Orbs to upgrade Link's abilities or grant him special skills via the Sheikah Slate. However, finding heart pieces, stamina upgrades, and more in dungeons would have been way more fun than finding a shrine, solving a puzzle, and saving up for an upgrade.
Sure, players can find cooking components, gemstones, and weapons, but as we established, you can't keep weapons for very long, and components get used in cooking. Disposable prizes are not as satisfying as an upgrade or a ton of rupees to buy that armor you've been lusting after. Plus, if the aforementioneed blacksmith option was added, rare components could be used to upgrade weapons.
3. No long-term items: Where, oh where, have the items gone?
Much like dungeons, items are not really a thing in Breath of the Wild. You get the Paraglider and the Sheikah Slate, bombs, and a few skills to help you move things and get where you're going. and they sort of take the place of the items, but there are a few I would love to see added. There are even a few classic items from games past should be present.
Plus, cooking a meal and getting the effects is fine and all, but having or finding a weapon that can make things easier would make things even better!
How they can fix it
Breath of the Wild has plenty of stuff to explore but little reward. Adding in specialty items would definitely fix this. Imagine finding a Hookshot to help scale mountains faster or Pegasus boots to let you run without worrying about stamina. Since the series is no stranger to new items, perhaps they could add a rare item that can make it so you can't mess up a recipe!
While Breath of the Wild does a decent job making things useful, it would be fun to have these additional perks... especially if you went through dungeons to get them.
4. All this empty space and no opportunity
Like with most open world games, there is a lot of area to cover. It can be a lot of fun searching for shrines, breaking down enemy camps for treasure, and looking for hidden recipes or Koroks. However, it's a lot of the same. Breath of the Wild offers plenty to do and there's hardly a dull moment. but as we've discussed, the rewards for exploration can be a bit shallow, even if you find some Spirit Orbs or special components.
However, even with all that space, most of the game can feel a lot like you're just walking around. There are cool things that happen, like finding dragons, but you mean to tell me there are all these mountains and not a single series of caves? How about haunted towns or mysterious indoor adventures? I guess this all circles back to a lack of dungeons.
How they can fix it
By adding dungeons to explore! A change of scenery is nice. While it's good to have oceans, mountains, forests, and lots and lots of plains, big open areas like that can be repetitive. Going indoors, underground, or into dark caverns can make players rethink their strategy, forcing them to play an entirely different way. Plus, these new areas can provide different ways to present puzzles using the environment around Link. I know it's called "Breath of the Wild," but that shouldn't mean big open areas or sterile shrines.
Plus, if they make other changes on this list, it could be worth going on a deep dive to find some rare and useful items.
Breath of the Wild 2: Tweaking the formula
With a few adjustments, Breath of the Wild 2 can truly be unstoppable. Along with a few quality of life tweaks, like not making Link ragdoll when he gets hit, the sequel can be even better than its predecessor. Breath of the Wild was an amazing game, but change is part of this series appeal. A bit of the familiar, and quite a few risks. I'm excited to see what they come up with if they can leave just a few of these annoying things behind.
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