As E3 2021 winds up, the prospect of getting more Breath of the Wild 2 is still coming. A direct sequel is a rare occurrence in the Zelda series, and BOTW 2 has the potential to expand greatly on the ambitious foundation laid by its predecessor, with an opportunity to deliver a more compelling story.
Breath of the Wild is an impressive and versatile game. Its world is ripe for exploration, and its systems respond to player input almost effortlessly, with new tricks for Link still being discovered. However, one of the few major complaints lobbied against it is its barebones narrative. Link is awoken from a hundred-year slumber and urged to quickly aid Princess Zelda, who has been restraining Calamity Ganon from within Hyrule Castle for a century. Though this is presented as a pressing matter, it doesn't stop the player from ignoring the story entirely and aimlessly wandering around for dozens of hours.
This isn't necessarily bad; it's exploration that makes Breath of the Wild great, but the story feels like an afterthought compared to the gameplay. Granted, the Ancient Shrines that dot Hyrule were specifically designed to help Link train himself for the showdown against Ganon - it's just an unusually hands-off and lackluster approach to Zelda storytelling.
Breath Of The Wild 2 Is Already Poised For A Better Story
Now that Zelda has been rescued from her century-long struggle with Calamity Ganon, Breath of the Wild 2's singular trailer has already provided a more interesting narrative hook in the form of what looks like a mummified Ganondorf. With Link's memories restored and him and Zelda clearly on a mission, BOTW 2 no longer has to provide players with a disted story told through flashbacks. The magic emanating from Ganondorf's corpse is a pressing issue and will likely result in real-time story events that can more easily gel with gameplay.
Although there's no great indication of what is transpiring in the trailer, there's clearly something happening. Giving players a presently unfolding mystery to investigate - such as the purpose behind Mummy Ganon's magic - is a perfectly compelling excuse to let him run around Hyrule a second time. Whatever is happening in the trailer is definitely not good for the fate of Hyrule, but now that the Calamity has been stopped (for the time being), there's an opportunity for the Breath of the Wild sequel to give players a more pertinent and interesting narrative.
