Hyrule: Same, But Different
It’s not often that we get direct sequels to Zelda games, not least ones that are (presumably) to take place on the same map. Given that exploration was such a big focus of Breath of the Wild’s gameplay, it’s hard to imagine how the sequel is going to be compelling without some sort of massive alteration to Hyrule.
So what would that look like, then? Well, having already established that Hyrule needs more populated villages and towns, there’s a start — maybe the sequel takes place sometime after Breath of the Wild and a resurging Hylian population changes the landscape accordingly.
Realistically, though, things need to get much more radical than that. Nintendo surely can’t make a sequel that looks too similar to its predecessor, can they?
Legend of Zelda director Eji Aonuma has already confirmed that the upcoming sequel will feature a darker narrative tone, so I’d expect this to fuel some more dramatic changes to Hyrule. Perhaps Calamity Ganon returns in some other form, changing the climate or topography in some way?
Perhaps when we see Hyrule Castle move in the teaser trailer Nintendo is hinting at some sort of drastic change to the lay of the land? I’ve seen some suggest the castle might be readying itself for take off in some way, so could some sort of Studio Ghibli-esque floating islands be the big point of difference this time around?
We’ll have to wait and see, but one thing is for sure –as much as I loved exploring every inch of Breath of the Wild’s version of Hyrule, I’m not retreading the same ground a second time.
