INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Dust off your climbing boots and paraglider, gamers: Nintendo has finally confirmed that a The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel is
in development, with a breathtaking trailer pointing to a darker turn for the next mainline Zelda game. But what will Breath of the Wild 2
do differently from the 2017 game, and when will we finally get our hands on it?Nintendo dropped the bombshell at the end of its E3 2019
presentation – via an online-only keynote, given Nintendo doesn't host its own presentation in person anymore – confirming our
suspicions after the Japanese publisher appeared to be hiring for a 3D level designer last year.2017's Breath of the Wild was a masterclass
in open-world game design, breathing a huge gust of fresh air into the Zelda franchise while somehow retaining everything that made the
Widely considered one of the best games of that year – if not all time – it's no surprise Nintendo is working on a direct sequel.While
we got a look at a lot of exciting Switch games at E3 – Luigi's Mansion 3, Link's Awakening, and Pokemon Sword and Shield – a Breath of
the Wild sequel might have been the most exciting. It's still early days, but here's everything we know – and want to know – about
Breath of the Wild 2 for Nintendo Switch.UPDATE:Nintendo has been doing some hiring calls which suggest that Breath of the Wild 2's core
development team is still being constructed. Cut to the chaseWhat is it? The upcoming sequel to 2017's open-world Zelda gameWhat can I play
it on? Nintendo SwitchWhen can I play it? 2020 at the earliest, but likely later than thatBreath of the Wild 2 release dateNintendo hasn't
shared much information other than the trailer and a few sparse comments – run through below – but the trailer did close off with a line
stating the Breath of the Wild sequel was "in development"
We certainly won't see the game being released in the coming months, but it's hard to tell beyond that. Take your time, Zelda (Image
Credit: Nintendo)There was six years between 2011's Skyward Sword (Wii U) and 2017's Breath of the Wild (Wii U / Switch), though the
latter's development was delayed by issues with the game's physics engine. Given the team appear to be re-using the same engine and
open-world Hyrule setting, Nintendo probably won't need the same lead time to get this game to release – as with Majora's Mask on the
Nintendo 64, which launched just two years after 1998's iconic Ocarina of Time, and re-used many of the same in-game assets.With Link's
Awakening landing in late 2019, we can't imagine BOTW 2 launching too soon after, either
December 2020 seems the earliest it could possibly release, with a 2021 window seeming more probable.Breath of the Wild 2 trailersWe got our
first glimpse of BOTW 2 at E3, with this spooky trailer that shows Zelda and Link exploring an underground chamber – with some mysterious
runes, glowing hands, and a brand-new haircut that has set the internet on fire
Suffice to say: we're excited.The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 trailer is just 82 seconds long and there's no dialogue whatsoever
– but there are some clues to be gathered from it.It features a torch-carrying Link and Zelda traversing a dark dungeon beneath Hyrule (no
Spirit-like tendrils creep around the musty tomb they're exploring, with the pair riding a large elephant-like beast
Something shocks the pair, and then we cut to what appears to be the resurrection of some long-dead (and creepy looking) warrior
Could this be the return of Ganondorf?The video then cuts to a long shot of Hyrule Field, with Hyrule Castle in the distance
There's a tremor, the castle is smothered with dust and that's the end.The clip finishes with a message that reads: "The sequel to Legend of
Zelda: Breath of the Wild is in development."We wouldn't usually expect so much animation to be done so early in development, but it
probably helps that Nintendo already has the in-game engine from Breath of the Wild.Breath of the Wild 2 news and rumorsCould Zelda have a
bigger role this time around? (Image Credit: Nintendo)More hiring callsThere hasn’t been much information around Breath of the Wild 2
since it was confirmed so naturally fans have been clamouring for a hint of where the game might be in its development. The latest hint
comes from a Nintendo Japan tweet regarding some job listings for a “scenario planner” and a “level designer” for the game
The fact that such core roles are still being filled suggests that the game is still in the fairly early stages of development and isn’t
likely to be a 2020 release
We can’t know for certain, of course, until Nintendo confirms an exact release date but we’re inclined to say later rather than
sooner. All the DLC that never wasIn an interview with Kotaku, Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma said there were originally plans for more
DLC content for BOTW, after The Champion's Ballad and Master Trials add-ons that came in 2017."Initially we were thinking of just DLC
"But then we had a lot of ideas and we said, 'This is too many ideas, let’s just make one new game and start from scratch.'"A darker turn
for the seriesAll we really know at this point is how little we know
The unexpected trailer has already sparked a huge amount of speculation, hopes and hot takes on what the next mainline Zelda title might
include.We've heard from Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma that the game is going to have a darker tone than Breath of the Wild, and will
even be "a little bit darker" than Majora's Mask (via IGN).The trailer certainly supports this, with what looks like Ganondorf's corpse
being resurrected by a disembodied hand, and seemingly imagery from 2006's Twilight Princess, which saw Hyrule turned into a bleak shadow
realm – largely in response to the far cheerier and cartoonish The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.A Gerudo corpse, possibly Ganon, is grabbed
by a mysterious force (Image Credit: Nintendo)The Twilight realmThe glowing blue hand in the trailer is the biggest clue that we'll be
seeing more of the Twili – shadow people descended from Hylians who tried to take the power of the Triforce for themselves
The hand is wrapped in twisting shapes reminiscent of Twilight architecture, while the swirling magic could remind some of the portals that
let Twili invade Hyrule in the 2006 game.We know that BOTW's dev team originally toyed with the idea of an alien invasion, and seeing shadow
creatures teleport out of the sky could well have been what they have planned this time around.A clue in the audioShowing just how far some
Zelda fans will go, reddit user u/ReroFunk (via Inverse) has pieced together a pretty convincing theory regarding Twilight Princess villain
Zant, a Twili who served Ganondorf in the game
If you listen to the trailer's audio in reverse, there are certain notes that seem to echo the music played during your final encounter with
Zant – who, while defeated, is adamant he'll return through the power of his "god".u/ReroFunk also suggests we could see the demon king
Demise return for the next Zelda game
Demise was the final boss in Skyward Sword, and revealed to be the original form of Ganondorf
The below still from the Zelda trailer also looks alot like Demise when you think about it.Ganon, Demise, or something else entirely? (Image
Credit: Nintendo)Lots of dungeons (and an extended map)The latest rumors about the Breath of the Wild sequel suggest that we could be in for
a treat in the form of a new map that's not like anything we've seen from Zelda before
What's more, a couple of new job listings suggest that Nintendo is looking for people to work on designing some dungeons and hidden bosses
for the game – so far, so exciting.Zelda's turn in the spotlight?One of the favorite fan theories doing the rounds regards the Hyrule
She's shown with a practical short haircut, and is dressed in a manner pretty similar to Link's own adventurer's gear – leading some to
think she may be a playable character.Zelda's devs have seemed pretty dismissive of the idea of a female Link in the past – sadly – but
we may in this game see sections playing as Zelda, or at least with her playing a more active role in the story.Breath of the Wild 2: what
we want to seeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is widely considered one of the best games in the series, and there'll be a lot of
pressure to deliver a game not only as good – but also good in its own way
Here's what we're hoping Nintendo will be able to bring to the sequel when it lands.Some new environmentsDon't get us wrong: Breath of the
Wild 2's setting was beautiful, with huge scale vistas and a brilliant dynamic weather system, but we're still hoping we don't have to
retread too much of the same ground
Some divergences in the scenery would help to keep things fresh: maybe a great earthquake splitting the landscape, or an eternal twilight
turning Hyrule's green fields into something else altogether?Soaring over Hyrule gave us some of BOTW's best moments (Image Credit:
Nintendo)Save data carrying overFor those of us who have invested a large portion of time in BOTW, it seems a waste to have to start from
zero when powering up the next game – especially if it takes place right after we left off. Allowing for certain DLC items to carry over,
and making reference to your individual decisions in the previous game – such as certain quests you did or didn't complete, or how many
Divine Beasts you recruited before facing Ganon – would really help to make the sequel feel like a meaningful extension of the previous
game.Some larger-scale dungeonsSure, you could technically say that BOTW's above-ground landscape was a dungeon in its own right: packed
with enough enemies, treasure and surprises without having to hunker underground
However, the snack-sized shrine puzzles and Divine Beasts never quite recreated the scale and wonder of the Zelda Series' most iconic
temples, and it'd be great to see one or two dungeons that really pull out the stops.No more Korok seedsFor the completionists out there,
BOTW's hide-and-seek Koroks were a sweet addition to the game's action
But the reward of a golden turd for collecting all 900 Korok seeds was a bit of an anti-climax – and we really don't want to have to
collect all of them all over again
Maybe go with something else next time, Nintendo?Everything BOTW did so wellRegardless of the above, we're hoping Nintendo sticks close
enough to BOTW's formula – open world exploration, destructible weapons, and environmental puzzles – as not to ditch what made the entry
so successful.rM3enk3XfiGLiqJHLLmND6.jpg?#
