Every Nintendo Switch fan is anxiously looking forward to the E3 2021 Nintendo Direct, knowing full well that we'll likely get an update on the Zelda Breath of the Wild sequel, though it hasn't been confirmed yet by Nintendo if this game will even be featured durng the presentation. But I'm pretty confident we'll get some updates considering it was only in February that Eiji Aonuma, the producer of The Legend of Zelda series, told us that the sequel's development was "proceeding smoothly and we should be able to bring you some more information this year."
It's highly likely that he was referring to E3 since Nintendo tends to go all out with its presentations. Breath of the Wild (BotW) was an absolute masterpiece, but it wasn't perfect. On top of that, we have only had the E3 2019 teaser trailer to go off of, so we are dying to learn more. It's possible this could be a much bigger game than the original and could require more space on our microSD cards. Here are six things we want to see during the Zelda BotW sequel's E3 presentation.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 Storyline, villain, and location
There are soooo many rumors surrounding the emaciated figure from the E3 2019 Zelda Botw 2 teaser. It seems very likely that he's the main antagonist for this upcoming title (and we have a strong opinion of who he is), but we don't know for sure nor do we know how he'll affect the plot. For that matter, we need an actual title so we don't keep calling it the "Breath of the Wild sequel" or "Breath of the Wild 2."
They're probably going to do something to change up the map.
The teaser took place in what looked like a dungeonous location and it seemed like Hyrule Castle was starting to float up into the air at the end of the trailer. It's possible this new game could take place mostly underground or in a new location entirely. I mean, we have explored Hyrule rather thoroughly by this point. So they're probably going to do something to change up the map. However, we don't know enough about it yet.
My hope is that the castle moves to a new location so we can encounter additional species and cultures since we've already had time with the Ruto, Zora, Gorons, Koroks, Shiekah, and the Gerudo. For instance, it would be awesome to see some Deku Scrubs, or perhaps brand new creatures that we haven't seen before.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 Full-fledged dungeons
I personally am a huge fan of the Shrines from the original BotW game as they provided me with regular opportunities to solve puzzles and acquire new gear while traveling around Hyrule. However, I really missed diving into deep dungeons and encountering themed-bosses as it's been a long-standing staple of core Zelda games. The Divine Beasts, while fun, were relatively small, especially when compared to something like the Water Temple from Ocarina of Time.
For me, the perfect balance would be having intense dungeons in various areas and Shrines sprinkled throughout the map to break up the open space. Ideally, this would allow us to encounter more intensive puzzles in the dungeons and acquire new gear, in addition to the Sheikah Slate's Rune powers.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 Improved weapon system
Link's weapons break too darn fast in BotW and it can be very tedious at times finding good swords to replace the ones you've lost. Hopefully the weapons in the sequel are more resilient and can last longer.
I'd personally love to see the damage bars for my weapons so I know how much more they have to give before shattering to pieces. Better yet, if we could use gathered items to repair weapons before they disappeared I'd be a happy Hylian.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 New (and returning) gadgets
The Sheikah Slate was very interesting and I loved that it broke up the standard Zelda formula. However, I've also really missed some of Link's standard items. Can you imagine launching yourself into the air with the hookshot and then opening your glider to navigate around towers or mountains in a Batman-like manner? So many new possibilities would open up.
There are so many opportunities for growth here and adding either gear we've seen from previous Zelda games or coming up with brand new ways to interact the world would help spice things up quite a bit. There's some speculation that something is happening with Link's arm in the teaser, so maybe we'll get new functions that way. Either way, we want to see it.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 amiibo functions
BotW offered the best amiibo functions of any Switch game to release thus far. It's a good thing too, as there are dozens of Zelda amiibo to collect and this gives us a chance to actually use them. For example, scanning the Wolf Link amiibo brought this canine to BotW Link's side allowing them to fight together. Meanwhile, scanning the Link (Super Smash Bros.) amiibo unlocks Epona, the horse of legend.
Considering all of the cool things that came from scanning amiibo in the original, we really hope to see some of these same functions, as well as new ones, in BotW 2. Perhaps some of the Zelda amiibo that didn't do that much in the original could be assigned awesome new functions.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 Release date
I personally just need to know how excited I should be and how much I should temper my expectations. Is Nintendo planning for a holiday 2021 release? Is this game still in early development and won't come out for a couple years? I'm just dying to know. If I were to guess, I'm assuming it will come out this November or sometime next year. The game has been in production since at least 2019, but the pandemic could have slowed it down. We'll just have to wait and see.
Your thoughts
What are you hoping to learn about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel during E3? Tell us about it in the comments below. To know when and where to tune in, check out how to watch Nintendo at E3 2021.
If you haven't played the first game yet, you really should. I've beaten it five times now and I absolutely love how much it shook up the existing Zelda formula. Plus, the world is filled with so many interesting areas you'll be enthralled by exploration and learning just what happened to Hyrule while Link slept.
Avenge Hyrule
Link wakes from a 100-year slumber only to realize the world has been ravaged by Calamity Ganon. It's up to him to right the wrongs from a century ago, travel a massive open world, and put his friend's spirits to rest.
Play your favorites anywhere
From nostalgic characters to brand new hits the Nintendo Switch hosts a variety of gaming genres. Take it with you wherever you go and entertain yourself for hours. It has the personal feel of a Game Boy with the TV connectivity of a major console.
