At Nintendo’s 2021 E3 Direct, footage was finally revealed forThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. At long last, fans can see Link’s new robot arm in action, a glimpse at Hyrule’s sky islands, and a look at the new villain, who may be a revived Ganondorf. Players will be able to take Link to the skies in this game, nicelyparalleling theSkyward Sword HDreleasethat is happening in July. With a 2022 release window set, it finally feels like this highly anticipated sequel to one of the Switch’s biggest games is really coming out. Link’s adventure in the post-apocalyptic Hyrule can finally continue.
However, someone’s missing out on that adventure. Princess Zelda once again appears to have missed her shot at a playable role, and must be rescued by Link. While this is not fully confirmed yet,Breath of the Wild 2’s new gameplay trailer definitely seems to be implying that Zelda is missing out on the action once again. Right at the beginning of the trailer, Zelda is shown disappearing into darkness. Considering the enormous surge of Malice coming out of the bottom of Hyrule Castle, which is implied to be somewhere around where Link and Zelda were inBreath of the Wild, it looks like Zelda is sealed in a Malice-infested castle all over again.
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Playable Princess Zelda Doesn’t Have A Great Track Record
Because of this, it appears thatBreath of the Wild 2is resurrecting a much-bemoanedZeldaseries tradition: keeping its title character out of the picture. Zelda is up there with Princess Peach as one of Nintendo’s go-to damsels in distress, and she has a nasty tendency to becaptured, rendered comatose, sealed in some way(even if it’s self-inflicted), or in hiding in refuge for part of the game — before transitioning to one of the other states. It’s a really outdated trait of the series, but unfortunately, even with ways out being available, Nintendo seems committed to making sure Link is the hero and Zelda is the goal.
Back during E3 2016, during Nintendo’sBreath of the WildTreehouse,Zeldaseries producer Eiji Aonuma was asked aboutthe prospect of a playable Zelda. The reasons he gave about why this couldn’t happen were not well received. Aonuma presented the idea that if Princess Zelda was the main character, Link would have nothing to do. He mentioned in a different interview that since the Triforce is made up of Zelda, Link, and Ganondorf, making Link a female heroine was also off the table because Zelda was already there. It’s even more outrageous when one considers the times Zelda has taken action in aLegend of Zeldagame.
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Princess Zelda Has Been A Hero In Past Legend of Zelda’s
Princess Zelda has been playable in a few priorZeldagames, even if Link is usually the focus. Whiletwo of the old CD-IZeldaspin-offsare technically an example of this, fans would be more inclined to think ofSpirit Tracksinstead.Spirit Tracksfeatures a ghostly Zelda that can take control of Phantoms, large suits of armor that some players will recognize from Zelda’s down-special inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. This is more of a supporting role, but it does allow players to access Link and Zelda at the same time, and the Phantoms can do plenty of things Link can’t.
Princess Zelda has long been known to be an accomplished magic user and avatar for the goddess Hylia’s power. She doesn’t get many chances to show this off, but theHyrule Warriorsgames were two such times. Zelda in the first game was at the height of her power, and took to the field with a graceful fighting style involving sword blows and light magic.
That Zelda isn’t exactly representative of how she normally is in canon, butAge of Calamity’s Sheikah Slate-wielding princess is.Age of CalamityZeldashows how she could have been inBreath of the Wild 2, using a mixture of the Sheikah Slate’s advanced functions and the Bow of Light. That’s still not out of the realm of possibility, but seems unlikely when taken withBreath of the World 2’s gameplay trailer.
How Princess Zelda Could Be Playable in Breath of the Wild 2
But as hope springs eternal, so too are there still some ways that Nintendo couldimplement Zelda into a lead role, now or in the future. To start, she could be made playable in special sequences. It would be nice if these could be more than quick cinematic diversions, especially if she has access to Link’s regular weapons and the firstBreath of the Wild’s Sheikah Slate.
A playable Zelda, if she has to coexist with a playable Link, should be similar or just the same; there’s really no reason she can’t be. Again,Age of Calamityshows it can be done with more technical Sheikah Slate usage compared to Link. If Zelda can’t be inBreath of the Wild 2’s campaign, then she could be playable afterwards; an unlockable bonus could swap Link out for Zelda. A DLC version of that option, or even an entire downloadable mini campaign for the princess, would also be good.
Ultimately, fans would be really pleased if Nintendo would let Zelda be playable in a big, mainlineLegend of Zeldagame. Her name is in the title, and a new entry can just be written so that she has the Triforce of Courage this time if that’s what it takes. Fans would alsolike to see Linkle make a returnas part of more detailed character generation for Link, but fixing the Princess Zelda problem should take priority. Considering that Zelda’s light powers are often instrumental in defeating Ganondorf, and she was even the one to land the killing blow on Calamity Ganon, this decades-old member of Nintendo’s leading ladies should really get the chance to shine.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2will release in 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
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