While, yes, I KNOW the sequel IS COMING, I don't know what's coming aside the mysterious trailer... but since a good friend of mine ruined accidentally started a new game of Breath of the Wild on my Switch and I lost ALL MY PROGRESS!! (I must state I'm not mad at her for accidentally overwriting my file... even if I was, I will say I'm not mad for the sake of not losing certain privileges... if you know what I mean 👉👌) Yes, she's aware of this post and in fact, it was she who suggested that I make the comment... does this make me a simp, or just pussywhipped?
But the point is that now I'm rebreathing the Wild... oh no, Master Sword Trials... 753 Korok Seeds... Breathe in, breathe out... I love the game, BUT there are a few things I'd like to see improved... or added.
Activities
Fishing:
In BOTW fishing is basically reduced to Cryonis fish out of the water or blowing them up. There is no fishing rod to truly fish. It would be nice to implement a fishing mechanic. Maybe some special fiah can only be acquired via rod fishing and special lure/bait combinations.
Fishing rod should be a Key item without durability limit. Since it "could be used as a weapon" it should be as weak as the tree branch, or even weaker. (Insert Ganondorf Fishing Rod trick from Twilight Princess)
Bug Catching:
Sure we can sneak and catch insects in BOTW... but I'm talking about using a bug catching net to do so. That would open up some strategies as well. Catch some bees with the net, throw Honey to an enemy camp, release the bees, profit. Also, I want to fight a Ganon with the net... because tradition. Like the Fishing rod, this would be a Key Item without durability limit. Since it "could be used as a weapon" it would be weaker than the tree branch (aside the traditionam spell rebounding effect of the net)
Rudimentary Crafting:
With Cooking, we kinda have a crafting system for healing items. What I'm suggesting, is a crafting system for Link to make some basic weapons/tools/non-food items. Like say, rudimentary spears with wood and stone, rudimentary arrows, a whetstone, a torch, or a recorder. Some of these items are useful to Link, others are to be used on sidequests or trading sequences.
Music Playing:
I mentioned the recorder earlier, for the reason of getting music back into Zelda. While tehre shouldn't be a "Super-duper Magical instrument" like the OoT, Music should have an effect in the world.
For example, using the recorder in a room swarming with Pols Voice. Play anything and they'll cover their ears to avoid the noise. Play the Ballad of the Wind Fish and they all explode.
As you walk through a forest, play Saria's song. If there are nearby Koroks (hidden) they should sing a bit of Saria's song as well.
Epona's song could calm a nearby Wild Stallion enough for you to jump on it. The idea is to bring back the instruments without the HUGE effects from past games. Playing a specific song with the recorder would summon a tony whirlwind that would scroll by and sweep some leaves. Sometimes it drops a Plumber hat.
Smithing and weapon repairs:
Wait... hear me out: I know that BOTW is all about exploring and having smiths reduces the exploring IF weapons can always be fixed...
I was thinking that swords and spears should have a special stat: Sharpness. This stat is tied to the attack power. As it decreases, so does the attack power. Once the blade is dull, if you keep using it, you'll deplete its durability until it breaks. To prevent the weapon from breaking, going to a blacksmith, letting a rock octorok suck a weapon, or sharpening via a whetstone could be alternatives. This brings us to the next stat: restore countdown. All weapons should have this countdown. It limits the number of restorations before the weapon breaks for good and is lost forever. Sharpening a blade with a whetstone would lose twice the restore points than bringing your blade to a smith and providing the proper raw materials to fix it. (Needing materials is an excuse to encourage exploring.) Legends speak of a Goron blacksmith that can fully restore weapons AND even make them Unbreakable.
Dungeons and shrines:
The Divine Beasts were OK-ish as mini dungeons, but we need more dungeons that require special tools/weapons like traditional Zelda games. (Of course, the tools weapoms MUST be useful outside of the dungeons... unlike a certain item who shall remain unmentioned... ) Some dungeons could be fully fledged classic style dungeons. (Keys, treasure chests, tool, mini boss, boss, etc. Kind of thing.) Others could be like Lomei Labyrinth where you have a kind of dungeon before a shrine.
Link's House:
Link had a nice little House in Hateno village, where you could display SOME weapons, well, I'd like to see that idea expanded and allow Link to have a bigger House... translation, a Basement where you can display more weapons and maybe even have a workbench to craft better versions of the things you craft on the wild. A rudimentary arrow in the wild is a Silver arrow at the bench (provided you have silver and the materials to make an arrow) These would be superior to regular arrows against undead enemies (redeads, stal-enemies, gibdos) and Ganon-types, but not as effective as Light Arrows. Rudimentary spears in the wild would be a Traveler's spear at the bench. The recorders made in the wild, would be Ocarinas made at the bench.
Items
I already mentioned certain items like recorders, fishing rods, and bug catching nets... I also have dropped hints for Tools and Unbreakable weapons. Now I'll go into details.
Tools:
Most Zelda games have untraditional weapons aside your sword and shield to pass dungeons. The Sheikah Slate replaces some. Like Cryonis is a lesser version of the Cane of Somaria. The bombs are self explanatory. So, what kind of tools could be useful on a BOTW kind of game?
The first one that comes to mind is the Hookshot. As it is, the Hookshot is way too overpowered for the BOTW world. I think that limiting it to wooden structures would be a good idea. Barrels, sides if houses, trees, Lynel shields, some Hinox leg armor... Hell, imagine using stasis on a barrel, beating the living crap out of it with a weapon, then using the hookshot on it the moment it loses stasis. Another way for Link to fly.
Pegasus Boots is another item that could be used. They allow you to sprint a lot faster than normal and allow for much longer jumps. Could create some interesting shrines/dungeon traps that require some stasis and pegadash combined.
The Roc's feather from Link's awakening could be another item that could be great outaide dungeons, due to its High Jump ability.
Zora Flippers and a new Zora Mask would be a great set of tools. The Flippers would allow for faster swimming with less stamina consumption while the Mask unlocks the diving feature (due to the breathe underwater ability). This would open up exploring underwater. In order to avoid issues with people exploring the seas, the "infinite air" could be limited to Freshwater only. In saltwater you still get the oxygen countdown but is twice as slow. Say, you wouldn't be able to swim underwater all the way to eventide island without "drowning". If you swim above water far enough, a cutscene where a storm comes and engulfs you. As you awake, you find yourself stranded at eventide island. (Excellent nod to Link's awakening)
These tools would lose efficiency over time and would need to be recharged. Kinda like the Master Sword, but with different requirements.
For example, the Hookshot would require Ancient Pieces and leaving it with Robbie for some time until he gets it fixed. Pegasus Boots would require, say, a bunch of items that can be used to make things that induce "Hasty status" and dyeing the boots. Roc's feather could require a ridiculous amount of octo balloons and undergo a different process. For the flippers, find a river with a waterfall (doesn't have to be a big one) and find somewhere where Link can stand in moving water for two minutes with the flippers on. The mask would require a different process.
The idea is that you shouldn't rely on them too much.
Biggoron and the Unbreakable weapons:
A Biggoron must exist in BOTW, since Biggoron swords exist here. (Amiibo items, but still) The idea is that Link finda a Goron hermit that doesn't live in Goron City. He can craft incredible weapons and fix nearly every weapon. The way Biggoron fixes them doesn't spend Restore points. (If Biggoron is fixing a weapon during a blood moon, the restore points are reset.) He can also make ONE WEAPON OF EACH TYPE "Unbreakable"
1 one handed weapon (short sword, club)
1 2 handed weapon (Claymore, Hammer)
1 Spear
1 Bow
1 Shield
1 Magic Rod
1 Boomerang
By "Unbreakable" I mean something similar to the Master Sword. It will never break, but it will lose power and require some recharge downtime. The recharge would be longer than the Master Sword, but it can be skipped by taking the weapon to Biggoron... The more abilities a weapon has (ie, multi arrow shot, elemental attribute, etc.) The longer it takes to recover. A normal sword has less recovery time than an elemental blade. A single arrow bow has less recovery time than a multi-arrow bow...
The catch is that no Teleporting items can be used to reach Biggoron. (This is to reduce the exploitation of the Blood Moon restore to normal weapons).
Enemies:
Most of the enemies from BOTW are from the era of decline... but, I'd like to see a few more return:
Goriya:
The boomerang wielding enemies from classic Zelda should make a comeback. I know that Lizalfos Kinda replaced them but hear me out. The Goriya should be a cunning enemy, borderline neutral. If you don't show signs of being a threat it could leave you alone. If it sees a bomb, it'll toss the boomerang at it. Personally, I'd like to have them behave as "humans" with speech capability and any fight against them is due to Link trespassing on their space and being belligerent. Some may even give you quests.
Daira:
Think a Moblin Sized Lizalfos-type enemy who wields axes as single handed weapons.
Pols Voice:
I already mentioned these guys. They are a reason to have the recorder/ocarina.
Like Like:
These monster like to devour weapons and clothes. Indestructible gear should become depowered if "fully eaten". Also, to unlock certain gear, another type must be partially eaten by Like Likes.
Acheman:
Imagine a swarm of Elemental Keese that suddenly turns into a monster that behaves similarly to a Wizzrobe to then vanish into the swarm once again.
Redead/Gibdos:
Since Stalfos have been made exclusively monster types, we're missing "stal-hylians" these two could fill in that gap.
Bosses:
Since Breath of the Wild seems to be a love letter to classic Zelda, I'm thinking about the Classic Zelda Bosses:
Manhandla:
Aside from Oracle of Seasons having one, Manhandla has been MIA from most Zelda games.
Aquamentus:
Literally, THE FIRST BOSS in all of Zelda. It would be interesting to see it return. Heck maybe make one into a steed (that can't be saved in stables) just for the hell of it.
Gleeok:
Another Zelda 1 boss that has NOT gotten any respect. You have noticed the trend, right?
I know it sounds a bit counterintuitive to look at the past for the sake of the future, but for the Legend of Zelda the past is everything. Breath of the wild was practically a love letter to the Past. I'm just simply looking at the top three Zelda games that reshaped my childhood/early teens as my main sources. The rest, of the main series has brought inspiration, but right now we have to wait and see what Nintendo is cooking.
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