Fans haven’t received many updates aboutThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2since its teaser trailer dropped back at E3 2019. Though it has been confirmed that the upcoming title will use the same basic map as the original, the premise of the next game’s story has mostly remained a mystery.
The teaser trailer forThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2seemed to contain one major reveal, hinting at Ganon’s resurrection and return as the main villain, and that could be a great thing.
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From Calamity Ganon To Ganondorf
Thetrailer forBreath of the Wild 2shows Link and Zelda exploring the depths of Hyrule Castle before a corpse which appears to be Ganon suddenly reanimates, and the castle itself seems to begin taking off. The corpse looks like a mummified version of Ganon’s Gerudo form, also known as Ganondorf.
Bringing back Ganon’s human form could allow Nintendo to explore a very different perspective on the character in the next game. In the originalBreath of the Wild,Ganon was totally inhuman. He appeared only asCalamity Ganon, and looked something like a demonic boar made of billowing red smoke. If he was ever a human, this Ganon appeared to have surrendered his humanity entirely to Malice, the evil substance found throughout the firstBreath of the Wild.
Thefinal boss fight ofBreath of the Wildhinted that Ganon may have been a different kind of being in the past. Calamity Ganon appeared to be partway through regaining a physical form when Link defeated him in the first game. Now, the trailer forBreath of the Wild 2appears to have revealed that somewhere deep beneath Hyrule Castle the corpse of the original Ganondorf was dormant, and has come back to life.
A more humanoid version of Ganon may be a way forBreath of the Wild 2to reveal the character’s underlying motivations in a way Calamity Ganon was too monstrous to explore. If the body that appeared in theE3 trailerreally was Ganon, his form appears to have been ravaged by Malice, even if that’s also the only thing that’s keeping him alive. This may allow for a portrayal of Ganon which is distinct both from his appearance as a Gerudo King in previous games in the series and the firstBreath of the Wild’s totally inhuman take on the character.
Ganondorf’s Potential In BOTW2
Calamity Ganon appears to be one of the most individually powerful forms Ganon has ever taken across the differentZeldatimelines. If he was once a Gerudo, this would suggest that he achieved this powerful form by totally surrendering to the power of Malice. Now, Nintendo has the opportunity to present a version of Ganondorf which has returned to a more human state after becoming a being of pure evil. This version has the potential to be monstrous like Calamity Ganon, but to reflect more of the humanity that existed before that transformation.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the next game’s version of Ganon has to be more sympathetic. The echoes ofGanondorf’s humanity could reflect his fear, ruthlessness, and ambition. Nonetheless, it could prove to be a more balanced version of the character than the purely rage-fueled Calamity Ganon seen in the firstBreath of the Wild, which seemed to want to destroy Hyrule for the sake of destruction itself.
The trailer also seems to hint at some form of time manipulation, already another staple of the series. When the teaser showsLink and Zeldaexploring the castle noises can be heard which sound as if they are being played backwards, perhaps suggesting that Ganon is being brought back to life using some kind of time magic.
The silhouette of a clawed hand reaching out to a shadow that looks like Ganondorf could also be the moment of his corruption. This could suggest thatBreath of the Wild 2will explore a force greater andmore evil than Ganon. It may explore the origins ofBreath of the Wild’s Malice itself.
This could mean that Link and Zelda will be facing down aversion of Ganonfrom deep in the distant past, or possibly the future. While Calamity Ganon sought only to destroy Hyrule, Ganondorf may be more interested in ruling it like the king he once was. If Link and Zelda are flung into the distant future they may even see what Hyrule looks like after years of Ganondorf’s reign.
The return of Ganondorf and the possibilities of time magic open up many new stories that Nintendo could tell with some of its best known characters. For now, however, fans have no choice but to wait for news fromNintendoto see which opportunities the studio will be running with, and which will fall to the wayside inBreath of the Wild 2.
The Legend of Zelda:Breath of the Wild 2has no release date yet but will be available for Switch.
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