Throughout the nearly 35-year history of theLegend of Zeldafranchise, Link has been the figure of adoration for many characters. Sometimes these relationships are implied, like the apparent affection of Link’s friend Ilia inTwilight PrincessorMarin inLink’s Awakening. Other times they’re more direct, as when Link is engaged to Princess Ruto inOcarina of Timeor receives his Zora Armor from Mipha inBreath of the Wild. InThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, Nintendo could use this to its advantage.
Rarely has the in-universe love for Link in any of his iterations across theunwieldyLegend of Zeldatimelineserved a direct benefit to the player outside of story progression, despite how often the subject comes up. One of the few examples of an auxiliary benefit to Link garnering affection with NPCs comes inTwilight Princess, where the trio of Kili, Hanna, and Misha in Hyrule Castle Town are so enamored by his successes in the Clawshot-based STAR Game that they exude their love as literal hearts Link can use to heal.
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The open-world Hyrule established byBreath of the Wildintroduced amyriad of characters that players likedand want to return, as many did not receive much development. If Nintendo implements a new mechanic inBreath of the Wild 2that allows Link to return to areas and bolster his relationships further than a single side-quest or plot point, players would have a means to differentiate their adventures and also potentially have a way to earn rare goods befitting their play style while learning more about someone they’re interested in. There are a few games that offer guidelines for how this system could be handled without interfering in the upcoming title’s main plot.
The Fire Emblem Approach
If there is any Nintendo property synonymous with the idea of building relationships, it would be Intelligent System’s turn-based RPG seriesFire Emblem.Fire Emblem: Awakeningwas packed to the brim with content — including anexpansion of the ‘Support’ systemthat gives characters more personality by conversing with one another off of the battlefield.Awakeningand the two following mainline titles,FatesandThree Houses, made it so nearly every character in the games' large casts could foster supports together.
TheFire Emblem-style of relationship building offers intrinsic and extrinsic benefits. Players are given incentives to let units talk to one another and build camaraderie because it can gain them extra stat bonuses on the battlefield, but also because it unlocks extra flavor text and alternate endings should certain characters become so close that they get married. Warranted complaints have been lobbed at the series forunder-representing non-heteronormative relationships, but there is something to be said about the idea behind a system in which characters can interact across a large spectrum to find a mate for both story and gameplay purposes.
Probably the biggest inconsistency when trying to apply this system toBreath of the Wild 2is how heavily it relies on two characters battling together.Three Housesadds more non-combative means of building relationships like hosting tea parties, but even so the best way to encourage supports is by slapping two units side-by-side on the battlefield. Though Zelda is seemingly being established as a traveling companion to Link inBreath of the Wild 2’s E3 2019 trailer, it’s not exactly realistic to expect he could raise a support level with a half-dozen side characters by fighting Moblins alongside them.
The Stardew Valley Approach
Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone’s farming and life simulation gameStardew Valleyis an incredibly popular indie title. At the beginning of 2020,Barone announced it had sold 10 million copies. One of the biggest reasons for this success is undoubtedly its focus on creating an experience where players can express themselves not only through their outfit choices and agricultural preferences, but through their relationships.
Adjacent to the player farm inStardew Valleyis thesleepy village of Pelican Town, and one major aspect of the game’s life simulation is forging bonds with its residents by talking to them every day, completing quests, and giving them gifts. The kicker is this system is entirely optional — which is also true ofFire Emblem, but in that series it’s much harder to outright avoid. A player can spend the entire time focused on their farm inStardew Valleyand ignore the relationship system.
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However, there’s plenty to gain by taking part in this optional mechanic. Not only do Pelican Town’s residents offer friendlier dialogue and gifts like recipes as the player grows closer to them, but there are 12 villagers — six male and six female — who canget married to the player. Married villagers move onto the player’s farm, offer to help with chores, and can have or adopt children.
The optional nature ofStardew Valley’s relationship system, coupled with the unlockable rewards that come from buying into it, makes the game a more perfect template for the kind of system thatBreath of the Wild 2should utilize. Across the great open world of Hyrule that the first game establishes, Link meets a number of characters who will likely reappear given the developers have confirmed the sequel willtake place on the same map. If Nintendo opens up the ability for Link to date these characters, or at least grow closer bonds with them by the player’s volition, there’s a lot of potential to work with.
The Potential of Closer Bonds
Of all the characters that have been pegged as the “official” relationship pairing for Link across theLegend of Zeldafranchise, Zelda is no doubt the most common. Yet outside of a handful of games includingSpirit Tracks,Skyward Sword, andBreath of the Wild,she rarely interacts with Link or has a real relationship with him beyond being the damsel in distress. Many have clamored forZelda to be a second playable characterinBreath of the Wild 2, but if she were just a more integral confidant for Link that offers some combat benefit or additional dialogue to build upon their past would perhaps serve the game better.
There are also areas throughout Hyrule that a player may have only gone back to if they wanted to replenish their arrow and food supplies because the NPCs rarely offer anything beyond one line of dialogue or extra quest. If Link can build relationships with some of these characters inBreath of the Wild 2by repeatedly going back to talk to them, each area could feel more alive and further give players a means of immersing themselves.
On top of that, different “date-able” NPCs could offer unique items by advancing through their support chains. Selmie, the shield surfing guru in the snowy Hebra mountains, could provide shields unavailable elsewhere in the game; Kass, the accordion-playing Rito, could offer Link rare riddles or even musical instruments tofill his house in Hateno Village; and Sidon, the fan-favorite Zora prince, could catch rare fish for Link to use in special recipes. IfBreath of the Wild 2took theStardew Valleyapproach, players could even unlock the ability to have one of those characters move into their home so the special item supply is in an easily-accessible location.
While suggesting that Link should be able to date other characters in a mainlineLegend of Zeldagame sounds like the kind of dream that fanfictions are made of, there are a lot of opportunities for character growth and branching gameplay mechanics that Nintendo could tap into if they took the idea seriously. Because it will be reusing the same world map,Breath of the Wild 2needs to differentiate itself from its predecessor; either by radically changing some areas,introducing new villainsto wreck havoc in unique ways, or by really incentivizing the player to get to know those areas by providing them someone special to go see while they’re visiting.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2is in development.
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