There's no shortage of speculation about the currently untitled Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild sequel online. Some think that the story will involve the player taking control of Ganondorf for the first time, while other have fixated on the teased areial abilities that will be added to Link's arsenal. While there's plenty of great theories about what's to come, one classic Zelda mechanic should make a return for the sequel that was absent in the original Switch title: playable music.
Music has been tied to The Legend of Zelda since its early days on the NES. Even for the time, it featured groundbreaking tracks, so it made sense that Link would start using musical instruments so that players could participate in the franchise's music firsthand. While Zelda is most iconically known for the titular Ocarina of Time, Link had been playing music since the very first game with the flute found in the fifth dungeon. In fact, most mainline Zelda titles feature some sort of music mechanics, but they were notably absent from Breath of the Wild - something that should change with the sequel.
Bringing Music Back for Breath of the Wild 2
On some levels, it makes sense that Breath of the Wild would ditch the classic music mechanics of the franchise in favor of focusing on the new things it was bringing to the table, such as climbing and the robust physics engine. Narratively, it also makes sense that Link wouldn't devote his time to learning a new musical instrument when he needs to end Calamity Ganon's reign over Hyrule, but it did feel like the game was missing something when all was said and done.
Breath of the Wild's music in general was criticized by some for being lacking, as it didn't feature the rolling orchestrated numbers that previous titles had. The broken nature of its music was part of the point, however; as Link goes on a journey across the broken remains of Hyrule, it would have felt off for the game to feature a sweeping score. In general, the entire experience feels a bit more somber than other Zelda titles, so giving Link an ocarina, flute, or harp would have perhaps injected too much whimsy into a story that didn't need it since joy was found in other areas.
All of those elements are evidence enough that the original Breath of the Wild was right to not feature a playable musical instrument for Link, but with the sequel, it might be time for him to pick up the hobby once more. Although there's very little known about the sequel's narrative, it seems to be taking a darker direction than the original, similar to how Majora's Mask was a darker take on the formula set by Ocarina of Time. If that's the case, then a musical instrument could also be given a darker connotation, with each time Link uses it being a chilling moment similar to Majora's Mask's Song of Healing.
As mentioned above, Breath of the Wild was somber in its tone, so giving that type of levity to Link whenever he needs it could have messed with the feel Nintendo was going for. If Breath of the Wild 2 is going to be darker, then it might be good to give players the ability to play an instrument when they need to take a break from doom and gloom. Whether it's used as a chilling narrative beat or a symbol of hope, Breath of the Wild 2 would benefit from putting music back in the hands of its protagonist, as it's a Zelda staple that connects the game to the player on an emotional level.
The unnamed Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel is currently in development for Nintendo Switch.