I've seen many people talk about Breath of the Wild's story (or "lack thereof"), and this article mentions many points that I've seen others talk about. So I thought it would be a good article to respond to.
I use segments from the article that I want to cover, and don't always quote the author in full. So I recommend reading their article first if you want full context (which I will link below):
Author: Sadly after players face off against the Phantom Ganon, another reminder of the state of Hyrule, they discover Saria has died as result of Link’s inability to save Hyrule.
Saria isn't dead. This is an old fan theory that doesn't hold any weight. Nothing in-game, manuals, interviews, Hyrule Historia, or the Encyclopedia confirm or support this. In fact, there are things that actively go against it.
Such as the Seven Sages from A Link Between Worlds being the descendants from the Seven Sages in Ocarina of Time.
How can Saria (or any of the Sages in Ocarina of Time) be dead if they have descendants?
Author: The whole experience of Forest Temple is an emotional journey about Link’s fate, friendship, and failure. As a player, the goal of the game becomes more tangible; as the point of Ocarina of Time isn’t just to defeat Ganon, it is rather to restore Link’s friendships and love while simultaneously coming to terms with dark aspects of life like death and aging.
In contrast to this emotional journey, Breath of the Wild rejects the Hero’s Journey structure in its moment-to-moment gameplay, instead embracing a new philosophy for its storytelling.
I'm unsure how Breath of the Wild "rejects" the Hero's Journey, and I'm also unsure how other Zelda games follow the Hero's Journey to a T (at least based on the graph that was shown).
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| (Imagine from Super Jump article) |
Breath of the Wild has many aspects of a Hero's Journey:
Call to Adventure: Zelda wakes Link from his sleep and asks for his help.
Supernatural aid: The King's spirit.
Threshold Guardian: The Great Plateau
Threshold (beginning of transformation): Obtaining the Sheikah Slate Runes/Paraglider and leaving the Great Plateau.
Helper/Mentor: Impa/The King
Challenges and Temptations: The Divine Beasts/getting the Master Sword before Link is ready (it will kill him if he isn't strong enough).
Helper: The Deku Tree
Revelation: Freeing the Champions/obtaining the Master Sword.
Transformation: Regaining all of his memories.
Atonement: Defeating Ganon/saving Zelda (undoing his past failures).
Return: Hyrule is free from Ganon's malice, Link and Zelda can rebuild.
Keep in mind that Breath of the Wild is a game where Link is already a hero. 100 years ago he was able to wield the Master Sword, become a knight, serve as Zelda's bodyguard, and become a Champion. Breath of the Wild is about Link losing this and having to regain it.
Link is already a hero in Majora's Mask, and that game doesn't follow the traditional "Hero's Journey" formula, so I'm not sure why Breath of the Wild needs to be held to a standard that not every Zelda game has upheld.
Author: Nintendo even sacrifices traditional character arcs for open ended character development which is shown through the various memories of Zelda and Link.
It's not just the memories that provide the story for Breath of the Wild. The King, Impa, and the Deku Tree all provide story/backstory as well. But beyond that there is plenty of story/character development with Sidon, Teba, Yunobu and Riju, as well as other characters like the Zora King, Purah, Robbie, all of the Champions, and even Zelda herself (I'm not referring to the memories, I'm referring to things that happen in the present, like when you save the Champions/Zelda). Not to mention the journals/diaries of many of these characters.
Author: Both Link and Zelda in BotW don’t fit into the previous conceptions of their characters. For starters, they are the only iteration of the characters who fail at defeating Ganon.
This isn't true, in Wind Waker Tetra and Link try to face Ganondorf and fail, they have to regroup (plus restore the Master Sword) and try again at the end of the game.
The same can be said for Ocarina of Time. They fail to stop Ganondorf and he gains control of Hyrule for 7 years. Zelda goes into hiding and Link is sealed away until he is able to wield the Master Sword.
Author: Lastly, in order to defeat Ganon, Link and Zelda must break tradition and become their own individual (for example, Link doesn’t need to defeat Ganon with the Master Sword).
Link also doesn't need to use the Master Sword to defeat Ganon in the very original Zelda game, as well as the Oracle games and Four Swords Adventures (the Master Sword isn't even in these games, well, not the true Master Sword).
The Master Sword is only used to stun Ganon in A Link to the Past (during the final phase), while Silver Arrows are what's used to hurt him and deliver the final blow.
The point being that Link hasn't always required the Master Sword to defeat Ganon anyway, so it's not like BOTW is "breaking from tradition" in this regard.
Author: It’s a bold direction for the franchise to take, but it doesn’t succeed in its full transition to this new overarching philosophy.
The ‘Open Air’ nature fits well with the game design of BotW, however, it hinders growth and progress, which is at the heart of the series.
Link starts the game with literally nothing, no clothes, no weapons, no memory. Throughout the game you/Link must regain all of these things, you get clothes (eventually getting his tunic from 100 years ago), you get weapons (eventually getting the Master Sword from 100 years ago), you get memories (from 100 years ago).
You meet/help people along the way, you fight enemies and overcome trials, you get stronger and more capable. All of this is growth/progress, just done differently than previous titles.
Author: The theme of progress/hero’s journey is found in the various shrines and Divine Beast dungeons, but none of these dungeons or shrines add to the characters, specifically Link.
The shrines are Link's trials, left to him by the Goddess. The Monks pass on her will to Link when he passes. This is very important to his character; you need to become stronger to lift the Master Sword (13 hearts are needed), and without the shrines you will not gain enough strength to lift the Master Sword (you only have 3 hearts at the start of the game, and 4 more from doing the dungeons, meaning you MUST complete at least some of the shrines to get the Master Sword).
The dungeons do add to the characters. Each of the Champions are trapped there, they died in battle and you must carry their torch. They encourage Link throughout the dungeon (even Revali compliments Link), and then they pass on their abilities to Link (making him stronger). They even aid Link in the final battle with Ganon.
You mention how in the Forest Temple you have to battle Phantom Ganon (which is a reminder of the state of Hyrule), and find out that Saria has died as a result of Link's inability to save Hyrule (even though she didn't even die). Well, this is also the theme for BOTW's dungeons. You have to fight the Blight Ganons (a reminder of the state of Hyrule), and free the Champions (characters that ACTUALLY died due to Link's inability to save Hyrule).
Author: There’s no revelations or emotional challenges for Link and the Player.
Link has an emotional connection to the Champions, they died 100 years ago trying to save Hyrule, now Link gets to succeed where they failed.
Just to use one example; in the flashback, Mipha tells Link that she will always heal him, then after you free her spirit she gives Link her healing ability so she will always be able to heal him.
Every Champion has a moment like this with Link, all of them support him and pass on their will to him.
Author: Instead of adding to the compelling moment-to-moment experiences, the Divine Beasts and Shrines feel more like options rather than obligations; ironically, all divine beasts are optional.
The Dungeons and Shrines might be optional, but they are the canonical true ending of the game. They are optional to give the player more freedom. Getting all of the memories gives you the true ending of the game, so even though it's optional, it's still important to the story.
Majora's Mask is like this, a lot of the character interactions/story comes from optional side quests. You can beat the game without seeing the true endings (the ending will just show you the mask you need instead of playing the cutscenes related to each character). Anju and Kafie have one of the more character/story driven side quests, yet it is completely optional, (even becoming Fierce Diety is optional).
Author: The Open Air design means that players can completely forgo the dungeons and shrines as there is no challenge or development that is necessary for completing the game. Many gameplay experiences can be entirely skipped if the player decides to follow their path.
The consequence of freedom is stagnation.
Some of the incentives to do the shrines/dungeons include:
Getting more story.
Getting more hearts/stamina for easier combat/exploration.
Getting enough hearts to get the Master Sword.
Getting better weapons/gear.
Getting the Champions' abilities.
Freeing the Champions so they can damage Ganon (making the fight with him easier).
Defeating the Blight Ganons in the Divine Beasts causes them to not appear in Hyrule Castle (otherwise you have to fight them as well as Ganon).
Sure, you can skip all this (just like you can skip the Biggoron Sword side quest or skip ending the Golden Skulltula curse in OOT, or any side quest really), but it's still there for you if you choose to do it.
That's like having the option to eat any meal you want everyday, but you only choose the same thing over and over, then complain that your diet is "stagnant".
It's pretty difficult to try and make your way to Hyrule Castle, fight your way up to Ganon, and beat him with just 3 hearts and basic gear. It's difficult and the game encourages you to get stronger and find a better way to approach the situation (i.e. free the Champions, get their abilities, get enough hearts, and get the Master Sword).
Author: Without the direction and obligation of challenge, there is no character development or urgency of plot.
Except there is. The King explains the situation to Link before you leave the Great Plateau, he asks Link to save Zelda, but advises Link to not go to the castle yet (as it's heavily guarded and Link isn't strong enough). He tells him to go to Kakariko Village and speak with Impa, then she fills him in on the backstory and Link is prompted to reclaim the Divine Beasts and get the Master Sword.
The part with the King isn't optional, you, the player, are given the urgency to save Zelda, but advised to get stronger first.
Author: New revelations of the story and game design aren’t revealed through the dungeon and main quest (like previous Zelda titles), because they defeat the purpose of the open air concept.
But new revelations and story ARE revealed through the dungeons/main quests. The Great Plateau is mandatory, as is the King's explanation to Link, and he guides Link to Impa. The Divine Beasts, plus the events leading up to them (Sidon asking for Link's help, the Zora King granting Link the Zora Tunic which Mipha made for him, the elder Zora denouncing Link, Link having to prove himself to the elder Zora, Sidon helping Link reach the Divine Beast etc etc etc), getting the Master Sword, fighting Ganon, and yes, even finding the memories are all part of the main quest (they are all listed under "Main Quest" in your Adventure Log).
Just because some of these things are optional, doesn't mean they aren't the primary story.
Author: With no revelations or new challenges, all the dungeons feel the same and don’t offer any emotion or attachment.
Except as I mentioned before, each Champion is the emotional driving force for each dungeon. You are given a story/incentive to save them prior to getting to the dungeon. Sidon, Teba, Yunobu, and Riju all have connections to the Champions (as well as others, like Mipha's father), and they all give the story more weight for why Link needs to save the Champions.
For example; Mipha gets a moment of reflection, wishing she could see her father once more.
I would also like to point out that Hyrule Castle is a dungeon as well (it has a dungeon map, it has a dungeon item (the Hylian Shield), it has a dungeon ost, it has a mini boss, and it has a boss).
Even though I would personally say that the Divine Beasts all feel different and each have new revelations/challenges, I can understand why some would feel like they are more similar to one another (especially compared to other Zelda games). But I don't think Hyrule Castle is anything like the Divine Beasts, and I would also say that it's story relevance/emotional attachment is impossible to miss. It's literally the thing that you've been guided to since the beginning, even the Champions in the previous dungeons are guiding you here (literally aiming their weapons at the castle), and reminding you to save Zelda.
Author: Breath of the Wild may be one of the most well defined open-world games in recent memory, but when gameplay is prioritized over storytelling, instead of the two being infused, the result is a great game with no emotional connection.
I personally think Breath of the Wild has some of the MOST emotional/powerful moments in the series.
The scene where Link is about to die, and Zelda finally unlocks her powers just in time to save him, is one of the more emotional scenes for me. Zelda has been trying, and failing, for so long to unlock her powers, even getting shunned by her father and believing she was a failure. Yet, when she needed it most, she was able to do what was needed.
It's followed up by Fi telling Zelda to take Link to the Shine of Resurrection, which just makes that scene even more emotional for me (due to what Fi's final words to Skyward Sword Link was).
Author: What sequence or dungeon has the emotional weight and character development like Forest Temple in Breath of the Wild?
None. That’s the problem.
Firstly, that's subjective, everyone has different things that emotionally affect them. Twilight Princess is my favorite Zelda game, and Midna's character development may have more emotional weight for me than it would someone else.
But secondly, I've already mentioned how the dungeons DO have character development/emotional weight. I've used Mipha as an example a lot because she is my personal favorite, and her character had emotional weight with me (again, "emotional weight" is subjective, but to say there is no character development is just false, Revali alone is proof of this).
Since I've already mentioned the dungeons more, I'll give another example of a sequence that emotionally resonates with me a lot.
When Zelda tells Link that courage is never forgotten.
This. This is one of the single most powerful moments in all of Zelda for me. The entire theme of the game is about loss, Hyrule is lost, it's King is lost, it's Princess is lost, it's Champions are lost, it's hero is lost. But it's also about regaining what was lost.
Link awakes with nothing, he has to regain his clothes, regain his weapons, regain his memories, regain his bonds with his friends, regain control of the Divine Beasts, and regain control of Hyrule.
But the one thing he doesn't have to regain? His courage, because courage is never forgotten.
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