Blockbuster releases in any medium may shift the entertainment landscape, leading to a deluge of movies inspired by Star Wars or Halloween, or games inspired by Dark Souls. However, sometimes the creative process is akin to convergent evolution with multiple works releasing at the same time that are remarkably similar. The 1998 movies Armageddon and Deep Impact are a good example, and in video games there are few clearer cases than The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Horizon Zero Dawn.
Breath of the Wild is credited with revolutionizing modern open-world titles, leading to dozens of new releases being comparable: Genshin Impact, Sonic Frontiers, and more. However, Guerrilla Games' break-out success Horizon Zero Dawn released just a week prior to the 2017 Switch launch title. Both post-apocalyptic games have huge natural worlds that players explore but find crawling with corrupted machines, and they share smaller mechanics like time slowing down as their protagonists nock arrows in midair.
There are substantial differences between the two, with Breath of the Wild leaning into free exploration as Horizon Zero Dawn develops a deeper narrative, but it's clear the studios each pulled from similar source materials. Now The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 and Horizon: Forbidden West are scheduled to release in 2022, with Horizon's Shieldwing seemingly emulating the functionality of Zelda's Paraglider. Breath of the Wild 2 should also take on some of Horizon Zero Dawn's best ideas, with archery being one area worth improving.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Archery
One of the biggest complaints levied at Breath of the Wild is its weapon durability system. Nintendo incentivizes players to frequently change out the weapons they're using by having almost everything break (the Master Sword and Hylian Shield being major exceptions). Sword and shields, spears, two-handed weapons, and magic tools all work differently, so players become a jack-of-all-trades throughout their journey across Hyrule. Bows are no different.
Each bow that Link can pick up in Breath of the Wild ranges in durability from basic Wooden Bows to Royal Guard's Bows. Some abilities vary, such as the Yiga Clan's Duplex Bow and Lynel Bows that fire multiple arrows at once, or the Phrenic Bow that zooms in when used. Breath of the Wild's weapons may also come with modifiers that do everything from increase damage or durability to increase how many arrows can fire at once (from three to five).
Though an individual bow's attributes and modifiers can change, ammunition is universal. Link collects basic arrows alongside Fire, Ice, Shock, Bomb, and Ancient Arrows, all of which interact with the environment in various ways. For example, Bomb Arrows are innert in the rain, but Shock Arrows will become more effective. As previously mentioned players can slow down time by drawing an arrow in midair so long as their stamina holds out, and landing headshots (or hitting critical weak points like a Guardian's eye) result in double damage.
Horizon Zero Dawn's Archery
Horizon Zero Dawn is built around archery as a core mechanic, meaning its systems are more complex - making up for less-developed melee combat. Aloy can purchase different bows from vendors (using Metal Shards and other key components salvaged from machines), and these are not the only ranged weapons at her disposal. She can expand her arsenal with tools like the Rattler that fires off multiple projectile bursts, Tripcasters that set traps, and Slings that lob bombs.
Because Aloy is a hunter trained from a young age, Horizon Zero Dawn's gameplay emphasizes stealth and precision. She can lure enemies into tripwires that explode, quickly finish off opponents with stealth, and aim for numerous weak points that deal more damage and break off machine components. Horizon Zero Dawn also has a skill tree, meaning Aloy's inherent abilities grow over time.
Unlike in Breath of the Wild, ammunition is not universal in Horizon Zero Dawn. Certain bows can use elemental arrows that inflict fire or ice damage, for example, and these will often be more effective on specific machines. Thus, Horizon players are incentivized to equip multiple bows and other weapons for different circumstances, and each weapon can be modified to improve its proficiency in certain areas.
Breath of the Wild 2 Should Learn from Horizon Zero Dawn's Ammo Crafting
Given each game's archery systems are afforded different weights, it's hard to say Breath of the Wild 2 should crib its mechanics from Horizon Zero Dawn wholesale, or vice versa. However, one thing Horizon gets right that could easily translate to the next Legend of Zelda game is its ammo economy.
In Breath of the Wild, Link has to collect arrows by battling enemies, opening certain chests, or purchasing them from shops. If he runs out of arrows mid-fight, players are out of luck - they have to warp to a settlement or farm arrows at the next opportunity. Horizon Zero Dawn lets Aloy craft bundles of ammo on the fly if players would rather not use their finite Fast Travel Packs. Basic arrows can be crafted with Ridge-Wood and Metal Shards, and every other arrow as well as Sling or Tripwire ammunition can be made with machine parts.
Considering Horizon Zero Dawn is reliant on precision, this is a boon for players of all skill levels. Newcomers can restock their most important resources if they're struggling to hit a machine's weak point, meanwhile veterans can clear out hordes with ease and never have to return to a shop. Breath of the Wild may not incentivize precision in the same way, but it still isn't fun to run out of supplies given how often players might spam arrows at a monster's head to deal stacking critical damage.
Both titles are survival games that encourage exploration, and in that respect it makes sense for Breath of the Wild to leave arrows a limited resource. However, Breath of the Wild 2's Link will be a seasoned survivalist, and its emphasis on collecting ingredients for systems like cooking would easily translate to crafting arrows on the fly. Like Aloy, Link could even use monster parts to forge special arrows, making enemies like Chuchus far more valuable. If these series are set to continue their streak of similarities, this would be a good way for Nintendo to learn lessons from its competition.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 releases in 2022 for Nintendo Switch.