Although The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was revolutionary for the long-running series and open-world games generally, it did away with a lot of Zelda staples. The most infamous example is dungeons, as Breath of the Wild has 120 smaller-scale Shrines and four similarly designed Divine Beasts to explore rather than traditional expansive palaces. The upcoming Breath of the Wild 2 may make a lot of changes to the formula on account of it being a sequel, thus having more freedom to go nuts with established concepts.

Dungeons with original boss battles are one place Breath of the Wild 2 could innovate, but there are plenty more facets of Zelda history to draw upon. The Sheikah Slate acted as Link's one-stop shop for items in Breath of the Wild, and while its Runes were effective evergreen tools to explore Hyrule, it would be good to let players gain additional permanent upgrades again - which the sequel's E3 2021 trailer may hint at with Link wielding a dragon-head shield that breathes fire. Another niche thing it would be interesting to see make a return is Nintendo references like enemies, something The Legend of Zelda has integrated for years.

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Nintendo References in The Legend of Zelda Games

When discussing outside Nintendo characters appearing in The Legend of Zelda, many fans will no doubt think of Link's Awakening. The classic 1993 Game Boy title (and its 2019 remake on Switch) is chock full of references to Super Mario in particular. Tarin, who looks a lot like Mario, eats mushrooms and turns into a raccoon. Link can also win a Yoshi Doll as part of a trading quest, team up with a Chain Chomp, and battle enemies such as Goombas. Super Mario isn't the only source of references in Link's Awakening, as players also run into Kirby enemies and Prince Richard from The Frog For Whom the Bell Tolls.

One may try to brush off references in Link's Awakening because the game literally takes place in a dream, but it is far from the only Legend of Zelda title to feature Nintendo cameos. Chain Chomps also appear in A Link to the Past's Turtle Rock dungeon and Four Swords Adventures' Kakariko Village, becoming such an iconic part of Zelda lore that Koei Tecmo's hack-and-slash Hyrule Warriors uses a Chain Chomp as one alternate skin for the Ball and Chain. A Bullet Bill appears on Fyer the clown from Twilight Princess, and Tri Force Heroes has multiple references like the Hammerwear outfit resembling a Hammer Bro.

The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario crossovers may be common, but there are other Nintendo franchises throughout the series too. A character named Mr. Wright in Link's Awakening references Dr. Wright from SimCity on SNES, and he appears again as Dr. Left in both Oracle of Seasons and The Minish Cap - the latter game also including Lakitus and Bob-ombs as enemies. Nintendo hardware appears in various titles, from the Game Boy Advance-themed Tingle Tuner in The Wind Waker to a R.O.B. appearing in Majora's Mask 3D. In Phantom Hourglass, Link even visits an island shaped like a Nintendo DS.

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Nintendo Enemies Could Create Variety in Breath of the Wild 2

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild may have revolutionized open-world movement and won numerous accolades in 2017, but its version of Hyrule was not filled with a lot of unique enemies. Players primarily came across color or elemental variants of classic Zelda foes like Bokoblins, Lizalfos, Octoroks, Wizzrobes, Chuchu, Keese, and Lynels. Minibosses like Talus, Hinox, and Molduga were peppered around the map, but full bosses were largely limited to the Blight Ganons and Monk Maz Koshia in The Champions' Ballad DLC.

Probably the most original set of enemies in Breath of the Wild were Guardians, as well as members of the Yiga Clan - an antagonistic ninja group living in Gerudo Desert. However, with only basic footsoldiers and blademasters popping up, and Master Kohga appearing as one boss fight, even the Yiga wore out their welcome. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity offered new elemental variants for foes like Guardians and Hinox, which would be fun to see carry over in Breath of the Wild 2, but this sequel's more oppressive air demands a greater opposition for Link.

Hyrule in Breath of the Wild was a serene place, haunted by spirits of a civilization long destroyed but naturally beautiful and relxing to explore. Breath of the Wild 2 may be turning this on its head, as a malignant force underneath Hyrule Castle (presumed to be Ganondorf) is freed from containment and starts lifting islands into the air ala Skyward Sword. Not only will this radically change the landscape and open up new mechanics like skydiving, the E3 2021 trailer also shows new enemies including a Talus housing a Bokoblin camp and a slug that appears weak to fire.

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As Breath of the Wild was full of references to previous Zelda games, its map covered in locales named after characters across the series, the upcoming sequel could return to the tradition of outside Nintendo crossovers. It might be silly to imagine enemies such as Kirby from Link's Awakening make a return, but something like a Chain Chomp could fit the ancient Sheikah tech aesthetic with a slight makeover. Other enemies such as Lakitu would also add mechanical depth, introducing more skybound opponents to fit with floating islands.

Some of these crossovers may not have to be enemies at all. Breath of the Wild DLC introduced referential outfit pieces like Majora's Mask or Tingle's uniform, and with Link shown to use a sort of flamethrower there's room to imagine fireball-throwing gloves akin to Tri Force Heroes' Fire Gloves, serving a similar purpose as the Fire Rod weapon. Either the base game or amiibo support could introduce new allies similar to Breath of the Wild's Wolf Link, such as Pikmin who could gather items and cooking ingredients. If Breath of the Wild 2 opens itself up to these references, it could balance out a seemingly darker tone with fun mechanics befitting a Zelda game.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 releases in 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.

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