It has been four years since the release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which had fans of the series head-over-heels thanks to how deep and innovative the game was. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was also a source of inspiration for a plethora of open-world RPGs that were announced or launched over the years to follow. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is considered one of those titles that shaped the gaming industry forever, alongside Bethesda's Skyrim, and players have been eagerly anticipating the sequel.

At Nintendo's E3 2021 showcase, a new chapter in Breath of the Wild's story received a ton of new information, with a touch of gameplay. The title for the game has yet to be disclosed, and is now simply called a sequel to Breath of the Wild. Despite the fact that the teaser trailer today is short, the big takeaway is how Hyrule's map is being changed without being expanded.

RELATED: 15 Games To Play If You Liked Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Breath of the Wild 2's Flight and Exploration in No Man's Sky

It seems the new Breath of the Wild game is going to explore an uncharted frontier, and that is the skies of Hyrule. Breath of the Wild 2 will have a bigger map than its predecessor, and this is only fair considering now players will be able to traverse the verticality of the skies and flying islands. Vertically wasn't something Breath of the Wild focused on, apart from a combination of the Magnesis ability, metal objects, and lots of trial and error.

The process is not an easy one, and it was also never intended to be in the game, thus some players managed to glitch travel to places they were never meant to see. The other method used to fly in Breath of the Wild is by employing the Paraglider to glide as long as Link can not have his stamina drained. Despite the fact that it can also be exploited in combat, it is not technically flying. This means that when Breath of the Wild 2 comes it will also prove that an open-world game shouldn't be limited between the skies or the lands. A good example of this logic is No Man's Sky.

No Man's Sky is not exactly similar to Breath of the Wild in terms of gameplay or setting, but the way exploration is handled in both games can be compared in terms of the former's procedurally generated sandbox and the latter's open-world. One of the major selling points of No Man's Sky is that it packs a whole universe with 18 quintillion planets to explore, virtually always offering a new remote corner of the galaxy to delve into. Breath of the Wild's map is also incredibly detailed and huge, with its total of 23.7 square miles almost as big as Manhattan and larger than the open-world of Skyrim.

The similarity here is that Breath of the Wild 2 will make players explore the world fully, just like No Man's Sky players can explore the vastness of space and star systems within it. Flight is a big thing to come to Breath of the Wild 2, and it should also be something that is given the right weight for an impact on gameplay.

RELATED: New Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity DLC Revealed

Comparing Breath of the Wild 2 with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Legend Of Zelda Skyward Sword BOTW2 Link Fightning

Breath of the Wild 2 has the onus of being even a better game than Breath of the Wild, and the issue is that the original was great. It is a bold move to let players discover the mysteries of the skies of Hyrule, but it is also not entirely a new thing for Zelda games. One example of this is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. In Skyward Sword, players could fly on their Loftwing companion or explore the Surface on foot, and while flight was a big part of the game it was not the focal point.

Skyward Sword is soon releasing on Switch with improved graphics, and there's a chance the game's mechanics may have had an impact on Breath of the Wild 2, possibly with the return of the Loftwing bird. The ability to use Joy-Cons in a similar way to the original's Wii Remote and Nunchuk will return  in the Switch version of Skyward Sword, and could even appear in Breath of the Wild 2 if it does retain some elements from its predecessor.

Overall, considering The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's success, it's not impossible that its sequel will become the new benchmark title for open-world games. However, fans should not have their hopes too high until more is shown. To be the sequel of Breath of the Wild is no easy feat, and little is currently known about Breath of the Wild 2 in order to judge the title only based on previous installments. Still, how players will explore Hyrule's skies is yet to be seen, it's likely not going to take too long before another update drops for the title coming in 2022.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 will release in 2022 for Switch.

MORE: E3 2021 - Schedule, Where To Watch, Everything Announced, & More