At Nintendo’s 2021 E3 Direct, footage was finally revealed for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. At long last, fans can see Link’s new robot arm in action, a glimpse at Hyrule’s sky islands, and a look at the new villain, who may be a revived Ganondorf. Players will be able to take Link to the skies in this game, nicely paralleling the Skyward Sword HD release that is happening in July. With a 2022 release window set, it finally feels like this highly anticipated sequel to one of the Switch’s biggest games is really coming out. Link’s adventure in the post-apocalyptic Hyrule can finally continue.
However, someone’s missing out on that adventure. Princess Zelda once again appears to have missed her shot at a playable role, and must be rescued by Link. While this is not fully confirmed yet, Breath of the Wild 2’s new gameplay trailer definitely seems to be implying that Zelda is missing out on the action once again. Right at the beginning of the trailer, Zelda is shown disappearing into darkness. Considering the enormous surge of Malice coming out of the bottom of Hyrule Castle, which is implied to be somewhere around where Link and Zelda were in Breath of the Wild, it looks like Zelda is sealed in a Malice-infested castle all over again.
Playable Princess Zelda Doesn’t Have A Great Track Record
Because of this, it appears that Breath of the Wild 2 is resurrecting a much-bemoaned Zelda series tradition: keeping its title character out of the picture. Zelda is up there with Princess Peach as one of Nintendo’s go-to damsels in distress, and she has a nasty tendency to be captured, rendered comatose, sealed in some way (even if it’s self-inflicted), or in hiding in refuge for part of the game — before transitioning to one of the other states. It’s a really outdated trait of the series, but unfortunately, even with ways out being available, Nintendo seems committed to making sure Link is the hero and Zelda is the goal.
Back during E3 2016, during Nintendo’s Breath of the Wild Treehouse, Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma was asked about the prospect of a playable Zelda. The reasons he gave about why this couldn’t happen were not well received. Aonuma presented the idea that if Princess Zelda was the main character, Link would have nothing to do. He mentioned in a different interview that since the Triforce is made up of Zelda, Link, and Ganondorf, making Link a female heroine was also off the table because Zelda was already there. It’s even more outrageous when one considers the times Zelda has taken action in a Legend of Zelda game.
Princess Zelda Has Been A Hero In Past Legend of Zelda’s
Princess Zelda has been playable in a few prior Zelda games, even if Link is usually the focus. While two of the old CD-I Zelda spin-offs are technically an example of this, fans would be more inclined to think of Spirit Tracks instead. Spirit Tracks features a ghostly Zelda that can take control of Phantoms, large suits of armor that some players will recognize from Zelda’s down-special in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This is more of a supporting role, but it does allow players to access Link and Zelda at the same time, and the Phantoms can do plenty of things Link can’t.
Princess Zelda has long been known to be an accomplished magic user and avatar for the goddess Hylia’s power. She doesn’t get many chances to show this off, but the Hyrule Warriors games were two such times. Zelda in the first game was at the height of her power, and took to the field with a graceful fighting style involving sword blows and light magic.
That Zelda isn’t exactly representative of how she normally is in canon, but Age of Calamity’s Sheikah Slate-wielding princess is. Age of Calamity Zelda shows how she could have been in Breath of the Wild 2, using a mixture of the Sheikah Slate’s advanced functions and the Bow of Light. That’s still not out of the realm of possibility, but seems unlikely when taken with Breath of the World 2’s gameplay trailer.
How Princess Zelda Could Be Playable in Breath of the Wild 2
But as hope springs eternal, so too are there still some ways that Nintendo could implement Zelda into a lead role, now or in the future. To start, she could be made playable in special sequences. It would be nice if these could be more than quick cinematic diversions, especially if she has access to Link’s regular weapons and the first Breath of the Wild’s Sheikah Slate.
A playable Zelda, if she has to coexist with a playable Link, should be similar or just the same; there’s really no reason she can’t be. Again, Age of Calamity shows it can be done with more technical Sheikah Slate usage compared to Link. If Zelda can’t be in Breath of the Wild 2’s campaign, then she could be playable afterwards; an unlockable bonus could swap Link out for Zelda. A DLC version of that option, or even an entire downloadable mini campaign for the princess, would also be good.
Ultimately, fans would be really pleased if Nintendo would let Zelda be playable in a big, mainline Legend of Zelda game. Her name is in the title, and a new entry can just be written so that she has the Triforce of Courage this time if that’s what it takes. Fans would also like to see Linkle make a return as part of more detailed character generation for Link, but fixing the Princess Zelda problem should take priority. Considering that Zelda’s light powers are often instrumental in defeating Ganondorf, and she was even the one to land the killing blow on Calamity Ganon, this decades-old member of Nintendo’s leading ladies should really get the chance to shine.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 will release in 2022 for Nintendo Switch.