Players and fans are still left up to speculating on what to exactly expect from the upcoming sequel to the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While some sporadic news has popped up, the most that players have to go off on what to expect is the original cinematic trailer shown at 2019's E3 presentation.
Breath of the Wild 2 wouldn't be the first time a Zelda game has gotten a direct sequel starring the same Link in the timeline. Other Zelda sequels such as Phantom Hourglass or Link's Awakening are very popular in their own right with Link's Awakening even getting its own remake. However, no Zelda sequel is as well known and talked about as Majora's Mask.
Majora's Mask is famous for its dark tone that extends past its main plot with even more disturbing subplots that can be uncovered through the game's various side quests. It could be possible that the sequel to Breath of the Wild could take inspiration from this and create a dark adventure for Link and Zelda to venture through.
The Darkness of Majora's Mask
For those unfamiliar, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask takes place directly after Ocarina of Time with it starting with Link searching for Navi, who left Link without a word at the end of Ocarina of Time. After being attacked by the mysterious Skull Kid, Link is forced to embark on a quest to save the country of Termina before it is destroyed by the falling moon. Link only has three days to complete his quest, but can utilize the Ocarina of Time to turn back the time to the start of the three days in order to buy more time. However, the people he's helped will be stuck with their problems once more due to the resetting of time.
Other than Link constantly having to deal with the threat of the end of the world, players encounter NPCs with dark stories as well. For example, a Deku only known as the Deku Butler struggles with the loss of his missing son, only to discover his son's remains at the end of the game. Meanwhile, Link's Deku Mask that allows him to turn into a Deku himself is made from the Deku Butler's son's soul. In fact, all of Link's masks that allow him to transform are made from the souls of the dead.
As the days go on, the attitudes of various NPCs change as well. Some attempt to flee in hopes of avoiding the catastrophe caused by the falling moon with some choosing to stay and be with their loved ones as they accept their deaths. This helps make Link's time limit feel all the more real. If players don't turn back time before the moon falls, they will get a special game over as well where they can witness the moon's collision and the world's end.
Breath of the Wild 2's Tonal Changes
It is unquestionable that the tone set by Breath of the Wild 2's cinematic teaser was rather unnerving. From the ominous music to the visual of Ganondorf's shriveled corpse, things seemed darker than what players first saw when it came to the original Breath of the Wild. If this sequel were to get dark in a similar sense to Majora's Mask, it might in fact get even darker than any other Zelda title to come before it. Considering how it seems that Zelda and Link are looking toward the past of Hyrule in the trailer, there could be lore about the Zelda series that casts a terrible shadow on the Hyrule royal family or its people.
Other possibilities could include those who could possibly be negatively affected by the events of the original Breath of the Wild or whatever force is behind the new threat in its sequel. Side quests could delve into darker subjects like in Majora's Mask with terrible consequences if players can't complete them.
While events such as major Zelda character deaths are unlikely to happen to those who survived the original Breath of the Wild, other characters introduced for this title could possibly be taken out of commission during the game's story. A character death could even be a consequence for failure in certain situations as mentioned earlier as well.
The Return of Majora
While incredibly unlikely, a sadistic force that could definitely bring a great threat to Hyrule alongside the return of Ganondorf could be related to Majora in some way. It is doubtful that the actual mask would be active outside of the optional cosmetic for Link, but Majora's roots could be connected to the story in some way.
According to the end of Majora's Mask, the evil inside the mask is said to have disappeared according to the Happy Mask Salesman after Link defeats Majora's Wrath. However, this could mean that whatever was controlling Majora's Mask could have simply made a new home somewhere else where it can wait for someone or something else to create a new physical host for it.
Ancient spirits such as Fi have been proven to still exist after hundreds of years have passed, as well as recognize new incarnations of Link. If Majora were to recognize Link after the events of Majora's Mask, it would likely want to lash out and kill Link as fast as possible before beginning a new plan to end the world. This would provide Link more than a few days to defeat Majora as well as give Majors more time to craft an even deadlier plan than using the moon as a meteor.
If Majora were to return, it would also likely mean that Majora would have followers that could provide a brand new threat to Link and Zelda as they travel across the lands around them, similar to the Yiga tribe. However, these foes may be magic users, making them especially dangerous and requiring players to stay on their toes even more. Whatever happens with this upcoming title, Link and Zelda will likely be up against a threat even more dangerous than Calamity Ganon, with the stakes rising even more.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is in development for Switch.