When looking at the slate of games that released this generation, very few managed to make as much of an impact as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Landing on the Switch as a launch title, it has since become one of the most revered titles in modern video games, and while Nintendo might not stray from its library of iconic family franchises very often, it's still got what it takes to hang with the most innovative releases of today.

Naturally, when the iconic video game publisher announced that it would be delivering a direct sequel to the game, fans everywhere went crazy for the idea of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. Not only was the sequel's cryptic announce trailer a much darker take on the world of the Switch exclusive, but the original's mechanics, sandbox focus, and refined take on the Zelda franchise are a natural fit to be expanded upon in a more traditional sequel. There's definitely a few new avenues some fans agree a sequel should stray down.

RELATED: Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 Could Be a Return to Form in One Major Way

A Darker Tone

From the morbid music to the disembodied glowing hand and giant, demonic, fiery-eyed skeletal antagonist, it goes without saying that the tone of the Breath of the Wild 2 trailer was much darker than its predecessor. It seems clear Link and Zelda's newest adventure won't be as bright and cheerful as the one that came before it and, as contradictory as it may seem, that's for the best. Although The Legend of Zelda is a series with a lot of light-hearted fun and family-friendly adventure at its core, many of Link's greatest escapades have come from Nintendo embracing its darker side.

Looking at the likes of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask - the latter of which acted as a direct sequel to the former, much like Breath of the Wild 2 will to its predecessor - it's clear that shifting to a more eerie setting makes for a much more intriguing Zelda sequel. Having Ganon return in a more outwardly terrifying form as well as spreading what seems to be corruption and darkness across the land could easily capitalize on that same type of setting, making way for a vastly different story in terms of tone. Seen as a lot of the franchise's most interesting lore lies in its less outwardly family-friendly aspects, it feels like Breath of the Wild 2 needs to fully embrace this darker direction.

A Much Heavier Emphasis On Zelda

legend of zelda breath of the wild 2 reveal trailer

Although she was absent for the vast majority of the game's campaign, Zelda still somehow managed to be the star of the show in the original Breath of the Wild. While the character has been reincarnated in various forms throughout the years, more often than not, she's presented as something of a damsel in distress, waiting for Link to rescue her from the clutches of evil. Breath of the Wild, on the other hand, did a lot to humanize and develop the once fairly stoic character through a series of flashbacks, seeing her struggle with the pressures of running a kingdom and the self-doubt of being a world savior.

Going into a sequel, it seems imperative that the character has a much bigger role, perhaps to the point of being present on a number of the player's missions. Whether that be as an AI companion, a co-op partner, or simply seeing her play a much bigger role in the story, the trailer made it very clear that this is both Link and Zelda's fight, and it would be far more interesting to see her play a bigger role. That being said, perhaps its time Nintendo made history and allowed players to choose whether they wanted to play as Link or Zelda in the battle to stop Ganon's newest endeavor.

The Return of Traditional Dungeons

One of the most acclaimed aspects of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild were the major changes to its structure, with the title stripping away the game's conventionally linear narrative for a more open and experimental take on the series' progression systems. Gone was journeying between dungeons in a set order, picking up a new piece of gear or set of items that will, in turn, unlock a specific new area in the game. Instead, it was replaced by a vast sandbox that let the player go anywhere at any time, meaning they could tackle the final boss from the moment they left the tutorial area if they so desired.

Unfortunately,  it meant that traditional Zelda dungeons were completely thrown to the wayside, replaced with short shrine trials, Divine Beast challenges, and the presence of Hyrule Castle in the center of the map. Naturally, these all had their merits, but none of them quite matched the same feel of navigating a traditional Zelda dungeon. There were no brain-teasing puzzles, visually mind-boggling interiors, or crazy new mechanics. Perhaps most importantly, they lacked the excitement of discovering a new piece of gear midway through exploration or going toe-to-toe with a unique final enemy. If Breath of the Wild 2 can find a way to reintegrate the unique dungeons of previous titles into the game's sandbox, then the sequel will manage to meld the best of both worlds in a way it predecessor could not.

Significant Changes to the Open-World

Link staring at sunset and bridge in horizon in Zelda breath of the wild

While the info surrounding Breath of the Wild 2 is currently fairly limited, fans do know that the game will use exactly the same map as BotW. While that might be disappointing for some, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Breath of the Wild's map was actually incredibly vast and varied, with deserts, jungles, swamps, forests, sky cities, and lake fortresses all contained within its fairly expansive game world. Yet, if Breath of the Wild 2 is aiming to bring fans back to this Hyrule sandbox, there need to be some significant differences in what it means to explore this world.

A leak a few months ago claimed that Hyrule will be infested with Ganon's corruption, with the eerie purple magic that swirled around his skeleton in the trailer spreading across the lands, leaving Link and Zelda in charge of finding a way to push back this dark magic. This is a strong first step to making the game's world feel new and divergent, however, there needs to be more. Whether that's new locations, old landmarks that have now been altered through Ganon's influence, or maybe an additional world for players to explore, Breath of the Wild has to dish out definitive reasons to return to this map when the sequel hits.

New Gear Systems and Tools

One of the biggest new additions in Breath of the Wild was the new gear system, which allowed players to collect clothing, weapons, and shields that brought different buffs and status effects. Overall, many agreed it was an incredibly fun switch up to the classic Legend of Zelda format, allowing players to equip specific gear to play to their personal strengths. It would be nice to see some new additions to the idea in the sequel, perhaps with the addition of tiered armor and the ability to repair degrading weapons. Allowing players to upgrade certain aspects of their armor would be a strong next step as well, whether that's adding new buffs, resistances, or unique powers. These could even change the look of the armor cosmetically, making Link's getups look even more padded out.

Alternatively, it would be interesting to see more of the series' classic tools and gear make the jump as well, with items like the hookshot, boomerang, and more making their return in the sequel. While getting every gadget in the game during the introduction of Breath of the Wild made for a refreshing change, it would be interesting to see Nintendo introduce the best of both worlds, allowing players to still unlock some more iconic pieces of Link's arsenal as they progress further into the world.

Enemy Variety

If there was one thing that did get tiresome by the conclusion of Breath of the Wild, it was the relatively small pool of enemies players were engaging in combat. Unless players were a huge fan of Bokoblins, Moblins, Lizalfos, and ChuChus, chances were they were looking for any sort of new encounter towards the end of their 50 hours preparing to face down Calamity Ganon. New enemy types and ways to combat them are essential going into the next game, especially as the wave of familiar Zelda faces simply won't cut it for another title.

The same goes for Breath of the Wild's relatively small pool of bosses, which were reused and reskinned all the way up until the title's conclusion. There's only so many forms of Blight Ganon players can fight before they're craving a new type of colossal foe, and while giant Hinox and Lynels' were compelling encounters, even they began to run dry by the game's conclusion. With Ganon's powers seeing corruption spread across the land, why not have the villain's dark magic cause Hyrule's array of creatures to transform into giant, hideous beasts, creating bosses that players will have to truly outthink to defeat.

A Much Bigger Focus On Story

legend of zelda breath of the wild 2 ganon

If there's one singular thing that made Breath of the Wild so special, it was that the game employed a much more hands-off approach to guiding the player. From the minute they jumped from the Great Plateau, they could go wherever they want, see whatever they pleased, and explore anything they came across. However, that meant that story was far less of a priority in comparison to previous Zelda titles. Sure, there were a number of interesting characters, cutscenes, and brief side stories, but the core throughline of the tale remained about Link journeying to Hyrule castle, killing Calamity Ganon, and rescuing Zelda.

The announcement trailer alone seems to hint that there's far more to this tale than that of its predecessor, with Ganon's skeletal form, the strange hand sealing him in place, the eerie underground caverns he's confined in, and the hieroglyphic walls that lead to his tomb all telling a story that's instantly intriguing. Whatever this form of Ganon is and why he's confined should be a core mystery in BotW 2with the narrative playing a much bigger role from beginning to end. The Legend of Zelda has one of the most lore-steeped worlds in all of gaming after all, and it'd be a shame to see it not take more of the spotlight in the sequel.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is in development for Nintendo Switch.

MORE: Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2's Map Could Go Beyond The First Game's Limits