Many are expecting Breath of the Wild 2 to be open world like its predecessor, but there's also a chance that it might not be. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gained so much of its popularity because of its brilliant usage of the open-world formula that so many modern games have been hammering away at for the past decade. Parting ways with that system for a sequel would be unusual, but it's still a possibility that's worth considering.
In of Zelda iconography, Breath of the Wild is full to bursting, with everything from Easter eggs from previous games, to the series's favorite psychopathic flightless fowl, the Cucco, which Link can use to kill Hinoxes. All of these classic elements, however, were bound together with a fully open world, filled with secrets and quests for the player to unlock at their own pace. The open world is absolutely essential to the construction of the game, which makes the idea of Breath of the Wild 2 not having that element an interesting one to explore.
Without an open world, Breath of the Wild 2 would have to be a completely different kind of sequel, as the first BOTW revolved around its unique setting and approach to exploration. Not just the gameplay, but the way the story is conveyed, and even little things like the controversial stamina bar, which almost made it into Uncharted, would have to be retooled in order to fit a more linear design. A Breath of the Wild 2 that isn't open world, in short, would be a completely different experience.
The Potential Drawbacks Of A Non-Open World BOTW 2
A non-open world Breath of the Wild would be a completely different beast from what came before, and that includes the more linear Zelda games like Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. More or less everything about the first game would have to be rethought in order to compensate for the change in style. While a similar retooling was done for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, this would be quite a different assignment even from that, even more so than having BOTW 2 star an older Link and Zelda.
The drawbacks of making Breath of the Wild 2 linear would be rather obvious from the get-go. Such a radical shift in gameplay style could easily turn off the massive audience the previous game established. Even if pulled off splendidly, it's a huge risk because the hands-off, open-world approach was what drew many to Breath of the Wild in the first place. On top of that, so many of the game's mechanics are appealing because they can be used everywhere, such as the many gadgets in the Sheikah Slate. Making the game more linear would either render the Sheikah Slate's abilities situational - or worse, remove them from the game altogether. Finally, such a shift would necessitate a change in storytelling style, and risk leaving plot threads fans want BOTW 2 to resolve unanswered.
The Potential Advantages Of A Non-Open World BOTW 2
With every disadvantage comes the inverse, and shifting to a more linear experience in Breath of the Wild 2 would potentially be the shakeup this series needs just as much as it would have the potential to be a millstone around the neck. For one thing, the story would be potentially more compelling, with a linear narrative resulting in more focus on the narrative. Skyward Sword has many flaws in the eyes of Zelda fans, but the story struck a chord with many, since that game's more straightforward approach meant the story could be more in-depth than other entries.
While being more linear would take away somewhat from the sense of discovery that came from BOTW's massive, hands-off approach, having BOTW side quests that Link or Zelda will less likely miss because they went down one path instead of another can be advantageous in its own way. There are definitely ways to blend more traditional elements of Zelda games into BOTW 2 without losing what made BOTW such a breath of fresh air to players.
Why Breath Of The Wild 2 Is Still Likely To Be Open World
Breath of the Wild 2 is most likely not going to be more linear compared to the original. In fact, what little can be gleaned from the trailer suggests that its world is going to be even more open than before. However, that doesn't mean that the game will be completely devoid of classic Zelda elements, as the fate of the master sword in trailers for BOTW 2 hints at Skyward Sword's Fi returning. In of the core game design, though, BOTW 2 will likely be staying the course.
With that having been said, of course, it's still interesting to consider how such a vast open-world game could possibly translate into a more focused, streamlined experience in the vein of Skyward Sword. For instance, there's the question of how the Sheikah shrines would be implemented. Either they would be removed entirely in favor of more traditional Zelda dungeons like the Divine Beasts, or the name "Sheikah shrine" would be kept, but there would be fewer of them, but the ones there would be expanded to be much larger. Breath of the Wild's sometimes terrifying Guardian enemies would likely be turned into more traditional, if still highly dangerous, obstacles. Side quests would likely still be in there, as they are with all Zelda games, but like most Zelda games, they'd have to be confined to one or more hub areas where the player can easily find them.
Trying to fit the expansiveness of Breath of the Wild into a smaller, more traditional Zelda format might be such a task as to render the whole endeavor to be not worth the trouble. However, it's still interesting to think about how it might be done, and how the many elements and flourishes that gave Breath of the Wild its identity could be fitted into a more traditional mold. Some would have to be cut and left to the wayside, naturally - there wouldn't be nearly as many secrets to discover in a non-open-world BOTW. But a lot would be able to make the jump into linear game design, as much as many BOTW fans would prefer such a leap not to happen to begin with. Regardless, Nintendo remains tight-lipped about the majority of what Breath of the Wild 2 has to offer, and has been ever since it announced the long-awaited sequel.
