The Static Story of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The following post contains spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a game about what came before. It is about the fight against Calamity Ganon 10,000 years ago, where people built machines to fight off evil and triumphed handily. It is about 100 years ago, when Calamity Ganon returned, pitted those machines against their creators, and defeated the heroes who would oppose him without a second thought. It is also, to a lesser extent, the story of the entire line of Zelda titles, and their (occasionally shoehorned in) story of a hero through the ages, destined to defeat Ganon and save the world. But as the characters chafed against their destiny, and thinking on their failures 100 years ago, I found myself disappointed that a distinct possibility was never even considered: What if Princess Zelda and Link aren't the 'chosen ones' at all?

Throughout the story, or rather the story from 100 years ago, Zelda visibly hated her role in this prophecy. She wanted to contribute by working with the giant mechanical Guardians which patrol the kingdom, and garner a greater understanding of the society that built them 10,000 years ago. When ordered to go on a pilgrimage to gain the power necessary to defeat Ganon by the king, she barely withheld her anger, clenching her fist as she quietly acquiesced to the request. Even then, the power didn't come to her; all the prayer in the world didn't unlock the ability to defeat Ganon which was supposed to come so naturally to her.

There isn't much solidly connecting Link to his destiny either. In the flashbacks, he carries the Master Sword, which has apparently chosen him as its wielder, proving that Link is the warrior of legend. But there's no such choice when you recover the Master Sword in the present. It does not speak and claim you are the reincarnated hero, it does not look at your deeds and make a decision. The sword will cause damage to you as you try to pull it out, and if you cannot withstand the damage, you do not get the sword. It seems to imply you don't get the Master Sword because of some destiny; you get it because you have the physical fortitude required, the strength required to fight Calamity Ganon.

At first, I was rather happy with my little headcanon, as all the pieces were fitting firmly into place. Link had the sword, but it didn't seem as though it was any real destiny that got it into his hands. Zelda was not only unhappy with her lot in life, but actively unable to fulfill it. The final piece of the puzzle is obvious not an hour into the game: These heroes, these destined individuals, fought Ganon as foretold.

And they lost. Hard. In fact, it's implied they never really stood a chance. That doesn't happen with heroes of legend, the ones destined to win.

Yet, the game decided that this would not do. Late in the game, in the final optional memory you can unlock, you see Zelda did in fact use the power of the goddess to fight against Ganon and speak to the Master Sword. It's a silly thing to be disappointed about, but I was still a little bummed. Here was this great Zelda game, the first in the series I can say I love out of anything other than nostalgia (even that only applies to Link to the Past), and in so many ways the game broke the series mold: The guided story structure was replaced with the most freeform progression in recent memory. The combat was expanded with multiple weapon movesets and elemental types. Even Links traditional outfit, the one true standard of the series from the beginning, is nowhere to be seen in the game unless you complete every single one of the 120 shrines in the game.

Is it so weird to hope the "destiny" and "prophecy" story would be played with? The game is a story of what came before,- but that's just as much why we change what worked before as why we follow it. Breath of the Wild makes huge changes to some of the fundamental aspects of the Legend of Zelda series as a whole. Why make a story that is, besides framing and some minor details, the same "destined heroes" story we've seen a ton of times in this series before? Why not make the story about heroes who aren't chosen but made by the hardships they experience, the bonds they form, and the battles they fight? Breath of the Wild is so different, and so amazing, I can't see Nintendo do anything but use this as the template moving forward. With everything else on the table, I just hope the story can be given that same critical treatment.