Breath of the Wild 2 was first revealed during E3 2019, a sequel to 2017's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
It is one of the few times that the Zelda series has seen a direct sequel, with only the Zelda 2 and Majora's Mask being direct sequels to the previous entries.
This is the first time that a sequel has shared the same name the original game though.
Breath of the Wild 2
Breath of the Wild 2 was revealed during E3 2019, showing players what to expect when they jump back into Hyrule.
Not much was really shown, except that Zelda appears to have a much greater role in the sequel, perhaps co-op?
You can watch the trailer below:
Breath of the Wild was a launch title for the Nintendo Switch.
In fact, it was one of only two first party launch titles, with the other being 1-2 Switch.
This helped generate a lot of buzz and attention for BOTW, which included more sales too, as players didn't have much option when it came to what to play on their new system.
Despite it running really well on the new system, it still had a few issues due to the Switch's limited performance.
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BOW Performance Issues
Many players have complained about performance issues they've had with the game, which in large is due to the Switch's hybrid style.
The Nintendo Switch uses a lot of mobile hardware, limiting its performance.
It was already outdated in terms of performance at launch, never mind when putting it side by side with the new PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
However, Nintendo consoles aren't really known for their cutting edge performance, yet they still have some of the best games of any generation, which is a testament to how good of a developer Nintendo is.
Players have complained about freezes, pop ins, and frame drops in BOTW, which is understandable due to it being an open world game running on mobile hardware.
But with the sequel set to be even bigger, there is concern that the Switch may not be up to the task.
Switch Pro
It has long been rumoured that the Nintendo Switch will see an upgrade before the end of its lifecycle, much new the New 3DS, or PS4 Pro/Xbox One X.
This gives developers the chance to upgrade hardware and address any issues the original system might have, without starting a whole new generation.
As of right now, the Switch is around half way through its lifecycle.
The Switch was released back in 2017 and a consoles lifecycle is usually around 7 years.
So it would be fair to assume that the next Nintendo console could launch in 2023 or 2024.
While never officially confirmed, it is expected that the Switch will receive an upgrade, improving the overall performance of the system and allowing it to play more modern style games at a better resolution and frame rate.
The Witcher 3, a 2015 game, plays at just 540p in handheld mode and dynamic 720p in docked mode.
Dynamic resolution is when the system lowers the resolution on the fly to maintain frame rate, meaning there are plenty of times that The Witcher 3 doesn't even play in 720p.
With the world adopting 4K more and 8K just on the horizon, having a current gen system play at just 540p isn't really up to scratch.
While no-one expects the Switch to play at 4K, a solid 1080p is seen as more than doable.
To address the performance issues the original BOTW has, and to allow the sequel to run better and stand up to modern titles, it would be a wise move to release the game alongside the upgraded Switch to take advantage of the new hardware.
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Genshin Impact
In September 2020 miHoYo released Genshin Impact, an open world RPG game that has been likened to an online Breath of the Wild.
Genshin Impact allows for up to 4 player co-op and is cross-platform on PC, mobile, PlayStation 4 and 5.
The art style of the game is similar, as well as many mechanics such as crafting and cooking.
Genshin Impact is also free-to-play with optional microtransactions, definitely a game players should try to scratch that BOTW2 itch.
Co-Op
With Zelda seemingly having a larger role in the next game, a co-op mode would make sense.
Genshin Impact has shown that multiplayer can work in a similar game, allowing players to come together and explore the vast world as a team.
Multiplayer gaming has only got more prominent as time passes, so having a multiplayer aspect would be a great addition to the game, and something that hasn't really been seen in Zelda games outside of handful of titles.
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