How BOTW Uses Music & Sound To Create An Unparalleled Sense Of Place
Breath of the Wild, the revolutionary 2017 addition to The Legend of Zelda franchise, uses music and sound to create an unparalleled sense of place within the game’s enormous open world. More than any previous Zelda game, Breath of the Wild emphasizes location and emotion, using Hyrule’s desolate, rustic countryside to create a connection with the player. Instead of propelling Link’s story forward with dungeons, items and cutscenes, which are all typical features of previous entries in the series, Breath of the Wild encourages progress through exploration and curiosity, often propelling that mystique forward with its minimalistic soundtrack.
Unlike earlier Legend of Zelda games, Breath of the Wild’s story isn’t crucial to experiencing Link’s adventure. Although the Great Calamity is pivotal to Nintendo’s latest iteration of Hyrule, it’s because of its effect on the land, not the series of events leading up to the destruction. For the first time in The Legend of Zelda history, character-driven narratives take a backseat in Breath of the Wild, and environmental storytelling takes the lead.
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Sound is more important in Breath of the Wild than in any previous Zelda title. Without an immersive soundtrack, which includes sound effects in addition to full orchestral pieces,the game risked losing that feeling of wonder and mystery that is so important to the way players play Breath of the Wild, especially during their first experience with it. Luckily, the final product has made BOTW one of the most beloved games of all time, and its unparalleled sense of place, which relies heavily on its relationship to sound, can be credited for that success.
In Breath of
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