Zelda: BOTW's Darkest Feature Might Actually Be Its Most Optimistic

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Although one feature in seems to offer a dark outlook on the state of Hyrule, it actually gives the kingdom a strong ray of hope. is a beautiful game, and its emphasis on simply exploring all the world has to offer gives people plenty of time to understand it in detail. As such, while much of Hyrule’s situation in the game seems grim, it is always possible to find the positive side as well.

established several new traditions, as well as introducing similarly influential new gameplay features like the Adventure Log. In addition, both and feature dark details in their lore and story; while this is far from unusual for the franchise, the games’ open-world designs allow for much greater depth and subtlety in presenting these aspects of Hyrule. However, as dark as can be at times, there is always an underlying current of hope evident in its story.

The Blood Moon is a perfect feature for maintaining the game world in (as well as in ). Its most obvious effect is that it revives monsters, meaning that the player will always have enemies to fight. However,’s Blood Moon has other benefits as well; for example, it also resets the materials available in the world, ensuring Link never runs out of supplies. But from a lore perspective, the Blood Moon also means that ’s Hyrule has endured a century of endless monster incursions, no matter how many were killed by survivors of the Calamity.

According to Blood Moon researcher Hino, the Blood Moon has long since become a part of regular life in Hyrule, making it practically mundane despite the potential devastation it could cause.

Even though Calamity Ganon was sealed by Zelda, his army was left free to roam Hyrule. As such, it is clear that Hyrule’s inhabitants have faced countless threats from monsters over the years. While playing, it is not uncommon for Link to come across NPCs being attacked in the course of their travels, and so it is easy to imagine many similar incidents taking place over the previous century. Although no