AlthoughThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildhas some useful features, one is actually quite cruel within the context of the game’s story.Breath of the Wildhas an expansive narrative, although many of its smaller details can be missed depending on how one plays the non-linear title. One such detail, which can be uncovered through a thorough exploration of the world, can cast a seemingly innocent core aspect of gameplay in a very different light upon reflection.
AlthoughZeldagames prioritize gameplay over story, the franchise has still produced some powerful instances of the latter. The immense scale ofBOTWis a perfect example of this, and its non-linear nature only enhances its impact. Link can go anywhere at any time, or even choose to storm Hyrule Castle with little to no preparation. This means that it is relatively easy to skip large parts of the game’s full story, both in the present and in the past glimpsed through Link’s unlockable Memories (which in turn lead to one ofBreath of the Wild’s two endings).
Link Easily Receives Divine Guidance In Breath Of The Wild
The Goddess Statues Of Hyrule Respond Easily To Him
The Goddess Statues found across Hyrule allow Link to exchange his Spirit Orbs for new Heart Containers and Stamina VesselsinBOTW, allowing the hero to grow stronger as he completes more Shrines. Naturally, this mechanic is a key factor in Link’s growth throughout the game; although it is possible to complete the gamewithout any such upgrades, doing so is still one of the mostdifficult challenges possible inBOTW. Notably, this exchange is enabled by Link praying to the statues, prompting the representations of the Goddess Hylia to speak to him directly.
InBreath of the Wild, some of these Goddess Statues explicitly refer to themselves as Hylia; specifically, two of the larger Great Goddess Statues, found at the Spring of Power and Spring of Courage. Both of these statues tell Link that“I, Goddess Hylia, will guide you,”while instructing him to retrieve dragon scales as offerings for their springs. On the other hand, it is also worth noting thatTears of the Kingdomrefers to these Goddess Statues as statues rather than Hylia in Adventure Log entries for the quests that they are involved in.
Regardless of whetherBOTW’s Goddess Statues are conduits for Hylia, bear independent fragments of her power, or even simply act on her behalf, one thing is abundantly clear.They are a readily available source of divine aid for Linkthroughout the game, strengthening him without issue as long as he provides enough Spirit Orbs. However, as one explores the story of the game, this simple mechanic takes on a cruel twist;the same assistance that Link so easily receives is never offered to Zelda, causing the princess significant hardship.
BOTW’s Memories Show Zelda’s Need For Hylia’s Words
The Princess Is Shown To Struggle Without Guidance
The various Memories found inBOTWmake it incredibly clear thatPrincess Zelda was in a terrible position before the Calamity, due in large part to her inability to use the divine power of her bloodline, a situation worsened by the death of her mother and the loss of any knowledge regarding their shared power. Although it is clear in these scenes that Zelda is at home around ancient Sheikah technology, her father pushes her to devote herself to prayer instead. But this is to no avail; no matter how much Zelda prays, she never receives a response from Hylia.
Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s King Is A Massive Improvement Over BOTW’s, But It’s Completely Ganon’s Fault
The King of Hyrule in Echoes of Wisdom is a notable improvement over his Breath of the Wild counterpart, King Rhoam, but only because of Ganon.
Of course,Zelda does ultimately awaken her power, although only in the midst of the Calamity itself, but even so the lack of response from the Goddess Statues is striking. It is worth noting that inThe Champion’s Ballad, the DLC adds a diary to Zelda’s room. One entry of this diary describes a dream in which an overworldly woman attempts to speak to Zelda, but cannot be heard. Reflecting on this,Zelda suggests that her power still being dormant may be responsible for her being unable to receive guidance, rather than Hylia being unwilling to help her descendant.
BOTW’s Goddess Statues Make Zelda’s Situation Crueler
The Statues’ Evident Divine Power With Link Makes Their Lack Of Response Harsh
It seems incredibly cruel for Zelda to be denied any form of assistance from the Goddess Statueswhile Link can hear and be empowered by them without issue. Of course, given the evidence of Zelda’s diary, this may not be by choice on Hylia’s part, but the difference in experience between the two is still striking. Zelda breaking down as a result of the stress is arguably among thesaddest moments in theZeldafranchise, and the ease with which Link accomplishes much the same only emphasizes this.
Zelda’s pre-calamity feelings of inadequacy are exacerbated by Link’s own apparent ease in achieving his destiny by drawing the Master Sword, which becomes a major source of tension in their early relationship inBOTW.
Goddess Statues providing Link with Heart Containers, Stamina Vessels and even a few quests is obviously a matter of convenient game design, but the way this choice intersects withThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s story is remarkably dark. Considering his amnesia, Link has no way of knowing that he is achieving with ease something that Zelda spent many desperate years trying and failing to accomplish. It is a cruel twist of fate that lends extra weight to Zelda’s feelings of powerlessness, but also one that can be easily overlooked in the midst of the regular gameplay loop.
