Thursday, January 18, 2018

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, part 2

Original Release: March 3, 2017

Platform: Nintendo Switch, Wii U

Introduction

Music

Breath of the Wild has a surprisingly low amount of music compared to other Zelda games. Most of the time, when Link is traversing the overworld, there isn't any music aside for the occasional few piano notes. 


That being said, this game does have its share of great songs, just a significantly smaller share than other Zelda games. This isn't because the songs aren't good, of course, it's just because there aren't very many. One which stands out to me is the Hyrule Castle theme, a sweeping, epic song that is befitting of the game's final battle, and that pulls from the series' many past themes.

Most of the soundtrack, however, consists of background piano music, which consists of flourishes and the occasional simple melody. This is what plays when roaming the vast fields of Hyrule, most of the game's world, and it captures the game's atmosphere in a way I can only describe as masterful.
Some have bemoaned the lack of more traditional songs, as past Zelda games have had. But the primary function of music in a game is to complement that game, not necessarily to provide a soundtrack that can stand on its own (although this is definitely not uncommon).

Manaka Kataoka, one of the two primary composers, had never worked on a game of this scale, and was known as the composer for Animal Crossing games (a Nintendo series about managing a town of animal residents). But her music in this game has fit perfectly with what the game was trying to capture. She also composed the theme for one of the first trailers, a theme that left many fans in awe as they watched for the first time.

(I meant to finish this post last year but never did, so I thought I might as well publish it)

2 comments:

  1. that song makes me feel like i have to run around a do a bunch of stuff. like travel over majestic fictional lands. or clean my room. whichever comes first.

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