Although The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is not a story-driven game at its core.
Even if you don't pay attention to the game's story, you can still have a lot of fun on the Hyrule continent.
Setting forests on fire, sneaking through doors and picking locks, cutting down all the trees in the forest with the Master Sword.
What, you ask why not use other weapons? Because I can't bear to!
And using various methods to bully those Bokoblins.
Blowing up fish with bombs by the lake, shocking fish with electric arrows.
One could say, if you wished, you could play in all sorts of creative ways.
But delving deeper into the game, the Four Champions and the changes Hyrule underwent during the century after Ganon's invasion still greatly resonated with players.
Especially the story aspect, it wasn't as minimal as many players initially thought.
Instead, it had a very complete main storyline.
Especially Princess Zelda, who initially seemed like a mere plot device.
Regarding Princess Zelda, many players initially didn't have much of an impression of her.
After all, aside from the old king, there was only brief narration and some peripheral descriptions.
The entire game rarely mentioned Princess Zelda.
This led many players to jokingly remark, "Why is this game called The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild?"
Because Princess Zelda, well, she's practically a legend herself.
Especially after experiencing the stories of the Four Champions.
The adorable Mipha, the straightforward Daruk, the incredibly tsundere Revali, and the valiant Urbosa.
After learning their past stories, these four Champions with distinct personalities allowed players to clearly feel their charm.
In contrast, Link and Zelda, as the protagonists, seemed less remarkable.
Link, at least, was fine, being the protagonist controlled by the players.
Manipulating Link to perform all sorts of "improper" rogue actions also allowed players to immerse themselves to some extent.
But many players overlooked Zelda.
Because, in the game, Zelda's story unfolds simultaneously and requires players to collect it.
Finding the places where Link and Zelda once shared memories.
This quest had no specific indicators; players could only rely on traversing the entirety of Hyrule and comparing photos to find the corresponding locations.
One could say this quest tormented countless players to death.
Even the various online guides were pieced together by many players.
Today you find a location, and then I share it online.
Tomorrow he finds a location, and then he shares it online.
Eventually, with many players discovering various different locations in the game, a complete guide was finally assembled.
And with these memories and the main storyline, players finally came to understand the story related to Princess Zelda.
Princess Zelda had always believed that if others could do something well, she could too.
But in reality, this wasn't the case; she had even painstakingly soaked in the Spring of Courage, praying to the Goddess until she was exhausted, yet she still couldn't gain the spirit's recognition.
Yet Link easily received the Master Sword's acknowledgment.
Therefore, every time Zelda saw Link's Master Sword, she felt immense pressure.
Moreover, it wasn't just that; when researching the Shrines, Link, who was already a source of the princess's inner turmoil, surpassed Zelda, who had long studied ancient artifacts, in controlling the Divine Beasts.
Furthermore, Princess Zelda had clearly suspected that the Sheikah Slate in her hand could activate the Shrines.
But when she placed it, there was no reaction. This sense of frustration made Princess Zelda even more anxious, and at this point, Princess Zelda finally couldn't control her emotions, telling Link not to follow her anymore.
This later led to Princess Zelda being pursued by the Yiga Clan due to the absence of Link's escort. Fortunately, Link arrived in time to save the princess, and with the mediation of the elder sister Urbosa, Link understood Zelda's inner turmoil, and their relationship eased.
During their continuous research into ancient ruins and unlocking Divine Beasts, Princess Zelda and Link's relationship also reconciled, and she began to care for Link, asking him why he was always so quiet.
And through their conversation, Princess Zelda also learned.
It turned out that Link felt immense pressure from being the hero acknowledged by the Master Sword, and decided to be quiet, not easily showing his emotions.
It was only then that Princess Zelda felt he was so similar to her.
However, the blunt Daruk nearby misunderstood the princess's "so similar" to mean they liked the same food.
And he revealed a characteristic of Link: that Link was a big eater, eating anything and everything.
This also left behind a precious memory for later, one of the few warm scenes in the entire game's storyline.
Nearing Hyrule Castle, Zelda, now aware of Link's voracious appetite, picked up a frog and asked Link to pretend to swallow it.
While delivering an eloquent speech, detailing how swallowing a frog would benefit and contribute to Hyrule.
Princess Zelda could be seen with a mischievous smile on her face as she lowered her head and pressed her lips together, revealing the lively cuteness appropriate for her age.
Here, Princess Zelda and Link played happily, as by then they were very close friends who knew each other's secrets.
Of course, besides this heartwarming scene, the plant that runs through the entire game was also mentioned here: the Silent Princess.
This flower was beautiful yet fragile. Although Princess Zelda diligently researched it, she still seemed unable to prevent its extinction.
Yet in the game, when players visited Princess Zelda's research lab, they would find a beautiful Silent Princess, blooming here defiantly and out of season, much like Princess Zelda herself, fighting Ganon alone within the castle.
But happiness was fleeting; soon, Zelda plunged into sadness, as her pressure didn't just come from within herself, but also from her family.
The King declared that Zelda's dedication to ancient artifacts was a waste of time.
But only Zelda understood that no matter how hard she tried, her sealing power simply wouldn't awaken, which was why she began researching ancient ruins to defeat Ganon.
The appearance of the Four Divine Beasts and Four Champions also stemmed from Princess Zelda's efforts, but even so, the ministers in the palace were full of gossip, calling Zelda an unscholarly princess.
What's quite ironic, however, is that players would later obtain two recipes, which explained.
Princess Zelda, who loved fruitcake, did so because this recipe, when eaten, would clear her mind, aiding her research into ancient artifacts.
Meanwhile, the ministers preferred Monster Cake, made with monster extract, because after eating it, their minds would become muddled, yet they would feel energetic.
But in the end, all her efforts were in vain. Ganon was resurrected, killing the Four Champions and the King.
The Kingdom of Hyrule still seemed inevitably headed for destruction.
And at this moment, Zelda had still not awakened her sealing power.
'It's all my fault. It's all because I couldn't awaken my sealing power... That's why the ancient artifacts meant to fight Ganon were stolen.'
'Everything I've done... has been useless. I'm the one who caused everyone's death! Caused the death of the citizens, my companions... my father...'
Link escorted Zelda as they fled from the castle, the torrential rain in the forest beating down on Zelda's weeping figure.
Link led Princess Zelda the entire way, under heavy encirclement by the Guardians.
From Hyrule Field, crossing Dueling Peaks, he fought his way to the vicinity of Kakariko Village.
But the battles along the way had left Link severely wounded and exhausted. Finally, as the Guardians tracked down their whereabouts and prepared to obliterate Link with a laser, it was as if fate played a cruel joke on Zelda; in this situation where she had lost almost everything, her sealing power awakened.
However, in this desperate moment, Princess Zelda discovered that Link still clung to life. The spirit's voice from the broken Master Sword guided Princess Zelda on how to preserve Link's life.
At this point, Zelda made a clear judgment: she arranged for the arriving Sheikah people to take Link, along with the Sheikah Slate, to the Shrine of Resurrection. She, herself, followed the Master Sword's guidance, returning to the forest to re-insert it into its pedestal.
Zelda firmly believed that even if Link awoke having lost all his memories, he would still come here and rediscover the Master Sword.
And she, alone, proceeded back towards Hyrule Castle to continue fighting Ganon.
Until Link awakened.
Initially, many players thought Zelda was just a plot device to advance the story.
A princess? What's the big deal about saving her?
A hundred years have passed, just wait a bit longer.
But when players found these lost memories and felt Zelda's efforts and helplessness.
All players had but one thought: "I'm going to bash Ganon's ugly head in! I must rescue Zelda!"
(End of Chapter)
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