In Defence of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Soundtrack

I've often seen people say that Breath of the Wild "doesn't sound like a Zelda game." Let's take a look at what Zelda actually sounds like and why BotW's music is so quiet and sparse.

Game Score Fanfare is a show that celebrates music in video games, an aspect so overlooked as that's often the point: to work without you even realising it's there. I look at games through the lens of its score, discovering the unique perspective and roles that music can bring.

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Music used in this video is from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Original Soundtrack, composed by Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata & Hajime Wakai, unless otherwise stated below. In order of appearance:

Great Fairy Fountain (w/ Koji Kondo)
House (w/ Koji Kondo)
Korok Forest (Day)
Dark World - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Koji Kondo)
Midna's Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Toru Minegishi)
Title - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Kenta Negata)
Zelda's Theme ~Romance~ - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Takeshi Hama)
Staff Roll - Metroid: Other M (Kuniaki Haishima)
Riding (Night) (w/ Koji Kondo)
Divine Beast Vah Medoh
The Temple of Time (w/ Koji Kondo)
Field (Day)
Sheikah Tower
4'33" - John Cage
Kass' Theme
Zora's Domain (Night)
Kakariko Village (Night)
Flight Training Spot
Life in Ruins
Parasail Course

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Games shown in this video, in order of appearance:
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nintendo, 1991)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo, 1998)
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Nintendo, 2002)
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo, 2006)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo, 2011)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo, 2017)
Super Metroid (Nintendo, 1994)
Metroid: Other M (Team Ninja & Nintendo, 2010)

Other footage used in this video:

"The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary London Concert" from Nintendo Life
   • The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary ...  

"The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017 Trailer" from Nintendo
   • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wi...  

"The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Nintendo Switch Accolades Trailer" from Nintendo
   • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wi...  

"4'33" John Cage(Orchestra with Soloist, K2Orch, Live) / 4分33秒 ジョン・ケージ けつおけ！" from K2Orch
   • 4'33" John Cage(Orchestra with Solois...  

"John Cage's 4'33"" from Joel Hochberg
   • John Cage's 4'33"  

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Official Trailer 2 [HD]" from Warner Bros. Pictures
   • The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - O...  


Additional Viewing for those interested:

"Breath of the Wild Soundtrack Analysis PART 1 of 4: Hyrule Field Theme" from 8-Bit Music Theory
   • Breath of the Wild Soundtrack Analysi...  
(The other three videos in the series are on the Main Theme, Kakariko Village and Hyrule Castle)

"The music of Breath of the Wild | GMTK Extra" from Mark Brown
   • The Music of Breath of the Wild | GMT...  

"Twitch Talks: A History of Zelda Music" from The Musical Narrative
   • Twitch Talks: A History of Zelda Music  

"Zelda: Breath of the Wild Music Analysis" from Daily Music Vlog
   • Видео