Less is More - An Analysis of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Soundtrack
Channel: pixeltea
Date: 2019-02-22

Its finally here! This is my video essay about the soundtrack of the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. BOTW's soundtrack is somewhat divisive within the Zelda community, so I wanted to give my thoughts on why I think the music is good. I think Breath of the Wild's soundtrack is the perfect representation of the saying "sometimes less is more."

I've received a lot of requests to do a video about this soundtrack, so I really hope you enjoy it.

When you're finished watching the video, I'd really appreciate if you took this quick poll: https://goo.gl/forms/glQ0sqQsvfKX3FQb2

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
1:36 - A brief history of 3D Zelda soundtracks
4:34 - My thesis statement
6:02 - Breath of the Wild & Impressionism
10:41 - A different kind of Hyrule
14:05 - The comfort of town themes
18:58 - BOTW's genius sound design
21:30 - Using intense music at the right moment
23:52 - Meaningful use of recognizable motifs
32:48 - Conclusion

VIDEO CREDITS:
Scenic Footage by Great-Bit Arcade https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL89YHk19iMUpmI1BL93bot1NvyIP9FsXV
Scenic Timelapse by Mystic Gamer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt07CJqEGEY
Opening Cutscene by Best of Gaming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GLny92ZVMs
Korok Hunting Footage by Gaming Since Gaming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8Tu1hF1QVc
Temple of Time Footage by Zelda Cavern https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6hR5LM8tHA
Tarrey Town Wedding by TheMaroonWalrus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OWVfjFq2rk
Molduga Battle by Jeffrey Grubb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7qCyQxFtkY
Kass Footage by Vapidbobcat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWIHaSNvMgA
Blood Moon Cutscene by Truth SSB https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGo4Ift-FWE
Guardian Fight by Abe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBcLAkoB79Q
Credits Scene by Paranoia's Dungeon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5_gUVmlVd4

8-bit Music Theory's Video on Breath of the Wild's Hyrule Field Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl-6K3zrcr0