As you are probably aware by now, Breath of the Wild’s soundtrack isn’t the most bombastic in the series. It does have its share of sweeping orchestral epics, but instead of accenting every footstep and sword swing, the music team decided that the best way to complement the game’s open-air design would be to have little pockets or bursts of music in the middle of long periods of silence. Considering the size of the game, you may go for a good while without hearing any music at all. Since the soundtrack is still location- or event-based, there are some pieces of music you only hear once or twice in a casual playthrough, if at all. Today we’re looking at one of those rare pieces: the song that plays in Hyrule’s scant few caves, secluded springs, and other hidden locations.
By itself, there isn’t much to this song. At its base, it consists of a synthesizer playing ascending and descending fifths while a piano plays rolled chords. So instead, we need to think about the ambiance that this simplicity implies. The interval of the fifth is one the most open intervals we have access to, and the synthesizer gives it an otherworldly feel. This makes sense since one of the locations where this song can play is near one of the springs of the Goddess. Those rolled chords also help get you in that mystical mood. It’s not surprising that you can often find deposits of luminous stones in places that play this song, either!
Among my favorite things about Breath of the Wild are those moments where you just need to stop and take it all in. As you reflect, you realize that this hasn’t happened before, and it may not happen again. Songs like this one really help with that feeling.
