In the remainder of 2016 we'll re-share some of our favourite feature articles from the year. This article considers the bigger picture behind the design decisions in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, based on some extended playtime with the E3 build at Nintendo UK's HQ. This was originally published on 29th June, back when the Switch was still the 'NX'.
Following the blow-out of coverage and footage from E3, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will now likely drop into the background for a short while, certainly for a couple of months or until whatever point Nintendo decides to start revealing details such as the story, villages / towns and NPCs. After all, these are aspects of the game that we're assured are prominent in the title, but were stripped out of E3 builds in order to save surprises for later dates.
We wrote three separate hands-on impressions from E3 - linked at the end of this article - so when a few members of our UK team were invited to play the demo we decided to approach our playtime differently. Video man Alex sought your requests for what we should do in the game, while Managing Director Anthony Dickens will consider the game - or what we've seen so far - from a personal perspective in the coming week or so. As for this writer the remit was simple - to see first hand what this game is all about, and figure out whether it is the bold emergence of Nintendo into modern-day trends for open worlds and sandbox-style freedom. The short answer? Yes, it is.
What didn't seem abundantly clear from E3 and the live streams, for those that didn't play it for themselves, is how the 'Story Demo' sets out the game's stall in providing a narrative. Having sampled this demo it's clear that, initially at least, a fairly conventional approach can be taken. The voice Link hears, combined with the 'Sheikah Slate', points you in the right direction once you first wake up and emerge from a chamber into the light. As seen during E3, it's a cinematic moment that stylishly gets the player into the adventure.
The voice Link hears, combined with the 'Sheikah Slate', points you in the right direction once you first wake up and emerge from a chamber into the light. As seen during E3, it's a cinematic moment that stylishly gets the player into the adventure.
Part of the shift, of course, is that in theory the player can run off and do as they please right from the start, but in the opening stage there's a tutorial-lite going on, as well as subtle signs to point you towards the first key progression in the story. The camera shows you a mysterious old man, and he can be the source of your first basic items while also giving you some hints and tips to get started. The voice then tells you to follow the waypoint from the Sheikah Slate, and this kickstarts a sequence in which imposing towers emerge into the world. When clambering down from the first tower the old man floats down with a sail cloth and offers you a trade - find some treasure in exchange for that item. He leads you to the first challenge Shrine, therefore introducing that concept and the earliest initial puzzles. Our demo cut here, but presumably you then tackle that challenge, get a sail cloth and receive more tips and guidance on the next key area for story progression.
In fact, if you follow the sign-posting without getting distracted this introduction feels rather conventional, 'typical Zelda' in a nice way. The difference, of course, is that you have the theoretical freedom to experiment for an hour or two at any time rather than do favours for a mysterious old bearded man. The E3 story demo does paint a dramatic picture of potential world-ending events, but if you want to simply charge around with Link wearing nothing but shorts and test out the physics engine then, well, Hyrule can just wait a bit before it's saved.
Personally, I'm the kind of player that likes to get on with objectives in games, and when I mess about it's normally with a dual goal of accumulating resources, which will evidently be vital here. Watching Anthony and Alex in action was informative, though, simply due to the fact they had wildly different play-styles. Anthony's approach seemed similar to mine, probably because we're both 30-somethings that grew up with games driven by objectives and structure. Alex, who spends his days making our YouTube videos and is younger, seemed to spend most of his time experimenting with the game's physics engine and mechanics. His quest seemed to be to make funny, bizarre things happen rather than to save the world with any urgency.
Those opposite ends of the play-style spectrum, and various approaches in-between, are all likely to be supported in the final game. That is also the crux of current-gen design in various RPG / adventure games, and reflects this interesting age of the gaming industry. Never has the age-range and levels of experience of consumers been so broad, with gaming as a hobby now far more acceptable in popular culture than in generations gone by. There's a generation that grew up with games in the '80s and '90s, those that are too young to remember plugging in a hefty cartridge to play a game, and those across the range that have become gamers of various kinds in the past decade. For developers, particularly those seeking big sales numbers from high-budget titles, designing experiences that appeal to as broad a group as possible has been a key challenge.
In console adventure games, particularly, this has led to an expansion of player freedom in recent years, with a number of high profile titles being packed with sub-quests and objectives and worlds layered with systems and physics to enable experimentation. A recent example I enjoyed greatly was Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, a game that was arguably saved by its modern approach. The issues between Hideo Kojima and Konami - along with the protracted and then shortened development cycle of the game - have been well documented, and as a result I've seen plenty describe the story in the game as 'incomplete' and a 'hot mess'. It's definitely the former, coming across as a compromised effort as the doors were closed and budget was cut off, but I enjoyed the game for its systems and gameplay. Though I still typically liked following objectives (including the many side missions) it was the unpredictability and freedom of approach to those tasks that kept me hooked through much of the latter half of 2015.
Perhaps it was the zeitgeist kicked off by Minecraft that made this trend so dominant, but as games get bigger and more time consuming, there's an acceptance among some developers that there are gamers not interested in running from A to B and following the story.
The Phantom Pain is notably one of a batch of games that get a lot of play and attention on platforms like YouTube, and players of various types loved showing off the goofy outcomes that were possible when exploding inflatable Snake mimics next to enemy soldiers, for example. Perhaps it was the zeitgeist kicked off by Minecraft that made this trend so dominant, but as games get bigger and more time consuming, there's an acceptance among some developers that there are gamers not interested in running from A to B and following the story. Some simply want to mess around and have fun.
Plenty of comparisons have been made between Breath of the Wild and the likes of Skyrim, and those are valid in their way. Some have also stated that Nintendo shouldn't follow trends but focus on setting them, though we won't know until the full game arrives whether Nintendo will actually set trends with Breath of the Wild. What's clear, though, is that the format established by Nintendo with such success in the past was no longer the most effective approach for the current age. The Legend of Zelda's home console games, ever since Ocarina of Time or arguably A Link to the Past, have followed a largely similar template, only making small adjustments to the underlying formula. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword tried to experiment a little, but seemed to shy away from taking too big a plunge. The evolution of adventure and RPG games in the past five years or so, undeniably, has pushed Eiji Aonuma and his team towards a bold new direction for the series.
With hindsight we should have seen this coming, perhaps, thanks to The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. A sequel to the iconic SNES title (it was actually branded as such in Japan) it nevertheless ditched the normal structure and gave players freedom to tackle dungeons in an order of their choosing, 'renting' the tools for the job. It was a game that used key moments to progress the main story, otherwise leaving the player to experience the world and piece the smaller story details together for themselves. It wasn't a sandbox world in the style of Breath of the Wild, of course, but there were notable structural building blocks in the 3DS title that showed how the development team was switching up its approach.
The big test for Breath of the Wild, ultimately, will be balance. There's a decent-sized audience of loyal series fans that'll want the option of progressing through a narrative in a similar manner to other titles in the series. On the flipside, in likely pitching it as an early hit for NX, Nintendo will be keen to promote its differences from predecessors, and how the freedoms in gameplay can inform the experience. It'll aim to tap into old- and new-school trends all at once.
It'll be intriguing to see how it takes shape, but whatever the outcome Breath of the Wild will be the most fascinating Legend of Zelda release in generations. Beyond that, the work that Nintendo has put into it - pegged at five years with over 100 staff by Shigeru Miyamoto when speaking to shareholders - will lay important foundations for future projects that adopt similar ideas. The physics engine, the systems, the systems within systems, will all provide solid building blocks for the future.
Further Reading:
- Hands On: Wide-Open Walderlust in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Hands On: Taking a Breath in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Hands On: Embracing Freedom in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
With plenty of games now being bigger, more flexible and increasingly spontaneous than in past generations, Nintendo looks set to jump onto the bandwagon with Breath of the Wild. Who knows, maybe it'll add its own unique twists and magic to this modern open-world formula; we can't wait to find out.
Comments (88)
This is the reason why I regret not having a Wii U and that could convince me to buy the NX.
"Perhaps it was the zeitgeist kicked off by Minecraft that made this trend so dominant, but as games get bigger and more time consuming, there's an acceptance among some developers that there are gamers not interested in running from A to B and following the story."
Which is ironic, because Zelda is one of the games that established open ended gameplay in the first place!
@Pandaman Yeah, on the NES. I meant to mention that 'link' but had a brain fart.
@roy130390
Buy Wii U now. Don't wait until NX released before it too late. Also, you can play your Wii games as well. I owned Wii U 2 months ago and i don't think it's too late. I use my Wii U for playing Wii U games, Wii games, browsing internet, listening music from Youtube. I just wait the further information about NX and i will consider to buy NX after 2 - 3 years being released. If NX has white color for main body, i'll get that after price cut.
This is one of the reasons I am getting a Wii u.
While not necessarily THE zelda game I expected, I have high hopes for it. The game mechanics seem like a good mix of gameplay elements found in other games. But this one could be unique.
On the other hand I was a bit disappointed by the minimal story or even the lack of a story at all.
I will try to view this game as unique and not judge it by any standards.
@Anti-Matter
Same with me, lots wii and wii u games that are waiting to be played. Will definitely need a second wii u (maybe even a third one) lack of BC is a real cat.
Definitely not interested in most potential third party games on the nx -
This game is the 2nd coming!!!
Generally, I like a guiding hand in telling me where to go and what to do next in video games. However, I don't want to rush through the storyline and miss out on all the exploring this world has to offer. I felt the same way with XCX, so I will strike a nice balance between completing story objectives and getting lost.
Nintendo needs to take more of these steps into contemporary game design more often, while not losing any of that Nintendo magic in the process.
And, despite what a lot of people believe, much of this is directly affected by the power of the hardware and modern conventions around thing like presentation and graphics, alongside all the gameplay and game design stuff too obviously.
@Kirk Then the Wii U is mighty! Zelda looks so lush and vibrant.
I was neither impressed nor unimpressed with the footage. This game suffers with being overly hyped and we have another 9 months to wait, maybe with another delay much longer.
It is Zelda in an open world, the same Zelda, that now climbs much like Lara Croft. But not the all new Zelda we wanted. But still a must have game.
It does not seem to be a must have launch game to sell the NX. Not least when it is also available for the Wii U.
I would not buy the NX to play this game. Let's hope Nintendo have a some better launch titles.
If anyone here has played The Witcher 3, you could agree with me that it is a game that took Zelda to where Zelda never dared to go.
To this day I have this nagging feeling that Nintendo should try to split the franchise in two: I always think you could have The Legend of Zelda, a puzzle heavy, all-age game about adventures, and on the other hand "The Adventures of Link" a hardcore adult experience full of violence, amazing combat and freedom.
I don't complain, though, I just play both The Witcher and Zelda and enjoy myself.
You can get it on Amazon with Prime for $47.99!! I'm gonna get my nickels and dimes together!!
@Al_Godoy That would KICK @$$!!!! Especially since the original "The Adventures of Link" was BRUTAL without assistance!
@GrailUK not really that vibrant, look at the visual environments of other open world games such as witcher 3 or even the old skyrim, compared to them the terrain and environment of BOTW seems lacking. Im not dismissing the game but coming from a PC background, the zelda reveal on the visual front seems a little bit...meh
@Al_Godoy love the witcher 3! Im playing blood and wine right now. I think the Witcher 3 might have ruined zelda for me especially in side quests quality as well as visuals.
@Zool that’s not the Zelda I expected at all, its actually far better.
The thing with Breath of the Wild is that it removes every single invisible wall giving you complete freedom, that’s something I’ve never seen in any game before, you can literally go anywhere in anyway you want, that’s insane. Also, the physics engine is amazing, look at how a rock rolls after you pushed it, how link rolls after being falcon punched in da face, the way everything interacts with everything is truly beautiful, and it does not feel floaty, like in some other open world games.
@Laki2 giving complete freedom in a game is nothing new. Hell just cause gives you hundreds of miles to explore literally.
@diwdiws did the same for me, I'm just about to finish the main quest, but I will put on hold the DLC because I just got Fallout 4.
@MrPuzzlez that's exactly how I feel about Zelda 2, since it was the first Zelda I played and went I finally got to play the first one I thought it was way too easy. I still love both.
Start of a new age Zelda era.
@Al_Godoy im at around 600 hrs in hahaha jeeze that game is huge.
The is doesn't mean we won't have a Wii u element to the NX. If it it indeed a hybrid/merger console then the best feature will remain functional.... Off screen play.
Further more elements such as your own personal screen for CoD, Battlefield(hopefully), interactive motion control with field of view (splatoon) would all still be available to developers.
I don't really feel this is so much a new direction as a realization of the original vision. Zelda has always had large maps to traverse. Much of the world could be explored freely with a few plot exceptions. They were often zoned for technical reasons but this isn't new territory for Nintendo. Rather they have more freedom to do what they have always done but more smoothly. As I've been saying since the treehouse footage this is a natural evolution of SS. Is that still exciting? HECK YEAH, but its not like Nintendo "saw the light" after looking at other games. Still don't get why so many people keep hollering about the witcher or skyrim.
@GrailUK It's all relative.
Is there a map on the GamePad? If not, that would suck.
wow!! so this is like a reboot of Zelda's gameplay and taking it back to its original core NES title.
With that game, you had an open world, could finish the game without getting all of the items or beating all of the dungeons, and it was set in a post-apocalyptic Hyrule, with everything in ruins and the few people around living in caves etc.
I'm really excited. (^_^ )
This is a weird discussion to me because, on the one hand, I would flip my lid if I ever heard people start calling Zelda games sandbox games. Even when you or I like to point out how free you were in the original NES Zelda, it wasn't a sandbox style of game. This much I agree with Miyamoto, we don't want that word attached to something when it has a lot of negative connotations going on (negative if only because it misrepresents the truth about the more focused gameplay going on with Zelda).
I'm sure when the game is out, though, people will back off some from that term in connection with Zelda, and I will inevitably stop having panic attacks over it, lol. It's a nice buzzword for younger gamers to feel good about, I guess, but it's not really appropriate unless the series is barely recognizable going forward.
The E3 demo was made to focus on only the open exploration, so I guess for now people are seeing what is put in front of them and forgetting what they aren't seeing yet (the story and main path to the game, the puzzles that have one intended solution to them, etc.),
Excellent article...
To those talking about graphics: graphics don't make a game. Sure they help immerse you into them but this is a bold step in a direction not all too common with games these days. That fluid quasi-cell shaded cartoony realist art style is something I'm really digging.
Personally, I think the graphics and game looks fan-frigin-tastic so.... Of course most games will indeed look "meh" compared to a PC but this is a Wii U and an incredible feat all things considered. At least from the E3 footage.
As I said excellent article- really liked the bit on play styles between generations up top ; very true!
Excellent article. Even though it was brief due to demo constraints, I'm glad to at least read something about the objective/story progression in the very beginning.
The trend of "messing around" in games without worrying about objectives is fine, but I like to get a sense of progression each time I end a gaming session. For those like me who have limited playing time, this feeling is valuable.
@3MonthBeef
That's the best you could come up with?
I'm going to state a somewhat controversial opinion. I'm glad that The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild seems to be taking more cues from A link to the past than from Zelda original. I find it very frustrating how much information is obscured from the player in the nes original. I preferred A link to the past's sense of exploration, especially when it came to the dark world. Show me where I need to go and then allow me to explore and find secrets in the mean time. I find it better than just getting hopelessly lost like when I played Zelda 1. That can be fun at times (One of my favorite moments was when I got lost in Okami and had to wonder around the world to find my way forward. I found a lot of cool secrets along the way) but not all the time. I think it's better to allow the player to wander around the world at his/her own leisure, rather than forcing them to get lost as a means of progression.
@3MonthBeef Playing an open world game without an offscreen map really sucks after you've experienced one with one. It feels like you're stepping back a generation.
I suppose I would be one of those die-hard, veteran Zelda fans... and to me, the best part of Zelda has always been that there is an interesting, linear path to follow, which is the main goal of the games, while there is also an assortment of sidequests and "messing around" kind of stuff there for you to dip into every now and then when the mood strikes you. That's why I didn't really like Skyward Sword; it was pretty much all linearity, with barely anything else on the side. This game, however, appears to be the exact opposite: almost completely side stuff, and very little linearity. Some will probably say that's a great thing, but... I'm not so sure.
I feel like it's all about balance. Too much linearity and it feels restrictive... but too much freedom, and it starts to feel less cohesive. I felt most of the older Zeldas had that balance down pretty well (Ocarina did it perfectly, which is why it's so highly regarded), but this one, I don't know. It doesn't surprise me that more freedom and less direction seems to be the norm right now, given how popular time-wasting Internet stuff is, but I feel like it isn't necessarily a good thing. You still need SOME focus and direction, otherwise everything would be chaos. Thus, I'm gonna stay a bit cautious about this one...
That being said, it still looks gorgeous, and it's not like I'll be forced to partake in all that pointless sandboxy stuff. I'm with you, @ThomasBW84 ; I like my objective-based games, and I'll be playing this one as close to the old ways as possible.
If this follows XCX's line, with a bit more work done on the storyline front, I'll be delighted. I absolutely adore getting lost in Mira doing sidequests (or stumbling upon very disturbing sidequests), while advancing the story at my own pace.
If I can explore Hyrule's secrets without an annoying sidekick reminding me every five minutes what I'm supposed to do, it will probably go straight to my top ten games ever.
@TerrapinJess i guess your comment was aimed at me. Look im not saying the game looks bad its just that you cant put the game in a vacuum. To those who are not Nintendo only gamers or first time zelda players, you cant expect them to be flabergasted with the visuals of the game when there are other games out there that looks much better.
For example this is from the Witcher 3. Its also open world. Coming from that game it will be hard to be super impressed with BOTWs visuals.
Im not saying that the game will be bad. Im just saying that based on the demo it will be a hard sell to those who have no nostalgia or any investment on the game
Just to be clear, im talking about initial impression here
@diwdiws hey that looks amazing — I agree — and I do totally understand what you're stating. I guess, I don't know I guess all I'm trying to say is that whether the graphics are like that or if they're like how they're going to be, it's going to be fun as hell. I can tell by the way the game looked and all the new physics in place etc... I guess too, it might look a bit weird seeing Link look photorealistic. In the example of The Witcher, it's a human player (I think...? Looks it anyway I haven't played it myself yet) as opposed to Link who is historically cartoonish and even made purely of pixels sometimes...
I'm glad you didn't get mad and stuff from my comment as it wasn't meant to be taken negatively. It was aimed at you a bit but I understand why you said what you said. I just personally feel that I'm quite amazed by the visuals. I like that soft color palette personally and feel it fits the Zelda universe (and I suppose Nintendo) perfectly-- at least at his point in time. Maybe we'll get a true Unreal engine Zelda out of NX. Yikes here I go talking about the NEXT Zelda and this one isn't even out yet!
Nobody on here ever heard of World of Warcraft?Open world games'vd been around a loooong time.
@diwdiws I would argue that Wind Waker has a better art style than the witcher3.
@TerrapinJess why would i get mad. Were just having a conversation. Anyway oh dont get me wrong i find it beautifull too. I have a soft spot for cell shades games.
I am going to buy this one for the NX for sure.
I think the NX Version will have something extra to sell the system.
Love zelda in any type or form, not sure how good my cooking would turn out though
The biggest draw for me in regards to the art in this game is how much love has gone into the animals.
Design, animation, behavior.
Most open world games are made by studios and artists where I question their appreciation of wildlife.
Just a heads up - in the demo, if you finish the first shrine, the old man then tells you to get two more shrine orbs before he'll trade for his sail cloth. I don't think it's possible to get the sail cloth within the demo's time limit.
@Laki2 "The thing with Breath of the Wild is that it removes every single invisible wall giving you complete freedom, that’s something I’ve never seen in any game before, you can literally go anywhere in anyway you want, that’s insane"
http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/993/875/084.png
Nothing but open air games from Nintendo from now on making use of the new engine
Eh...it's already 6 months ago.
I just hope it will still come out on the Wii U. Though I'm not convinced it will.
What's the point in bringing back old articles?
You're entitled to some reposting on slow news holidays, just don't turn it into a regular thing like Cracked or WhatCulture.
I kinda disgaree that older gamers tend to like objective based and structured games over than open world type of gameplay. Its not about age, maybe you just grew up with those kinda games. There are those of us who grew up playing openworld games during the 90s such as the ultima series, baldurs gate, ice wind dale, the early fallout games, elde scroll setirs etc etc. open style of gameplay basically started in the 90s
"Boldest Step Into Contemporary Game Design" 10 years after everyone else?
Nintendo will get there eventually
I will cry if this game gets cancelled for Wii U. Oddly enough, a Wii U system retails for the same price as it did at launch. People might make the (pun), but I hope Nintendo doesn't Yooka-Laylee everyone.
Real original sub-title there
@GraveLordXD of course its on pc, i play on PC but i have seen and played the PS4 version. Its around the mid setting of the PC. it still is technically miles better looking than BOTW.
@GraveLordXD i said "technically" better looking not talking about the art style. Also wtf are you ranting about? I opened up the issue of graphics of the witcher 3 because the trailer is not very impressive graphically for those who doesnt have any past experience with zelda. It wont wow. Im talking about the initial reveal trailer back then.
@GraveLordXD again, wtf are you ranting about? Do you have a reading comprehension problem? Backread my comments for context.
@GraveLordXD ill say it again. For those of us who have no background with zelda (at that time i got a wiiu as my first nintendo console) the initial trailer of the BOTW is not very impressive. All we have as a barometer is the visuals because we have no experience with the game. The trailer showed an ugly forest, barren fields, it lacks little details that give a virtual world life. So what aspect of the trailer would you think would impress gamers like me? The mountain climing part???
@GraveLordXD so you knit-pick? I was talking about the initial reveal six montha ago!! If your commenting without looking into the context of Why i made the comment then what the poop is the sense of this conversation? Whats your purpose? To feel superior? To get your internet rocks off?
@GraveLordXD for the nth time. I have no past experience with zelda. The WiiU is my firat Nintendo console. Been a PC only gamer since the 90s before getting a ps4 and wiiu
@GraveLordXD im interested in the survival aspect part, im mainly a RPG guy, mostly obsidian type of rpgs. To be honest i haven't really been using my WiiU i only have bayonetta, star fox zero and mario kart. Thats why im interested in zelda, of course i have heard of the past games before but never really had any motivation to try any before BOTW. Just wasn't very impressed with the trailer. It was just my impression that maybe if Nintendo wants to expand its user base beyond its usual market then that trailer failed to do such thing. Im not saying the game will be bad, it may well be a masterpiece, im just saying that for me going in blind, it did not impress. Thats why im waiting for the reviews.
This looks amazing. I'm totally getting this for Switch. There is nothing to worry about. This game is going to be so good that time will stop when I play it. It is an open world Zelda game. I have played every Zelda game there is. They are all good. I have played every Zelda game that Nintendo has ever made. The DS ones are my least favorite but tha does not mean I don't love them. They give you an exploration feeling every time. So this may be broader an more massive. What is not to love.
I'm actually happy that Nintendo chose postpone the release of the Switch and BotW until next year. This year's been such a blooper reel. Something might've gone wrong anyway.. (not that I'm superstitious or anything lol..)
Better start fresh in 2017, so let's have a happy new year!
Still wish this game was running in a more cutting-edge up-to-date graphics engine. When I saw the terribly pixelated edges of the grass and its shadows shimmering/flickering very noticeably at the start of the latest trailer it broke my heart a little. It's the difference between "Yeah, sure, it's kinda pretty and in some ways very pretty, but . . ." and being truly beautiful and indeed timeless.
@diwdiws ....Watch the language kid...
Nintendo does something revolutionary by returning the Zelda series to its roots.
This is true justice. claps
Large open world games are so amazing, and it's probably my favorite game genre. I'm really excited to see what Nintendo can do in that area. I've noticed that a lot of open world games tend to feel a bit bland or lifeless, and that's the complete opposite of how Nintendo games feel, so that's a big bonus for me.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE at this point I doubt it performs really well on it. I'd suspect many instances of sub 30fps, with boss fights and whatnot really taking a toll on the hardware.
@impurekind the ironic part about this art/design choice for BotW is that it was probably (originally) chosen in large part due to the hardware limitations of the Wii U.... AND NOW IT'S NOT EVEN THE LEAD CONSOLE!
@LegendOfPokemon Apparently not, they did this probably because they don't want the Switch version to look inferior
That first picture tho... that texture..
Edit I mean second
The game looks great, love the art style & that it's not another super-realistic grim & gritty adventure game. I've only played a couple of Zelda games in the past (on the NES & then the 3DS ), but this definitely makes me want to come back into it.
Umm, open world rpgs like this have been around for a long time now, it's about time Nintendo left the Zelda design from 1998 behind and caught up to other rpgs like it that have been doing it since like Elder Scrolls Morrowind back in 2002 on consoles like Xbox
I really hope this Zelda game sells well, because I would get back into Nintendo if they made there games a little more bigger, and modern feeling.
The trailer is absolutely amazing!! BotW is gonna be awesome.
@diwdiws The trend with those games you listed is that they're all PC games. You can tell by that comment in the article that the writer isn't a classic PC gamer.
@Niinbendo Nope, Nintendo Life staff are actually alien symbiotes that use their Earthen emissary base, "NLife Towers," to assimilate the height of human culture and drama, and use it to fuel their intergalactic space engines. They're just refueling right now, they'll be back to gather more of our "Nintendo Life Essence."
@Anti-Matter I bought my Wii u 2 years ago and its run out of games that I want to play and now sits on my console retirement shelf. I play my new 3ds much more. I'll gladly buy the switch on launch day because I like to play in bed and not hog the TV.
@hYdeks
I wouldn't say "it's about time" because open world is a design choice. It's certainly been the fad lately but, a game isn't inherently inferior simply because it's not open world (Final Fantasy X is just as good as Final Fantasy XV, for example).
That said, it is (imo) a design choice that suits Zelda well... at least, I think it will. It looks like it does anyways. I'm not saying I want all my Zelda games from here on out to be open world, but it is definitely something I want to try out at least once, and if it works, maybe see it continued.
I do agree about the "modern feeling" statement. Skyward Sword didn't feel modern- it was great, but so many things about it that felt dated. This here... this is modern. And I think it's a good omen of things to come.
@Al_Godoy
The Witcher 3? I don't think that game has anything in common with Zelda. It's a good game, but... it's just different.
If any AAA game is similar to Zelda, it would be Rise of the Tomb Raider.
@JaxonH I find Elder Scrolls and Witcher to be very poor comparisons for Zelda outside of the fantasy settings. Zelda is more similar to Tomb Raider and Darksiders as while Tomb Raider is more gun play oriented combat, the exploration style is far more Zelda than Elder Scrolls (so I agree there).
As someone who grew up during the 5th console generation, I can hardly describe how weird it is to see a Tomb Raider game be compared to a Zelda game... I'm not seeing the resemblance.
I'm an older gamer, and I must say I'm nervous about this 'open world' Zelda. It could be amazing, yes. But I love structured games. I have limited time to play games, so when I do I want every minute to be fun, action packed or some nice brain teasing puzzle to work through. It needs to be worth my precious time. I do not want to spend half an hour simply wandering aimlessly because it's a 'sand pit' or whatever that ridiculous word is that's used.
I suppose if they do turn Zelda into 'Grand Rim's Fallout Redemption', I'll finally get to work through my gaming backlog dating back to the N64.
I'm very excited for a "modern" open-world Zelda, I just hope the overworld has lots to do and see and isn't lifeless and barren.
@JaxonH yea, I would like to see some of the older style Zelda games continue too, but I think this open world approach is something that Zelda has been needing for awhile. The games where feeling too linear, and Zelda BoTW gives a more "go where you want, play however you want" feel, which will add a lot to the replayabiliy of the game. Again, really hope it makes Nintendo take more chances with their series, because the last time they took a new approach to a series was Metroid Prime, and that worked out great.
@PlywoodStick
Then you must be blind Have you even played the recent Tomb Raider games?
The new Tomb Raider games have many things in common with 3d Zelda games or Darksiders.
Yes, the setting, style and armory are all different, but gameplay elements and progress is similar.
Zelda, Darksiders and Tomb Raider are all Action-Adventure games, with some RPG elements thrown in. While Elder scrolls and The Witcher are full blown RPG's with some Action-Adventure play styles.
I still hope, that the new Zelda game will be an Action-Adventure with light RPG elements, cool dungeons and puzzles. I am looking forward to see this new open world in Zelda, but it should not become like The Witcher 3.
I really like and enjoy The Witcher games, witch are a great genre mix of RPG and Action-Adventures. But it's way too much RPG for a Zelda game.
If they release a demo before the whole thing I will cry, I won't be able to stop my self playing it only to be disappointed at it just being a taste. Anyways looks like we will be playing through skyrim first and that's pretty exciting too
@ThomasBW84 Instead of copying and pasting the same article, wouldn't it be better to just push it to the top of NL's newsfeed so that it's featured? (Or pin it might be a better way to say it)
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