During an investor meeting and Q&A session, Nintendo went into greater detail about the NX, and various upcoming Wii U and 3DS projects. Among these, of course, was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which was a hot topic of discussion for the group. Among the many reports and answers, as translated by Cheesemeister, came some very interesting bits of info about the game, including that it is meant to get the series “out of its rut” as Shigeru Miyamoto put it.
“The Legend of Zelda turns 30 this year and has many fans in the west,” said Miyamoto in regards to a question about possible development issues. “We’re considering how to get Zelda out of its rut. We’re calling it “open air.” Creating realism with physics, you can go to the far-off mountains without cutting away. You’ll be able to have the same experience on the NX.”
As a massive Zelda fan this actually makes sense and is very reassuring. I loved Skyward Sword just as much as everyone else, but there was no denying that among its few innovations, the game felt a bit stale. Ever since the amazing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64 the series has sort of followed the same formula with each new release.
On the handheld the series saw a huge breath of fresh air with the release of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. That game mixed up the formula, while referencing older titles in the series. This seems to be the inspiration behind the gigantic changes that we’re seeing in Breath of the Wild.
With any series as loved and venerated as Zelda change can be frightening. Luckily, it seems that the risks have paid off with amazing fan response from E3, including our own impressions. Nintendo even noted this in the meeting, showing a video from the show and saying “This is a video from day 3 of E3. Many people came to play Zelda. Normally, day 3 isn’t this crowded. Tickets ran out right away. Many people have high expectations for the game.”
Thankfully it is looking, so far, like Nintendo is delivering on those high expectations.
