The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Developer(s) | Nintendo EPD[a] |
Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
Director(s) | Hidemaro Fujibayashi |
Producer(s) | Eiji Aonuma |
Programmer(s) |
|
Artist(s) |
|
Writer(s) |
|
Composer(s) |
|
Series | The Legend of Zelda |
Platform(s) | |
Release | March 3, 2017 |
Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild[b] is a 2017 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U. Set at the end of the Zelda timeline, the player controls an amnesiac Link as he sets out to save Princess Zelda and prevent Calamity Ganon from destroying the world. Players explore the open world of Hyrule while they collect items and complete objectives such as puzzles or side quests. Breath of the Wild's world is unstructured and encourages exploration and experimentation; the story can be completed in a nonlinear fashion.
Development lasted five years, commencing immediately after the release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in 2011. Led by director Hidemaro Fujibayashi and producer Eiji Aonuma, Nintendo sought to rethink Zelda's conventions and introduced elements such as detailed chemistry and physics engines. The designers drew inspiration from Shadow of the Colossus (2005) and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011). Monolith Soft, known for their work on the open-world Xenoblade Chronicles series, assisted in designing landscapes and topography.
Breath of the Wild was first planned for release in 2015 as a Wii U exclusive. It was eventually released as a launch game for the Switch and the final Nintendo game for the Wii U on March 3, 2017. It received acclaim and won numerous Game of the Year awards. Critics praised its open-ended gameplay, open-world design, and attention to detail, though some criticized its technical performance. It is the best-selling Zelda game and one of the best-selling video games of all time, with 33.55 million copies sold by 2024.
Breath of the Wild is considered one of the greatest video games of all time. Journalists described it as a landmark in open-world design for its emphasis on experimentation, physics-based sandbox, and emergent gameplay. Numerous developers cited Breath of the Wild as inspiration, and it is a popular point of comparison among open-world games. A spin-off, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, was released in 2020 while a sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, was released in 2023.
Gameplay
![An in-game screenshot of the protagonist Link, paragliding across a vast world.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b3/Breath_of_the_Wild_paraglide.jpg/220px-Breath_of_the_Wild_paraglide.jpg)
Breath of the Wild is an open world action-adventure game. Players are tasked with exploring the kingdom of Hyrule while controlling Link. Breath of the Wild encourages nonlinear gameplay, which is illustrated by the lack of defined entrances or exits to areas,[1] scant instruction given to the player, and encouragement to explore freely.[2] Breath of the Wild introduces a consistent physics engine to the Zelda series, letting players approach problems in different ways rather than trying to find a single solution.[3] The "chemistry engine" defines the physical properties of most objects and governs how they interact with the player and one another.[4] For example, during thunderstorms, metal objects will attract powerful lightning strikes; during a storm, therefore, a player must be careful not to carry metal, but may also throw metal objects at enemies to draw lightning to them.[5] These design approaches result in a generally unstructured and interactive world that rewards experimentation and allows for nonlinear completion of the story.[6][7]
As Link, players can perform actions such as running, climbing, swimming, and gliding with a paraglider, although Link is limited by his stamina.[5] Link can procure items from the environment, including weapons, food, and other resources. Unlike previous Zelda games, weapons and shields degrade through use, eventually shattering.[5] Many items have multiple uses; for example, wooden weapons can light fires, wooden shields can collect incoming enemy arrows, and shields can be used as makeshift snowboards.[5] Players can obtain food and materials for elixirs from hunting animals, gathering wild fruit, or collecting parts of defeated enemies.[6] By cooking combinations of food or materials, the player can create meals and elixirs that can replenish Link's health and stamina, or provide temporary status bonuses such as increased strength or resistance to heat or cold.[6] An important tool in Link's arsenal is the "Sheikah Slate", a magical stone tablet which can be used to mark waypoints on the in-game map and take pictures of materials, creatures, and enemies. These pictures are stored in an in-game compendium that can be used to locate valuable items. The Sheikah Slate also gives the player the ability to create remote bombs, manipulate metal objects, form ice blocks on watery surfaces, and temporarily stop objects in time.[8][9][10] In combat, players can lock onto targets for more precise attacks, while certain button combinations allow for advanced offensive and defensive moves.[11] Players may also defeat enemies without weapons, such as by rolling boulders off cliffs into enemy camps.[12]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/ce/Climbing_in_BotW.jpg/220px-Climbing_in_BotW.jpg)
Besides exploration, players can undergo quests or challenges to obtain certain benefits. Activating towers and shrines will add waypoints to the map that the player may warp to at any time.[13] Activating towers also adds territories to the map, although location names are not added until the player explores that area. Dotted throughout Hyrule are shrines that contain challenges ranging from puzzles to battles against robotic opponents. Clearing shrines earns Spirit Orbs; after earning four of these orbs, they can be traded for additional health or stamina points.[13] When Link has at least 13 hearts, he can reclaim the Master Sword in the Korok Forest. The Master Sword is the only unbreakable weapon in the game, but it can run out of energy after extended use, requiring a 10-minute recharge.[14] In addition to shrines, the Divine Beasts, giant mechanical animals, act as extended puzzles, each based around a unique animal and element.[15] Scattered across Hyrule are small puzzles that reveal Korok Seeds, which can be traded to expand inventory size for weapons, shields, and bows.[16] Towns serve as hotspots for quests, sidequests, and shops selling materials and clothing. Hikers and other travelers offer sidequests, hints, or conversation.[5][11] Additionally, players can scan Amiibo figures against their controller to summon items or call Link's horse Epona from previous Zelda games and Wolf Link from Twilight Princess.[17][18]
Plot
Breath of the Wild takes place at the end of the Zelda timeline in the kingdom of Hyrule.[19] In ancient times, the ancient Sheikah race had developed Hyrule into an advanced civilization, protected by four enormous animalistic machines called the Divine Beasts and an army of autonomous weapons called Guardians.[20] When an ancient evil known as Calamity Ganon appeared and threatened Hyrule, four great warriors were given the title of Champion, and each piloted one of the Divine Beasts to weaken Ganon while the princess with the blood of the goddess and her appointed knight fought and defeated him by sealing him away.[21][22]
Ten millennia later,[23] the kingdom of Hyrule had since regressed to a medieval state.[24][25] Reading their ancestors' prophecies, Hyrule's peoples recognized the signs of Ganon's return and excavated surrounding areas to uncover the Divine Beasts and Guardians.[26] During this time, Princess Zelda trained vigorously to awaken the sealing magic needed to defeat Ganon while trying to maintain her personal research. In the meantime, a knight was appointed to protect her: Link, a Hylian who was chosen due to his ability to wield the Master Sword, also known as "the sword that seals the darkness". After being sought out by Zelda, the Champions—Mipha, princess of the aquatic Zora; Revali, archer of the birdlike Rito; Daruk, warrior of the mountainous Gorons; and Urbosa, chief of the desert-dwelling Gerudo—assembled to pilot the Divine Beasts (Vah Ruta, Vah Medoh, Vah Rudania, and Vah Naboris, respectively) while Zelda and Link would face Ganon directly.[27]
However, when Ganon appeared on Zelda's seventeenth birthday, he possessed the Guardians and Divine Beasts, turning them against Hyrule. King Rhoam and the Champions were killed, much of the kingdom was laid to waste, and Link was gravely wounded protecting Zelda while on their way to Fort Hateno.[28][29] Zelda unlocked her sealing powers, using them to save Link.[30] Zelda had Link taken to safety for him to heal, hid the Master Sword in Korok Forest under the protection of the Great Deku Tree, and used her light magic to seal herself and Ganon in Hyrule Castle.[31] This cataclysmic tragedy came to be known over time as the Great Calamity.
A century after being placed in a healing chamber in the Shrine of Resurrection, an amnesiac Link awakens in a now-ravaged Hyrule. He meets an old man, who eventually reveals himself as the lingering spirit of King Rhoam. Rhoam explains that Ganon, sealed in Hyrule Castle, has grown stronger; he pleads for Link to defeat Ganon before he regains his full strength, breaks free, and destroys the world.[32]
Link reunites with Impa, a Sheikah elder who previously served the royal family, and she instructs him to free the Divine Beasts. Link travels across Hyrule, returning to locations from his past and regaining his memories. At the behest of Hyrule's peoples,[c] he boards the four Divine Beasts and purges them of the Blight Ganons, freeing the captive spirits of Hyrule's fallen Champions and allowing them to pilot the Divine Beasts once again. After freeing the Champion's spirits, they each gift Link an ability. Mipha gives him Mipha's Grace, a healing ability, Revali gives Revali's Gale, a flight-giving ability, Daruk, gives Daruk's Protection, which grants immunity to attacks, and Urbosa, gifts him Urbosa's Fury, allowing Link to create lightning.[33] In this endeavor, Link is assisted by Sidon, the Zora prince and Mipha's younger brother; Yunobo, Daruk's cowardly descendant; Teba, a Rito warrior; and Riju, the child chief of the Gerudo. After obtaining the Master Sword from Korok Forest, Link enters Hyrule Castle and confronts Ganon. The Divine Beasts weaken him, and after Link defeats him, he transforms into Dark Beast Ganon in an attempt to destroy the world. Zelda gives Link the Bow of Light, which allows him to weaken Ganon enough for Zelda to seal him away, restoring peace and allowing the spirits of King Rhoam and the Champions to depart to the afterlife. Sensing their presence, Link and Zelda smile fondly.
If players have found all thirteen memories in the "Captured Memories" main quest, they unlock a post-credits cutscene in which Zelda declares that Hyrule must be rebuilt and that she and Link must begin the process by themselves.[34][35] As Link and Zelda survey Hyrule and embark to restore it to—and perhaps beyond—its former glory, the princess confides in him that although her powers may have dwindled over time, she has come to terms with it.[36]
Development
![An image of Eiji Aonuma, the producer.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Eiji_Aonuma_at_E3_2013_%28cropped_headshot%29.jpg/180px-Eiji_Aonuma_at_E3_2013_%28cropped_headshot%29.jpg)
Nintendo EPD, an internal division of Nintendo, developed Breath of the Wild for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U. According to series producer Eiji Aonuma, the development team aimed to "rethink the conventions of Zelda".[37][38] Development started immediately upon the release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011).[39] Aonuma received comments from players who wished to see a more interconnected map to explore the locales between the gameplay areas.[3][40] In 2013, Nintendo experimented with nonlinear gameplay in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds,[41] which was a common point of praise from many outlets. At E3 2014, Aonuma said he planned to reform dungeons and puzzles, two of the series' major gameplay elements,[42] and redesign the game to allow players to reach the end without progressing through the story.[43] As Nintendo had never developed an open-world game on the scale of Breath of the Wild, they looked at The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim[44] and Shadow of the Colossus, the latter of which had some similar climbing mechanics and whose creator, Fumito Ueda, was friends with Aonuma.[45] For the art style, the team drew inspiration from various Japanese anime which they had grown up watching, suspected to include Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki productions, among other anime.[46][47] The protagonist, Link, was redesigned, with Aonuma purposely making him more gender neutral so that players could more easily relate to him.[48]
Before full development, the developers designed a playable 2D prototype similar to the original Zelda to experiment with physics-based puzzles. The final game uses a modified version of the Havok physics engine.[49] At the 2017 Game Developers Conference, director Hidemaro Fujibayashi, technical director Takuhiro Dohta, and art director Satoru Takizawa held a presentation titled "Change and Constant – Breaking Conventions with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild", during which they demoed the prototype.[49][50] Aonuma called the physics engine in Breath of the Wild a major development for the Zelda series, saying that it "underpins everything in the world" and makes things operate in a "logical and realistic way", allowing players to approach puzzles and problems in different ways. He expanded on the difficulty in developing this system, recalling how one day during development he entered a game area and found that all the objects had been blown away by the wind.[3] In the early stage of development, the game was to include "double hookshots", a variation of the hookshot present in previous Zelda games, that would let players swing "like Spider-Man". It ended up being removed after the developers found it gave the player too much mobility and broke the climbing mechanic.[51] As previous Zelda games increased the amount of actions Link could perform, the development team realized that having too many actions would complicate the controls, so instead of adding more actions, they increased the number of events the player could interact with in the world.[52]
Our mission in developing this new Zelda game ... is quite plainly to re-think the conventions of Zelda. I'm referring to the expectation that the player is supposed to complete dungeons in a certain order...we want to set aside these conventions, get back to basics and create a newborn Zelda so that the players can best enjoy the real essence of the franchise.
Eiji Aonuma, producer[37]
Breath of the Wild was built and demonstrated with touchscreen features for the Wii U, but the developers found that "looking back and forth between the GamePad and the screen" was a distraction. The features were removed when the game moved to tandem development across the Switch and Wii U.[53] The Wii U GamePad also affected animation; although Link is left-handed in earlier games, he is right-handed in Breath of the Wild to match the GamePad's control scheme, which has its sword-swinging buttons on its right side.[54] The Switch version performs better than the Wii U release when docked to a television, although when undocked, both run at the same resolution. The Switch version also has higher-quality environmental sounds.[55][56] Certain ideas, such as flying and underground dungeons, were not implemented due to the Wii U's limitations, and were instead used in the sequel.[57] Aonuma said the art design was inspired by gouache and en plein air art to help identify the vast world.[58] Takizawa has also cited the Jōmon period as an inspiration for the ancient Sheikah technology and architecture, due to the mystery surrounding the period.[59] The landscape was based on locations in and around Kyoto, the hometown of the director, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, and was partially designed by Monolith Soft, who assisted with topographical level design.[60][61][62] The initial area was made a plateau so that players can see the world's expansive environments.[63]
I really think the implementation of this physics engine is a major development for the Zelda series. The way the physics engine underpins everything in the world really offers up a lot of new possibilities. For instance, in Breath of the Wild you might have a puzzle where making use of the physics, there'll be various ways you can solve that puzzle. That really opens up a lot of possibilities so there’s not just one way to progress in the game or just one way to solve a puzzle.
Eiji Aonuma, producer[3]
Breath of the Wild was the first main Zelda game to use voice acting in cutscenes, although Link remains a silent protagonist. Aonuma was affected by the first time he heard a character with a human voice in-game, and wanted to leave a similar impression on players.[64] The team decided to record voice-overs for all cutscenes instead of only the key scenes, as originally planned.[65][66] Nintendo provided voice-overs and subtitles in eight languages.[d] Initially, players were not able to mix and match the languages of voices and subtitles,[67] but Nintendo later released an update in May 2017 that allowed players to choose the voice-over language.[68] After five years of development, the game went gold, with Nintendo holding a wrap party to celebrate.[69] Coinciding with the launch in Taiwan and South Korea in early 2018, Nintendo introduced a patch worldwide adding traditional and simplified Chinese and Korean translations for the Nintendo Switch version.[e][70][71][72]
The original score was composed by Manaka Kataoka,[f] Yasuaki Iwata, and Hajime Wakai. Kataoka and Wakai had previously worked on the Zelda games Spirit Tracks and The Wind Waker respectively.[73] The soundtrack was primarily written and performed on a piano, with a focus on ambient music and sounds rather than melodic and upbeat music as seen in previous Zelda games. According to Wakai, this helped add "authenticity" to the environments and was taken on as a challenge by the rest of the sound team.[74]
Release
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/E3_-_2016_%2827647046866%29.jpg/220px-E3_-_2016_%2827647046866%29.jpg)
Aonuma announced the game for the Wii U on January 23, 2013, during a Nintendo Direct presentation. He said it would challenge the series' conventions, such as the requirement that players complete dungeons in a set order.[2][75] The next year, Nintendo introduced the high-definition, cel-shaded visual style with in-game footage at its E3 press event.[76][77] Once planned for release in 2015, the game was delayed early in the year and did not show at that year's E3.[78][79] The Zelda creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, confirmed that it would be released for the Wii U despite the development of Nintendo's next console, the Nintendo Switch.[80] It was delayed again in April 2016 due to problems with its physics engine. Nintendo let attendees play the Wii U version at the E3 convention in June 2016,[81] where they also announced its subtitle, Breath of the Wild.[82] It was listed among the best games at E3 by several publications.[83][84][85][86][87]
Breath of the Wild launched for both the Wii U and Switch on March 3, 2017.[88] It was the last Nintendo game released for the Wii U.[89] The Switch version was available in limited "Special Edition" and "Master Edition" bundles, which both included a Sheikah Eye coin, a Calamity Ganon tapestry with world map, a soundtrack CD, and a themed carrying case for the Switch. The Master Edition also included a figurine based on the Master Sword.[90][91][92] An "Explorer's Edition" was released for the Switch on November 23, containing a two-sided map and a 100-page book of story information.[93] In Europe, the game used unique packing artwork.[94] A five-disc, 211-track soundtrack was released in Japan on April 25, 2018.[95]
Downloadable content
Throughout 2017, Nintendo released two packs of downloadable content (DLC) via an "expansion pass": The Master Trials and The Champions' Ballad.[96][97] The Master Trials, released in June, adds gameplay modes, features, and items. In the "Trial of the Sword" challenge, the player faces three trials, consisting of twelve, sixteen, and twenty-three rooms respectively. Each room is full of enemies which the player must defeat before proceeding. Every room must be completed before the player can claim their reward.[98] The player begins with no equipment and will lose all progress if they receive a game over. At the end of each trial the player's Master Sword has its attack power upgraded by ten points and the blue sheen of its blade grows slightly. By the end of the third trial, the Master Sword will have doubled in attack power and will glow blue. The pack also adds an optional higher difficulty level, Master Mode, which adds faster rank leveling and raises the ranks of enemies by 1.[99] The enemies are more perceptive when Link sneaks near them and slowly regenerate health in battle. New floating platforms throughout the land offer enemies to battle and treasure as a reward. The Hero's Path feature draws the player's path on the map, designed to help players determine places they have not visited. The player can also find the hidden Travel Medallion to save Link's current position as a single waypoint to which the player can transport Link at any time. New items include the Korok Mask, which alerts the player when a Korok is nearby, and other themed cosmetics related to previous Zelda games.[100]
The Champions' Ballad was released in December. It added a new dungeon, additional story content, new gear, and additional challenges,[97][101][102] as well as the Master Cycle Zero, a motorcycle-like vehicle that Link can ride upon completing the quest line.[103]
A complete "Expansion Pass" edition, containing all DLC on the game card, was released exclusively in Japan on October 8, 2021.[104]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | (NS) 97/100[g][105] (Wii U) 96/100[h][106] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Destructoid | 10/10[111] |
Edge | 10/10[107] |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 9.5/10[110] |
Eurogamer | Essential[108] |
Famitsu | 40/40[109] |
Game Informer | 10/10[114] |
GameRevolution | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
GameSpot | 10/10[5] |
GamesRadar+ | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Giant Bomb | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
IGN | 10/10[6] |
Nintendo Life | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Nintendo World Report | 9.5/10[117] |
Polygon | 10/10[118] |
VideoGamer.com | 9/10[119] |
Breath of the Wild received "universal acclaim", according to the review aggregator Metacritic.[105][106] It is the highest-rated of 2017 on Metacritic,[120] and holds the largest number of perfect reviews of any game from any year.[121][122] Several critics called it a masterpiece.[128]
The open-world gameplay received praise. Jose Otero of IGN described it as "a masterclass in open-world design" and "a wonderful sandbox full of mystery, dangling dozens upon dozens of tantalizing things in front of you that just beg to be explored".[6] GameSpot called it the most impressive game Nintendo had made, writing that it "takes designs and mechanics perfected in other games and reworks them for its own purposes to create something wholly new, but also something that still feels quintessentially like a Zelda game ... It's both a return to form and a leap into uncharted territory, and it exceeds expectations on both fronts".[5] Edge wrote that the world was "an absolute, and unremitting, pleasure to get lost in" and that "the magic of being given all the tools in the opening hour is the knowledge that the solution to any problem is already at your disposal, and you can always change tack".[107] According to Digital Trends, the ability to climb any surface and glide across the map gave players freedom of movement that "broke the genre open, pushing developers to rethink how players interact with the world" and putting extra thought into vertical design. In contrast to "Ubisoft-style" games that filled the map with points of interest and objectives, Breath of the Wild's free-form exploration encourages players to set their own objectives, marking the map with discoveries that serve as a record of what players have accomplished.[129]
According to Kyle Orland of Ars Technica, the open-world design reinvented Zelda formula, in comparison to other entries of the franchise.[130] Journalists commented on unexpected interactions between game elements,[131][132][133] with serendipitous moments proving popular on social media.[134] Chris Plante of The Verge predicted that whereas prior open-world games tended to feature prescribed challenges, Zelda would influence a new generation of games with open-ended problem-solving.[134] Digital Trends wrote that the level of experimentation allowed players to interact with and exploit the environment in creative ways, resulting in various "tricks" still discovered years after release.[129]
Reviewers lauded the sense of detail and immersion.[135][131] Kotaku recommended turning off UI elements in praise of the indirect cues that contextually indicate the same information, such as Link shivering in the cold or waypoints appearing when using the scope.[135] Reviewers also commented on the unexpected permutations of interactions between Link, villagers, pets, and enemies,[131][132][133] many of which were shared widely on social media.[134] A tribute to former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, who died during development, also attracted praise.[131][136]
Jim Sterling was more critical than most, giving Breath of the Wild a 7/10 score, criticizing the difficulty, weapon durability, and level design, but praising the open world and variety of content.[137] Other criticism focused on the unstable frame rate and the low resolution of 900p;[138] updates addressed some of these problems.[139][140]
Sales
Breath of the Wild broke sales records for a Nintendo launch game in multiple regions.[141][142] In Japan, the Switch and Wii U versions sold a combined 230,000 copies in the first week of release, with the Switch version becoming the top-selling game released that week.[143] In the UK, Breath of the Wild was the second-bestselling retail game its week of release behind Horizon Zero Dawn, and became the third-bestselling Zelda game behind The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.[144][145] In the United States, Breath of the Wild was the second-bestselling video game during its month of release behind Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands.[146] Nintendo reported that Breath of the Wild sold more than one million copies in the US that month—925,000 of which were for Switch, outselling the Switch itself.[147][148][149][150] Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima said that the attach rate on the Switch was "unprecedented".[151] Breath of the Wild had sold 31.61 million copies on the Switch by December 2023 and 1.70 million copies on the Wii U by December 2020.[152][153]
Awards
Following its demonstration at E3 2016, Breath of the Wild received several accolades from the Game Critics Awards[154] and from publications such as IGN and Destructoid.[155][156] It was listed among the best games at E3 by Eurogamer,[83] GameSpot,[84] and GamesRadar+.[85][157] In late 2016, Breath of the Wild received two awards at Gamescom,[158] and won the award for Most Anticipated Game at the Game Awards 2016.[159]
After its release, Breath of the Wild won multiple awards at the Game Awards 2017, including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, and Best Action/Adventure Game, and was nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Score/Music, and Best Audio Design.[160] At the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded Breath of the Wild with Game of the Year, Adventure Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction, and Outstanding Achievement in Game Design.[161][162] Industry publications including IGN,[163] GameSpot,[164] Polygon,[165][166] Entertainment Weekly,[167] Eurogamer,[168] Electronic Gaming Monthly,[169] GamesRadar+,[170] and Game Informer[171] ranked Breath of the Wild the best game of 2017. According to Metacritic, Breath of the Wild topped 18 lists of the decade's best games, more than any other game of the 2010s.[172] It also ranked highly in several lists of the greatest video games, including The Guardian,[173] IGN,[174] Edge Magazine,[175] and Famitsu.[176] In a 2021 poll conducted by TV Asahi, polling over 50,000 Japanese users, Breath of the Wild was voted the best console game of all time, above Dragon Quest V at number two.[177] A 2023 poll conducted by GQ Magazine which surveyed a team of video game journalists across the industry ranked Breath of the Wild as the best video game of all time.[178]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Golden Joystick Awards | October 30, 2015 | Most Wanted | Nominated | [179] |
Game Critics Awards | July 5, 2016 | Best Action/Adventure Game | Won | [180] |
Best Console Game | Won | |||
Best of Show | Won | |||
The Game Awards 2016 | December 1, 2016 | Most Anticipated Game | Won | [181] |
2017 Teen Choice Awards | August 13, 2017 | Choice Video Game | Nominated | [182] |
Japan Game Awards | September 21, 2017 | The Grand Award | Won | [183] |
BBC Radio 1's Teen Awards | October 22, 2017 | Best Game | Nominated | [184] |
Ping Awards | November 8, 2017 | Best International Game | Won | [185] |
Golden Joystick Awards | November 17, 2017 | Best Visual Design | Nominated | [186] [187] |
Best Audio | Won | |||
Critics' Choice Award | Won | |||
Nintendo Game of the Year | Won | |||
Ultimate Game of the Year | Won | |||
The Game Awards 2017 | December 7, 2017 | Game of the Year | Won | [160] |
Best Game Direction | Won | |||
Best Art Direction | Nominated | |||
Best Score/Music | Nominated | |||
Best Audio Design | Nominated | |||
Best Action/Adventure Game | Won | |||
21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | February 22, 2018 | Game of the Year | Won | [162] |
Adventure Game of the Year | Won | |||
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design | Won | |||
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction | Won | |||
Outstanding Technical Achievement | Nominated | |||
SXSW Gaming Awards | March 17, 2018 | Excellence in Musical Score | Nominated | [188] [189] |
Excellence in Animation | Nominated | |||
Excellence in Art | Nominated | |||
Excellence in Gameplay | Won | |||
Excellence in Design | Won | |||
Video Game of the Year | Won | |||
Game Developers Choice Awards | March 21, 2018 | Best Audio | Won | [190] [191] |
Best Design | Won | |||
Innovation Award | Nominated | |||
Best Technology | Nominated | |||
Best Visual Art | Nominated | |||
Game of the Year | Won | |||
14th British Academy Games Awards | April 12, 2018 | Artistic Achievement | Nominated | [192] [193] |
Best Game | Nominated | |||
Game Design | Nominated | |||
Game Innovation | Won | |||
Music | Nominated | |||
2018 Teen Choice Awards | August 12, 2018 | Choice Video Game | Nominated | [194] [195] |
CEDEC Awards | August 23, 2018 | Engineering | Won | [196] |
Legacy
It's been three long years since The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild rewired the connections inside my brain. It messed me up. In some ways you might say it ruined video games. Other video games. [...] It's not God of War's fault that it's not Breath of the Wild. It's not Spider-Man's fault that it's not Breath of the Wild. I spent a good 10 hours playing Red Dead Redemption 2, hoping it was Breath of the Wild, then eventually gave up. No one's fault. Sorry, other video games. You tried, but you weren't Breath of the Wild.
Shortly after Breath of the Wild's release, journalists and video game industry figures discussed how it would influence future open-world games[198][199][200] and the Zelda series.[201] Benjamin Plich, designer of Assassin's Creed Unity and For Honor, said that he believed developers would take inspiration from its focus on experimental and emergent gameplay, such as "the ability to experiment with things more freely, in an open way" and having a sense of autonomy and experimentation with the environment and the tools at their disposal. Damien Monnier, designer of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, said Breath of the Wild managed to bring classic open world mechanics together while not relying on them to guide the player through its world, encouraging players to explore.[199] Its "reactive physics" sandbox design was "a revelation for the open world genre at large" according to Screen Rant,[202] and the game was noted for its experimental chemistry engine, emphasizing chemistry as much as physics.[203] PC Gamer wrote that it set a new standard for its genre and the future games to come.[198] It has been listed as the best game of all time by IGN,[204] and GQ,[205] whose list was advised by game developers, streamers, directors, writers and others across the world.
Multiple games have since cited Breath of the Wild as an influence. These include Genshin Impact,[206] Ghost of Tsushima,[207] Immortals Fenyx Rising,[208] Halo Infinite,[209] Elden Ring,[210] Pokémon Legends: Arceus,[211] and Horizon Forbidden West.[212] The success sparked increased interest in the Wii U emulator Cemu, as the Cemu developers rapidly updated the software to run Breath of the Wild at a steady frame rate within weeks of release.[213][214][215] The ability to run the game in an emulator led to a thriving modding scene.[216] Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a hack and slash game in the style of Dynasty Warriors series, following 2014's Hyrule Warriors, is a spin-off of Breath of the Wild, with the story set 100 years before.[217] It was released on November 20, 2020, on the Nintendo Switch.[218][219]
Sequel
A sequel was announced at E3 2019[220] with the title later revealed to be The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.[221] It was conceived during planning for Breath of the Wild's DLC; the team came up with too many ideas, some of which could not be implemented due to technical constraints, so used them for a new game. According to Aonuma, the sequel would build atop the original's world with a new story and gameplay elements,[222] and is inspired in part by Red Dead Redemption 2.[223] Fujibayashi returned as the director.[224] The game was released on May 12, 2023.[221]
Notes
- ^ Additional work by Monolith Soft
- ^ Japanese: ゼルダの伝説 ブレス オブ ザ ワイルド, Hepburn: Zeruda no Densetsu: Buresu obu za Wairudo
- ^ The Hylians, Sheikah, Zora, Rito, Gorons, and Gerudo
- ^ Languages include Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. The Dutch localization is text only and borrows the English voice-over by default, whilst the Spanish localization include two different voice-over tracks for different regions.
- ^ The Chinese and Korean localization is text only and borrows the Japanese voice-over by default.
- ^ Under her maiden name of Manaka Tominaga
- ^ Based on 109 reviews
- ^ Based on 13 reviews
References
- ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (June 14, 2016). "E3 2016: Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Open World is 12 Times Bigger than Twilight Princess". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 14, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ a b George, Richard (January 23, 2013). "New HD Zelda Revealed for Wii U". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Phillips, Tom (January 19, 2017). "The big Zelda: Breath of the Wild interview". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
- ^ Gray, Kate (May 30, 2017). "Is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild the best-designed game ever?". Theguardian.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g Brown, Peter (March 2, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Otero, Jose (March 2, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review". IGN. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ "Why Breath of the Wild is the future of blockbuster games". Theverge.com. March 17, 2017. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ Sliva, Marty (December 5, 2014). "New Gameplay Shown From The Legend of Zelda Wii U". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on December 6, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
- ^ Pereira, Chris (February 17, 2015). "Zelda Wii U's Open World Is as Big as the System Can Handle". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (June 14, 2016). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the most ambitious Nintendo game in years". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on June 15, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ a b Tach, David (March 2, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild beginner's guide". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 26, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
- ^ Tassi, Paul (March 13, 2017). "Two Skills Break Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Otherwise Creative Combat". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
- ^ a b Hilliard, Kyle (February 10, 2017). "Everything We Know About The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild's Dungeons". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ Ramos, Jeff (March 15, 2017). "How to get the Master Sword in Zelda: Breath of the Wild". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
- ^ Foot, Casey (February 10, 2023). "The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild - What Are The Divine Beasts?". TheGamer. Archived from the original on August 27, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (March 15, 2017). "The reward for collecting all 900 Zelda: Breath of the Wild Korok seeds is a bit poo". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ Crecente, Brian (June 14, 2016). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gets three new Amiibo, here they are". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on June 15, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
- ^ Kollar, Philip (March 8, 2017). "You can unlock Links classic green tunic in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ Arif, Shabana (August 6, 2018). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Now Has an Official Place in the Series' Timeline... Sort Of". IGN. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Impa: Hyrule was then blossoming as a highly advanced civilization... the people thought it wise to utilize their technological prowess to ensure the safety of the land should Calamity Ganon ever return. They constructed... the Divine Beasts. They also built a legion of autonomous weapons called guardians.
- ^ Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Impa: The Divine Beasts were piloted by four individuals of exceptional skill from across the land. And thus, the plan to neutralize Ganon was forged... The princess and the hero fought alongside these four Champions against this ancient evil. The Guardians were tasked with protecting the hero, as the Divine Beasts unleashed a furious attack... And when the hero wielding the sword that seals the darkness delivered his final blow, the princess used her sacred power to seal away Calamity Ganon.
- ^ Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Impa: The history of the royal family of Hyrule is also the history of Calamity Canon, a primal evil that has endured over the ages. This evil has been turned back time and time again by a warrior wielding the soul of a hero and a princess who carries the blood of the Goddess. With the passage of time, each conflict with Ganon faded into legend. So listen closely as I tell you of this 'legend' that occurred 10,000 years ago.
- ^ Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Princess Zelda's Research Notes: In the war against the Calamity 10,000 years ago... were the injuries so great as to necessitate such a facility?
- ^ Nintendo; Naoyukikayama; Kikai; Akinorisao; Mikame, Chasito; Thorpe, Patrick (November 2018). The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion. Dark Horse Books. p. 341. ISBN 978-1506710105.
Hylian Building Ruins Romanesque style (thick walls, small windows).
- ^ Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Cado: Our creations came to be viewed as a threat to the kingdom. The Sheikah became outcasts, forced into exile. Some, like us, chose to cast off our technological advances and strove to live normal lives.
- ^ Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
King Rhoam: There was also a prophecy. 'The signs of a resurrection of Calamity Ganon are clear, and the power to oppose it lies dormant beneath the ground'. We decided to heed the prophecy and began excavating large areas of land.
- ^ Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
King Rhoam: The princess, her appointed knight, and the rest of the Champions were on the brink of sealing away Ganon... But nay...
- ^ Nintendo (2018). The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Creating a Champion. Dark Horse Comics. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-50671-010-5.
When Calamity strikes, Link drives back the Guardians while protecting Princess Zelda, but his strength gives out before they reach Fort Hateno.
- ^ Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
King Rhoam: [Ganon] seized control of the Guardians and the Divine Beasts and turned them against us. The Champions lost their lives. Those residing in the castle as well. The appointed knight, gravely wounded, collapsed while defending the princess. And thus, the Kingdom of Hyrule was devastated absolutely by Calamity Ganon.
- ^ Torres, Markus (October 12, 2022). "BOTW: How Zelda Actually Awakened Her Powers In Breath of the Wild". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
King Rhoam: However, the princess survived... to face Ganon alone.
- ^ Otero, Jose (June 14, 2016). "E3 2016: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Might Be The Open World Zelda We Always Wanted". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 14, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ Zhou, Andrew (June 3, 2023). "TOTK's Sage Summons vs. BOTW's Champion Abilities - Which Are Better?". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ Tach, Dave (March 9, 2017). "Captured Memories: How to find all memory locations in Breath of the Wild". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
- ^ Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Zelda: Although Ganon is gone for now, there is still so much for us to do. And so many painful memories that we must bear. I believe in my heart, that if all of us work together... we can restore Hyrule to its former glory. Perhaps... even beyond. But it all must start with us.
- ^ Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Zelda: I can no longer hear the voice inside the sword. I suppose it would make sense if my power had dwindled over the past one-hundred years... I'm surprised to admit it... but I can accept that.
- ^ a b Narcisse, Evan (October 14, 2013). "The Man In Charge of Zelda Says He Wants to Keep Changing It". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
- ^ East, Thomas (January 23, 2013). "Zelda Wii U to rethink conventions of Zelda – will it be multiplayer?". Official Nintendo Magazine. Future. Archived from the original on June 23, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
- ^ Dark Horse Books (2018), p. 416
- ^ Kollar, Philip (June 16, 2016). "How The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is learning from Skyward Sword's haters". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 16, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
- ^ Smith, Carly (October 1, 2013). "Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Will Depart From Conventions". The Escapist. Defy Media. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
- ^ Schreier, Jason (June 13, 2014). "The New Zelda Might Not Have The Puzzles You Expect". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
- ^ Kollar, Philip (June 15, 2016). "You can beat The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild without finishing the story". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 16, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ Newhouse, Alex. "How Skyrim Influenced Breath Of The Wild". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
- ^ Hurel, Matthieu (January 24, 2017). "Eiji Aonuma : "un Zelda où l'on prend plaisir à se perdre"" [Eiji Aonuma: "a Zelda where you enjoy getting lost"]. Gamekult (in French). Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
- ^ Reeves, Ben (June 24, 2016). "Eiji Aonouma On Zelda's New Look And Why Nintendo Wasn't Inspired By Skyrim". Game Informer. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ Oxford, Nadia (January 25, 2017). "New Interview Has Fans Worried Zelda: Breath of the Wild Doesn't Contain Traditional Dungeons". USgamer. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
most of us suspected Breath of the Wild's beautiful landscapes are inspired by the works of world-famous animator Hayao Miyazaki (Aonuma doesn't name Miyazaki, but does mention his artists all grew up on Japanese cartoons)
- ^ Peckham, Matt (June 15, 2016). "Next Link May Not Be a Girl, But He's Androgynous by Design". Time. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ a b Machkovech, Sam (March 1, 2017). "Nintendo used 8-bit Zelda engine to prototype Breath of the Wild". Ars Technica. San Francisco: Condé Nast. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
- ^ Staff (February 13, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild devs are speaking at GDC 2017!". Game Developers Conference (GDC). UBM. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
- ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (December 9, 2017). "Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Cut Dual Hookshots Had Link Swinging 'Like Spider-Man', Says Director". IGN. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
- ^ Dark Horse Books (2018), p. 423
- ^ Otero, Jose (March 1, 2017). "Why Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Touchscreen Features Were Cut". IGN. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ Haywald, Justin (June 14, 2016). "Why Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Link is Right-Handed". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 15, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ^ a b Hillier, Brenna (January 18, 2017). "How The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is better on Switch than Wii U". VG247. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ When docked, the Switch runs at 900p resolution, and when undocked, it runs at the screen's maximum 720p. The Wii U has the latter's maximum resolution. All versions run at 30 frames per second.[55]
- ^ Winslow, Levi (May 10, 2023). "The Wii U Presented 'Restrictions' In Breath Of The Wild's Development". Kotaku. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ Peckham, Matt (June 15, 2016). "Why Nintendo Had to Destroy Tradition to Create the New 'Zelda'". TIME.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
- ^ Fujibayshi, Hidemaro (March 14, 2017). The Making of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Video – The Beginning (video) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- ^ Reeves, Ben (June 20, 2016). "Monolith Is Helping Work On The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild". Game Informer. Archived from the original on July 15, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
- ^ Casey (January 30, 2017). "Monolith Soft's Role In The Development Of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild". Siliconera. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
- ^ Webster, Andrew (March 6, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's map is based on Kyoto". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ Dark House Books (2018), p. 223
- ^ Kollar, Philip (June 21, 2016). "Why The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is getting voice acting and sci-fi elements". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ Lopez, Jason (January 26, 2017). "Every cutscene in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will have voice acting". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ Craddock, David (January 25, 2017). "Zelda producer says all cutscenes in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will feature voice acting". Shacknews. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ Frank, Allegra; Robinson, Nick (February 27, 2017). "How to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in nine languages". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ Plunkett, Luke (May 2, 2017). "You Can Now Play Zelda: Breath Of The Wild With Japanese Vocals". Kotaku. Archived from the original on May 2, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (February 6, 2017). "Let's take a look inside Nintendo's Zelda: Breath of the Wild wrap party". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
- ^ Dale, Laura Kate. "Nintendo is Localising Breath of the Wild into Chinese". Kotaku. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "한국닌텐도, 「젤다의 전설 브레스 오브 더 와일드」 한글판 2018년 초 정식 발매 결정!" (in Korean). Nintendo of Korea press release. September 27, 2017. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "任天堂(香港)有限公司決定將於2018年初正式發售 『薩爾達傳說 曠野之息』中文版!" (in Chinese). Nintendo Taiwan press release. September 27, 2017. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ Greening, Chris (March 2, 2017). "Full sound team for Zelda: Breath of the Wild revealed". Video Game Music Online. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ "The Making of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Video – Open-Air Concept" (Video). YouTube. Nintendo. March 14, 2017. Archived from the original on October 24, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ^ Lemon, Marshall (June 14, 2016). "Zelda: Breath of the Wild lets you skip ahead to later dungeons". VG24/7. Archived from the original on June 18, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
- ^ Boxer, Steve (June 10, 2014). "Nintendo at E3: Zelda and Star Fox for Wii U a much-need shot in the arm". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
- ^ Farokhmanesh, Megan (June 10, 2014). "New Legend of Zelda game for Wii U coming in 2015". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (March 27, 2015). "The Legend of Zelda Wii U delayed beyond 2015, skipping E3". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
- ^ Otero, Jose (June 17, 2015). "E3 2015: Why Nintendo Didn't Show Zelda Wii U". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ^ Otero, Jose (June 16, 2015). "E3 2015: The Legend of Zelda Still Coming to Wii U". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
- ^ Farokhmanesh, Megan (May 25, 2016). "E3 2016 for Nintendo: Facts, rumors and speculation". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on May 25, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
- ^ Brown, Peter. "New Zelda Game Gets Official Title". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ a b Welsh, Oli (June 17, 2016). "Eurogamer's best of E3 2016". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on June 20, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
- ^ a b Espineli, Matt (August 19, 2016). "GameSpot Best of E3 2016 Awards". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 19, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
- ^ a b "Our best games of E3 2016". GamesRadar. Future. June 17, 2016. Archived from the original on June 20, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
- ^ Kooser, Amanda (June 14, 2016). "New Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild trailer will take your breath away". CNET. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 14, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ^ Machkovech, Sam (January 13, 2017). "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will launch day-and-date with Nintendo Switch". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- ^ Otero, Jose (June 17, 2016). "E3 2016: Why Zelda: Breath of the Wild Is Coming To Wii U And NX". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
- ^ Stark, Chelsea (January 19, 2017). "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be the last Nintendo game for Wii U". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on January 19, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
- ^ Frank, Allegra (January 13, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gets Switch launch day release date". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 14, 2017.
- ^ Dornbush, Jonathon (January 13, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Special, Master Editions Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- ^ "Switch vs. Wii U: All the Zelda: Breath of the Wild Differences". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 27, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
- ^ Carter, Chris (November 24, 2017). "Official Zelda: Breath of the Wild 'Explorer's Edition' is out this week". Destructoid. Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (January 13, 2017). "Let's compare and contrast the US and European Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild box art". Eurogamer. Gamer Network (Reed Exhibitions). Archived from the original on March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ Strawhun, Aiden. "Limited-Edition Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Complete Soundtrack Releasing This April In Japan". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
- ^ Kuchera, Ben (June 13, 2017). "See Zelda: Breath of the Wild's two expansions in action". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018.
- ^ a b Webster, Andrew (February 14, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is getting $20 worth of downloadable extras". The Verge. Archived from the original on February 14, 2017.
- ^ Parkin, Jeffrey (July 3, 2017). "Zelda Breath of the Wild guide: 17 tips for winning Trial of the Sword". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017.
- ^ Hamilton, Kirk (July 18, 2017). "In Master Mode, Breath Of The Wild's Starting Area Is The Game At Its Best". Kotaku. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ^ Peckham, Matt. "Not Finishing 'Breath of the Wild' Just Got Easier". Time. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017.
- ^ Nintendo UK (August 7, 2017), The Art of Legend of Zelda Series Masterclass, archived from the original on September 24, 2017, retrieved August 9, 2017
- ^ Robinson, Martin (July 7, 2017). "In Breath of the Wild's The Champion's Ballad you will be playing as Link". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017.
- ^ Pereira, Chris (December 7, 2017). "Zelda: Breath Of The Wild's Champions' Ballad DLC Launches Tonight". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
- ^ Craddock, Ryan (September 24, 2021). "Zelda: Breath Of The Wild And Splatoon 2 Will Get New Physical Releases With DLC Included In Japan". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ a b "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ a b "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Wii U Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 31, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ a b "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild". Edge. No. 304. Future. April 2017. pp. 104–107.
- ^ Welsh, Oli (March 2, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild review". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ Romano, Sal (March 1, 2017). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1474". Gematsu. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
- ^ Schaefer, Emma (March 2, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild review". EGMNow. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ Carter, Chris (March 2, 2017). "Review: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild". Destructoid. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ Leack, Jonathan (March 1, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on March 6, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
- ^ Castle, Matthew (March 2, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild review: "It's taken 18 years, but Nintendo has done it again: this is the adventure game to beat"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ Hilliard, Kyle (March 2, 2017). "A New Era Dawns On Zelda – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch". Game Informer. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ Ryckert, Dan (March 2, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ Whitehead, Thomas (March 2, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ Ronaghan, Neal (March 2, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ Gies, Arthur (March 2, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild review". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ Bell, Alice (March 2, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
- ^ "Best Video Games for 2017". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 20, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
- ^ Hillier, Brenna (March 8, 2017). "Zelda: Breath of the Wild has the most perfect review scores in Metacritics history". VG247. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Kuchera, Ben (March 2, 2017). "Zelda: Breath of the Wild is already one of the best-reviewed games of all time". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 18, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Peckham, Matt (March 2, 2017). "Review: 'Breath of the Wild' Is a Masterpiece Zelda Game". Time. Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Morales, Aaron (March 14, 2017). "'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' Is a Masterpiece: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 1, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Otero, Jose (March 2, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review". IGN. p. 2. Archived from the original on March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Leadbetter, Richard (March 3, 2017). "Zelda on Switch runs more smoothly in portable mode". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 6, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Gerardi, Matt; Purdom, Clayton (March 17, 2017). "Is The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild one of the best games of all time?". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Reviewers who called the game a "masterpiece" include those of Time,[123] Entertainment Weekly,[124] IGN,[125] Eurogamer,[126] and The A.V. Club.[127]
- ^ a b "What Makes an Open World Game Breath of the Wild-like?". Digital Trends. December 23, 2021. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ Orland, Kyle (March 3, 2017). "Breath of the Wild may be the best Zelda game ever". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Oxford, Nadia (March 16, 2017). "Here Are the Coolest Things People Have Discovered About Zelda: Breath of the Wild". USgamer. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Kuchera, Ben (March 8, 2017). "Zelda: Breath of the Wild definitely reacts when you play naked". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 9, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ a b Frank, Allegra (March 7, 2017). "Breath of the Wild would be a perfect game if you could just pet the dogs". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ a b c Plante, Chris (March 17, 2017). "Why Breath of the Wild is the future of blockbuster games". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Hamilton, Kirk (March 4, 2017). "If You're Playing Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, Turn Off The Minimap". Kotaku. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ Kuchera, Ben (March 15, 2017). "Zelda: Breath of the Wild's alleged Iwata tribute is beautiful". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Sterling, Jim (March 12, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review – Broken Sword – The Jimquisition". www.thejimquisition.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- ^ Kuchera, Ben (March 3, 2017). "See how much better Zelda: Breath of the Wild runs when your Switch is undocked". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ^ Kuchera, Ben (March 31, 2017). "Zelda: Breath of the Wild patch improves frame rates". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 1, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ^ Hardawar, Devindra (March 31, 2017). "'Zelda: Breath of the Wild' patch improves docked Switch performance". Engadget. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ^ a b Dornbush, Jonathon (March 10, 2017). "What Does the Nintendo Switch, Breath of the Wild Launch Success Actually Mean?". IGN. Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
- ^ In the Americas, the title surpassed Super Mario 64 as Nintendo's fastest-selling standalone launch game, not including titles included with consoles, such as Wii Sports. In Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, Breath of the Wild outsold even Wii Sports in its opening weekend.[141]
- ^ Ashcraft, Brian (March 9, 2017). "The Nintendo Switch's First Week Game Sales In Japan". Kotaku. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Parfitt, Ben (March 6, 2017). "Horizon Zero Dawn beats Zelda to No.1". MCV. Archived from the original on March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Dayus, Oscar (March 6, 2017). "Top 10 UK Sales Chart: Horizon Zero Dawn Defeats Zelda: Breath Of The Wild". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 9, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
- ^ "Zelda: Breath Of The Wild outsells Horizon Zero Dawn in US". GameCentral. April 21, 2017. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
- ^ Gartenberg, Chaim (March 22, 2017). "The Xbox One is struggling because video game exclusives still matter". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Khan, Asif (March 14, 2017). "Nintendo has sold 1.5 million Switch Consoles According to SuperData". Shacknews. Archived from the original on March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Schreier, Jason (April 13, 2017). "Nintendo Sells Nearly A Million Switches In The United States". Kotaku. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ Hidalgo, Jason. "Technobubble: Switch fastest-selling Nintendo system, Zelda Switch attach rate above 100%". Reno Gazette-Journal. USA Today. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- ^ Sinclair, Brendan (April 28, 2017). "Switch boasts 2:1 software tie ratio". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ^ "IR Information : Sales Data - Top Selling Title Sales Units". Nintendo. February 6, 2023. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
- ^ 2021CESAゲーム白書 (2021 CESA Games White Papers). Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association. 2021. ISBN 978-4-902346-43-5.
- ^ "2016 Winners". Game Critics Awards. July 2016. Archived from the original on July 1, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- ^ "Best of E3 2016 Awards". IGN. Ziff Davis. June 17, 2016. Archived from the original on June 22, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
- ^ Devore, Jordan (June 22, 2016). "And Destructoid's E3 2016 Game of the Show was..." Destructoid. Archived from the original on June 22, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
- ^ "The E3 2016 awards". GamesRadar. Future. June 17, 2016. Archived from the original on September 3, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ Paget, Mat (August 19, 2016). "Zelda: Breath of the Wild Takes Top Award at Gamescom". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (November 16, 2016). "All the 2016 Game Awards Nominees". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ a b Makuch, Eddie (December 8, 2017). "The Game Awards 2017 Winners Headlined By Zelda: Breath Of The Wild's Game Of The Year". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017.
- ^ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Makuch, Eddie (January 14, 2018). "Game Of The Year Nominees Announced for DICE Awards". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ^ "Best of 2017 Awards: Game of the Year". IGN. December 20, 2017. Archived from the original on December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- ^ Brown, Peter (December 20, 2017). "GameSpot's Game Of the Year 2017 – The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ Tach, Dave (December 15, 2017). "Our #1 game of the year: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 18, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ Polygon staff (December 18, 2017). "The 50 best games of 2017". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 21, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- ^ Morales, Aaron; Abrams, Natalie (December 29, 2017). "The Year's Best Games". Entertainment Weekly. No. 1496–97. pp. 92–94. Archived from the original on June 3, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- ^ Eurogamer staff (December 30, 2017). "Eurogamer's Top 50 Games of 2017: 10–1". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ EGM staff (December 31, 2017). "EGM's Best of 2017: Part Five: #5 ~ #1". EGMNow. Archived from the original on January 7, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ GamesRadar staff (December 22, 2017). "The best games of 2017: Page 3". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- ^ Game Informer staff (January 4, 2018). "Game Informer's Best Of 2017 Awards". Game Informer. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
- ^ "Best Video Games of the Decade (2010-19)". Metacritic. January 4, 2020. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ "The 50 best video games of the 21st century". The Guardian. September 19, 2019. Archived from the original on September 22, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
- ^ "The Top 100 Video Games of All Time". IGN. December 31, 2021. Archived from the original on December 31, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
- ^ "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Declared As The Greatest Game of All Time By EDGE Magazine". gamingbolt.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
- ^ "Persona 5 Voted As The Greatest Game of All Time By Famitsu Magazine". Gamingbolt. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
- ^ "Over 50,000 Japanese users vote for their favorite console games in TV Asahi poll - Top 100 announced". Gematsu. December 27, 2021. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ "The 100 greatest video games of all time, ranked by experts". British GQ. May 10, 2023. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ Reynolds, Matthew (September 1, 2015). "Golden Joystick Awards 2015 voting now open to the public". DigitalSpy. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
- ^ Pereira, Chris (July 5, 2016). "Here Are E3 2016's Game Critics Award Winners". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 20, 2017.
- ^ Osborn, Alex (December 1, 2016). "The Game Awards 2016 Winners Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca; Knapp, JD (August 13, 2017). "Teen Choice Awards 2017: 'Riverdale,' Fifth Harmony Shut Out Competition". Variety. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- ^ "The Grand Award goes to "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild"" (PDF). Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association. September 21, 2017. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 25, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
- ^ "All the winners from the Radio 1 Teen Awards 2017". BBC. Archived from the original on November 29, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
- ^ "Le palmarès complet des Ping Awards 2017" (in French). AFJV. November 8, 2017. Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
- ^ Dwan, Hannah (October 27, 2017). "Public voting and the nominations for the 2017 Golden Joystick Awards are now up". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 3, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
- ^ Dwan, Hannah (November 18, 2017). "The 2017 Golden Joystick Awards winners have been revealed". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on November 20, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
- ^ McNeill, Andrew (January 31, 2018). "Here Are Your 2018 SXSW Gaming Awards Finalists!". SXSW. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
- ^ IGN Studios (March 17, 2018). "2018 SXSW Gaming Awards Winners Revealed". IGN. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (January 5, 2018). "Zelda, Horizon lead 2018 Game Developers Choice Award nominees". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (March 21, 2018). "Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Wins Another Game Of The Year Award". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 22, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
- ^ deAlessandri, Marie (March 15, 2018). "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice at forefront of BAFTA Games Awards nominations". MCV. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- ^ Makedonski, Brett (April 12, 2018). "BAFTA names What Remains of Edith Finch its best game of 2017". Destructoid. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- ^ Cohen, Jess (June 22, 2018). "Teen Choice Awards 2018: Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther and Riverdale Among Top Nominees". E!. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (August 12, 2018). "Teen Choice Awards: 'Riverdale', 'Infinity War', 'Black Panther' Among Top Honorees – Full Winners List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
- ^ Doolan, Liam (August 23, 2018). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild And Splatoon 2 Awarded At CEDEC 2018". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
- ^ Serrels, Mark (March 2, 2020). "3 years on, I'm still recovering from Breath of the Wild". CNET. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ a b Messener, Steven (March 10, 2017). "What open-world games on PC need to learn from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ a b Milne, Oliver (June 6, 2017). "How will The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild change the open-world paradigm?". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ Thursten, Chris (March 16, 2017). "Breath of the Wild shows Nintendo is learning from PC games". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ McFerran, Damien (March 22, 2017). "Editorial: After The Bold Brilliance Of Breath Of The Wild, Where Can Zelda Go Next?". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 12, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ Gratton, Kyle (February 24, 2022). "Horizon's Planning Team Desperately Needs A Calendar". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
- ^ Minotti, Mike (March 3, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild makes chemistry just as important as physics". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
- ^ I. G. N. Staff (December 31, 2021). "The Top 100 Video Games of All Time". IGN. Archived from the original on December 31, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ White, Sam; Leedham, Robert (May 10, 2023). "The 100 greatest video games of all time, ranked by experts". British GQ. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ Ruppert, Liana (September 29, 2020). "Genshin Impact Devs Say Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Was A Big Inspiration, But Their Game Is "Very Different"". Game Informer. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- ^ Palumbo, Alessio (May 19, 2020). "Ghost of Tsushima Art Direction Was Inspired by Zelda and Shadow of the Colossus, Says Dev". WCCFTech. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- ^ Brian (April 3, 2021). "Immortals Fenyx Rising dev on Zelda: Breath of the Wild comparisons". Nintendo Everything. Archived from the original on September 12, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- ^ "Bloomberg – How Microsoft's Halo Infinite Went From Disaster to Triumph". Bloomberg News. December 8, 2021. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ Luibl, Jörg (June 14, 2021). "Vorschau: Elden Ring (Rollenspiel)" [Preview: Elden Ring (RPG)]. 4Players (in German). Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
- ^ Rodriguez, Bianca (August 20, 2021). "Pokémon Legends: Arceus' BOTW Connections Are Hard To Ignore". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on September 12, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- ^ King, Jade (May 28, 2021). "I'm So Glad Horizon Forbidden West Is Learning From Breath Of The Wild". TheGamer. Archived from the original on September 12, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- ^ Chalk, Andy (April 4, 2017). "Watch 'fully playable' Breath of the Wild running at 4K in the Cemu emulator". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
- ^ Fenlon, Wes (March 22, 2017). "Wii U emulator devs show incredible Breath of the Wild progress in new video". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on May 5, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
- ^ Fenlon, Wes (March 7, 2017). "How the Cemu emulator's devs got Zelda: Breath of the Wild running in just a few hours". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on March 25, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
- ^ Fenlon, Wes (April 17, 2023). "Thanks to the last 5 years of Nintendo emulation, Zelda: Breath of the Wild has one of the best mod scenes in gaming". PC Gamer. Future plc. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ Plant, Logan (January 4, 2022). "Hyrule Warriors Devs Reveal the Hardest Part of Breath of the Wild to Capture". IGN. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
- ^ Kevin Knezevic (September 8, 2020). "Hyrule Warriors Breath Of The Wild Prequel Announced, Launches November". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ Ryan Craddock (September 8, 2020). "Nintendo Reveals Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, A Game Set 100 Years Before Breath Of The Wild". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ Dayus, Oscar (June 14, 2019). "E3 2019 – Nintendo Announces Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Sequel". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 12, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ a b Romano, Sal (September 13, 2022). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches May 12, 2023". Gematsu. Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (June 18, 2019). "Breath Of The Wild Sequel Exists Because Nintendo Had "Too Many Ideas" For DLC". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
- ^ Dayus, Oscar (June 12, 2019). "Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 Team Is Inspired By Red Dead 2, Nintendo Says At E3 2019". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ Stevens, Colin (June 11, 2019). "E3 2019 – Breath Of The Wild's Director Is Returning For The Sequel". Game Informer. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
Sources
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion. Dark Horse Books. November 20, 2018. ISBN 978-1-50671-010-5.
- Stark, Chelsea (November 11, 2019). "Breath of the Wild is one of the best games of this decade, and perhaps the most impactful of the next decade". Polygon. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
External links
- 2017 video games
- Action-adventure games
- Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development games
- Nintendo Switch games
- Open-world video games
- Post-apocalyptic video games
- Single-player video games
- The Legend of Zelda video games
- Video games about amnesia
- Video games that use Amiibo figurines
- Video games using Havok
- Video games with cel-shaded animation
- Video games with time manipulation
- Wii U eShop games
- Wii U games
- Golden Joystick Award for Game of the Year winners
- The Game Award for Game of the Year winners
- Game Developers Choice Award for Game of the Year winners
- Japan Game Awards' Game of the Year winners
- British Academy Games Award for Technical Achievement winners