Breaking Conventions with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- In this 2017 GDC session, Nintendo's Hidemaro Fujibayashi,
Satoru Takizawa, and Takuhiro Dohta provide an in-depth look at how some of the convention-breaking mechanics were implemented in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
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From my memory, Nintendo rarely sheds any light on their development process, and it almost always comes from Nintendo-sanctioned interviews or ones that are published by them. Their willingness to present this much insight at GDC, a non-Nintendo-controlled event, is astounding, and I wish they did this more often. But I'm glad they started this trend with Breath of the Wild.
True.
breaking conventions is BOTW's tagline after all, that includes even bts stuff
You say trend, but Miyamoto gave a talk at GDC back in 1999 and it didn't set a trend of Nintendo being talkative sadly. Seems like it's just a once in a blue moon sorta thing :(
@@charliecharliewhiskey9403 I think this is why Sakura has so much content to talk about & why he loves making content on UA-cam to share with us.
Who says its a trend😆 u wish.
I think its SUCH a technical accomplishment that they though: we HAVE to share this to the world
"I'm relieved to know that you are aware of this title."
That Japanese dry sense of humor.
Dry? no, it called humble grace.
@Ian
hahaha now THATS a good one
@@Ian-hx2xv the humble grace is where the dry humour comes from
@gibbdude I would agree if it wasn't done to the point that everyone is aware of it and it isn't subtle anymore because it's become a normal part of how people communicate.
Talk about an understatement!
This was actually my first Zelda game. So the game had no nostalgia to rely on for me.
Was still one of the best open world games I've ever played. Exploration has never felt so natural to me. It's amazing what removing level requirements and removing icons all over the map can do.
Cameron Hillman I played Skyward Sword and hated it, this is my second Zelda game and my favorite game I've ever played.
Guys play Ocarina of Time its one of the best game ever!
Connor Shea I definitely would not recommend Skyward Sword as a first Zelda game. Breath of the Wild breaks a lot of the conventions, but if you want to see what Zelda games look like with those conventions in place, I'd recommend Ocarina of Time, as it established a lot of them. For reference:
Wind Waker: OoT but really wet.
Twilight Princess: OoT but really big.
Skyward Sword: OoT but really linear.
A Link to the Past: OoT but 7 years earlier.
Darksiders: OoT but it's not a Zelda game.
Booksds I actually tried playing ocarina of time but the visuals and mechanics and movement haven't aged very well.
@@Booksds LMAO
ahahaha Nintendo rolls into GDC and is like, "alright ladies and gentlemen, class is now in session"
@Izaiah Lennon fk off bots
Please bring back Nintendo for more lectures! They are masters of their craft.
and porting mario for the umteenth time to screw that limited mario collection
@@M4TTYN and then have the port not function despite charging more than double for it
The fact that people think this game is loved just because it's a Zelda game astounds me. These are brilliant designers
I think it's because rhe game would be beloved even if it was *just a zelda game*.
Succes is simply less impressive if it's expected.
You gotta respect the thought Nintendo puts into their games. And their ultimate objective never changes - make the player have fun.
Literally any AAA game developer, ever
I know it sounds like a softball compliment to Nintendo, but I genuinely don't think most AAA game devs are as focused on "fun" at all. There's been a shift to cinematics, technical aptitude - good things, but not total "fun".
A typical AAA game trailer is CGI. Maybe a 30 sec story teaser, like a film. Nintendo's always show straight up gameplay from the start. They care about the "fun" of it all.
Okay, that's fine. My original comment never intended to take away from other companies, like those you mentioned, anyway.
@Poet Samuel I disagree. Many AAA companies are interested in profit and go about it the same way as Hollywood - they look at what people liked previously and replicate it ad-nausea - see COD, Battlefield, anything EA makes. Nintendo has a history of looking for fun and innovative ways to game - hence they also have bombs like the WiiU and Gamecube.
Furthermore, your comment stating "Many of us justifiably don't find Nintendo games fun" belies your real reason for being here. You have a prejudice. I've played all games on all major systems over many decades. Your prejudice is limiting your experience. The fact that you are here shows that you have an insecurity about a company - I find that fascinating. Why else watch a video and comment about something that supposedly is not interesting or fun for you?
Bobby Pendragon
Sadly kids these days wants realistic graphics just to have fun.
For all the talking about how good the translators are, Nintendo put together a brilliant show with really informative slides, and a well written script
This translator is probably the best one I've heard!
which one lol
Even so, the guy puts in the accurate intonation and expression while reading the script rather than reading it in relative monotone and calling it a day. That's definitely worth something I'd say.
but....which one of the 3 are you reffering to?
Weeby he is an English speaking person speaking English. Why would he not?
+GifCo - People usually hear simultaneous translation, which can be quite awkward.
これまで見たゲームのプレゼンテーションの中で最高と言い切れる内容。分かり易く、面白く、また強い感銘を受けるゲーム製作時のやり取り。本当に素晴らしい。
Can someone translate this to English
@@jan-lukas This is the best game-dev presentation I have ever seen. Easy to understand, interesting, and highly inspiring conversations on developing process. Amazing!
@@ryohirayama868 Thanks for the translation!
19:40: This (shooting arrows through fires to light the target on fire) reminds me of one of the most mind-blowing moments I had in BOTW: I was shooting arrows at some enemy who was shooting fire arrows at me, and then all of a sudden, that enemy was on fire. It took me a second to realize that my normal arrow must've passed their fire arrow in the air, ignited, and then lit them on fire.
I was astounded that they developed a system where that could happen. I still remember where it was: just underneath the leviathan bones by Death Mountain
I've been a gamer and game collector for 30+ years and I say I've seen it all, tried to play it all and almost bought it all! I can say with certainty that what differentiates Nintendo is that they have an unparalleled respect and attention to ideas and innovations that make games more fun through sheer mechanical brilliance and expressive artistic approach, Nintendo as a corporate entity belongs to a rare breed of developer-driven companies rather than, the much more common, marketing-driven companies, hence their innovation and design focused philosophy is the center piece they always start building from.
Yea unparalleled respect for ideas as long as its THEIR ideas. Fuck anyone else who tries to show their love for nintendo.
GifCo you’re referring to them shutting down fan projects? Like the Metroid corruption and the ocarina of time remake?
@@kevinespinoza7128 i mean they even go so far as copyright flagging content creators on youtube who attempt to do a review of the game, even a glowing review. it's a little shocking, and frankly archaic.
Hannah Eli Edgin Not anymore!
Nintendo definitely make great games, and that sure is their speciality as a game company; to make games. As for the marketings and whatnot decision makings, well... It's out for debate.
Feels like Im taking a master class on how to make excellent games
You are
That's because you are, maybe even make something of it eventually
I want a convention like this for Breath of the Wild 2.
For real I would love to listen to them talk about what changed in their design philosophy.
Upset we are in the timeline where the world going crazy and botw 2 hasn't been release until 2023...
I have news for you…
About to watch that one!
While most others are moving towards making movies that you can interact with, Nintendo is trying to innovative and push actual gameplay forward.
Look into games made by Arkane studios. They also care much more about gameplay.
Look at any indie developer... I think Nintendo games are very similar to indie games
@@apictureoffunction yes Bethesda games have pretty solid recently
Doom series
Dishonor
Prey
Evil within 2 and more
@@bryxxdore4150 true but those are all only *published* by Bethesda. Bethesda didn't actually make any of those games, they essentially just funded them
There's nothing wrong with games that aim to be more cinematic... like they aren't really in competition with the types of games Nintendo is trying to make. Just like platformers, adventure games, RPGs, shooters, puzzle games, etc... cinematic "interactive movie" games are just another genre, or rather a style. The Last of Us and BOTW are two of my favorite games ever despite them coming from two very different schools of design.
Zelda adventure + Morrowind exploration + Crysis physics = BOTW
This game is a masterpiece. I literally can't stop thinking about how fun and amazing it is, and I've still only scratched the surface of it! Nintendo, you really outdid yourselves with this game. The future for Zelda is looking very bright!
I like the Morrowind comparison. BotW is definitely the most engaging open world since Morrowind
It isnt that good of a game
I mean, you can say whatever you want about the graphics, i dont care, but the grass on this game, fire, and the wind effects are so beautiful to look at.
Naiko I honestly love the art direction and style. It’d be out of place for a Zelda title to have photorealistic graphics
Good graphics don't need to be realistic
Art Direction > Graphical Fidelity
This is kind of insane. Truly groundbreaking game design approach. It's beautiful to see. Brilliant minds.
Everything in their creative process is so thoughtful, clever, and infused with passion. It really forces admiration.
Thank you for your hard work!
This talk stirred my soul.
Anyone who doesn't think videogames are an art form is simply wrong... These people are brilliant.
This conference is pure gold for new and veteran devs!
Very interesting conference. Also, the translator is super professional and spot on.
I'm having so much fun playing the game - the exploration is amazing, and the shift of focus from story back to pure gameplay is just such an experience. Figuring out things like "how do I get into Gerudo Town" and randomly stumbling across goodies like the Master Sword just makes it feel awesome.
Wow a Nintendo panel??? Very rare indeed! Good show. I will forever treasure this talk. Thank you!!!!!
Thank you so much for putting this up so quickly, GDC!
公開に感謝です。ありがとうございます！
本当に興味深く、とても楽しいディスカッションで、９０分間があっと言う間でした。
This is quite possibly the best explanation of game physics design and how to properly implement it that I’ve ever seen. It’s one thing to be able to program features like this, but it’s quite another to integrate them into the game seamlessly so it feels real, but doesn’t get in the way of the gameplay itself. These guys are true geniuses.
Thank you for the best video game experience since Mario 64 and Goldeneye.
You mean since Ocarina of Time. Mario 64 and Goldeneye 64 great, but not nearly as iconic as Ocarina of Time.
gnadenlos Man I miss those days. 4 player action on Friday nights with pizza and soda. No one meets up anymore, just plays online 😕
Revali Just ask your friends to meet up? You can be the change you wish to see, dude.
DemonlordHatty Thing is my best buds and I are across the country in different colleges lol, Summer would be good though.
I agree Revali. Playing games with friends are fun, but when your actually with them, it just makes the experience much more memorable...
I had to stop in the middle of this to play some more BoTW.
Stasis catapulting is soooooo much fun!!!
This is one of the craziest, most interesting development stories I have ever heard!
Gutto Kuru! :)
When the Art Director points out how diverging western and eastern visual cultures are, he shows only italian artworks to represent the whole west. As an italian artist it makes me so proud ^^
Francesco Turco bella zi
I'm fairly certain he just did a google search and found some of the most recognizable western art, not necessarily because he has a bias towards Italy.
Would have been much different to illustrate battle system divergence. He wouldn't have picked French or Italians.
The person is just pointing out that all the artists were Italian. Not necessarily insinuating that it was on purpose.
Awesome. I was hoping we'd see this posted online. Heard good things about this talk from some friends who attended.
This is the most important video on game design in the history of the medium.
There's just so much to learn from this talk. I'd love to try that prototype.
masters of design.
best lecture I ever listened to
crazy! At 59:31 we see Ganondorf standing on top of a floating rock, already an outlook towards BOTW 2 in 2017!
1:25:50 We had:
-The Triforce of courage: the courage to say whatever is needed to say, to think about a new way to play a game.
-The Triforce of wisdom: the wisdom to bring all of the game logic to the reality.
-The Triforce of power: the power to construct all the world of Zelda.
I love you ♥
I've been asking myself what it was about minecraft that was lost and it's this. minecraft used to feel like this. simple elements coming together in interesting and varied ways. minecraft used to have multiplicity. now mojang just adds.
For real Minecraft used to be so fun
@@deadi.d.4268 These are interesting comments considering the recent Minecraft renascence. I think this criticism is still valid, but it's still successful because the "elements coming together" is still in Minecraft, at its core. They didn't remove it. But it did take a long while for it to become excited for it again. I guess most people just needed a long break from it.
And even the game wasn't as popular, there were still dedicated fans.
This comment has aged like a fine milk.
So timely!!! Absolutely amazing talk to watch while playing Breath of the Wild, which I truly believe is the most well designed, thorough, and fascinating games of all time
whos here after that sequel trailer?? i am and i’m super pumped even if its gonna take years until the release but i’m gonna break down and give an in-depth analysis from bit of what i found in this video
at 59:30, we can see ganon standing on top of this big mountain? that comes up from the ground. in the trailer, it was actually the castle the rose up, probably with ganon’s tower underground that pushes it up, but as here, its just a big chunk of land flying out of earth or something
at 58:59, this particular concept of link is much darker and complex than his past designs and contrasts to the one at 59:02 , which is very similar/the same as his botw outfit that is bright and simple. you can tell theres something off with his right arm.. as it can transform into what looks like a hammer, a canon, and a bow. maybe his arm got cut off in this concept? judging by the glowing blues, the darker one includes ancient technology. we can see a canon that forms from his arm, possibly from a rune that is yet to be unlocked. i dont know if this is just a bomb, but it looks like one that has.. wings??? reminds me of navi lol. i dont think that theory of this outfit is completely useless, just by the fact that it was a discarded concept design but still, the other ones had some influence on his current botw look too so i’m assuming the canon and scissor looking weapon might be incorporated into future items for the second game.
thats all i could juice out from this video hope you guys learned something or developed another theory. if you did, please comment it by replying!!
Never played a zelda game before this one. I loved it. This is what got me interested in the series.
Hidemaro Fujibayashi is such a genius. The Oracle games were some of the best gameboy games of all time.
can we get a shout out to the translator for his use of inflection to not only translate the words but the tone
Coming back to this video.. the pieces of concept art at 58:57 and 59:30 may be related to what was shown in the E3 2019 trailer.
It's really exciting to wonder what else the story of Breath of the Wild holds! Although I'm not the biggest or longest fan of the Zelda series, I really enjoyed Breath of the Wild and I still play it frequently even though there's not much else for me to do in-game. I'm really looking forward to playing this sequel!
I love video games so much!
Thank you for making this game and talk so freely of the process. It's a work of art...
Nintendo is still showing the rest of the industry how to make games properly. They've taken elements from lesser open world games, then combined and developed them in a way that takes them to their full potential. What results is probably the best game of all time. A new benchmark for open world games has been set, and it's up to other devs to step up their game.
I didn't realize Skyrim and The Witcher 3 were "lesser open world games." Yes, Aonuma confirmed in an interview with Game Informer that BOTW was largely inspired by Skyrim and The Witcher 3. He, and the rest of the team, played those games for ideas and inspiration.
Yes, they did take inspiration... and then proceeded to overshadow them through superior design and execution. True masterworks are often built upon the shoulders of what came before.
That's a bit of a stretch, don't you think? I love BOTW. It has surpassed Ocarina as my favorite Zelda game of all time. That being said, that doesn't necessarily mean it has "superior design and execution" to Skyrim and The Witcher 3. All three of these games have their strengths and weaknesses.
They are all masterworks in their own ways for different reasons. I'm just glad Nintendo, for the first time ever, is actually looking at other amazing developers and seeing what they are doing. This is why competition is good in the industry. It allows the best to learn from others and to truly build upon that great work and push the industry forward.
botw is definitely a "better" game than both witcher 3 and sky rim
"Better" is a matter of opinion. I love all three games for different reasons.
Skyrim provides a large open world in which I can do whatever I want and go wherever I want. Skyrim also provides the biggest modding community in gaming.
The Witcher 3 provides a non-linear, choice-driven narrative while also creating an engrossing and large open world to explore.
Breath of the Wild is very similar in style to Skyrim, but really emphasizes exploration, multiplicative gameplay, and puzzle solving.
They are all great open world games, but for very different reasons. I'll certainly agree that Breath of the Wild is the best Zelda game ever made by a landslide.
WOW! Beautiful, impressive, important, genius, creative, smart, thoughtful and amazing lecture. It touched our hearts and excite our souls. We are so happy and honored to receive a game like that. Well done! This video is a must watch for all video game producers out there. People need to understand that any video game that delivers less quality than that, is old & simple!
Incredibly informative talk from industry vets that really know how to keep a presentation flowing and entertaining - even despite a language barrier.
So much can be learnt from this "break the mold" and "rethink & analyze what you're doing" methodology, that I bet we're going to get a lot more refreshing and whole-hearted games soon! :D
Also, credits to the translators, scriptwriters etc. as you provided a wonderful insight into this humbling development process.
This video is pure gold.
I think it was really smart how they started off with a 2d prototype...taking graphics out of the equation and focusing on interactive possibilities
BOTW has a sense of wonder that I haven't had in gaming for years. Nintendo are simply the best of all time.
Looking this at 2020, feeling very inspired
Puts a big smile in my face that the English translator speaker is the same one from Nintendo's Smash Bros. Ultimate Directs
great lesson for all the so called AAA games developers who were too busy with making great textures and high poly lifeless games
They make films, not games
This is why I love Nintendo, they just make good games and know how to make them.
I think Breath of the Wild is my favorite game of all time.
Yes, of all time.
I think game developers could learn a lot if nintendo was willing to do more talks like this. I hope they do another one when BotW 2 comes out and are willing to go into deeper detail.
Really enjoyed this panel especially how the physics and chemistry of this games work.
Very interesting talk on emergent gameplay. "Connect everything in the world!" -Takuhiro Dohta. Awesome philosophy!
I'd love to hear a similar breakdown from the sound/music director, too!
OMG so much this!!
Modern developers need to take notes.
the art director brings up a point I think at the end about using Wind Waker HDs art style... I never thought wind waker HD looked all that faithful to the cell shading of the original release and now that I see breath of the wild the WWHD update makes more sense as a bridge of functionality between the two games. I.e. it works better in BotW
The more I see and play of this game the more genius I realize it is. There's so much that I just never notice and when I do notice it completely changes how I feel about the land. Like.. discovering that there's korok's literally everywhere if you know what to look for.
This was so interesting. So much work put into these games. I can't wait for TOTK.
Very educational video as an aspiring developer!
Those HD Skyward Sword screens, WOW
We need that immediately
They are ray traced renders...
You know these are possible on an actual Wii U right? They ran on the same engine that The Wind Waker HD ended up running on. You can even see low-res shadows!
Seeing how the joycons can work as wiimote plus + nunchuck, Skyward Sword HD may very well be a possibility!
This conference is really really interesting and give very nice insight on how they started building this game. it is astonishing. at one point, they talk about "cheating" and "telling clever lies" on how to approach the physics of the game and make sure players will believe in this world and physics. we could draw a parallel in what we call in cinema grammar : "willing suspension of disbelief" => which is he intentional avoidance of critical thinking or logic in examining something unreal or impossible in reality. they made a fine good job about it ! and i hope this "breaking convention" state of mind will be reflected in other nintendo games.
These guys are back making the sequel. We are in good hands
Fabulous in depth discussion. Love the thought that went into this amazing experience.
Its incredible how this conferences can motivate you to break into games development
Thank god they even translate his laughter
Before this talk I’d never realized “Breath of the Wild” and the best Point and Click adventure games have so much in common.
Hmm. I'm curious about what you mean :D
This was really interesting! I know gamers have talked about how they enjoyed BOTW's freedom mechanics; but hearing the creative process on how/why they implemented the way they did is amazing! As well as the reasoning on the art direction that was chosen, I didn't consider what they had mentioned on "Lying Art". Some fans have created mods/clones on what Zelda games "Should" look like with "Realistic HD graphics", and while they look incredible I see why NIntendo as a whole and why Satoru Takizawa chose the art style in Breath of the Wild.
All three of them; not to mention the entire crew that made this game/franchise possible are groundbreaking, passionate people!
1:00:07 for some reason I really dig Zelda: Invasion - fighting alien bugs from outer space together with Metallica-shirt wearing Ganon, while listening to sick beats from my hylian headphones? Bring it on!
Directed by Tim Schafer and Ganon voiced by Jack Black?
Ah, a Brütal Legend sequel... if only the world was just. :)
Maybe give NMH3 a try when it comes out!
This is amazing
Haha, look how many views this video has compared to the rest of the GDC 2017 videos. It's clear why though, this session and the game itself are brilliant to say the least.
The best game ever created, thank you Hidemaro san, Satoru san, Takuhiro san. I cannot wait for BOTW2, will take a week off work.
I'm desperately hoping after the game comes out they do a followup lecture showing how they went from 1 to 2.
I'm the only one who wants Nintendo to release that demo as full game??
Nintendo redefine the modernity of mechanics on open world like Mario 64 define the gameplay before. We have an before and an after this Zelda
Ocarina actually first set the stage for the true potential of 3D gaming, although Mario 64 was also important. BOTW, for sure, is another seismic shift like Ocarina before it.
Totally
Psyhodelik I think Sam Houser (creator of GTA) said that any modern game developer who says they didn't take notes from Zelda and Mario (SM64 and OoT) is a liar
To be fair, there were already 3D games on PC for years preceding the N64. Wolfenstein. Doom. The Elder Scrolls. Marathon. That's not to say Ocarina and Mario 64 weren't important (they are), but console design was actually behind PC design.
Pax, No. Just no. Stop.
I'm so happy they broke conventions cause they created one of the best games ever in the process 👍🏻
Still cant believe how a nintendo switch game with cellshading can have better grass and explosion effects than Witcher 3.
Incredibly well done art design.
It's the difference between relying on what you see, and sparking the imagination.
Nintendo, put out that 8-bit prototype as a game. Give us Zelda Dungeon Maker. DO IT.
Wow, what an insightful and inspirational presentation. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Well done to the entire BotW team!
It blew my mind when I realized, without the game telling me, that I had all the tools to make fire and melt the ice blocking my path.
Amazing presentation guys. Now I am even more pumped up to try Breath of the Wild!
Quick summary: Rediscovering the Essence + Breaking Conventions. Not passive additive gameplay but active multiplicative gameplay. Player action combined with field and objects to move in many ways from situation to goal. Action game = collision + movement + state, made up of physics and chemistry. Our solution is to connect everything in the world! BOTW is about freedom. We want players to think, whoa, I’m a genius! Combining the Courage to Say, the Power to Make, the Power to Show. Art style to combine playability and reality. Refreshing AND full-flavored! Neither too childish or too mature. Gutto Kuro = Stir the Soul!
Zelda's success shows that good games don't necessarily require top-notch graphics, but rather core gameplay and deep experiences that players engage with and continue to enjoy. For developers, this provides a design path worth learning from: focus on what really excites players, not just technical or visual pursuits.
The part they said the dev team was rushed to port it for the Switch launch truly explains that the game is not at all optimized for Switch.
I'm currently loving it, but really look forward to something made for Switch from the ground up.
Aonuma said he's really interested in making a Zelda game that takes advantage for Switch
Of course it wasn't optimized for the Switch. Twilight Princess wasn't optimized for the Wii either. Nintendo did this merely to sell their new console, and it worked incredibly well. I just hope the next Zelda game builds upon this one with a focus on non-linear play and open world exploration while also taking full advantage of the Switch.
iau and maybe more REAL dungeons ;)
I actually prefer the fact the game isn't focused on dungeons. I love OOT and TP, but I felt Nintendo went a bit over-the-top having so many and with them being so large.
I like how there are 120 shrines that are mini-dungeons, then the four main ones for the divine beasts as well as Hyrule Castle. It really allows players to focus on the adventure and exploration, which I think should be the centerpiece.
A big part of those 100+ shrines are really copy pasted, most feel like they were rushed, they are nowhere near as interesting as the classic dungeons we are used to and leave an after taste of "Meh".
Hoping for another one of these for Tears of the Kingdom!
sameeee, I am amazed by how similar the physics engine in the game is compared to real life. Like the developers took a step even further into programming!!
There's an error on the slide at 22:53 "The Power to Make" has to be "The WISDOM to make" (in fact Zelda is on the triforce)
I love this triforce team. :)
Great talk, love that all discipline was there talking
1:00:07 It looks quite similar to Gibdo
I love the addition of the chemistry STATE engine in the game, like temperature & material
that prototype is a better game than a lot of recent games
Nintendo sure showed how its done :3
That sure was a heck of a game development class if you ask me :D
Nintendo has the balls to change and not afraid to do things differently. That's why the are one of the important companies in video game industry.
wow what a great presentation
1:06:45 for HD versions of Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword.
Hopefully we will see The Wind Waker HD, Twilight Princess HD and Skyward Sword HD on Nintendo Switch.
one of those is true now!