Even if you've been playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild since it came out, you probably still have more to discover; it's a big game with a lot to take in. Before you begin or continue the grandest adventure of Link, let five of the game's key developers give their thoughts on what you should pay extra attention to as you play.
Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi wants you to find surprises
"This time the focus for the planning staff was to work hard to ensure that there is always some surprise when you reach your destination. The world in this game is extremely vast, but we made sure that there is always something to discover whenever you see something suspicious, so I hope that players will enjoy uncovering the elements and secrets that we hid in the world as they play."
Producer Eiji Aonuma wants you to play with friends
"We've shown the world of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to you in various ways, such as at demo events. However, though there will certainly be players who play the game by themselves, interestingly enough, if you get together with your friends to play I think that you will find that it is hard to sit and watch quietly. I suppose that playing The Legend of Zelda games alone could actually be considered another one of the conventions of the series, so people enjoying this game together with friends is a new experience for the series.
"I think that we've made a game where it's really fun to give each other advice and speculate about going to different places and trying different things. I myself am planning to play the game with my children. With the Nintendo Switch version, you can take the game out of the house and play it by yourself, but I hope players then return home and get together to explore this vast world on the big screen with their whole family."
Audio director Hajime Wakai wants you to hear all the little sounds
"This title features a huge range of sounds, from the small environmental sounds to the dynamic music when a big boss suddenly appears, so I hope you will all pay close attention to the details that went into the sound for this game as you play."
Art director Satoru Takizawa wants you to see it for yourself
"As the team responsible for the design and art, of course we wanted to deliver beautiful and realistic visuals, but what we fixated on most was designing the visuals so that they matched the features of the game and facilitated comfortable play for the user. So, when it came down to deciding whether to make the game prettier or improve response during play, we always chose to prioritize the features of the game and improved response. I hope that players will experience the world for themselves rather than simply watching videos of the game."
Technical director Takuhiro Dohta wants you to have your own adventure
"This game had a lot of technical strong points, such as the vast and seamless world, but what I most want players to notice is how each player has their own unique gameplay experience. When we were creating the game, we created it so that the player can do almost anything that they want to do. There is no 'correct' way to play this game, so I hope that you all find a playstyle that you enjoy."
You can check out more developer commentary in the full "Bonus Session" episode for the making of Breath of the Wild. Careful if you haven't gotten far in the game, though - some of their discussion does enter minor spoiler territory.
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