An old interview has shed new light on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's origins for me, thanks to comments made by series creator Shigeru Miyamoto over three decades ago. Miyamoto has maintained a constant presence in the development of new Zelda games, including serving as a General Producer for BOTW. As a result, it is unsurprising that he has given many interviews regarding the franchise over the years, although it seems that some of the most interesting are also among the most obscure.

There is no denying that BOTW referencing every Zelda game, the game's core concept itself also harkens back to sentiments shared by Miyamoto many years ago.

BOTW Was All About Exploring A New World & Figuring Things Out

The Open-World Gameplay Allowed For A Much Freer Experience Than Previous Zelda Titles

There is a lot of emphasis placed on personal freedom in BOTW. One can choose to explore in any direction at any time, traveling through Hyrule at their own pace. The fact that Link receives all of the abilities needed to reach the end of the game at the very beginning, instead of gradually over the course of a full playthrough, only makes this intention even more apparent. The approach that BOTW takes to being an open-world game means that people never feel trapped into taking one course of action; in fact, its gameplay constantly revolves around the exact opposite.

There is never any single solution to a problem in Breath of the Wild, not even in its Shrines. Although there may be an intended solution to any given puzzle, people are also entirely capable of thinking outside of the box and coming up with their own. The game encourages this, with the developers even having left some glitches in BOTW purely due to their potential for extra fun. Of course, this applies to other areas of the game as well; Link can take detours to avoid obstacles in the landscape, sneak around monsters or lay traps, and so on.

Furthermore, the game world itself is full of surprises, which contributes to a constant feeling of discovery. The level of depth that Hyrule enjoys in this title is why countless people have played BOTW for hundreds of hours without becoming bored. The multitude of ways that various items, abilities, and the game's physics can interact allowed people to take a much more personalized approach to the game than any Zelda game before it. And crucially, this sense of adventure goes directly to the heart of what The Legend of Zelda was always intended to be.

Miyamoto Shared His Vision For Zelda Games Back In 1994

The Zelda Franchise Has Always Been About Invoking A Sense Of Exploration

Shigeru Miyamoto shared some interesting details regarding the origins of the Zelda franchise in a 1994 interview released with The Legend of Zelda: Sound and Drama, the official soundtrack for A Link to the Past. This release was exclusive to Japan, making it relatively obscure in the West. Nevertheless, according to a translation provided by the site shmuplations, Miyamoto explains that he "wanted to create a game where the player could experience the feeling of exploration as he travels about the world" during the development of the original The Legend of Zelda.

Of course, the relative obscurity of this short interview alone makes it all the more intriguing to me, but its actual contents are just as fascinating. This interview shows that exploration has always been a core consideration in The Legend of Zelda, even to the point of the player growing ever more knowledgeable about the game world over time. Miyamoto expressly intended for an experience where one could find themselves "becoming familiar with the history of the land and the natural world" the more they played.

It is worth noting that there are traditions in how Zelda handles exploration, such as many games using a signature form of transport in addition to Link simply walking between locations. Furthermore, many titles make strong use of environmental storytelling, giving the world more depth when one pays close attention to how it is constructed. From that alone, it is easy to see how Miyamoto's philosophy has influenced Zelda games. However, Breath of the Wild itself is arguably the perfect embodiment of this same sentiment.

23 Years Later, BOTW Allowed Exploration Like Never Before

BOTW Is A Perfect Example Of Miyamoto's Early Concept Being Fully Realized

The sheer scale of Breath of the Wild means that traveling between major locations is always a legitimate adventure in its own right, given how the land is filled with monsters, Shrines, Korok puzzles, and more besides. The fact that BOTW's Hyrule is essentially post-apocalyptic only adds to this, providing further opportunities for environmental storytelling and worldbuilding in many subtle ways. Naturally, the game's actual mechanics have a large role to play in this, with features like climbing, tameable horses, and the Sheikah Slate providing plenty of ways to traverse the landscape.

The idea of learning about the past of Hyrule through exploring it is clearly reflected in Breath of the Wild, especially in the case of seeking out the scenes captured by Zelda in the Sheikah Slate to recover Link's lost memories.

Compared to previous entries in the franchise, there is no denying that BOTW provides far more variety in its exploration, both in of how one chooses to do it and what there is to find. It is one of my favorite aspects of the game, and a large factor in its overall popularity. Moreover, given the context of Miyamoto's 1994 interview, this also clearly makes BOTW a perfect Zelda game, as it follows his intentions for the series both precisely and to an extent never seen before.

The gameplay of Breath of the Wild enables the game to embody an ideal laid out over 30 years prior. It fulfills the promise of Miyamoto's goal for Zelda games in a way that would have been unthinkable at the time, and yet has now set the standard for future entries. The original The Legend of Zelda sought to invoke a sense of exploring a rich fantasy world and uncovering its many secrets in the process. Now, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has refined that early concept into one of the most popular games of all time.

Source: shmuplations.com