The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild |
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| Developer(s) | Nintendo EPD |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Hidemaro Fujibayashi |
| Producer(s) | Eiji Aonuma |
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| Writer(s) | Akihito Toda Naoki Mori |
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| Series | The Legend of Zelda |
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| Release date(s) | March 3, 2017 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a popular action-adventure game released in 2017. It was made by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U consoles.
In the game, you play as Link, a hero who has lost his memory. Your main goal is to save Princess Zelda and stop a powerful evil called Calamity Ganon. Ganon wants to destroy the world of Hyrule. You get to explore a huge open world kingdom called Hyrule. You'll find items, solve puzzles, and complete different missions. Breath of the Wild lets you play however you want. You can explore freely and finish the story in any order.
Nintendo worked on this game for five years. They wanted to change how Zelda games usually work. They added cool features like a detailed chemistry and physics engines. The game was a huge success. Many people think it's one of the greatest video games of all time. It sold over 32 million copies by 2023, making it the best-selling Zelda game ever. A new game, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, came out in 2023.
Contents
Exploring Hyrule: Gameplay Basics
Breath of the Wild is an open world action-adventure game. You control Link as he explores the kingdom of Hyrule. The game lets you play in a nonlinear way. This means you can go almost anywhere from the start. You don't get many instructions, so you're encouraged to explore on your own.
The game has a special physics engine. This means objects in the game react like they would in real life. You can solve problems in many different ways. There's also a "chemistry engine." This controls how objects interact with each other. For example, if you carry metal during a storm, lightning might hit you. But you can also throw metal objects at enemies to make lightning strike them! This makes the world feel very real and fun to experiment with.
Link's Abilities and Tools
As Link, you can run, climb, swim, and glide with a paraglider. But be careful, Link has limited stamina for these actions. You can find many items in the world. These include weapons, food, and other useful resources.
Unlike older Zelda games, your weapons and shields can break. They wear down with use and eventually shatter. Many items have more than one use. For example, wooden weapons can start fires. Wooden shields can block arrows or even be used like snowboards!
You can get food and ingredients for special drinks (elixirs). You can hunt animals, gather wild fruit, or collect parts from defeated enemies. When you cook food or mix ingredients, you create meals and elixirs. These can heal Link, restore his stamina, or give him temporary boosts. For example, they might make him stronger or protect him from heat or cold.
A very important tool is the "Sheikah Slate." This is a magical stone tablet. You can use it to mark places on your map. You can also take pictures of materials, creatures, and enemies. These pictures go into a special book. This helps you find valuable items later. The Sheikah Slate also lets you:
- Create remote bombs.
- Move metal objects with magic.
- Make ice blocks on water.
- Temporarily stop objects in time.
In fights, you can lock onto enemies to attack more precisely. You can also do special moves. Sometimes, you don't even need weapons. You can roll boulders down hills to hit enemy camps!
Quests and Exploration Goals
Besides exploring, you can take on quests and challenges. Activating towers and shrines adds fast travel points to your map. Towers also reveal parts of the map. But you need to explore an area to see its names.
Shrines are found all over Hyrule. They have challenges like puzzles or battles against robots. When you clear a shrine, you earn a Spirit Orb. Collect four Spirit Orbs, and you can trade them for more health or stamina. If Link has enough health (13 hearts), he can get the Master Sword from Korok Forest. This sword is special because it never breaks. But it needs to recharge for 10 minutes after a lot of use.
The Divine Beasts are giant mechanical animals. They are like huge puzzles. Each one is based on a different animal and element. You'll also find small puzzles that reveal Korok Seeds. You can trade these seeds to make your inventory bigger for weapons, shields, and bows.
Towns are great places to find quests, sidequests, and shops. You can buy materials and clothes there. Travelers you meet might also offer sidequests or hints. You can even scan Amiibo figures with your controller. This can give you items or call Link's horse Epona or Wolf Link from other Zelda games.
The Story of Hyrule
Breath of the Wild takes place far in the future of the Zelda timeline. Long ago, a smart group called the Sheikah lived in Hyrule. They built amazing technology. This included four huge animal-shaped machines called Divine Beasts. They also had an army of robot Guardians. When an evil called Calamity Ganon attacked, four brave warriors became Champions. Each Champion piloted a Divine Beast to weaken Ganon. A princess with special powers and her knight then sealed Ganon away.
Ten thousand years later, Hyrule had become more like a medieval kingdom. People found old prophecies that said Ganon would return. So, they dug up the Divine Beasts and Guardians. During this time, Princess Zelda worked hard to awaken her sealing magic. She also continued her research. Link was chosen to protect her. He was a Hylian knight who could wield the Master Sword. This sword is also known as "the sword that seals the darkness."
Zelda gathered new Champions:
- Mipha, the Zora princess.
- Revali, a Rito archer.
- Daruk, a Goron warrior.
- Urbosa, the Gerudo chief.
They were ready to pilot the Divine Beasts (Vah Ruta, Vah Medoh, Vah Rudania, and Vah Naboris). Zelda and Link planned to face Ganon directly.
The Great Calamity
But on Zelda's seventeenth birthday, Ganon appeared. He took control of the Guardians and Divine Beasts. He turned them against Hyrule. King Rhoam and the Champions were killed. Much of the kingdom was destroyed. Link was badly hurt protecting Zelda. Zelda took Link to a safe place to heal. She hid the Master Sword in Korok Forest. Then, she used her light magic to seal herself and Ganon inside Hyrule Castle. This terrible event became known as the Great Calamity.
A hundred years later, Link wakes up in a special healing chamber. He has lost his memory. Hyrule is now in ruins. He meets an old man who turns out to be the ghost of King Rhoam. King Rhoam explains that Ganon is getting stronger inside Hyrule Castle. He asks Link to defeat Ganon before he breaks free and destroys everything.
Link's Journey to Save Hyrule
Link meets Impa, a wise Sheikah elder. She tells him to free the Divine Beasts. Link travels across Hyrule. He visits places from his past and slowly gets his memories back. He boards the four Divine Beasts and defeats the evil Blight Ganons inside them. This frees the spirits of the Champions. They can now pilot the Divine Beasts again.
Link gets help from:
- Sidon, Mipha's younger brother.
- Yunobo, Daruk's descendant.
- Teba, a Rito warrior.
- Riju, the young Gerudo chief.
After getting the Master Sword from Korok Forest, Link goes to Hyrule Castle. He faces Ganon. The Divine Beasts weaken Ganon. Link defeats him, but Ganon transforms into a giant monster called Dark Beast Ganon. He tries to destroy the world. Zelda gives Link the Bow of Light. Link uses it to weaken Ganon. Then, Zelda seals Ganon away, bringing peace back to Hyrule. The spirits of King Rhoam and the Champions finally rest. Link and Zelda smile, sensing their presence.
If you find all thirteen "Captured Memories" in the game, you unlock a special scene after the credits. In it, Zelda says Hyrule must be rebuilt. She and Link begin this huge task together. Zelda tells Link that her powers might have faded, but she's okay with it.
How the Game Was Made: Development Story
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Nintendo EPD, a part of Nintendo, made Breath of the Wild. The game's producer, Eiji Aonuma, said they wanted to "rethink the conventions of Zelda." Development began right after The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was released in 2011. Players wanted a more connected map to explore.
In 2013, Nintendo tried out nonlinear gameplay in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. This was very popular. Aonuma wanted to change how dungeons and puzzles worked. He wanted players to be able to finish the game without following a strict story path. Nintendo had never made such a big open-world game before. So, they looked at games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Shadow of the Colossus for ideas. The art style was inspired by Japanese anime that the team grew up watching. Link was also redesigned to be more gender neutral. This was so more players could feel connected to him.
Designing the World and Physics
Before making the full game, developers created a simple 2D version. This helped them test physics-based puzzles. The final game uses a special Havok physics engine. At a game conference, the director and art director showed this early version. Aonuma said the physics engine was a huge step for Zelda. He said it makes everything in the world work in a "logical and realistic way." This lets players solve puzzles in many different ways.
Developing this system was hard. Aonuma remembered one day when all the objects in a game area were blown away by the wind! They also planned to have "double hookshots" like Spider-Man. But they removed them because Link could move too easily, which broke the climbing fun. Instead of adding more actions for Link, they made more things in the world that players could interact with.
The game was first planned for the Wii U. It had touchscreen features. But developers found that looking between the GamePad and the TV screen was distracting. So, these features were removed when the game was made for both the Switch and Wii U. Link is usually left-handed, but in this game, he's right-handed. This was to match the Wii U GamePad's controls. The Switch version looks a bit better when connected to a TV. It also has higher-quality sounds. Some ideas, like flying and underground dungeons, couldn't be done on the Wii U. These ideas later appeared in the sequel.
The art style was inspired by gouache paintings and outdoor art. This helped show how huge the world was. The ancient Sheikah technology was inspired by the mysterious Jōmon period in Japan. The game's landscape was based on places near Kyoto, where the director lived. Monolith Soft helped design the land. The first area, a plateau, was made so players could see the vast world.
Voice Acting and Music
Breath of the Wild was the first main Zelda game to have voice acting in cutscenes. Link still doesn't speak. Aonuma was very impressed the first time he heard a character speak in the game. He wanted players to feel the same way. The team decided to record voices for all cutscenes, not just the important ones. Nintendo provided voices and subtitles in eight languages. Later, an update let players choose different voice-over languages. After five years of work, the game was finished.
The music was composed by Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata, and Hajime Wakai. They used a piano a lot. The music focuses on background sounds rather than strong melodies. This was a challenge for the sound team. It helped make the environments feel more "authentic."
Game Release and Extras
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Aonuma first hinted at the game for the Wii U in 2013. He said it would challenge how Zelda games usually work. In 2014, Nintendo showed the game's HD, cel-shaded art style. The game was planned for 2015 but was delayed. It was delayed again in 2016 because of problems with its physics engine. Nintendo let people play the Wii U version at the E3 convention in June 2016. They also announced its full name, Breath of the Wild. Many publications called it one of the best games at E3.
Breath of the Wild was released on March 3, 2017. It came out for both the Wii U and the Switch. It was the last Nintendo game ever released for the Wii U. The Switch version had special bundles. These included a coin, a map, a soundtrack CD, and a carrying case. A "Master Edition" also had a Master Sword figurine. An "Explorer's Edition" came out later with a map and a storybook. A five-disc soundtrack was released in Japan in 2018.
Downloadable Content (DLC)
In 2017, Nintendo released two packs of downloadable content (DLC). You could buy them together as an "expansion pass." These were The Master Trials and The Champions' Ballad.
The Master Trials came out in June. It added new ways to play and new items.
- Trial of the Sword: You face three trials with many enemy rooms. You start with no equipment. If you lose, you restart the trial. If you complete a trial, your Master Sword gets stronger.
- Master Mode: This is a harder difficulty. Enemies are stronger and heal slowly. They also notice Link more easily. New floating platforms appear with enemies and treasure.
- Hero's Path: This feature shows your path on the map. It helps you see where you haven't explored yet.
- Travel Medallion: You can find this hidden item. It lets you save a single fast travel point anywhere.
- New Items: These include the Korok Mask, which tells you when a Korok is nearby. Other items are themed after older Zelda games.
The Champions' Ballad was released in December. It added a new dungeon, more story, new gear, and challenges. After completing its quest, you unlock the Master Cycle Zero. This is a cool motorcycle-like vehicle Link can ride!
A special "Expansion Pass" edition with all DLC on the game card was released in Japan in 2021.
Game's Impact: Legacy
After Breath of the Wild came out, many people talked about how it would change future open-world games. Game designers said it would inspire games to focus more on experimentation. Players would have more freedom to interact with the environment. One designer said it brought classic open-world ideas together without forcing players to follow a path. It encouraged players to explore anywhere.
Its "reactive physics" and "chemistry engine" were seen as amazing for open-world games. PC Gamer said the game set a new standard for its type. IGN and GQ Magazine have even called it the best game of all time.
Many games and developers have said Breath of the Wild inspired them. These include Genshin Impact, Ghost of Tsushima, Halo Infinite, and Elden Ring. Other open-world games like Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Horizon Forbidden West have also been compared to it. Digital Trends said Breath of the Wild has become a popular game to compare other open-world games to.
The game's success also made people more interested in a Wii U emulator called Cemu. Developers quickly updated Cemu to run the game smoothly. This led to a big modding community for the game.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a spin-off game. It's a hack and slash game like the Dynasty Warriors series. Its story takes place 100 years before Breath of the Wild. It was released on Nintendo Switch in 2020.
The Sequel: Tears of the Kingdom
A sequel was announced at E3 2019. Its title was later revealed as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The idea for the sequel came from planning DLC for Breath of the Wild. The team had too many ideas that couldn't fit into DLC. So, they used them for a new game. Aonuma said the sequel would build on the original world with a new story and gameplay. The director of Breath of the Wild also directed the sequel. The game was released on May 12, 2023.
See also
In Spanish: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild para niños
