The Making of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Video - Open-Air Concept

"A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad."
- Shigeru Miyamoto

I still can't believe this game exists

4:41 did anyone else realise you could do this - bat stones thrown by enemies back at them? mind blown

This is how you create a game : By pouring your heart into it, by letting it be the painting that holds your dreams and your imaginations. By not rushing development but taking as much time as needed to create something truly breathtaking.
After all, a video game is, and I'm sure of that, an interactive piece of art, in which players can sunk themselves in.
I bow my head in gratitude and admiration before everyone who helped to bring this Masterpiece to life.

I laughed when they mentioned the time they put into the sound of Link's footsteps, I've thought many times throughout the game at how well his footfalls sound on different surfaces.

Omg the decision to rely mainly on piano was such a good one, I love how creative and experimental they were with the game, the music for example turned out amazing

This isn't just a game. This is a *Masterpiece*

I've worked in tech companies for 25+ years. It's rare that product organizations create a lasting masterpiece like BoTW. I think it's even rarer to get to understand the unguarded mindsets and development process of the people who created it.
I found it hard not to be floored by the humility, curiosity, generosity, professional expertise and intelligence shown in these interviews. The exploration and ideation process they describe is analogous to what I'd expect at a studio like Pixar, rather than "just" a video game house.

You can bat those stones that are thrown back at the enemies??? WHAT

Nintendo has, once again, created the BEST Game of All Time. This game is the Ocarina of Time of its generation.

I actually LOVED how they chose the piano as the primary instrument for the game. It adds the solitary or lonely feeling the player might get traveling solo Hyrule that you could immerse yourself as link at some point.

The attention to detail in this game is staggering. Play it with headphones jacked in and you'll appreciate just how good the music and sound effects are. Link the Switch to a decent tv and you'll be blown away by the graphics. Warning: when you do finally finish the game (over a month), prepare for Zelda withdrawal and to be bitterly disappointed that there is no other game like this. This is a work of art, not just a game.

please give Metroid the BOTW treatment.

i'm so proud to be fan of nintendo and zelda games

I love the ambient sounds in this game. The soft blowing of the wind, the humming of insects, the shrill cry of the whipperwill... it reminds me of the cabin in the woods I go to every July for vacation.

I feel like the sentiment expressed at the beginning of this video where he regretted the limitations they had with Skyward Sword is what led to the absolute UNIT of a game that Tears of the Kingdom is going to be. Like DANG, it looks like they took all of the limitations Skyward Sword had, threw them out the window, then married what was left with Breath of the Wild.

I have never played a better game in my life! Everything about the game feels flawless and well thought out. I've played well over 100 hours on it so far, I believe, and I'm still finding new things. Thank you Nintendo and the Zelda team for the best game in the series, and in my opinion, the best game that's ever been made!

8:57 I know this makes me seem like a big baby, but I teared up when I heard that Dragon Roost Island music. Wind Waker was my first Zelda game, and it will always have a special place in my heart, but the different take on the theme shows how the series has evolved and changed.

"Wait, we are supposed to test our games?"
-Bethesda

The amount of detail they put into this game is incredible. I was cracking up when he was telling about making the noise of those goblins picking their nose by using a wet towel and finger. That's a classic.

I've beaten two Divine Beasts, and just got to Gerudo Valley, I've been playing since launch but I've been doing some of the many, many side missions. Excited to take Gerudo head on :)

The music is so underrated. It's well-thought out in the sense that you can play for a long time, even years, without it being a nuisance. Imagine how annoying it would be if everytime you got to a certain part, harsh loud music would play. It's very subtle and quiet, and very well-done. Definitely enhances, rather than detracts, from the experience.

"I'm expecting [Zelda] to be the most popular character"
*fandom creates Prince Sidon memes*

On the music: Since you're doing DLC, how about taking the opportunity to upgrade the Slate with a music player as part of it and including music from BotW itself and maybe even the other games so we can choose what we'd like to hear?
The Slate really is the perfect thing to do that with.

It's all in the little details, how you make a game that is bigger than everything we know. The Legend of Zelda Breath of The Wild is the game that redefines the freedom this generation of consoles was looking for and wasn't able to get. Nintendo did it... again.

This game really was breathtaking! This is one of those games that define an era. Glad they took their time and you can truly see their work pay off!

I want a three-hour documentary about the soundtrack alone.

took me almost 4 years to find all 900 korok seeds.

Last time I was this early we still called it Zelda Wii U

This game is a result of developers going above and beyond to make us, the gamers, happy!

The level of polish on this game has been incredible. A crowning example of what the right combinations of talent and passions are able to create. Congrats to the development team this has has been an absolute blast to play. and i look forward to what is to come in the future.

Congratulations Nintendo, you guys nailed it, tell Aonuma, Miyamoto and their team thanks from me for this incredible game, you guys deserve to be proud about what was achieved with Breath of the Wild!

everytime I launch this game, I just constantly think "What a game". it just feels like a right decision after a right decision all the time. I love this game so much

i love the town music transitions from day to night. makes me want to find every town to hear them all.

I laugh when people say Nintendo is running out of ideas... those people should play this game. And watching how it’s done makes it more impressive. Great job Nintendo!!

Here’s an example of how open this game is. Let’s say you want to light an enemy on fire. Okay, how will you do that? You could take a torch and light that, then light the enemy. Or you could light your wooden weapon on fire, then light the enemy. Or you can shoot a fire arrow at them. Or you can shoot a regular arrow through fire and light them with that. Or you could drop some fire chuchu jelly nearby, make the enemy run over it, then shoot the jelly to make it light the enemy on fire. Or just kill a fire chuchu near an enemy. I’m probably missing a few. But that’s just ONE example of how many ways you can go about doing ANYTHING. Don’t even think about trying to list how many ways you can kill something in general.

I know I'm late but I have always loved this series. Breath of the wilds is just breathtaking in terms of it's open world and how fluent the movement and combat is I would rate this game a 10/10.

I hope they do a series like this for Tears of The Kingdom

I am probably too late for this to be read, but if any of the Nintendo team see this I'd just like to say that IMHO this is a truly amazing game and you guys have done an unbelievable job creating it. After seeing some videos it got me to buy a Nintendo Switch just to play this. So glad I did. It is truly immersive and very entertaining. Thank you so much.

It just makes me so happy watching this, seeing the thought process behind these things and how it progressed. What a wonderful job to have

Nintendo, please make another one of these for botw 2 c:
Like how you used the botw engine and came up with new ideas for this new game :0

Now this is pure passion! just by seeing them talk you can see in their eyes that they have created a masterpiece!

Just love the amount of thought that has gone into this game. Every sentence from each team member just communicates obsession to create the perfect world. Thank you Nintendo for making this.

I never knew that Link can knock back the stones Bokoblins throw at him. That's what's so fantastic about this game to me, after years of playing it, every time I watch a video or look at how the community is discussing it, I always learn something cool and new that I didn't know before.

9:09
Is link falling asleep? Aww... That's so cute :3

Such a beautiful game. Congrats to everyone who worked on it

They really created a masterpiece. My favorite memory is besting eventide island! Figuring out how to get the orbs in a unique and creative way felt amazing. Kudos Nintendo!

10:20 the way the music straight up goes completely silent for a split second sends chills down my spine every time.

Imagine : you're one of these persons who contributed to create this masterpiece, and you can say " oh you see Zora's theme? That was my creation"
" bomb arrows? That's me."
" King's clothes? That's me"
"Kass? That's me."
Wow. ❤️
If one of you read this, thank you, you must be proud of you, you have to.
Thank you'all ❤️❤️

The understated music is one of the smartest aspects of this game. Could you imagine exploring Breath of the Wild's vast overworld with a Twilight Princess-style "cinematic" theme incessantly blaring in the background?

Really happy they went with piano as main instrument in soundtrack
Such beautiful music in this game.

I love how well the game has been thought out in all its various aspects from its sound, music to its design. Love and care and attention has been put in by everyone involved to make this an enjoyable, pleasing and satisfying game. Thank you to everyone involved making this and for this documentary, it's been a pleasure seeing this come to life.

6:18 I remember when I made it to this part, my breath was taken away, amazing landscape.

Finally! they talked about the beautiful sound effects of the game, the footsteps!

I don't think it's talked about enough how absolutely stellar the Foley is in Breath of the Wild. Hundreds upon hundreds of different sounds. Footsteps, wind, it all sounds completely organic and natural.

I actually started crying when I heard the Dragon Roost Island theme playing in the Rito Village. Wind Waker is my all-time favorite game and hearing my favorite track from it in Breath of the Wild really moved me. It hit me in the nostalgia so hard and I wasn't expecting it at all

For those asking "why the re-upload?" apparently it's because the original uploads were only in 720p, but now they have a 1080p option. I guess someone uploaded the wrong files by mistake.

Interesting how they all take a week off every now and again to just play the game and get all on the same page. I wonder how many other devs do that.

this game made me feel how i first felt when playing skyrim, i never thought that feeling could be topped... and then my favorite elvish-eared hero smiled at me again

I loved the music in this game so much! I missed the up-beat catchy tunes of older games but this was still really cool and cinematic.

They did such a great job on the combat system. It's so absolutely satisfying, and there are so many options. I actually like that weapons break - it forces the player to experiment with different kinds of weapons and gives the incentive to explore and find new ones. When I first heard that weapons broke easily, I was super apprehensive, but once I started playing I understood why they did it. It would have taken a lot of the difficulty out of BOTW if weapons couldn't break.
And infiltrating Hyrule to get new weapons is absolutely thrilling. And the adrenaline rush from parrying guardian beams. I love it!

The heck, I just finished watching the last one three minutes ago and they come out with another 2! Conveniant.

Exploration, discovery, experimentation, learning, and creating. What wonderful qualities to convey to people through playing this game.

This doesn't only apply to Zelda, but if you think about it, games with great final product had tons of work to pave through. The gameplay, music, story and even the tiniest detail incorporated to polish it make one person contemplate and appreciate it for a moment how much love, time and effort was put into it.

sir iwata would be proud. thank you botw team :)

The talented creators of this masterpiece have spoken

I liked noticing the Link Between Worlds pin on his jacket. Brought me back to the first Legend of Zelda game I ever played :)

I am in love and extremely grateful for these videos on the development of this beautiful game. it warms my heart knowing even the tiniest details are placed in this game, purely for the best experience while playing. forever loving nintendo and their ways.

This is definitely the best videogame i ever played and i would do again and again.

To the people in the music department at Nintendo, thank you for everything you do.

Thank you for taking the time to make this game so good! You have created a masterpiece that will forever me referenced.

I am 52 and never before played a Zelda game, let alone a open world type game. I am both amazed at what you have created and surprised how enthralled with it I’ve become. It has been a unique experience so far.
Thank You.

I have not yet played this game, as I don't have a Switch (yet!) or a Wii U, but I must say, I am *constantly* impressed by everything I see in this game. I've been watching tons and tons of gameplay videos, live streams, etc... surely more than I probably should be; there's always something new and exciting.
I don't have the time to game as often as I used to, so I think that a Switch with this game alone could keep me occupied for months and months alone. The breadth of this game and the attention to detail is absolutely insane. I truly don't believe that there is another game truly like this on the market, period. This game is a milestone in game design and development. Nintendo has set a new standard for open-world gaming; it absolutely deserves all the praise it's getting. And again, I'm saying this without even playing it myself, yet.
Games like these are what makes Nintendo so great. Bravo.

I'm learning some OP strats from this video

I'm so excited to get this game! I think of the open-air concept of it taking a long time to get from one place to another as a ton of journeys leading up to even more.

Thanks to these persons for this perfect game, my favorite, I'm always surprised by little things they put in, even after 4 years...
Thank you thank you thank you 😭❤️

I'd love to see a whole video dedicated to the development of the music used in the game!

To say that this game is just the greatest game of all time isn’t really doing it service..
I mean what are you measuring it against..? Modern games of this time? This game is better compared to the works of grandmaster of painting.. or perhaps the works of Vivaldi or Mozart.
This is a true work of art that will forever live on in our hearts. Feeling a connection to a character is a hard boundary to get across and Nintendo and everyone who impacted this game did an amazing job. When you take into account that Zelda has been around for almost 30 years and then realize that they created something so new and exciting with such an old franchise.. I mean they’re just on another level completely.
Bravo gentlemen, bravo.

Love the music segment. At first, I wished the music was more present throughout the game, but a good point is made by emphasizing ambience over music.

I haven't passed this game, not because I don't have time to play but because I dont want to finish it. Its so beautiful

The best Zelda game I've ever played (and it's been my favorite game series since the original was released on the NES) and my favorite game of all time to date (and I've been playing since before the Atari 2600!
Thank you Nintendo for this game that truly upped the bar.

thanks for everyone who build this heaven

Music besides art, animation and design is a big concept for me. I love hearing the transitions a piece, especially when you encounter a guardian the change isnt rushed it pretty much slowly fits into the background music and its just so terrifying and relaxing at the same time. Botw has become my favorite when it comes to the music score like I dont have favorites compared to the other games

I really am grateful for the endless hours of work put into this game.

I played through this game 3 times, and I only just saw that you can hit the rocksback at the bokoblins with a club!

I love piano and I love the fact Breath of the Wild's music was mostly from that.

I hope Nintendo does this for a lot of their games especially the big ones like Mario Odyssey, the new Smash Bros for Switch etc. I was always hoping to get a documentary on how Nintendo makes their games and the ideas, concept art and early ideas or maybe Nintendo can produce a doc for the fans how the company got into games in this same style and put it on their KRplus page or maybe Netflix but longer even though most avid Nintendo fans know how they got started but it would still be really cool.

Gotta love the music in this game

The Making of The Legend of Zelda’s soundtrack: 5:58 - 9:21

It's nice to hear Aonuma seems to have a very solid set-in-stone idea for what this franchise should aim towards being that nonetheless evolves in different ways as the series moves forwards. It's important to have a vision to work towards without letting it become a single-minded obsession. I definitely feel like, in spite of the ups and downs the series has gone through, that there is no better man fit for the position of chief producer for this franchise.

nintendo's youtube channel should be FULL of big games documentaries like this. I would love to see more behing the scenes and more educational content coming from the big N.

7:58 I love this. One of the things that stuck with me when I was a kid playing OoT where the sounds of Link's footsteps. I loved how they sounded on concrete/steel/stone.

literally have tears in my eyes, I have so much respect for these creators!!

500+ Hours in this game and I just learned you can play baseball with a boko bat and bokos

Thanks for all your hard work, this game is amazing.

This is a fantastic game. By far my favorite game I’ve ever played. I hope they continue this style of game in the next zelda

Im watching at 480P but the feels is like 1080P xD.

This is golden. Thanks, Nintendo.

The music in the Rito Village is amazing.

Wow that fire trick with the paraglider!