If you’ve posted gameplay videos, fan art, or anything at all about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild over the past six years, congratulations: you may have had a small hand in influencing the sequel.
In a long interview I published NintendoProducer Eiji Aonuma, director Hidemaro Fujibayashi, and designer Satoru Takizawa talked about how feedback from the previous game guided them during the development of Tears of the Kingdom, and how it encouraged them to give players more freedom.
When asked if they had watched fan gameplay clips, Onuma replied, “There was some chatter about it among the development team.”
“The decision to give players the freedom to do anything in this game was made precisely because of the feedback from people who played the last game.”
Takizawa added, “Even though it’s been six years since the last title was released, many fans still post drawings, comments, and videos on social media. Especially when the team encountered difficulties during development, these things inspire our staff and make them think: ‘Okay, let’s show up’ them what we have!’ “.
Allowing players to come up with their own solutions to puzzles gives them a stronger sense of being the only one to figure it out.
After the three thanked the fans, Onuma added more details about how the way fans approached previous Zelda games affected their approach to the mysteries of Tears of the Kingdom.
“I’ve seen some fans say that the Legend of Zelda games make them feel like they’re the only players who have solved the puzzle, and that’s what they love about the series,” he said. “I think letting players come up with their own puzzle solutions gives them a stronger sense of being the only one to figure it out than if we had them.” They use pre-defined solutions. In other words, this is something that’s unique to the Legend of Zelda series, and I think it stands out even more in this title.”
