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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Have you ever wanted to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild without the cel-shading look? While that isn’t possible under normal circumstances, one modder has made it possible.

YouTuber Arkh Longstride has modded Breath of the Wild on PC with graphical tweaks and optimizations that spiff up the performance. As part of this, the cel-shading is turned off. Reflections and smoke are also improved in this version, while also increasing the action to 60 frames per second.

Here’s a look:

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Nintendo has announced that Zelda from Breath of the Wild will be receiving a brand new Nendoroid. The first concept art image can be found above. At this time, a release window has not been confirmed.

Zelda won’t be the only Nendoroid from Breath of the Wild. Link has been featured, as has the Guardian enemy – both are out now.

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Last year, Nintendo held a concert for The Legend of Zelda in Japan. The company has now posted a video showcasing highlights from the Breath of the Wild segment. Check it out below.

Last year, Zelda: Breath of the Wild received a soundtrack release in Japan. It was packed with a few goodies, including a booklet containing a special interview. Sound designer Hajime Wakai along with composers Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata, and Soshi Abe had plenty to say about the game’s music.

You can find our full translation of the discussion below. The four team members commented on why it was decided to mix up the usual Zelda music formula and how the direction was ultimately settled upon, creating specific character themes, bringing back classic themes in a new way, and much more.

Takafumi Kiuchi was the lead artist on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. One of his major roles was coming up with the designs for the Guardians. In the recently-translated Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Creating a Champion art book, Kiuchi spoke about their creation.

Interestingly, Kiuchi revealed that the Guardians weren’t set as being Link’s allies or enemies when development was in its early stages. He therefore went with a design that was more neutral. Kiuchi also said that “there was a design for a giant, fortress-like Guardian that was equipped with multiple beam cannons, but we were ultimately unable to implement it.”

When The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was early on in development, Nintendo had some very different ideas in mind for the design of the Gorons. Lead NPC artist Hirohito Shinoda revealed in the recently-translated Creating a Champion art book that the team was planning a drastic change in which they had bigger heads, a more human-like appearance, and more. However, “none of them really fit.” This led to basing the Gorons on their original design from Ocarina of Time.

Shinoda said:

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild introduces some radical design changes for Link. His signature green look is gone, as is the classic hat he’s worn since the earliest games.

Some of the developers behind Breath of the Wild spoke about these changes in the game’s newly-translated art book. Series producer Eiji Aonuma said that he wanted to “make Link a more neutral character in a variety of ways.” Additionally, while the blue look “organically ended up that way” according to Aonuma, senior lead artist Yoshiyuki Oyama added that “Link wearing blue clothes appeared pretty early on because the blue stood out against the backgrounds we were producing.”

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda series has experimented with many different visual styles over the years. Nintendo aimed for realism with Twilight Princess, but before that, Wind Waker offered a completely opposite feel with its cel-shaded look.

As part of an interview published in the newly-translated Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Creating a Champion book, art director Satoru Takizawa commented on the series’ ever-changing visual style. Takizawa had this to say on the topic:

Accompanying the release of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Creating a Champion in the west this week was a special “Hero’s Edition.” Get a closer look at the book in the video below.

Where Breath of the Wild sits specifically in the Zelda timeline is something that has been a big question since the game’s release last March. However, series producer Eiji Aonuma has indicated that Nintendo will never place it in the chronological timeline.

In the newly-translated Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Creating a Champion book, Aonuma explained that “people were enjoying imagining the story that emerged from the fragmental imagery we were providing.” If Nintendo were to say where Breath of the Wild sits in the timeline, “then there would be a definitive story, and it would eliminate the room for imagination, which wouldn’t be as fun.”


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