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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the nineteenth main installment of The Legend of Zelda series. It was released simultaneously worldwide for the Wii U and Nintendo Switch on March 3, 2017.[2]

Story[]

Link awakens from a deep slumber and a mysterious voice guides him to discover what has become of the ruined country of Hyrule Kingdom.[9] Link leaves the Shrine of Resurrection and looks out at Hyrule on top of the Great Plateau. Link then meets an Old Man by a campfire. The Old Man promises Link his Paraglider, which is the only way to get down from the plateau. However, he first wants Spirit Orbs from nearby Shrines, in particular the Oman Au Shrine, Ja Baij Shrine, Owa Daim Shrine, and the Keh Namut Shrine. After Link gets the spirit orbs, the Old Man appears, then mysteriously disappears, telling Link to meet him in the Temple of Time. The Old Man reveals himself as the spirit of the deceased King of Hyrule, King Rhoam. Link learns from King Rhoam that 100 years prior, a great evil known as the Calamity Ganon rose up and laid waste to the kingdom and its people.[10] Unable to be defeated, it was sealed within Hyrule Castle, while the ruins of the land were ravaged by nature over time. Although trapped, the Calamity Ganon has grown in power, and Link must defeat it before it breaks free once more and destroys the world. The mysterious voice turns out to be Zelda, whom who is the daughter of King Rhoam. After escaping the confines of the plateau, Link is directed to meet the wise Sheikah elder Impa, and learn about the Guardians and Divine Beast: 10,000 years prior these machines were created and successfully used by another Hero and another Princess to defeat the Calamity Ganon. But throughout the ages, knowledge about the ancient technology was lost until excavations in Hyrule Kingdom brought them to light once more, coinciding with the expected return of Calamity Ganon a hundred years ago. The Guardians were reactivated and four Champions were chosen to control the Divine Beast: the Zora princess Mipha, the Goron warrior Daruk, the Gerudo chief Urbosa, and the Rito archer Revali. All the while, Princess Zelda was unsuccessfully trying to gain access to her own prophesied powers, accompanied on her quests by her knight, the Hylian Champion Link. When the Calamity Ganon ultimately attacked, it devastated the Kingdom of Hyrule Kingdom by taking control of the ancient machines and turning them against the Hyruleans. As a last resort, Princess Zelda was able to place the gravely wounded Link in the Shrine of Resurrection and use her awoken sealing powers to trap herself with Calamity Ganon in Hyrule Castle.

As Link sets off on his quest to defeat Calamity Ganon, he is asked to investigate the fate of the Divine Beast and their former Champions. His ultimate goal remains to reach the Calamity Ganon and free the trapped Princess Zelda before the whole world is laid to waste. But with the entire Kingdom of Hyrule before him to explore, it is up to Link himself to decide how he wishes to fulfill his foretold role as the Hylian Champion, and to save Hyrule Kingdom.

Gameplay[]

BotW Link Climbing Artwork

Climbing is a central new ability for Link, allowing for the exploration of the game's vast version of Hyrule

Open World[]

Breath of the Wild features a vast open world for Link to explore. Most of Hyrule Kingdom's scenery is accessible by walking, paragliding or climbing. While the game still includes barriers (such as weather effects, inhospitable environments or strong enemies), many of these can be overcome by using Food, effective weapons and armor or finding alternate routes. The world also includes an elaborate physics system which allows for creative interactions (e.g., cutting down a tree and using its trunk as a raft on a river, or setting grass ablaze and spreading the fire with wind gusts).

Unlike many previous Zelda games, Breath of the Wild does not enforce a specific order in which quests or dungeons have to be solved, with the exception of completing the starting tasks on the Great Plateau. It is possible to challenge Ganon right after leaving the starting area, though the game does encourage exploration in order to solve Ancient Shrines (and thus gaining additional Hearts or Stamina), find useful and powerful equipment, and defeat the game's own version of dungeons, the Divine Beast. Additionally, many of the game's puzzles can also be solved in various different ways, often rewarding Link for creative solutions.

Controls[]

Link's controls in Breath of the Wild are reminiscent of previous 3D Zelda games. However, the game is the first to require manual jumps as opposed to auto-jumping over small gaps which was introduced with Ocarina of Time and a long-time staple of The Legend of Zelda series. Holding the Attack (Y) button will allow Link to perform a spin attack. Pressing Jump (X or B) and then Attack (Y) will result in a jump attack.

Cooking[]

A feature introduced with Breath of the Wild is Cooking, which enables the creation of Food that recovers Hearts and bestows various effects on Link. Meals are cooked by broiling up to five edible Materials at cooking pots, such as meat, berries, fruits or herbs. Elixirs can be mixed by including monster parts in various recipes. Depending on chosen ingredients, Link's health will be replenished and/or he will receive effects such as Elemental Resistance, additional Stamina or Hearts, or buffs to his Defense, Attack, or Speed potency.

Equipment & Durability[]

Link can equip a vast variety of different Equipment in Breath of the Wild, including Weapons, Bows and Arrows, Shields, and Armor, allowing for adaptation to the ever-changing environment of Hyrule and tactics used by different enemies. Notably, almost all Weapons, Bows, and Shields found in the game will break after a certain amount of hits. (Contrary to popular belief, the durability value of any weapon is not the number in the bottom right corner of the weapon icon.) This new Durability system often forces Link to use Equipment salvaged from enemies, even weak ones, instead of just wielding the best Sword available in the game. Equipment that has not been used at all, and thus has sustained no damage, is indicated by a sparkle on the top-right corner of its icon in the Inventory screen. An Equipment that is close to breaking will have a flashing red icon, and a brief notification will appear whenever it is taken out.

Rune Abilities[]

Main article: Rune

Completing the initial four Ancient Shrines on the Great Plateau bestows Link with four Rune abilities: Magnesis, Stasis, Cryonis and Remote Bombs. These abilities allow Link to manipulate the environment by lifting magnetic objects, freezing objects (and later enemies) in time, creating blocks of ice on water surfaces, and summoning bombs. Other Runes, such as the Camera Rune, can also be found. Together with climbing and paragliding, these abilities are used throughout the rest of the game and (for the very most part) sufficient to solve puzzles and access most of Hyrule. As a consequence, the game does not feature traditional dungeon items that grant abilities to Link.

Game Information[]

Development[]

BotW Guardian Firing

During E3 2014, a video introduced various gameplay elements of Breath of the Wild

The Zelda HD Experience, a The Legend of Zelda tech demo of the Wii U, was shown at E3 2011. In June 2011, Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that Nintendo is planning on creating an HD The Legend of Zelda title.[11] Development of Breath of the Wild started immediately after the development of Skyward Sword ended.[12]

Breath of the Wild was officially announced in a Wii U Direct presentation on January 23, 2013. Eiji Aonuma stated that the game intended to challenge what was expected of The Legend of Zelda franchise, such as having to complete dungeons in a specific order. The game was already expected to have a long development time, so Nintendo released The Wind Waker HD for the Wii U to decrease the gap between releases.[13] During E3 2014, the first video of the game was shown, revealing Link riding a horse, in addition to a Guardian and Hyrule Field. During the Game Awards 2014, Miyamoto and Aonuma showcased another gameplay video. It demonstrated the scale of Hyrule, which was designed with the open world concept of the original The Legend of Zelda in mind.[14] It also showed the first use of the Paraglider, map features, as well as additional riding and fighting mechanics. Features to be used on the Wii U gamepad were also shown during these videos, which were later removed during development, when the game was ported to Nintendo Switch.

BotW Happy New Year Artwork

Leading up to the game's release, promotional images were released by Nintendo's various social media outlets

The game's original release was intended for 2015, but as new ideas were implemented during development, the release date was pushed forward several times.[15] The final release window of the game was first revealed in financial documents released in March 2016, and later confirmed by Nintendo via Twitter.[16]

During E3 2016, the game's first playable demo was made available for visitors. It featured the Great Plateau area and showed many new elements of the game, such as Perfect Dodging, the creation of Food by collecting Materials, the use of enemy Weapons, the return of the Stamina Gauge, new mini-Dungeons called Ancient Shrines and the Sheikah Slate.

Nintendo revealed the final March release date of Breath of the Wild during the Nintendo Switch presentation in January 2017.[2] Shortly afterwards, on February 9, 2017, the game was completed after more than five years of development.[17]

A sequel to Breath of the Wild was announced during the Nintendo Direct at E3 2019.

Release[]

Breath of the Wild was released simultaneously worldwide for the Wii U and as a Nintendo Switch launch title on March 3, 2017.[2] The game was later released in Taiwan and South Korea on February 1, 2018, only for the Nintendo Switch.[18][19] The game is the last Nintendo-published title on the Wii U platform.

A version of Breath of the Wild including the Expansion Pass was released in Japan on October 8, 2021.[20]

Special Editions[]

BotW Master Edition Contents

The North American Master Edition

Various special and limited editions for the Switch version of Breath of the Wild were released worldwide.

  • In North America, the Special Edition included the game, a tapestry map, a Sheikah Slate carrying case, a soundtrack with 24 songs, and a Sheikah Eye coin. The Master Edition included the same content as well as a Master Sword statue.
  • In Europe, the Limited Edition included the game, the soundtrack, and the Master Sword statue.
  • In Australia, the Limited Edition included the game, the tapestry map, the soundtrack, the Sheikah Eye coin, and the Master Sword statue.
  • In Japan, the Collector's Edition included the game, the Link (Rider) amiibo, the soundtrack, the tapestry map, and an interchangeable alternate cover. The Deluxe Collector's Edition included the same content as well as the Master Sword statue and 20 postcards.

On November 17, 2017 an Explorer's Edition of the game was released in Mexico and later on in North America and Japan on November 23. This edition featured the game, a 100-page explorer's guide, and a two-sided map.[21] On September 28, 2018 a Starter Pack was released in North America also featuring the game and the explorer's guide.[22] No special edition for the Wii U version of the game was released.

Pre-Order Bonuses[]

Several retailers offered bonus items for pre-ordering the game.[23] These included a black t-shirt featuring the Sheikah Eye in the Nintendo Official UK Store, a Z icon keyring and a poster featuring artwork from the game in GAME retailers, a wristband in Grainger Games, two double-sized art cards in Argos, and a pin badge in ShopTo. In GameStop retailers, a poster featuring the game's cover artwork was included.[24]

Version Differences[]

The Nintendo Switch version has a few benefits over the Wii U version, but is otherwise identical. The game's performance and loading times are better on the Nintendo Switch due to the more powerful hardware, and it further reduces loading times on Switch by overclocking the console's CPU. The Switch's hardware also allows the game to run at a resolution of 900p in TV Mode, while the Wii U can only run the game at 720p.

The Switch version has higher audio quality; the game's audio files have a sample rate of 32000 Hz for Wii U, and 48000 Hz for Switch. The Wii U version requires a DLC to use all the language options that are included in the Switch version by default. In updates, the Switch version exclusively received support for Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), and Korean languages, as well as a mode to play the game using Nintendo Labo VR.

Timeline Placement[]

The plot of Breath of the Wild directly refers to events that take place 10,000 years and 100 years prior to the game's setting. Before the game's release, Eiji Aonuma revealed that Breath of the Wild takes place after Ocarina of Time.[25] In an interview following the game's release, Aonuma touched upon the idea that details of the history of Hyrule may have changed from previous games, similar to how real-world history books are often revised.[26] In an interview with the game's director, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, he stated that Breath of the Wild takes place in the most recent age, long after the previous games.[27] In an interview with Jeuxvideo, Eiji Aonuma clarified that though Breath of the Wild does take place somewhere on the timeline, its exact placement has not been decided, as definitively placing it during development might limit their ability to further develop the story.[28] In a Famitsu magazine interview with Eiji Aonuma for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, Aonuma noted that Twilight Princess HD was the origin point for Breath of the Wild and that while playing Breath of the Wild players may have realizations about elements from Twilight Princess HD.[29]

Many references and connections to previous games in the series can be found throughout Breath of the Wild. These include the presence of the Rito who evolved from the Zora in the Adult timeline, the history of the Zora, which tells the tale about the Sage Ruto who aided the hero in his fight against Ganon.[30] The "Subdued Ceremony" Recovered Memory shows a speech by Zelda which contains references to Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time, and Twilight Princess,[31] as well as to A Link to the Past and The Wind Waker in Japanese and German.[32][33] Many locations are also named after characters and landmarks, such as Arbiter's Grounds, the Temple of Time, and Darunia Lake.

The history section of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Creating a Champion includes an "Age of Myths", which refers to Ganondorf becoming Dark Beast Ganon, and his defeat and sealing by the hero and the princess,[34] eventually giving rise to the Calamity.[35] However it notes that due to such a long time having passed, and historical records having been destroyed during the Great Calamity it is impossible to tell which legends are historical fact and which are mere fairy tale.[36] Tears of the Kingdom would go on to reveal that at least part of this history was incorrect, as the Ganondorf who became the Calamity was sealed away by Rauru, not Link and Zelda.

Amiibo Support[]

File:BotW Series Guardian amiibo NA Box
The Guardian amiibo
Main article: amiibo (Rune)

Breath of the Wild is compatible with all lines of amiibo figures, scannable by using the amiibo Rune ability, which can be activated via the game's options menu. All regular amiibo will grant random items and Materials, while most of The Legend of Zelda-related amiibo will summon treasure chests, containing rarer and sometimes exclusive items (like costumes or special weapons related to the respective games). Additionally, Epona and Wolf Link may be summoned into the game, using the Super Smash Bros. Link and the Wolf Link amiibo, respectively.

A line of Breath of the Wild amiibo figures was also released on the same date as the game, making it the second mainline Zelda game (following Twilight Princess HD) with its own line of amiibo. The figures include two versions of Link, Zelda, a Bokoblin and a Guardian, all featuring their in-game design. This line continued with four amiibo released for The Champions' Ballad DLC; Mipha, Revali, Urbosa, and Daruk. Each amiibo is based on the character's artwork and unlocks a helm based on each Divine Beast.

Speedrun Records[]

Main article: Speedrun Records
Category Runner Time Date
Any% Player5 23m 51s January 2, 2023
Any% (No amiibo) Player5 24m 41s October 21, 2022
100% Ikurapan 15h 27m 24s February 17, 2023
100% (Extended) PancakeTurtle 18h 11m 14s November 14, 2022
All Divine Beast Player5 1h 26m 41s November 3, 2022
All Divine Beast (Extended) keikou_yellow 2h 55m 33s September 10, 2022
All Ancient Shrines iTNTPiston 4h 16m 45s February 16, 2023
All Ancient Shrines (Restricted) orcrist_gc 6h 07m 51s April 12, 2022
All Ancient Shrines (Extended) XiaoXiaMi 5h 30m 58s July 29, 2022
All Ancient Shrines (Extended, Restricted) no submitted runs botw?h=All_Shrines-Extended-Restricted&x=wkpqmw8d-ql6gegv8.zqoy8ox1-onv7j3wn.4lxr334l N/A N/A
All Main Quests Player5 2h 09m 42s November 25, 2022
All Main Quests (Restricted) Zdi 2h 33m 33s July 1, 2022
All Main Quests (Extended) Limcube 4h 33m 00s July 25, 2021
All Main Quests (Extended, Restricted) bggdimm 4h 40m 22s August 3, 2021

Downloadable Content[]

Updates[]

Several free patches have been released for both the Wii U and Switch versions of Breath of the Wild. These updates expand content and patch certain bugs. Unlike the DLC packs, these are downloaded free and automatically upon release.

An initial download intended for the retail Wii U version of the game containing extra game data is required to be installed in order to run the game. The update requires 3 GB worth of space to be installed.[37]

Update Release Date Content
Version 1.1.0 March 2, 2017[38]
  • Adds Downloadable Content and eShop access to the title screen.
Version 1.1.1 March 30, 2017[39]
  • Bug fixes.
Version 1.1.2 April 11, 2017[40]
Version 1.2.0 May 1, 2017[42]
Version 1.3.0 June 29, 2017[43]
  • Adds The Master Trials DLC Pack.[43]
  • Bug fixes.[43]
Version 1.3.1 August 7, 2017[44]
  • Adds the "Tips from the Wild" news channel to the Nintendo Switch version of the game. Set to be opened on August 9, 2017.[44]
  • Bug fixes.
Version 1.3.3 November 9, 2017[45]
Version 1.3.4 November 21, 2017[46]
Version 1.4.0 December 7, 2017[46]
  • Adds The Champions' Ballad DLC Pack.[46]
  • Bug fixes.[46]
Version 1.5.0 January 31, 2018[47]
  • Adds support for Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), and Korean text to the Nintendo Switch version of the game.[47]
    • While using these languages, selecting "Match System Settings" for the Voice Language Option will use the Japanese voice data.[47]
  • Bug fixes.[47]
Version 1.6.0 April 25, 2019[48]
  • Adds support for the VR Goggles from Nintendo Labo Toy-Con.[48]
  • Reduces loading times.[49]

Expansion Packs[]

An Expansion Pass, offering paid downloadable content for Breath of the Wild, was made available upon launch for both the Wii U and Nintendo Switch versions. The Expansion Pass includes two content packs which are not available to purchase individually, as well as additional chests with an exclusive item as a bonus for purchasing the pass. The regular price for the entire DLC is $19.99 USD (¥2500, $28.19 CDN, €19.99, £17.99, $30.00 AUD, $33.00 NZD).[50][51]

The Expansion Pass content is divided as follows:

Pack Release Date Content
Expansion Pass Bonus March 3, 2017 Three Treasure Chests on the Great Plateau containing Bomb Arrows, a Ruby, and an exclusive shirt with the Nintendo Switch logo.[52]
The Master Trials
~ DLC Pack 1 ~


BotW The Master Trials Promo Artwork
June 30, 2017[53]
The Champions' Ballad
~ DLC Pack 2 ~


BotW The Champions' Ballad Promo Artwork
December 7, 2017[54]

Listings[]

Characters[]

Bosses[]

Enemies[]

Dungeons[]

Locations[]

Items[]

Translations[]

Credits[]

Reception[]

Sales[]

BotW TGA 2017 GotY Award

Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi accepting the "Game of the Year" award for Breath of the Wild at The Game Awards 2017

Breath of the Wild was estimated to have sold approximately 1.3 million copies in its first three weeks and around 89% of Switch owners were estimated to have also purchased the game.[55] Sales of the game have remained strong and as of June 30, 2022, the Switch version has sold 27.14 million copies worldwide while the Wii U version has sold 1.69 million copies worldwide as of December 31, 2019,[56][57] giving Breath of the Wild a cumulative total of 28.83 million copies sold.

By March 31, 2018, just thirteen months after its launch, Breath of the Wild, with a cumulative total of 9.56 million copies sold,[58][59] had become the best-selling game in The Legend of Zelda series, excluding remakes, surpassing Twilight Princess's cumulative total of 8.58 million copies sold as of September 30, 2015.[60]

Reviews[]

Upon release, Breath of the Wild was met with critical acclaim by many game reviews.[61] It also earned a Metacritic score of 97 from more than 100 critics, placing it among the highest-rated games of all time.[62][63] Notably, the game received the most perfect review scores for any game listed on Metacritic up to that point.[64]

In 2022, Breath of the Wild was chosen as the best Legend of Zelda game of all time in their "Top 10 Best Zelda Games" list countdown; but was then placed as the "second" best Zelda game in their new revamped version of their "Top 10 Best Zelda Games" list in 2023, right behind it's successor Tears of the Kingdom.[65][66]

Awards[]

Throughout 2016, Breath of the Wild won several awards as a highly anticipated game, including IGN's and Destructoid's Best of E3,[67][68] at the Game Critic Awards 2016,[69] and at The Game Awards 2016.[70] Following its release, Breath of the Wild received the title of "Game of the Year" from the Japan Game Awards 2017,[71] the Golden Joystick Awards 2017,[72] The Game Awards 2017,[73] IGN,[74], GameSpot,[75] and the 18th Game Developers Choice Awards.[76] The win at The Game Awards was notable as Nintendo's first "Game of the Year" award at this ceremony. Breath of the Wild also won in the categories "Best Game Direction" and "Best Action/Adventure Game". Video Game Canon ranks Breath of the Wild as one of the best video games of all time.[77] Metacritic ranked Breath of the Wild as the single best game of the 2010s.[78]

Fan Reception[]

WatchMojo placed Breath of the Wild at the #2 spot in their "Top 10 Legend of Zelda Games of All Time" list countdown, right behind Ocarina of Time.[79] The Completionist ranked Breath of the Wild as his fourth best Legend of Zelda game of all time in his "Top 10 Zelda Games" list countdown, following behind Majora's Mask (#3) & A Link to the Past/A Link Between Worlds (#2 & #1).[80] WatchMojo also considers Breath of the Wild to be the 2nd most difficult Legend of Zelda game to ever complete in their "10 HARDEST Zelda Games To Complete" list countdown over on MojoPlays, right behind Zelda II: The Adventures of Link.[81]

Trivia[]

  • Breath of the Wild is the first main game in the series to be localized into Russian and Dutch. Eiji Aonuma himself appeared in the Russian and Dutch Nintendo Switch presentations to introduce the game to Russian, Dutch, and Flemish players.[82][83] Although the Dutch localization is text only whilst retaining the English voice-overs, the Russian localization covers both text and voice acting.
  • During development of Breath of the Wild, various designs for Link were drafted, including him riding a bike in a tracksuit and a musician Link wielding a guitar.[84] Other concepts for the game included Hyrule Wars and The Legend of Zelda Invasion, the latter featuring an alien attack.[85]
  • Breath of the Wild is the first game in the series since the infamous Philips CD-i Zelda titles to feature voice acting with dialogue.
  • Breath of the Wild is the first game to have Link wear the Champion's Tunic instead of the Green Tunic.

Nomenclature[]

TMC Forest Minish Artwork Names in Other Regions TMC Jabber Nut Sprite
Language Name Meaning
Japan Japanese ゼルダの伝説 ブレス オブ ザ ワイルド (Zeruda no Densetsu Buresu obu za Wairudo) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
People's Republic of China ChineseSI 塞尔达传说 旷野之息 (Sàiěrdá Chuánshuō Kuàngyě zhī Xī) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
ERROR: You must enter a country code. ChineseTR 薩爾達傳說 曠野之息 (Sàěrdá Chuánshuō Kuàngyě zhī Xī) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
French Republic FrenchEU The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Federal Republic of Germany German The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
ERROR: You must enter a country code. Korean 젤다의 전설 브레스 오브 더 와일드 (Jelda-ui Jeonseol Beuleseu obeu deo Waildeu) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Gallery[]

External Links[]

References

  1. "On Skyward Sword, Monolith had mainly helped us on graphics design and other artistic elements. Even though we could have asked them for help on the technical side, we realized their way of making games was completely different from ours and we didn't have much to learn from them on this installment, since we were almost doing two different jobs. On the other hand, for Breath of the Wild, we've been assisted by level designers used to large game areas, in order to make topographic arrangements." —Eiji Aonuma (Monolith Soft's Role In The Development Of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Nintendo, Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017, YouTube (Video), published January 12, 2017, retrieved January 12, 2017.
  3. "Release date
    02/03/2017"
    — Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo.co.uk, retrieved March 24, 2022.
  4. "Date de publication: 03/03/2017" — Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo.co.be, retrieved March 24, 2022.
  5. "Releasedatum: 03-03-2017" — Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo.co.be, retrieved March 24, 2022.
  6. "2018.2.1" — Nintendo HK官方頻道, 『薩爾達傳說 曠野之息』介紹影片 (香港), YouTube (video), published Janurary 23, 2018, retrieved March 24, 2022.
  7. Nintendo, 젤다의 전설 브레스 오브 더 와일드 3RD TRAILER, YouTube (Video), published December 26, 2017, retrieved December 29, 2017.
  8. "Release date: 03/03/2017" — Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo.co.uk, retrieved March 24, 2022.
  9. "Open your eyes. Wake up, Link." — Princess Zelda (Breath of the Wild)
  10. "I assume you have caught full sight of that atrocity swarming around the castle. That... is the Calamity Ganon. It brought ruin and corruption upon the kingdom of Hyrule 100 years ago. It appeared suddenly... destroying everything in its path. Leaving countless innocents in its wake. Over the last century, the kingdom's purest symbol, Hyrule Castle, has been able to contain that evil. But just barely. There it festers, building its strength for the moment it will unleash its blight upon the land once again. It would appear that moment is fast approaching" — Old Man (Breath of the Wild).
  11. "This is an HD system, our first HD system, and we want to create a real HD Zelda game for it. You will see a lot of these in-depth and deep experiences in terms of visual style. You will also see some play styles that are fun and interesting because of the play structure."How the Wii U One Ups Television, Kotaku.
  12. Creating a Champion, Dark Horse Books, pg. 416
  13. Nintendo, Wii U Direct Presentation - 23.01.2013, YouTube.
  14. "One of the main things we wanted to do was go back to the open-world concept of the original 'Zelda' games and design with that in mind." — Derrik J. Lang, Miyamoto on 'Amiibo,' 'Zelda' and 'Mario' Movie, ABC News, retrieved December 18, 2014.
  15. "So, I must apologize to you all that were expecting the game by year's end, but we are no longer making a 2015 release our number one priority." — Nintendo, Eiji Aonuma, producer of The Legend of Zelda, has a message to share., Facebook, published March 27, 2015, retrieved March 27, 2015.
  16. Nintendo, Earnings Release for Fiscal Year Ended March 2016, Nintendo, published April 27, 2016, retrieved April 27, 2016.
  17. Eurogamer: "Let's Take a Look Inside Nintendo's Zelda: Breath of the Wild Wrap Party"
  18. Nintendo of Korea, 「젤다의 전설 브레스 오브 더 와일드」 한글판 2018년 초 정식 발매 결정!, Nintendo of Korea website, published September 27, 2017, retrieved October 5, 2017.
  19. Nintendo Hong Kong, 任天堂(香港)有限公司決定將於2018年初正式發售 『薩爾達傳說 曠野之息』中文版!, Nintendo Hong Kong website, published September 27, 2017, retrieved October 5, 2017.
  20. Nintendo 公式チャンネル, Nintendo Direct 2021.9.24, YouTube (video), published September 23, 2021, retrieved September 23, 2021.
  21. "The second is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Explorer’s Edition, a bundle that includes the critically acclaimed and award-winning Nintendo Switch game, a 100-page explorer’s guide and a two-sided map at a suggested retail price of $59.99." — Brian, Nintendo reveals Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Explorer’s Edition, Zelda 2DS bundle, Nintendo Everything, published November 1, 2017, retrieved November 1, 2017.
  22. "Coming Sep 28, 2018"The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: Starter Pack, Nintendo.com, retrieved August 28, 2018.
  23. "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild marks its long-awaited release for Nintendo Switch and Wii U on 3rd March 2017! You can see the latest trailer for this epic open-air adventure below but if you've already decided to embark on Link's next journey then read on below to see what free bonus items you can get with your pre-order across UK retailers..."The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Pre-order Item Guide, Nintendo UK, published January 31, 2017, retrieved February 19, 2017.
  24. Pre-Order and Pick-up The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and receive an Exclusive Poster!, GameStop, retrieved February 19, 2017.
  25. Game Informer, 51 Questions And Answers About The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, YouTube, published February 09, 2017, retrieved February 11, 2017.
  26. "Hyrule's history has changed with time, and even now there are some occasions of canon histories becoming slightly changed. Some detailed parts in the history books have been changed as well." — Brian, Zelda: Breath of the Wild devs on Ganon and Zelda, story positioning, using open air concept in the future, Nintendo Everything, published April 4, 2017.
  27. "It takes place in an age long, long after any of the titles released to date. It is the most recent age." —Hidemaro Fujibayashi (Breath of the Wild Director Explains Where Game Fits in Zelda Timeline)
  28. "Actually, those timeline-related questions are difficult because we’ve never designed any Zelda games by saying “hey, we’re going to put that game here, we need to have it fit into this period or that one, etc.” That’s not what comes first for us. But indeed, once the game is released and we’ve been able to develop our story, we can tell each other “oh yes, we can make it fit here”, but that’s not important to us. Especially since there could be contradictions in every new game if we tried to follow the timeline. If we can put a game in the timeline, that’s great, but as for Breath of the Wild, we haven’t really decided where it belongs for now." —Eiji Aonuma (Zelda: Breath of the Wild devs on why Hero’s Path Mode was added as DLC, timeline, more)
  29. "While making the latest title for The Legend of Zelda, when I look at this remake, I feel like this is the origin point of the new title we’re making right now. After playing this game you may have some “Oh I see!” moments when playing the [upcoming] new game, so I’ll be glad if you play Twilight Princess HD while waiting in anticipation for the latest title of Legend of Zelda." —Eiji Aonuma (Aonuma: Zelda U will make people want to replay Twilight Princess HD)
  30. "Long, long ago... In a past more distant than even the Great Calamity or the creation of the Divine Beast Vah Ruta... There was a Zora princess named Ruto. [...] Around that same time, an evil man with designs on ruling the world appeared, bringing disaster upon Zora's Domain. It is said that Ruto then awoke as a sage, facing this foe alongside the princess of Hyrule and the hero of legend." — History of the Zora, Part Five—The Sage Princess Ruto (Breath of the Wild)
  31. "Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight...The sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of the Hero." — Princess Zelda (Breath of the Wild)
  32. "Whether the hero crosses the sea, or creates a link to the past, may you always be at his side." — Princess Zelda (Breath of the Wild)
  33. "You cross the seas when you seek the gold made by the gods. May you be alongside the hero." — Princess Zelda (Breath of the Wild)
  34. "Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo, transforms into Dark Beast Ganon and threatens Hyrule. The princess of Hyrule and the chosen hero combine their power to seal Ganon. In a seemingly endless cycle of darkness and light, Ganon continues to be revived and sealed away." (Creating a Champion, Dark Horse Books, [which page?])
  35. "The revived Ganon is sealed away by the princess of the royal family and the hero chosen by the Master Sword, with the help of the Guardians and Divine Beasts built by the Sheikah." (Creating a Champion, Dark Horse Books, [which page?])
  36. "Hyrule's recurring periods of prosperity and decline have made it impossible to tell which legends are historical fact and which are mere fairy tale." (Creating a Champion, Dark Horse Books, [which page?])
  37. "The page now includes an additional note specifically about the game on Wii U. For those who plan on playing the physical version, some game data will need to be installed. More than 3 GB of space is needed in the console’s storage or USB storage device. It seems that USB memory devices (memory stick) can’t be used." — Brian, Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Wii U retail version comes with a 3 GB install, Nintendo Everything, published January 16, 2017, retrieved February 19, 2017.
  38. "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has received its first update ahead of tomorrow’s official launch. Version 1.1.0 is out now. After applying the update, you should see that a “Downloadable Content” section has been brought in to the main menu. It’s unclear if anything else has been added or changed." — Brian, Zelda: Breath of the Wild update available (version 1.1.0), Nintendo Everything, published March 2, 2017, retrieved June 13, 2017.
  39. "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild players now have access to a new patch. Previously, the game was at version 1.1.0. After applying the update, it will be at 1.1.1." — Brian, Zelda: Breath of the Wild update out now (version 1.1.1), Nintendo Everything, published March 30, 2017, retrieved June 13, 2017.
  40. "Following the new update released at the end of March, another new patch has just been distributed for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Players can download version 1.1.2 right now." — Brian, Zelda: Breath of the Wild update out now (version 1.1.2), Nintendo Everything, published April 11, 2017, retrieved June 13, 2017.
  41. 41.0 41.1 41.2 Brian, Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s 1.1.2 update appears to fix a glitches with a boss, infinite arrows, Nintendo Everything, published April 12, 2017, retrieved June 13, 2017.
  42. 42.0 42.1 42.2 "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has received a new update. Version 1.2.0 is out now on both Switch and Wii U. As detailed in today’s announcement covering Breath of the Wild’s first DLC pack, players can experience the game in one of nine audio languages: Japanese, English, French (France), French (Canada), German, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), Italian, and Russian, with a different language used for on-screen text. Note that on Wii U, you’ll need to download the Voice Pack from the eShop." — Brian, Zelda: Breath of the Wild update out now (version 1.2.0), Nintendo Everything, published May 1, 2017, retrieved June 13, 2017.
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  49. GameXplain, Zelda BotW's 1.6.0 Update Makes Load Times Way Faster! Time Difference Compared!, YouTube (Video), published April 27, 2019, retrieved April 27, 2019.
  50. "Starting when The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild launches on March 3, players will be able to purchase an Expansion Pass for $19.99, granting access to two new sets of downloadable content for the game when they become available later this year." — Nintendo, A Special Announcement from Eiji Aonuma, The Legend of Zelda official site, published February 14, 2017, retrieved February 14, 2017.
  51. "The Expansion Pass will be available for both the Nintendo Switch and Wii U versions of the game and are identical. Content packs cannot be purchased individually." — Nintendo, A Special Announcement from Eiji Aonuma, The Legend of Zelda official site, published February 14, 2017, retrieved February 14, 2017.
  52. "Immediately upon pre-purchase or purchase of the Expansion Pass, three new treasure chests will appear in the game's Great Plateau area. One of these treasure chests will contain a shirt with a Nintendo Switch logo that Link can wear during his adventure, exclusive to the Expansion Pass. The other two will deliver useful items." — Nintendo, A Special Announcement from Eiji Aonuma, The Legend of Zelda official site, published February 14, 2017, retrieved February 14, 2017.
  53. "The Master Trials, DLC Pack 1 for The Legend of #Zelda: Breath of the Wild arrives June 30!" — Nintendo of America, [1], Twitter, published June 13, 2017, retrieved June 13, 2017.
  54. "The second content pack will launch in Holiday 2017, and adds new challenges that will let players enjoy a new dungeon and a new original story." — Nintendo, A Special Announcement from Eiji Aonuma, The Legend of Zelda official site, published February 14, 2017, retrieved February 14, 2017.
  55. The Verge: Video-Game Exclusives Still Matter
  56. "27.14 million pcs." — Nintendo, Top Selling Title Sales Units, Nintendo IR Information (Archive), published August 3, 2022, retrieved September 14, 2022.
  57. 2020 CESA Games White Papers, Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association, [which page?]
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  59. "For Wii U, while The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released worldwide in March and reached sales of 1.08 million units, the Wii U software sales volume during this period was 14.8 million units (46% decrease on a year-on-year basis) and hardware sales were in alignment with our expectations at the start of the fiscal year, decreasing to a sales volume of 0.76 million units (77% decrease on a year-on-year basis)." — Nintendo, Annual Report 2017 for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, Nintendo IR Information (Archive), published July 14,2017, retrieved December 11,2017.
  60. "『ゼルダの伝説』シリーズ最多の、世界累計販売本数885万本(※)を誇る『ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス』が、フルHDとなってWii Uで甦ります。

    ※2015年9月30日時点のWii版とゲームキューブ版の合算値。自社調べ。
    "
    — Nintendo, ゼルダの伝説 トワイライトプリンセス HD | Wii U | 任天堂, Nintendo.co.jp, published n.d., retrieved September 2, 2017.
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  69. "Although Battlefield 1 led the way with the most nominations, it's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that's walked away with the top prize from the E3 2016 Game Critics Awards." — Chris Pereira, Here Are E3 2016's Game Critics Award Winners, GameSpot, published July 5, 2016, retrieved December 11, 2017.
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  84. "Link himself went through some trial and error. Meet Biker Link, Tracksuit Link and Musician Link." — Nintendo of America, GDC 2017, Twitter, published March 1, 2017, retrieved March 1, 2017.
  85. "Before there was #Zelda: Breath of the Wild there was.. Hyrule Wars? And an alien attack!? The early concepts were definitely wild." — Nintendo of America, GDC 2017, Twitter, published March 1, 2017, retrieved March 1, 2017.
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