San Francisco, Calif. – The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is happening from February 27to March 3, 2017. This is known as the largest congregation of professional video games developers held annually. One of the video games that created quite a buzz during the GDC is Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Nintendo presented a prototype of the video game in the GDC, but in an 8-bit graphics. That’s right, the prototype of the game was in 2D. According to the game director, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, they used the said prototype to experiment with the multiplicative gameplay.
The idea of using a 2D prototype for game testing is to allow the players to explore the different scenarios. The developers are testing the video game to make the objects in it react to the action of the players. In turn, the objects also react to each other.
With this aim, according to Fujibayashi, the game he had in mind was the original NES The Legend of Zelda – where there will be new discoveries while navigating the parts of the screen. Players can find new solutions by just scrolling through the surroundings.
The new game is set to be released on March 3. The 2D prototype is the final teaser, just a few hours before its release. Gamers are in the lookout for the game since it was first announced in 2013.
The video game is said to be the last Nintendo-developed game for Wii U, but will serve as a launch title game for the upcoming Nintendo Switch. Breath of the Wild is the 19th main installment in the series of The Legend of Zelda.
With a number of predecessors, gamers are curious about what the new game has to offer. As the developers emphasized, the game is designed with the concepts of exploration and freedom. Also, according to Fujibayashi, the game aims to give gamers a new sense of adventure.
Furthermore, the gameplay in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild makes most of the moves in a puzzle. For example, the game would involve a lot of climbing terrains and towers. Instead of just finding a ledge to climb and proceed continuously like in other video games, the stamina of the character and slope of the climb is taken into account.
There are instances where the players can find objects to assist them in the climb. With this, the climb itself becomes a puzzle, and not just a move in the game. With this, players should be aware of the objects to get or some powers to unlock to get through particular challenges in the game.
The credits for the development of a game that allows the players to explore like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild could be attributed to its 2D prototype. With this, the developers can easily weigh whether the players would be engaged in the game and will continue to the end. Are you up for this new challenge?
