Upon release, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was showered with praise thanks to its immersive open world. It stands out thanks to the environment's interactivity, allowing players to experiment with different ways of affecting their surroundings that lead to interesting outcomes. Since its release, Breath of the Wild has influenced several other titles, and it is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of open-world design.
Part of what makes Breath of the Wild special is that it manages to impress from the first few seconds. At first, players are limited to the Great Plateau where they can learn the ropes. The Great Plateau serves as an introduction, but unlike most games, it is an engaging tutorial.
The Purpose of Introductions
Plenty of games are simple enough to require just a single screen that show players the controls. However, some are more complex, and people need to be eased into the central mechanics and the expected style of play they will need to succeed. Often this results in an introductory level to explain their mechanics, which are useful but usually the most boring part of a game - especially upon replays.
Recognizing how dull introductions can be, a few games have attempted to reinvent them. This is seen with Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima, which has Jin training with his uncle Lord Shimura, and in doing so, players learn the basic controls and cultural norms of being a samurai. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild also features an introduction neatly wrapped up in the Great Plateau, and it remains one of the greatest examples of the practice to-date.
The Visual Design of The Great Plateau
Link begins Breath of the Wild on the Great Plateau, a place so high up that it would mean certain death if he tried to jump down to explore the rest of Hyrule. Nintendo was quite clever to leave players stuck in the introductory stage, where to acquire the tools they need to progress, they must first master the basic gameplay elements. This is done by speaking to the Old Man and collecting the four Spirit Orbs he desires.
It is certainly not bad to be stuck on the Great Plateau, as it has different environments that are exciting to explore, and it is possible to spend dozens of hours scouring every inch. However, from up high, gamers still have a glimpse of the rest of Hyrule. Constantly seeing interesting things in the distance, including Hyrule Castle covered by the smoldering cloud that is Calamity Ganon, piques one’s curiosity and raises their thirst for adventure. This motivates players to keep collecting the required Spirit Orbs, and have goals to work toward.
Breath of the Wild Perfects the Art of Not Being Patronizing
Seasoned players are likely to avoid introductions when possible, because they tend to be a tad patronizing. It can be annoying to have a game go over basic controls that are identical in almost all others on the market, or to have a game spend time attempting to teach a basic mechanic that could have been figured out intuitively. Fortunately, Breath of the Wild avoids this trap, and although the introduction is edifying, players never feel as though they are being spoon-fed answers.
As players explore the Great Plateau, they come across problems with no obvious solutions. For instance, reaching Keh Namut Shrine to obtain one of the Spirit Orbs involves trekking across a snowy region. However, Link is susceptible to hypothermia, and players must find a way to overcome the problem. There are a few ways to work around this, including cooking meals that raise his body temperature or finding some warm clothing for Link. There are also different ways to reach the shrine, including by raft or climbing. Players are left to experiment, die a few times, and dabble in trial and error, because the rest of the game is similarly open-ended.
Breath of the Wild’s Sequel Should Also Feature a Captivating Introduction
Nintendo has confirmed a Breath of the Wild sequel is on the way, though its name has yet to be revealed. It is expected that there will be lots of changes to Hyrule’s map, which could also mean the Great Plateau will be different. If the Great Plateau is used as a tutorial area again, Nintendo should stick to the same principles that guided Breath of the Wild. However, that does not mean a little innovation is not possible, especially in the realm of introducing more enemy variety, which Hyrule is in desperate need of.
The Great Plateau is incredibly effective at showing players how to excel in Breath of the Wild, but it does not need to slow the action down to do so. Instead, it lets everyone learn by giving them quests and encouraging them to figure things out on their own. While collecting Spirit Orbs, Link has a lovely view of the rest of Hyrule, providing a reason to complete the quests so that he can continue exploring the rest of the map.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available now on Nintendo Switch.