The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Tribute

The game pays tribute to late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata through the character Botrick, who bears a striking resemblance to Iwata. Botrick tells Link about the Satori Mountain, with "Satori" being derived from Iwata's first name Satoru. At top of the mountain is a mystical horse called the Lord of the Mountain, whose Hyrule Compendium entry reads:

"This noble creature watches over all animals that make their homes in the forest. Legends say this holy creature is a reincarnation of a sage that died on the land it now protects. It has an acute awareness of its surroundings, so it seldom appears before people. It's also known by its other name, Satori."

Delay

The game was originally announced for a Wii U release in 2015, but was later delayed to a 2016 release as developers felt the game would not be finished for a 2015 release. Early in 2016 it was announced that the game was going to be delayed again to 2017, where it was finally released on not only the Wii U but also Nintendo's new console, the Switch.

Guardian Music

The music that plays during Guardian battles is monotonous due to the length of the battles, with most weaker players being defeated quickly and most stronger players being able to destroy them quickly. Unusually, 1 minute and 13 seconds into the music, the rhythm briefly changes to a slightly more upbeat tune before changing back; Nintendo likely implemented this to ensure the music doesn't sound monotonous in the event that a player somehow manages to drag out a Guardian battle for a very long time, but it means that most players will never hear this tune.

The End of an Era

The game was the final Nintendo game to be released on the Wii U.

Awards

• The Dragon Awards
  • 2017 – Best Science Fiction or Fantasy PC / Console Game – Won
• The Game Awards
  • 2017 – Game of the Year – Won
  • 2017 – Best Game Direction – Won
  • 2017 – Best Art Direction – Nominated
  • 2017 – Best Score / Music – Nominated
  • 2017 – Best Audio Design – Nominated
  • 2017 – Best Action/Adventure Game – Won