I highly doubt that I share much in common with Shigeru Miyamoto. We come from different generations, cultures, and likely diverge on how we view games as a medium. One thing that I do know we share is a fascination with exploration, reaching all the way back into our childhoods.
One of my favorite activities as a child was to "trek the creek", where I would put on large rubber boots multiple sizes too large and wander into the forest behind my home. I would follow the small steam for what seemed like miles, going as far as I could until something seemed insurmountable; after which I would turn around and head back home.
One of the most commonly recounted creation myths in games is that of The Legend of Zelda, how Miyamoto's adventures around his own childhood home inspired the spirit of this legendary series.
Breath of the Wild was not directed or designed by Miyamoto, it's truly unknown how much say he actually had in the project. What is known is the game's intent; to recapture that original free spirit. To create a game in which players could wander, and create their own adventure.
I still remember when I found a waterfall on one of my treks up that creek. It was late in a summer afternoon, the sun that found its way though the trees bounced off the water to make it appear almost golden. I've never returned to it, I doubt that the reality would stand up to my idyllic memories, but I don't care. The way it exists in my mind is enough.
Breath of the Wild brought new life to a series that had grown stale. It does so by honoring the original inspiration for the series. Before it was a series about narrative and puzzles, there was only a world to explore and the will to explore it for it's own sake. It's one of a very few games to ever capture that feeling I felt while wandering in the woods during my youth. The way it exists in my mind is enough.
One of my favorite activities as a child was to "trek the creek", where I would put on large rubber boots multiple sizes too large and wander into the forest behind my home. I would follow the small steam for what seemed like miles, going as far as I could until something seemed insurmountable; after which I would turn around and head back home.
One of the most commonly recounted creation myths in games is that of The Legend of Zelda, how Miyamoto's adventures around his own childhood home inspired the spirit of this legendary series.
Breath of the Wild was not directed or designed by Miyamoto, it's truly unknown how much say he actually had in the project. What is known is the game's intent; to recapture that original free spirit. To create a game in which players could wander, and create their own adventure.
I still remember when I found a waterfall on one of my treks up that creek. It was late in a summer afternoon, the sun that found its way though the trees bounced off the water to make it appear almost golden. I've never returned to it, I doubt that the reality would stand up to my idyllic memories, but I don't care. The way it exists in my mind is enough.
Breath of the Wild brought new life to a series that had grown stale. It does so by honoring the original inspiration for the series. Before it was a series about narrative and puzzles, there was only a world to explore and the will to explore it for it's own sake. It's one of a very few games to ever capture that feeling I felt while wandering in the woods during my youth. The way it exists in my mind is enough.