The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild taking a few pages from Minecraft and Terraria wouldn’t shock too many of those who have played it. Nintendo has expressed admiration for both titles, and taking their ideas and applying it to the company’s own open world series seems only naturally given their influence on the modern market.
Speaking with EDGE, Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi cited both games as a huge influence on his team.
I was rather inspired by playing Minecraft and Terraria. I was able to learn from the gameplay and the possibilities found in. I could learn from the sense of adventure, exploration and how it inspired curiosity.
He also cited his own adventures outdoors as an influence on some of Link’s more dangerous activities in the open world Hyrule, similar to how Miyamoto used his childhood in the forests of Kyoto as influence on the first Legend of Zelda game.
[We do] things like cave diving where you actually go down into the water to get into the cave, as well as rafting tours and so on. I know this may not be such a big deal in the west, but in Japan it’s quite an adventure!
There are plenty of other sources of influence, too, no doubt
Skyrim, Don’t Starve, and pretty much every open world game on the market. It is impossible to pick out a single game that influenced Nintendo in its reshaping of The Legend of Zelda franchise since everything borrows from one another these days. As soon as a fresh idea appears in an indie title or a major release, it’s only a matter of time before everyone takes it and puts their own spin on it.
Building bases, making items out of resources. Minecraft was a game-changer in the industry, so it will most likely get most of the credit. Whenever somebody comes up with the next big idea, it’ll only be a matter of time before Nintendo gives it a similar treatment.
Unless it’s Nintendo who makes the next big idea, then everyone will want to follow in its path.
