Breath of the Wild’s Director Explains the Inspiration Behind Eventide Island
Posted on December 23 2017 by Alexis S. Anderson
In the debut episode of the Nintendo Power Podcast, host Chris Slate sat down with Breath of the Wild producer Eiji Aonuma and director Hidemaro Fujibayashi to talk about the game’s development. When the trio started discussing unique in-game locations, Slate brought up Eventide Island. On Eventide, Link is stripped of his equipment and must complete a shrine quest using only the resources available on the island. When asked where this idea came from, Fujibayashi explained it was a way to bring back the “initial feeling of survival, and pressure” that players experience at the start of the game.
Fujibayashi said:
“Initially when you start Breath of the Wild, Link wakes up naked, and the first weapon you ever have is probably a tree branch. When I started the game, I definitely felt that adventure and survival… And as the game progresses, it definitely feels a lot safer because you have so much armor and equipment. So in the game you can, of course, get to this island at any point, but [you’ll find it] probably around maybe the middle of the game. We wanted to go back to that initial feeling of survival, and pressure, and not knowing what kind of enemy you’ll encounter. So that’s why we implemented that island in the game.”
Eventide certainly was a surprise to come upon during the middle of the adventure, and I myself felt absolutely helpless without my equipment. But, I felt like a warrior as I slowly built up my inventory and found creative ways to fight enemies without taking much damage, so the island definitely served its purpose.
Following Fujibayashi’s explanation, Aonuma commented that a similar challenge was implemented in Skyward Sword. While he didn’t specify, it’s likely he was referring to Link’s third visit to Eldin Volcano when he is jailed by Bokoblins who steal his weapons and items, which Link must reclaim one-by-one. After the comment, Fujibayashi replied playfully saying, “Yeah. I like to reset players from the beginning, I guess.”
Those who would like to listen to the Eventide discussion themselves may do so starting at the 53:45 mark of the podcast.
What did you think of Eventide Island? Were you pleasantly surprised to relive the survival aspect from the beginning of the game, or did the challenge just stress you out? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Source: Nintendo Power Podcast
Alexis S. Anderson is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon who joined the writing team in November, 2014. She has a JD from the UCLA School of Law and is pursuing a career in Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law. She grew up in the New Jersey suburbs with her parents, twin brother, and family shih-tzu.
