Check Out This Incredible Breath of the Wild Concept Art from Master Works Book
Posted on April 18 2018 by Sean Gadus
A Japan-exclusive Breath of the Wild book has revealed some stunning concept art created during Breath of the Wild‘s development. Some of the beautiful images from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which was released late last year, have started to make their way online through My Nintendo News and other sites across the web. These images depict early designs for Divine Beasts, in-game characters, and so much more.
Because Nintendo is usually quite secretive and guarded about the development of The Legend of Zelda games, it is fascinating to see some of the intriguing early designs and different ideas that ultimately didn’t make it into the final game. Interestingly enough, some of the designs shown, including sketches of Rito Village, appear very similar in the final game, yet other sketches show things that are completely different from the finished product.
Some of the highlights from the concept art include prototype and early models for Divine Beasts. Some of these designs would feel right at home in classic science fiction stories, including a design that looks like a flying saucer with thin tentacles/legs (complete with Link and Epona in the background). Other designs for early Divine Beasts include a crab, along with a manta ray that is reminiscent of the Gyorg Pair from The Minish Cap.
In addition to the alternate Divine Beast designs, there are are some beautiful pieces depicting early designs for NPCs and enemies. A variety of different characters are depicted including the Sheikah tribe, Wizzrobes, and the Great Fairies. For my money, the most interesting character sketches are alternate designs for Zelda, many of which look vastly different from her final look. Other designs include what might be prototype guardians, which have similarities to the Phantoms from Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks.
My favorite piece of concept art is an expansive shot of Hyrule Castle Town Square before its destruction. The colorful design, along with the bustling NPCs pictured, make me want to see this design brought to life in a future game. One of the things I thought was missing in Breath of the Wild was a large central town, and it would be amazing to see a fully developed Hyrule Castle Town in a future game. It would be interesting to know if the concept art was used only for reference or if Hyrule Castle Town was originally planned to be playable in a pre-Calamity Ganon time period.
Please check out all the stunning concept art in the gallery below. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Master Works is currently a Japan exclusive, but it is available for import from Play Asia right here.
What do you think of the concept art released? Are there any pieces that you find significant, exciting or interesting?
Source: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Master Works (via My Nintendo News)
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Sean Gadus is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. His first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time, and he loves all of the 3D Zelda games from 1998-2011. The final battle of Tears of the Kingdom is one of his favorite final battles in the entire series. He wants to help build a kinder, more compassionate world. You can check out his other written work at The-Artifice.com.
