Eiji Aonuma Reflects On Similarities Between Breath of the Wild and Shadow of The Colossus

Amongst Zelda fans, it is not uncommon to hear praises sung of the Japanese game studio Team Ico and it’s director, Fumito Ueda. The studio has achieved critical renown for action-adventure titles such as Ico, Shadow of The Colossus, and 2016’s The Last Guardian. The action-adventure genre isn’t the only thing Team Ico’s titles and the Zelda series have in common, however. In an interview with French publicaton Le Monde, when questioned about the similarities between the climbing mechanics in Breath of The Wild and those of Shadow of The Colossus, Aonuma replied:

Speaking of the climbing mechanic, there is another game that makes heavy use of this feature: Shadow of the Colossus. It was influenced by Zelda, and influenced it in turn since Twilight Princess. Do you enjoy the games and style of Fumito Ueda?

It’s funny that you’re mentioning this game, because we are friends with Mr. Ueda and he’s always said that he wanted to make a game like Zelda – hence the similarities in Shadow of the Colossus. Mr Ueda was kind enough to send me a copy of The Last Guardian late last year and as I was playing it, I could notice the moments when you climb on Trico’s head to find a path, and jump to reach places that were inaccessible from the height you were at. Without seeing each other or talking about it, I realize we had the same idea. It’s amusing to see we had the same inspirations, the same gameplay velleities at different times.

It’s truly fascinating to see how one concept can be interpreted by multiple developers. Many fans have pointed out that the trailers for Breath of the Wild are reminiscent of Shadow of The Colossus, citing both the climbing mechanics and the vastness of the map as indicators of possible Team Ico inspiration. With Breath of The Wild releasing in little over a month, it will be interesting to see what further comparisons, if any, are drawn between the two games.

Source: Game Kult