Rumor: New Nintendo Patents May Hint at Breath of the Wild 2 Gameplay Mechanics
Posted on December 16 2021 by Mike Midwood
At E3 2021, Nintendo finally gave us another teaser for the sequel to Breath of the Wild. While the story and setting implications were fascinating, those with a keen eye likely noticed a few seemingly new gameplay mechanics not seen in the previous title, or any Zelda game for that matter. While there has been no further official information, European gaming outlet Gamereactor is reporting that they have discovered a trio of patents filed by Nintendo in May of 2021. The patents are legitimate, confirmed by their publication with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and their contents appear very similar to the unique mechanics seen in the aforementioned E3 teaser.
Please Note: The only thing that can be confirmed for sure is that Nintendo has filed these patents. Any speculation of connection or implementation with the Breath of the Wild sequel is just that: speculation. No official information to this effect currently exists.
The first patent, seen above, recalls the free-fall we see Link engaged in at the teaser’s outset. The figure meant to represent a player-controlled character has outstretched arms and seems surrounded by structures at different depths. There’s even a bow strapped to the figure’s back.
The patent abstract describes a scenario in which “…an operation input for causing a player character that is falling, to perform a special action including a shooting action of shooting a predetermined object, an example of an information processing apparatus changes the posture of the player character that is falling, according to a component, regarding at least a pitch direction, of the direction of a virtual camera based on a camera operation input.” If we apply this to the free-falling seen in the teaser, this may indicate that players can control Link, the camera, and fire a bow with both lock-on and manual aiming. This could certainly lead to some exciting moments!
Another patent, seen above, looks very similar to something seen at the 45 second mark of the E3 teaser, in which Link appears to stop a rolling spike ball, and send it backward through positions in its trajectory, damaging some Bokoblins.
The abstract for the above image describes “…a designated object selected based on an operation input is caused to perform return movement to return to previously recorded positions and orientations, sequentially backward from the time of giving a start instruction based on the operation input.” This could potentially indicate a new time-reversal power that can be applied to objects, or an upgrade to Breath of the Wild‘s existing Stasis ability.
Finally, the above patent image is difficult not to connect with Link’s new ability seen in the teaser, where he can pass through solid platforms from underneath to arrive on top of them. The image seems to indicate that the player figure can pass upward through surfaces in certain circumstances, but not in others.
The abstract states that, under certain conditions “…the information processing apparatus moves the player character to the destination, based on an operation input performed by the player.” This may suggest that the ability seen in the teaser may not be context-sensitive, but a dynamic power that can be used at will, under the right conditions.
It should be restated that, other than the fact that Nintendo filed these patents, all of the above is purely speculation. No official statement regarding a relationship between these patents and any upcoming game, including the sequel to Breath of the Wild, exists as of this article’s writing. That said, it is obvious why eager Zelda fans would see parallels between the new mechanics seen in the teaser and these patents. You can read the full vitals and abstracts about the first, second, and third patents discussed above at the corresponding links.
What do you think of these patents filed by Nintendo? If these were to become mechanics in the finished game, what kind of scenarios would you like to see them used in? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Gamereactor
Hi, I’m Mike Midwood and I’m a Senior Editor at ZeldaDungeon! Video games and literature are my greatest joys in life. An avid Zelda fan, some of my other favorite games include the Resident Evil and Dark Souls series. I hope you enjoy my content here on ZeldaDungeon!
“The sword has no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage.”
