A Zelda superfan steamrolled ‘Breath of the Wild’ into a 2D NES game

By Gabe Gurwin April 24, 2017

Breath of the NES V2 Trailer (TOTAL GRAPHICAL REVAMP)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild pushes the franchise into an exciting new direction, and it looks absolutely stunning on the Nintendo Switch, but fans of the earlier, top-down 2D Zelda games could feel like they’re being left behind. During the game’s development, Nintendo actually made a prototype that looks quite a bit like the original The Legend of Zelda, and a fan has released a playable version that you can try right now.

“After being inspired by Nintendo’s 2D prototype of Breath of the Wild, I’ve decided to try out making my own fan game!” said developer Winter Drake on the game’s itch.io page. “‘Breath of the NES’ offers a new adventure in the classic Zelda style, but with smooth animations and a more interactive world!”

Looks can be deceiving — from a distance, the game appears to be almost identical to The Legend of Zelda, but newer gameplay features like weaponizing falling trees, a day-to-night cycle, and a quick-switch item menu that features a number of never-before-seen objects and weapons. It allows the player to explore the open world and defeat enemies, though it isn’t a “full” game.

Nintendo originally created the 2D Breath of the Wild prototype as the game drew large influence from the very first The Legend of Zelda — particularly in its environment and approach to emergent gameplay. Though Breath of the Wild introduced new gameplay mechanics and dungeon system, its focus on near-immediate freedom to explore the world and its “teach by doing” style are clear throwbacks to video games of the ’80s and early ’90s.

Drake is well aware that Nintendo could send him a cease-and-desist letter, as he hasn’t received permission to use the game’s characters, but that won’t put an end to the project. According to an interview with Kotaku, he’ll simply use original characters, instead.

How do you feel about “de-makes?” What are some games you’d like to see given the retro treatment? Let us know in the comments!

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom DLC is not happening, says Nintendo

Link and other characters from Tears of the Kingdom.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is one of the year's most successful games, but a developer from Nintendo has confirmed that it doesn't have plans to make any DLC for it. Speaking to the Japanese publication Famitsu, series producer Eiji Aonuma confirmed this was the case because the development team had already explored all of the ideas they wanted to in the base game and is now looking to the future.

"At this time, we are not planning to release additional content. We feel like we have already fully explored and exhausted the gameplay possibilities in this world," Aonuma said in comments translated by Video Games Chronicle. "Initially, the reason we decided to develop a sequel was because we believed there was still value in experiencing new gameplay within that particular Hyrule. If, in the future, we find a compelling reason, we may revisit that world once again. Whether it’s another sequel or an entirely new title, I believe the next game will offer a completely new experience."
While Aonuma's explanation is sound, it's still a pretty surprising move by Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild received two expansions after it came out in 2017. Some fans expected that Tears of the Kingdom would follow in that game's footsteps, especially as it would make sense for Nintendo to find more ways to capitalize on a game that has already sold 18.51 million copies. Still, it's probably best for Nintendo to move on from Tears of the Kingdom and create something new rather than making underwhelming DLC for the sake of having post-launch content.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now for Nintendo Switch.

Gaming

The best Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom mods

Link giving a thumbs-up with a smile.

With the addition of the Ultra Hand and Fuse abilities in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it might feel like you're already playing the game with mods enabled. This power lets you pick up, connect, build, and combine nearly every item in Hyrule. We've already seen people push the boundaries with what they can create using the default tools, but there will always be some things just out of reach for players. Well, that is until mods are entered into the equation. Because Tears of the Kingdom is a Switch game, mods take a bit more work to not only make but play as well. Unlike PC games, you can't just download a file, plop it in your game, and go. If you're willing to put in a little work, there are some amazing mods out there to add another couple dozen hours to your playtime. Here are the best mods in Tears of the Kingdom.
How to mod Tears of the Kingdom
If you are just looking to play mods, not create them, then the process isn't terribly complex. There is a nice tutorial laid out you can follow here, which also includes a link to the Tears of the Kingdom modding Discord where you can go if you need to ask more specific questions.
Rinkuru v0.5.3/Rinkuru Pronouns and Dialogue

For those a bit out of the loop, Rinkuru is the Japanese name for the female Link we know as Linkle from the Hyrule Warriors games. It has since been adapted to simply be the female version of Link. If you were disappointed that you couldn't play as a female in Tears of the Kingdom, these two mods effectively add in a female option. Rinkuru v0.5.3 is a complete model swap from Link to Rinkruru, including new outfits and even some weapons. The companion mod, Rinkuru Pronouns and Dialogue, changes all instances of game dialogue from referring to your character as Link, he, sir, and all other male pronouns are swapped to Rinkuru, she, lady, and so on to fully immerse you as the heroine of Hyrule.
Yet Another Better Sages Mod - With Voices
Yet Another Better Sages Mod

Gaming

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is almost perfect, but it could use these tweaks

Link looking shocked holding rice.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a monumental game. It unleashes player creativity with Ultrahand and Fuse, features three vast open worlds for players to explore, and still tells a rich and enthralling story that expands the mythology of The Legend of Zelda series. Still, no game is perfect. While Tears of the Kingdom will likely go down as my game of the year for 2023 and potentially one of my favorite games ever, there are still a few things that the game could do better.

And no, I’m not talking about removing weapon degradation. After spending hours upon hours with Tears of the Kingdom, some user experience quirks became more annoying and noticeable. None of them are game-breaking, but they are still areas where Nintendo can stand to improve as it updates and expand upon Tears of the Kingdom or potentially do another game in this style. Here's what I hope to see change to make this version of Zelda an even smoother and more seamless experience.
Make disconnecting Ultrahand creations easier
Ultrahand is a revelation for Tears of the Kingdom that allows players to create some really creative things and solve puzzles in any way their minds can imagine. That said, one aspect of its controls still baffles me: the only way to "Unstick" objects stuck to each other is by moving the right stick back and forth or shaking a Joy-Con remote. It's a bafflingly clunky way to do things for what is otherwise such a delicate and precise building system.