While Nintendo has never explicitly stated Breath of the Wild directly copied from Skyrim, early development reports strongly suggest a degree of influence. The sheer scale and freedom of exploration in both games are undeniably similar. Skyrim’s impact on open-world game design is undeniable, and Breath of the Wild, released several years later, benefited from that evolution.
Specific influences likely include:
- Verticality and exploration: Both games reward climbing and exploring diverse landscapes, offering stunning vistas and hidden locations. Skyrim’s mountainous regions likely inspired the vast, climbable mountains of Hyrule.
- Emergent gameplay: Both games boast systems that encourage player agency and unexpected encounters. While not as reliant on narrative quests as Skyrim, Breath of the Wild similarly offers sandbox-like freedom to approach challenges in diverse ways.
- Environmental storytelling: Both utilize environmental storytelling, conveying narrative information through the world itself rather than solely relying on exposition. Ruined structures and scattered artifacts hint at past events and lore in both games.
However, it’s crucial to note that Breath of the Wild retains its own unique identity. The art style, the emphasis on puzzle-solving, and the distinctive physics-based combat set it apart. The influence of Skyrim likely served as inspiration rather than a direct blueprint. The core mechanics and overall philosophy of the two games remain distinctly different, resulting in a wholly unique experience. It’s more accurate to describe it as inspiration drawn from a common evolution of open-world design rather than direct imitation.
It’s also important to consider other influences: Breath of the Wild likely drew inspiration from a multitude of other open-world titles and non-game sources. The simplicity and elegance of its mechanics, for example, could be attributed to influences outside the realm of open-world RPGs.
Did BotW copy Skyrim?
The claim that Breath of the Wild “copied” Skyrim is a simplification. While both games share certain high-level design elements – an epic open world, compelling characters, and a vast amount of content – the core gameplay loops differ significantly. Let’s break down the similarities and differences.
Similarities:
- Open World Exploration: Both games feature expansive, seamless open worlds encouraging exploration and discovery. However, Skyrim’s world is more linear in terms of progression, heavily reliant on quest markers and a defined main storyline. Breath of the Wild emphasizes emergent gameplay; its world encourages more player agency and less hand-holding.
- Character Customization: While Skyrim offers more direct character building through skills and shouts, Breath of the Wild uses equipment, runes, and cooking to customize Link’s abilities, offering a more indirect, flexible character progression.
- Quest Design: Both games offer a mix of main quests and side quests. However, Skyrim‘s quests are largely narrative-driven, whereas Breath of the Wild incorporates more environmental storytelling and puzzle-solving elements within its side quests.
Differences:
- Gameplay Mechanics: Skyrim’s combat is primarily melee and magic-focused, with a heavy emphasis on RPG elements. Breath of the Wild incorporates physics-based combat with environmental puzzle elements, prioritizing strategic and creative solutions.
- Narrative Structure: Skyrim’s narrative is tightly-woven and linear, often following a pre-defined path. Breath of the Wild boasts a more open narrative structure, offering numerous approaches to completing the main quest and interacting with the world.
- Technological Advancements: While Skyrim was groundbreaking for its time, Breath of the Wild utilizes more advanced technology to create its large-scale world and physics engine, resulting in markedly different gameplay experiences.
- World Design Philosophy: Skyrim‘s world is a product of its time, prioritizing linear narrative progression within a relatively dense, geographically defined area. Breath of the Wild uses procedural generation and environmental storytelling to create a feeling of a vast, uncharted land.
In Conclusion: While sharing surface-level design elements, Breath of the Wild and Skyrim represent distinct approaches to open-world game design. Saying one “copied” the other ignores significant differences in gameplay mechanics, narrative structure, and overall design philosophy.
How does Skyrim influence gaming?
Skyrim’s impact on gaming is profound, particularly its influence on open-world RPG design. Its freeform exploration, where quests and combat organically emerge during player traversal, established a template now ubiquitous. This emergent gameplay, where player choices significantly shape the experience, wasn’t entirely novel, but Skyrim perfected and popularized it, setting a new benchmark for player agency. The sense of achievement fostered by this system – discovering hidden locations, completing challenging quests, and witnessing the Dragonborn’s growth – is a masterclass in game design, effectively creating compelling, player-driven narratives. This success led many developers to emulate Skyrim’s formula, resulting in a surge of open-world RPGs using similar structures, though few have replicated the game’s unique charm and enduring appeal. Consider the impact on crafting systems; Skyrim’s relatively simple but effective smithing and enchanting mechanics directly influenced subsequent RPGs, demonstrating how seemingly minor elements can significantly impact the overall experience and player engagement.
What games did Breath of the Wild inspire?
Breath of the Wild’s impact on the gaming landscape is undeniable. It’s become the gold standard for many open-world titles, cited by countless devs as a major influence. The sheer scale of its exploration and the freedom it grants players is revolutionary; you see its DNA in countless games released since its launch. Think about the emergent gameplay – the way seemingly unrelated systems interact to create unique player experiences – that’s a huge legacy.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, while a spin-off, cleverly utilized BotW’s art style and characters, offering a different but still deeply engaging experience. It’s a great example of leveraging a successful IP’s established world and aesthetic to create something fresh within a different genre (musou).
Then there’s Tears of the Kingdom, the highly anticipated sequel, which builds upon and refines BotW’s groundbreaking formula. Its innovative mechanics and expanded world have already triggered a new wave of comparisons and analyses across the industry, fueling discussions about open-world design and the possibilities of emergent gameplay. We’re seeing many developers studying its verticality and physics systems as potential pathways forward in their own projects.
