One of the more interesting aspects of the development process of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, was how Nintendo prototyped the game in a pseudo-2D first. At the Game Developer Conference it showed this off in all its glory, highlighting a game that looks very much like the original Zelda releases on the NES.
The game looks so good in its 2D iteration, that many people have said they would play a game like that now, suggesting it could be worth Nintendo considering making a Zelda game of yesteryear in the future.
The game wasn't actually built in 2D, though it looks like it from a certain perspective. In reality it was 3D, but Nintendo didn't use much verticality in its construction. The game's physics engine was also running the whole time too, so Nintendo was able to take that protoype and start building on top of it quite easily.
The 2D #Zelda prototype we discussed earlier? It was actually 3D, running BotW’s physics and "chemistry" engine in the background! pic.twitter.com/xouThXgwqb
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 1, 2017
This is the best look we have at the Breath of the Wild prototype for now, as though anything can be shared from GDC, only press and developers were allowed to attend. However we expect the Vault Series from GDC to release a full-length video of the presentation over the next few months, so keep your eyes peeled for more 2D Zelda in the future (thanks VG247).
Image source: Kit Ellis/Twitter