The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild demo was updated in Japan, and it teases some tiny story details alongside new features and recipes. Link’s inventory can expand!
The information was found in Japanese GameCenter CX footage from late last month. It mostly flew under the radar after its release, but Botw_Comp on reddit and Zelda Informer have since provided an intriguing deep dive.
First and foremost, it’s been confirmed that Link’s inventory in Breath Of The Wild can actually become larger. Around the video’s 14-minute mark, we see a 5x4 materials grid. Just 10 minutes later, Link can draw from an additional 5x4 grid. Two icon dots near the apple indicator seem to signify multiple pages. What we don’t know, however, is how the slots were added. Will the inventory grow as we collect items? Will the space unlock at a certain level? We don’t get an indication of that here.
Also strange are some new details about the Old Man that could relate to Breath Of The Wild’s story. In contrast to standing in one spot like the E3 2016 demo, this new build shows him sitting at a cooking location and chopping wood near the Woodsman’s cabin. In fact, he leaves a journal entry inside that very cabin. It reads, “on this plateau that people don’t come near, my one and only fun is cooking.”
This tells us that Breath Of The Wild will feature the same object-based storytelling made popular in recent titles such as BioShock and Gone Home. For the game’s story in particular, we wonder why people refuse to come near the plateau. The lack of NPCs was noted by many at E3, but what does it mean? More importantly, why has Link been resurrected in such a dangerous place? Why is the Old Man there? The answers to these questions will likely be critical plot elements.
Beyond that, the demo also features a few previously unseen cooking recipes for what appear to be grilled fish, a fruity mushroom dish, roasted acorns, Ninja Elixir and Go-Go elixir. The Ninja Elixir is a stealth buff, while Go-Go increases speed. The names are all subject to change due to translation, of course.
There’s a small change to the Game Over screen as well. When Link is killed by an enemy the text is red. If the death is environmental, the words display in blue. It will be interesting to see if there are any other scenarios with varying colors to match. It’s a tiny detail, but it was instrumental in tipping off fans that this footage showed a new build of the existing demo.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild comes to Nintendo Switch and Wii U in 2017. Speculation suggests it might not be a launch game for the former platform.
What do you think of these updated impressions? What story details are you dying to know? Tell us in the comments section!
