The Franchise Festival crew discusses the story, sidequests, and cut content of Breath of the Wild in the second of two episodes on Nintendo’s legendary 2017 release. Chris and Jasmine share their love of Kass while Hamilton and Spencer debate the merits of an easy final boss. The curious etymological roots of the Sheikah are uncovered through a look at their original Japanese names.

Follow the show on Twitter using the handle @franchise_fest, check out our official website for more video game history resources, and be sure to email us at [email protected] to let us know what you think.

Selected Sources:

• Nintendo
  • The Making of Breath of the Wild – The Beginning
  • The Making of Breath of the Wild – Story and Characters
  • The Making of Breath of the Wild – Open-Air Concept
• Game Maker’s Toolkit
  • Game Maker’s Toolkit – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Dungeon Design | Boss Keys
  • Game Maker’s Toolkit – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – An Open World Adventure

The Franchise Festival crew discusses the development, gameplay, and enemies of Breath of the Wild in the first of two episodes on Nintendo’s legendary 2017 release. Chris, Jasmine, Spencer, and Hamilton discover that they have very different opinions on silent protagonists and weapon durability. The surprising connection between Miis and Hylians is revealed.

Follow the show on Twitter using the handle @franchise_fest, check out our official website for more video game history resources, and be sure to email us at [email protected] to let us know what you think.

Selected Sources:

• Game Developers Conference – Breaking Conventions with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Nintendo
  • The Making of Breath of the Wild – The Beginning
  • The Making of Breath of the Wild – Story and Characters
  • The Making of Breath of the Wild – Open-Air Concept
• Game Maker’s Toolkit
  • Game Maker’s Toolkit – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Dungeon Design | Boss Keys
  • Game Maker’s Toolkit – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – An Open World Adventure
• Eurogamer – The big Zelda: Breath of the Wild Interview
• Alice – Breath of the Wild NPC Modder (Twitter)

The Franchise Festival crew discusses 2014 beat-’em-up Hyrule Warriors. Chris dives into the history of the Dynasty Warriors / Musou series more generally, along with the serendipity of Hyrule Warriors‘ creation, while Hamilton explains ‘Musou fatigue’ and Jasmine details the surprising origins of character weapons. Everyone has a good laugh about the reformed Ganondorf.

Selected Sources:

• Game Informer: Hyrule Warriors Interview – Breaking Down The Dynasty Warriors And Zelda Overlap
• Nintendolife: Interview – Eiji Aonuma and Yosuke Hayashi on Hyrule Warriors and Shigeru Miyamoto’s Definitive Role
• Nintendo Everything: Another look at the Hyrule Warriors concept art
• ShaneBrained: All 166 Costumes Origins EXPLAINED – Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition (YouTube)
• ShaneBrained: All 189 Weapons Origins EXPLAINED – Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition (YouTube)

Follow the show on Twitter using the handle @franchise_fest, check out our official Twitch channel for streams of new and classic games, and be sure to email us at [email protected] to let us know what you think.

This bonus feature covers content cut from our A Link Between Worlds/Triforce Heroes episode. In these clips, Spencer, Hamilton, Jasmine, and Chris discuss the history of Nintendo EAD, minigames, comparisons with A Link to the Past, and more. Note that audio quality and editing may be a touch rougher than standard episodes.

Follow the show on Twitter using the handle @franchise_fest, check out our official Twitch channel for streams of new and classic games, and be sure to email us at [email protected] to let us know what you think.