When the new "Legend of Zelda" game was originally revealed two years ago, it had a 2015 release date. It's now mid-2016, and we're still not playing a new "Zelda" game at home.
The game is now launching simultaneously for Wii U and Nintendo's new console (the NX) sometime in 2017. So, what gives?
Turns out there's a simple explanation for the delay, according to Nintendo: the physics. Specifically, it's the complex, somewhat realistic version of gravity that allows players to roll boulders down hills, let the wind carry bombs, and more fun activities in the game's massive open world.
In an interview with IGN, "Zelda" series mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto said that adding complex physics simulations to the game added unexpected development hurdles that necessitated the long delay.
”We really felt like we would be able to get it done last year, but there was a lot of struggle with using the physics engine, so that’s why it took a long time," Miyamoto said.
Physics like those in "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" are not new to games. The "Halo" games have let players fling dead bodies around like ragdolls for 15 years, and "Half Life 2" let players use the Gravity Gun to throw objects around in 2004.
Nintendo, however, has rarely made use of the technology. Implementing such a system into an enormous world like the one in "Breath of the Wild" was undoubtedly difficult.
For longtime "Zelda" fans, this delay is nothing new. We've come to expect each new game in the series to get delayed at least once. Nintendo is notoriously careful with its major series, like "The Legend of Zelda" and "Super Mario." Miyamoto's philosophy on this strategy has long been expressed through an oft-quoted statement: "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad."
As much as we'd love to play the game sooner than later, we can't help but agree with that logic.
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