-- Nintendo previously made Zelda games by making small areas and connecting them together — For Breath of the Wild, the team first had
to figure out what needed
to be placed on the map — Groups were created out of the over 300 devs
to work on specific sections of the world — Game Informer's demo starts at Serenne Stable — Yammo runs this place — Link can rest in bed and restore health here — Stable also lets you store horses, meet with merchants, NPCs — Stables are located throughout the world — Each one is run by a distinct character — You can spend rupees on a more expensive bed, giving you an extra heart the
next morning — These hearts are yellow and can't be recovered if you're hit in combat — Spending time by fires in the world passes time — Dynamic weather system in the game, with the world reacting as a result — Ex: when it starts raining, NPCs outside the stable quickly go inside — Beedle is back
to sell you goods — Have
to be careful during a thunderstorm,
since your metal items can attract thunder — Metal weapons and shields can be discarded or thrown at enemies — Link can get killed by lightning — Difficulty dips / spikes depending on where you are,
since you can go around it and avoid it until you're stronger — Over 100 Shrines — You can find an item that identifies Shrines — Discover a Shrine for it
to be a fast - travel point — Shrines also give a Spirit Orb — Trade in orbs for unknown items — Dedicated team handled animal A.I. — Bears, wolves, deer move through the snow — You can get overwhelmed by enemies quickly — Link can keep multiple horses at a time — Affection / loyalty important with horses — Feed and
take care of horses
to raise their stats — Can call horses over
to you, but horses need
to be within a certain proximity
to be called — Horses can be killed by enemies — Aonuma «wanted players
to choose their own path», so no companion character in this game — Stamina meter encopasses sprinting, paragliding, climbing — Meter can be upgraded, but Nintendo won't say how — Different shields have different speeds and
level of control for snowboarding — Can mine rocks which can be solid for rupees or used for crafting — Can place stamps
to mark areas of interest — 100 of these symbols can be used on the map, including sword, shield, bow and arrow, pot, star, chest, skull, leaf, diamond — Every style of weapon has a unique set of animations and feel different — No invincible weapons in the game, Nintendo says — Zelda can get mad at you and scold you — Players can see the ending without seeing everything from the story — A certain element was added in the game
to make for a more cohesive storyline — Most difficult Zelda game
to make — Aonuma is still finding new
things in the world