UX of BOTW

The Legend of Zelda series is renowned for being one of Nintendo's best selling game franchise of all time. In 2017, Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which very quickly became a leading example of amazing open-world style of play.

In this presentation, will be analysing Breath of the Wild and drawing parallels between game design and UX/UI design. There are 3 primary aspects we'll discuss:

Game onboarding the tutorials
Illustrations and visual iconography
Open-world style of the game & how it’s inclusivity

The game starts with a narrative prologue, and the protagonist (Link) is awakened in the chamber, placing the character in a lost and confused environment, reassuring the player's similar experience.

BOTW's open-world narrative style tutorial; The Great Plateau is step-by-step
(In UX design this is called progressive disclosure)
Usability heuristic: User control & freedom

The game illustrations and design choices assist with the game’s playability. BOTW incorporates gorgeous, stylised illustrations, drawing on symbols and movements that reflect real-world experiences.

BOTW's control prompts action & location of button
Usability heuristic: Matching real world systems

Finally, BOTW was so successful because it was designed to be accessible to players of all skill levels and knowledge. You can explore quests, stories, combat or creative puzzles, smaking it a perfect example of how video games can promote learning and skill development while also creating an long-lasting enjoyable user experience.

Usability heuristic: Freedom & flexibility to interact

Analysing game design is a fun way to learn fundamental UX Principles. By utilising basic principles of psychology, usability heursitics & problem solving, you will strengthen your skills as a designer.

The Legend of Zelda Breath of the wild is one of the most critically acclaimed games to date, with it's sequel Tears of the Kingdom, only jusy recently released in 2023.

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I'd be more than happy to chat about anything about design, fashion, make-up, games, netball, sustainability, accessibility, and coffee :) Let's work together towards something great.

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