There are many endemic threats in Breath of the Wild‘s Hyrule. Scorching deserts, lava-spewing volcanoes, and freezing mountains are among the hostile environments where unwary travelers risk exposure. The land is teeming with various, bloodthirsty monsters. Rogue, laser-firing death machines roam free. Even the wildlife can dish out serious damage (ever been headbutted by a goat down the mountainside?). With so many native threats, it was surprising to learn the developers considered introducing one from out of this world.
In the first of a three-part “The making of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of Wild” series released by Nintendo in 2017, the game’s art director, Satoru Takizawa, explained that, “Some of our younger designers came up with very unique suggestions, like the idea that UFOs could invade from space and abduct cattle.” The video also displays concept art of Link staring at a massive UFO as projectiles (or possibly transport ships) launch from the floating behemoth’s center.
It’s interesting that Mr. Takizawa referred to aliens abducting cattle as “unique” because that exact thing has already occurred in a Zelda game. Majora’s Mask features a sidequest where Link must defend Romani Ranch from space invaders bent on stealing a permanent milk supply. Perhaps Mr. Takizawa’s memory was wiped, just like Romani’s if Link fails to ward off the invasion.
While it would have been fun to defend the homestead or find crop circles in the Hateno Village fields, Breath of the Wild‘s Hyrule has enough threats to handle without extraterrestrial interference. If I have trouble with local goats, I’m not sure how I would do with belligerent aliens.
