Forget Link, Zelda, or (gasp) even Kass — the real star of Breath of the Wild is the wild. I don’t know if any game I’ve ever played has made me feel so authentically as if I’m just free to explore nature. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that if you were to remove all the enemies from Hyrule, I would still have fun just exploring where a wandering stream might take me or climbing a mountain to see what treasures it holds. In his piece simply titled “Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” the artist Gydw1n showcases that feeling of being plopped down in a field or forest and being invited to make your own way.
As with any piece of Zelda art, the first thing I look for is the characters. At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking that this piece doesn’t have any. In fact, Link appears in the center of the piece with his Traveler’s Shield appearing almost like a tiny bullseye. Having the Hero of the Wild be so small only serves to emphasize his surroundings. It appears vast because he appears miniscule within it. This choice in sizing helps ground the piece in a feeling of adventure. The viewer (and Link) are invited to join the journey.
Another interesting feature of this piece is the way that so many of the elements are framed into the center by greenery. Link is surrounded by trees and bushes on both his left and right as is the mountain that majestically sits before the hero’s eyes. Even the river (which is an important element) winds its way snuggly between two lush forest floors.
Going back to the river in the piece, I really enjoyed noticing that it snakes its way not only through the forested foreground of the piece but also seems to make its way all the way up to the background of the piece as we can trace its path up the mountain. It makes me wonder if Link is following the stream to find its source, hoping that a shrine or chest awaits him there.
As our eyes follow the course of the river, we also briefly lose it in the center of the mountain as a fog bank obscures our view. Historically, mist or fog in literature and art can symbolize danger or the unknown. In this piece, it implies both of those things, but the wide-open and inviting nature of the rest of the art turns the negative connotation of the mist into a positive. It’s not Link’s doom that awaits in the fog but a mystery just waiting to be solved.
Like thousands of others, I could explore the wilds of Hyrule for hours, hundreds of them in fact. Through a complex series of systems and careful planning, Nintendo has created a natural wonderland that people are still finding new things in to this day. Through his art, Gydw1n invites us all to remember those iconic opening moments when we exited the Shrine of Resurrection and looked out upon the Great Plateau. It calls to our memory “Adventure is out there!” and invites us to pick up our Joy-Con or Pro Controllers once again and just explore.
