It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a year since the release of The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. Its official anniversary is Sunday, and it’s important to look back at the game’s greatness. It was a title that took a while to get done, and Nintendo delayed it quite a bit to ensure they had the time to work everything out. But once they started unveiling it and showcasing the unique dynamics and gameplay mechanics of the title, gamers couldn’t wait to get their hands on it. Sure enough, the title was the fastest-selling entry in the series, has officially crossed over 20 million sold, and was the Game of the Year in many people’s minds.
On the eve of its anniversary, Nintendo Everything has learned that a special art book celebrating Tears of the Kingdom will be coming to Japan later this year and could crossover into the US later on. The book is called the “Master Works,” and it’ll showcase the art of the title in many forms.
For example, as they highlight in their preview gallery, we’ll get some concept art from the early parts of the game, including looks at Link, Zelda, Sonia, Rauru, and more. Furthermore, it’ll break down some of the level designs of the title and the history of Hyrule that was constructed for the game, as well as showcase some of the insights that led to the game’s development.
It appears to be a rather complete look at the title from start to finish, and it will be a “must-have” for diehard fans of the game.
In previous interviews, the dev team noted that when they went into creating the title, they looked at all that came before via Breath of the Wild and asked themselves what they couldn’t put into it before that they could now. That’s where the idea of building things came into play, and then they went to work trying to make that all work. At the DICE event earlier this year, the team noted that they had to make many prototypes to ensure that the physics of the Ultrahand and other mechanics would work so that players could have all sorts of freedom within the game, which was one of the ultimate goals for the gameplay.
The title is truly a special thing, and it makes fans curious as to how they intend to top all that they’ve done with whatever comes next.
