Nintendo was without a doubt the most popular publisher among the three consoles this year. Not only did they have a new console, that everyone loved, but the first 10 months were filled with titles to play. From 1st party, to 3rd party, to indie, all bases were covered. However, the two biggest ones were without a doubt the Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. So praised were these games that virtually every website or awards foundation (that covered console video games) had the two as Game of the Year nominees.
Naturally, since they’re under the same room, the teams know each other, and since they both made fascinating and well-praised games, IGN thought it would be fun to ask each team what they liked about the others game.
“I think for me, the parts where you’re able to go from 3D into 2D and go into the wall and it becomes the old school style,” Breath of the Wild Game Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi noted, “I especially liked where it looks like there’s nowhere to go, but then the walls curve around.”
As for the Mario team, it was all about the experience of going through the land of Hyrule in a special way.
“I think my favorite part of the game was when I finally climbed the highest mountain in the land,” stated producer Yoshiaki Koizumi.
Funnily enough, these praises brought up interesting reveals about the games themselves. The 3D to 2D elements couldn’t be in Breath of the Wild, because it wouldn’t fit the style. Although, it was a big part of A Link Between Worlds, but to a much lesser extent.
On the flip side, Koizumi used to work on Zelda games, and wanted to put in climbable mountains, but he wasn’t allowed to. It’s good to know each side enjoyed each others games.