When you think of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you might think of the biggest Hyrule ever, the ability to go anywhere in it virtually, the weapons system, or various other things. But one thing that no player will forget…is the Guardians.
These mechanical beings were once protectors of Hyrule, but thanks to Calamity Ganon, they were turned against its people, and most importantly, Link. In Breath of the Wild you’ll find these Guardians in very unusual places, and if you don’t have the right gear or techniques, you will be killed, repeatedly, and emphatically. So…where did these bringers of death come from in regards to the development team? Well…a familiar foe.
During a making of video (reported by IGN), Producer Eiji Aonuma noted that it was a classic Zelda foe that inspired the idea for the Guardians.
“You know, for the Guardians, I just happened to be talking to one of the staff members, saying, ‘When I played the first Legend of Zelda game, I felt like the Octorok were pretty huge,’” Aonuma recalled. “‘They’d make all these complicated movements, and I really didn’t like those guys. So we thought about creating an enemy using that image, and that’s how we came up with the Guardians. But I didn’t anticipate that they’d end up shooting beams and stuff. We just happened to create this new enemy like that, but now it’s become sort of an iconic character for this game.”
No doubt about that! The Guardians have been a horrifying foe to face, but, also one that’s satisfying to see die, so it’s a tradeoff. Just for the record? I hate the Octoroks in Breath of the Wild too!
Be sure to check out our review of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild!
