Guillaume Broche, Creative Director of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, identifies The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as the first true open-world game due to its rejection of minimap-driven navigation. Speaking in a YouTube interview with Video Game Club, Broche argues the title redefined the genre by prioritizing organic exploration.
The distinction Broche makes isn’t about the size of the map. Broche contends that Breath of the Wild maintained the promise of an open world by not having a minimap, allowing players to feel a true sense of exploration.
He was initially skeptical of the genre. He doesn’t typically enjoy open-world games. But this specific implementation changed his perspective.
Why the Absence of a Minimap Redefines Level Design
Broche describes the level design of Breath of the Wild as a “masterpiece” because it leverages the psychology of distraction. In the interview with Video Game Club, he explains that the game fulfills the “promise of an open world” by allowing players to be diverted by the environment. Instead of moving linearly, players encounter thousands of things that distract them from where they intended to go.
“You see something and you want to go there,” Broche stated. That simple impulse is the core of his argument for why this title represents the first genuine iteration of the open-world promise.
From Zelda to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Broche’s analysis comes at a time when his own project, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, is refining its own identity. The game recently received patch 1.5.6.
The Verdict on Open World Evolution
By calling Breath of the Wild the “first” true open world, Broche suggests that the title not only revolutionized its franchise but also proposed a new paradigm for the entire genre.
If a game tells you exactly where to go and what to do via a blinking dot on a screen, is it actually open? According to Broche, the true open world is one where the player’s curiosity is the only compass they need.
