10 Ways Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Was Almost Completely Different

3. Zelda As "A Princess You'd Want To Save"

Nintendo note that upon conceptualising a new take on Zelda, they let their planning team take her one direction, with the design team another.

The planners produced who you see above; an aesthetic born from Zelda as a character, which Nintendo describe as "a Princess you'd want to save", based presumably on being restrained by regality, forever yearning for a life outside the castle walls. The design team ultimately won out, putting together a look that was immediately very striking, and is the one you see in the game itself.

That said, the short-haired version on the right would definitely have been the biggest shakeup - something you can tell the vast majority of the team must've opposed en masse, as the final render has hair about as long as her entire body.