Continue the discovery of the famous game The Legend of Zelda! Featuring in the pantheon of video games, the Breath of the Wild episode of the mythical Zelda saga is fully covered in this new book. Following the first Chronicle volume of a legendary saga, this second part focuses exclusively on the episode Breath of the Wild, decrypting its references, its game system and the inspiration of its developers! EXTRACT Starting production on a title that sought to radically redefine the core elements of a franchise as iconic as The Legend of Zelda involved a certain amount of risk for Nintendo. To fully understand the situation, we feel it is essential to start by determining what was really at stake in this challenging effort by looking at the many promises that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild carried with it from the earliest announcement of its development until the moment it was released. With this perspective in mind, we will first step back in time to examine any clues potentially found in other recent installments of the franchise as to the creators’ desire to rethink the game’s most basic conventions. We will then consider what fans were expecting from this attempt to go back to basics and revive the ambitions of the original Legend of Zelda. We will also look at Nintendo’s communications strategy by way of the trailers and other official presentations that were used to introduce the game, and consider the credibility of Breath of the Wild’s claim to innovation in its approach to the open world genre. Of course, we will also focus considerable attention on director Hidemaro Fujibayashi’s history with the series, and listen to the development team’s thoughts as we attempt to better understand the origins of this latest Zelda game. We then close the chapter with a look at initial reactions from fans and video game journalists when the game was first released on March 3, 2017. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Better known by her pseudonym Romendil, Valérie Précigout spent 15 years as a journalist for Jeuxvideo.com, Europe’s largest video game website. A fan of Japanese RPGs, she managed to establish herself as an online critic when the Internet was still struggling to keep up with print media. She loves manga culture and Japanese leisure activities and shares her impressions about video-gaming news at Extralife.fr. She is also the author of Dragon Ball: The Tribute, from the Force label at Third Éditions, and contributes articles to the Level Up book series from the same publisher.

A collector's book to learn more about the world of one of the most legendary video games! To celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, Third Editions wanted to pay respect to this legendary saga, one of the most prestigious in the gaming world. This work chronicles every game of the series, from the first episode to the latest Hyrule Warriors on 3DS, deciphering the whole universe using deep analysis and reflection. Dive into this unique publication, presented as an ancient tome, which will allow adventure fans to finally (re)discover the amazing Legend of Zelda. Immerse yourself in this unique collection, presented in the form of an old grimoire, which will delight all adventure lovers to finally discover the fabulous legend of Zelda! EXTRACT In the kingdom of Hyrule, a legend has been passed down since the beginning of time: A mysterious artifact known as the Triforce, symbolized by three golden triangles arranged to form a fourth triangle, is said to possess mystical powers. It is hardly surprising that this object has been coveted by many power-hungry men over the centuries. One day, the evil Ganon, the Prince of Darkness whose ambition is to subjugate the entire world to his will, sends his armies to attack the peaceful kingdom. He manages to capture one of the fragments of the Triforce, the triangle of power. Daughter of the king of Hyrule, Princess Zelda is terrified at the prospect of seeing Ganon’s armies swarming over the world. She, too, seizes a fragment of the Triforce, the triangle of wisdom, and chooses to break it into eight pieces, which she then scatters across the world, hiding them to prevent Ganon from ever acquiring them. She then orders her faithful nursemaid Impa to go forth and seek a warrior brave enough to challenge Ganon. As Impa roams the kingdom of Hyrule in the hope of finding a savior, Ganon learns of Zelda’s plans and has her locked up before sending his men to track down the nursemaid. Surrounded by these ruthless creatures, Impa is saved by a young boy named Link at the very moment when it appears that all is lost. As unbelievable as it may seem, Link has been chosen by the golden triangle of courage, and thus holds a part of the Triforce himself. Convinced that she has finally found the one who will save the kingdom, Impa hurries to tell him her story. Link accepts his mission to rescue Zelda without hesitation. Before confronting Ganon, however, he will have to gather the eight fragments of the triangle of wisdom, which are his only hope of gaining entry to the dungeon deep beneath Death Mountain where the Prince of Darkness hides. His quest has only just begun. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi - Fascinated by print media since childhood, Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi wasted no time in launching their first magazine, Console Syndrome, in 2004. After five issues with distribution limited to the Toulouse region of France, they decided to found a publishing house under the same name. One year later, their small business was acquired by another leading publisher of works about video games. In their four years in the world of publishing, Nicolas and Mehdi published more than twenty works on major video game series, and wrote several of those works themselves: Metal Gear Solid. Hideo Kojima’s Magnum Opus, Resident Evil Of Zombies and Men, and The Legend of Final Fantasy VII and IX. Since 2015, they have continued their editorial focus on analyzing major video game series at a new publishing house that they founded together: Third.

More than thirty years after its birth, the Legend of Zelda series completely renewed itself with the acclaimed and groundbreaking episode Breath of the Wild. In addition to its open world offering a total freedom of movement, this game also charmed the players thanks to its ingenuity and its atmosphere. The core elements of this book include the game's development, explanations of its lore and analysis of its game design.

We thought we had gone through the topic in the first volume, those two games opened new pists of reflexions. The in-depth analysis of Hidetaka Miyazaki's Dark Souls saga continues with this volume 2, decoding the Bloodborne and Dark Souls III episodes. An indinspensale ebook for all the fans of the game Dark Souls ! EXTRACT "The project, christened Project Beast, began soon after the Astorias of the Abyss DLC was released in August 2012. At the time, FromSoftware was also beginning to build Dark Souls II, its cash cow. Miyazaki kept his distance from this sequel, which was handed off to Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura, with support from the FromSoftware president and creator of King’s Field, Naotoshi Zin, who supervised the game system. On his end, Hidetaka Miyazaki formed a trusted team of regular collaborators, such as lead programmer Jun Itô (who had already filled this role for Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls), composer and lead sound designer Tsukasa Saitô (Armored Core games), and most of his regular artists: Daisuke Satake, Masanori Waragai and Hiroshi Nakamura. The success of Demon’s Souls, and the even greater success of Dark Souls, allowed FromSoftware to grow its ranks significantly. In total, no fewer than fifty programmers participated in the project, along with around twenty game system designers and fifty people working on visual creation (animation, scenery, characters, etc.). Thanks to financial support from Sony, many Japanese, Chinese and Taiwanese studios were sub-contracted during the production to help with graphics and visuals." ABOUT THE AUTHORS Passionate about films and video games, Damien Mecheri joined the writers team of Gameplay RPG in 2004, writing several articles for the second special edition on the Final Fantasy saga. He continued his work with the team in another publication called Background, before continuing the online adventure in 2008 with the site Gameweb.fr. Since 2011, he has come aboard Third Éditions with Mehdi El Kanafi and Nicolas Courcier, the publisher’s two founders. Damien is also the author of the book Video Game Music: a History of Gaming Music. For Third Éditions, he is actively working on the “Level Up” and “Année jeu vidéo” collections. He has also written or co-written several works from the same publisher: The Legend of Final Fantasy X, Welcome to Silent Hill: a journey into Hell, The Works of Fumito Ueda: a Different Perspective on Video Games and, of course, the first volume of Dark Souls: Beyond the Grave. Curious by nature, a dreamer against the grain and a chronic ranter, Sylvain Romieu is also a passionate traveler of the real and the unreal, the world and the virtual universes, always in search of enriching discoveries and varied cultures. A developer by trade, he took up his modest pen several years ago to study the characteristics and richness of the marvelously creative world of video games. He writes for a French video game site called Chroniques-Ludiques, particularly on the topic of RPGs, his preferred genre.

Continue the discovery of the famous game The Legend of Zelda! Featuring in the pantheon of video games, the Breath of the Wild episode of the mythical Zelda saga is fully covered in this new book. Following the first Chronicle volume of a legendary saga, this second part focuses exclusively on the episode Breath of the Wild, decrypting its references, its game system and the inspiration of its developers! EXTRACT Starting production on a title that sought to radically redefine the core elements of a franchise as iconic as The Legend of Zelda involved a certain amount of risk for Nintendo. To fully understand the situation, we feel it is essential to start by determining what was really at stake in this challenging effort by looking at the many promises that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild carried with it from the earliest announcement of its development until the moment it was released. With this perspective in mind, we will first step back in time to examine any clues potentially found in other recent installments of the franchise as to the creators’ desire to rethink the game’s most basic conventions. We will then consider what fans were expecting from this attempt to go back to basics and revive the ambitions of the original Legend of Zelda. We will also look at Nintendo’s communications strategy by way of the trailers and other official presentations that were used to introduce the game, and consider the credibility of Breath of the Wild’s claim to innovation in its approach to the open world genre. Of course, we will also focus considerable attention on director Hidemaro Fujibayashi’s history with the series, and listen to the development team’s thoughts as we attempt to better understand the origins of this latest Zelda game. We then close the chapter with a look at initial reactions from fans and video game journalists when the game was first released on March 3, 2017. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Better known by her pseudonym Romendil, Valérie Précigout spent 15 years as a journalist for Jeuxvideo.com, Europe’s largest video game website. A fan of Japanese RPGs, she managed to establish herself as an online critic when the Internet was still struggling to keep up with print media. She loves manga culture and Japanese leisure activities and shares her impressions about video-gaming news at Extralife.fr. She is also the author of Dragon Ball: The Tribute, from the Force label at Third Éditions, and contributes articles to the Level Up book series from the same publisher.

What gamer hasn’t tried Final Fantasy IX ? "Final Fantasy IX is the closest to my ideal view of what Final Fantasy should be." This quote is from Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy saga. For his last great RPG, Sakaguchi wanted to get back to the roots of his series in order to amaze the players one last time. The Legend of Final Fantasy IX deals with the creation of this episode, sharing a lot of fun trivias. The scenario is also decrypted, as well as the mythological inspirations. For its return to heroic fantasy, the game is dressed as a magical theatrical play, including many colorful characters. The book dives into the influence of classical authors and History on the game, and unrevealed its last secrets. An essential book to (re) discover the universe of the mythical series Final Fantasy ! ABOUT THE AUTHORS - Fascinated by print media since childhood, Mehdi El Kanafi, alongside Nicolas Courcier, wasted no time in launching his first magazine, Console Syndrome, in 2004. After five issues with a distribution limited to Toulouse, France, he and Nicolas Courcier decided to create a publishing house under the same name. One year later, their small business was acquired by Pix’n Love, a major publisher of books on video games. Over the next four years in the world of publishing, Mehdi published more than twenty works on major video game series, and co-wrote several of those works: Zelda, Chronicles of a Legendary Series, Metal Gear Solid: Hideo Kojima’s Magnum Opus, and The Legend of Final Fantasy VII and IX. Since 2015, his publishing endeavors have been focused on analyzing major video game sagas through a new publishing house he co-founded with Nicolas: Third. - Video game journalist for fifteen years, Raphaël Lucas worked for most of the mags that existed before the fall of Mer 7 (formerly Future France and Yellow Media), from Joypad to Joystick, including the official magazines, Consoles More, etc. He started with PC Team and with FJM, the publisher of Gameplay RPGs. Today he writes mainly for Video Games Magazine, a bit for his blog, and he has a few projects in the works relating to other gaming topics. RPG Story Author / BioShock Co-Author: From Rapture to Columbia and The Legend of FinalFantasy IX He also runs the Geekomatick blog - Fabien Mellado

Discover all the secrets and mechanics of the famous Japanese video game Dragon Quest ! This book looks back at the entire Dragon Quest saga, tells the story of the series' birth, retraces its history and deciphers its mechanics. In this book, the author shares us all his expertise and his passion in Japanese gaming to decipher the creation and the story of this saga and his creator, Yuji Horii. EXTRAIT Even with only limited knowledge of Japanese and somewhat difficult technical conditions, the story was very well told. This was perhaps what surprised players most. Dragon Quest V is a large family cycle of emotions, as transparent as an epic tale by Alexandre Dumas, the author of famous works such as The Three Musketeers. In the end, I was lucky that my first taste of the series was this excellent episode, since VI was far more extravagant, with its tales of parallel universes and heroes traveling on flying beds. A slightly puzzling game, but not without levity nor offbeat humor. One of the most emotional moments of Dragon Quest V is when we end up going back in time to change the past, thus saving the future. The time travel theme has been so often used in science fiction, particularly during the 1980s, that it should have left me impassive. It was not even the first time I had experienced it in a video game. But this adventure, with its simple graphics and persistent melodies, glanced lightly upon feelings that leave no one unmoved. “What would I have done differently if I could have changed things” is a very common concept used in fiction, from A Distant Neighborhood by Jirô Taniguchi to the Quantum Leap series. Well-told, it is so simple and so effective that it affects each and every one of us. CE QU'EN PENSE LA CRITIQUE Un libre passionnant que j'ai dévoré au point de rogner sur mes heures de sommeil. Ici, l'auteur ne nous bassine pas avec des tartines de textes pour nous conter avec détails l'histoire de chaque épisode, les ventes incommensurables de la série ou encore un almanach des jeux estampillés DraQue. - Kaisermeister, Sens Critique Un livre plein d’anecdotes qui feront vibrer votre corde nostalgique et qui donne envie, une fois terminé, de replonger dans l'aventure. - neotsubasa, Sens Critique C'est une biographie très détaillée, riche en anecdotes et bien romancée, Yuji Horii est un personnage fascinant au CV bien rempli et la genèse de la saga est tout aussi passionnante à tel point que j'ai parfois eu du mal à décrocher. - Nixotane, Sens Critique À PROPOS DE L'AUTEUR Daniel Andreyev is an author and journalist of Russian origin. His career in video game journalism began twenty years ago, during the golden years of video gaming, with Player One, Consoles + and Animeland, with a particular interest in Japan. Having spent some time on translation, he is now part of the New Games Journalism movement, which places the player at the heart of the video game experience. He produces the After Hate and Super Ciné Battle podcasts. He also trades memories with his friends in Gaijin Dash, the Gamekult show on Japanese video games. He is a fan of far too many things to list them all here. But when he is not writing, not watching a movie, not reading comics and graphic novels, not climbing mountains or exploring ruined buildings, he might be cooking, exercising or dreaming of one day owning a dog.