Zelda: Breath of the Wild Gets a Retro Red Tint on Nintendo’s Virtual Boy

Nintendo’s recently released Virtual Boy headset offers a unique, albeit visually limited, way to experience The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The headset, compatible with Nintendo Switch games featuring Nintendo Labo VR mode, renders Hyrule in a striking, monochromatic red hue.

A Permanent Blood Moon Effect

The Virtual Boy’s fixed red lenses create a constant “Blood Moon” aesthetic, transforming the familiar greens and blues of Hyrule into shades of red [1]. While visually distinct, this effect alters the game’s intended color palette significantly.

3D Immersion and Gameplay Adjustments

Despite the color limitation, the Virtual Boy provides a noticeable stereoscopic 3D effect, enhancing the depth of environments and lifting the user interface away from the action [3]. Low-stakes gameplay elements, such as interacting with NPCs, exploring villages, gliding, and chopping trees, benefit from this added novelty. Water reflections also appear clearer with red ripples revealing the bottom.

Still, the Virtual Boy’s original 4:3 aspect ratio presents challenges. Playing Breath of the Wild results in a cropped image, making text harder to read and obscuring elements of the user interface, including life hearts [2].

Beyond Breath of the Wild

The Virtual Boy’s Labo VR compatibility extends beyond Breath of the Wild, supporting other Switch titles like Super Mario Odyssey, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker [3].

Removable Red Filters

While product instructions advise against disassembly, an update revealed that the red filters can be removed by carefully pulling the interior faceplate toward you and grabbing it around the nose space [3].