Breath of the Wild’s tutorial area — the Great Plateau — is presided over by an Old Man who teaches Link the Sheikah Slate functions and offers a paraglider for completing the shrines. Most players accept this as straightforward tutorial framing.
The Old Man’s identity is revealed mid-plateau in a scene that most players encounter during main quest progression. But players who explore the Old Man’s cabin before the reveal — and read his diary — discover his identity from a personal journal before the game announces it officially.
The diary describes a specific recipe he cannot complete because he lacks the fifth ingredient, and it contains observations about Calamity Ganon that are written from an insider perspective no random hermit would have. Players who read the diary before the reveal knew what the game was building to; players who didn’t had the reveal delivered as a surprise.
Nintendo built two valid experiences of the same revelation: earned discovery for explorers who read first, and dramatic reveal for players who followed the quest structure. The diary makes the plateau feel like a place with a history rather than a tutorial box.
This is the kind of discovery that keeps communities alive for years. Well documented.
Really fascinating breakdown — I had no idea this was hidden in plain sight. Going back for another playthrough.