The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review
Developed by: Nintendo EPD
Published by: Nintendo
Available on: Wii U, Switch
Reviewed on: Switch
Review by: Joseph Yaden
The Legend of Zelda is one of the most revered and beloved franchises of the video game world. Almost every iteration is met with critical acclaim simply due to the level of polish Nintendo brings to the table. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the debut Zelda game for the Nintendo Switch. It combines old Zelda ideas like dungeons, puzzles, and boss battles with completely new ideas such as the massive open world. Sure, past Zelda games have had large areas to explore, but in this iteration it seems Nintendo wanted to match the likes of other huge games like Grand Theft Auto or Skyrim. Many games released this generation have an open world, so the idea of including one in a Zelda game isn’t exactly novel. I was skeptical going into this game, thinking, “Why is every game open world? Not every game needs a huge map to be good.” While I still stand by that statement, having this huge playground to explore is one of the biggest assets of this game.
Nintendo didn’t pull any punches when designing Breath of the Wild, especially the opening section. The main character, Link, is thrown into the game with the objective of exploring right away. I’m so glad Nintendo strayed away from the hand-holding tutorial sections because that can ruin the pacing of the experience. In fact, the entire story can be played in any order, even right down to the final boss (Seriously, you can run over to Ganon and fight him immediately.) Some may argue that it’s a little too open ended and that the lack of direction is intimidating. I understand that, but to those who enjoy a less linear experience, Breath of the Wild is essential to experience.
Interestingly, Breath of the Wild didn’t grab me at first. I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t feel hooked. After sticking with it for a few more hours something clicked and I felt totally engrossed into the world. The sheer vastness of the land and diversity of the areas lead to an experience that consistently felt fresh and exciting. Some areas even require the player to react differently, like wearing protective warm clothing in the snowy areas.
My favorite new addition is the ability to climb nearly anything. That is not an understatement. 99% of the environment can be climbed, whether it’s a tree or a humongous rock cliff. As long as stamina doesn’t run out, Link will stay climbing on the surface.
The implementation of stamina creates balance, but is also part of a bigger gameplay loop. Scattered throughout the map are shrines which are mini dungeons that reward the player with Spirit Orbs. These shrines contain puzzles, challenges, and even enemy battles. Upon completion of four shrines the player can trade them for either a new heart container or stamina extension. Since most movement consumes stamina it’s a good idea to not just shoot for heart pieces, as tempting as that may be.
Nintendo did an amazing job of encouraging players to explore. Whether it be by rewarding with additional hearts/stamina, finding an interesting character to help, or even stumbling upon a hidden Korok seed (900 of these are hidden throughout the map and unlock more inventory space), I was always discovering new things.
What good is a huge open world if there’s no overarching objective, right? As cliché as it sounds, yet again, Link is tasked with saving the land and defeating Ganon. This time Ganon has plagued Hyrule and will destroy it if Link doesn’t act fast. It’s a tired motivation, but with the game being as open as it is, I can understand why the plot isn’t more complex.
No two playthroughs are exactly the same. That’s the magic of Breath of the Wild. I often found myself talking with people outside of the context of the game, “You’ll never guess what happened to me. Let me tell you how I solved that part!” As a result, it doesn’t matter that the story isn’t in the forefront. The little mini-stories that happened every ten minutes are important and that’s why this game matters.
Overall, Breath of the Wild is made up of hundreds of “little things.” For example, being able to cook and eat food to gain health. Specific foods net more or less health, while certain combinations of ingredients will give Link different abilities. Hunting for food is something I always found myself doing. Little things like this are improvements that are much needed to the series.
Even the combat is deep and improved. Link can go through the game just hitting the attack button and merely scraping by. For experienced players, there is a parry system that adds to the complexity. That, combined with dodging and blocking add up to a challenging yet rewarding combat system that is so much more than just hitting the A button.
Experimentation and physics play a huge role in how the game is played. At the beginning Link's lack of stamina makes it difficult to swim long distances. There was an instance where I had to get across a river to advance. After trying to swim across multiple times and drowning, I decided to try something different. I went to the top of a nearby hill out of frustration and started smacking a tree with my axe. The tree collapsed and rolled down into the river. A light bulb went off in my head and I ran down and used the tree to stand on to help get by safely. Little things like this kept happening.
Nintendo released two DLC packs for Breath of the Wild that add even more content (As if the game needed it). The packs include several new costumes, like Majora's Mask, a hard mode, the Master Trials (Used to max out the Master Sword's full potential), as well as more shrines. There's even the inclusion of a new vehicle, the Master Cycle (Yes, you can ride a motorcycle as Link). All of that for only $20! While it's arguable that some of these features should have been included in the base game, I didn't take much issue with it because the base game is already well worth the money.
This game gets a ton of praise and deservedly so. Not only does it reinvent Zelda traditions, it reinvents the way open world games are designed and played. Breath of the Wild is one of those games that people will still talk about even decades later because of its importance. It's not flawless, but with all this game does right it's hard to avoid giving it endless praise. Hats off to Nintendo for all the hard work they put into making this masterpiece.
Things to know before playing:
This is not a traditional Zelda game. Traditional dungeons are replaced with many smaller "shrines".
The open world can be vast and overwhelming.
Non-linear structure is ever present here. If you like more linear style games, Breath of the Wild may not be for you.
Rating: Lovely
This game is a glorious expression of game design and is important for most players to experience.
Comment below with your thoughts on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild! Do you agree with Joseph? What crazy stories do you have from when you played through the game?
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