With Tears of the Kingdom only a month or so away from release, I thought it was time that I went back to the predecessor. Breath of the Wild is a game that jumpstarted both the Switch and Nintendo back into the modern gaming era back in 2017. Breath of the Wild is a hugely successful game that has been discussed at length online. There’s not much I can add that most likely hasn’t been said already but I’d still like to give it a try and I hope you will join me on this deep dive.

The story of Breath of Wild is largely the same song and dance as the rest of the Zelda series. You are Link the legendary hero, destined to defeat Ganon after he has taken over the land of Hyrule. After awakening from your thousand-year slumber, you must now recover your memories and gain strength and gear while adventuring throughout the land. Along the way, you will encounter many unique characters and foes.

Though the basic premise is similar from game to game, Nintendo always manages to twist certain aspects to make each story stand out from the rest. Hyrule was once a highly advanced society that has fallen into ruin and their great war machines were turned against them by Ganon. The strongest of these creatures are the four Divine Beasts who you must free from Ganon’s control in order to access the final area.

The addition of voice acting within cinematic cutscenes does a lot to bring the already beautifully realized world to life. Zelda has always excelled at creating memorable characters. As usual, in Breath of the Wild, they are brimming with the usual charm. I particularly enjoyed the attention given to the pilots of the Divine Beasts, each of whom represents the major races of Hyrule such as the Gorons and Zora. They all have believable personalities that are quite endearing.

Breath of the Wild is the first fully open-world 3d Zelda experience. The scale is larger than any previous title within the series. Gameplay in many ways departs from the typical Zelda formula that has been lovingly polished by Nintendo over the 20 years since the introduction of the franchise. However, the core main gameplay is still firmly within your typical 3rd-person action RPG

The biggest change is in regard to Link’s equipment. In addition to the standard sword, shield, and bow Link can wield spears, great swords, axes, magic rods, and the occasional sickle or dismembered limb. Every weapon now has a durability that decreases as you use it until eventually, it breaks. This feature has been pretty divisive amongst the player base. Personally, I’m firmly a part of the camp that dislikes the durability mechanic. Though I certainly understand the design choices here, for me the annoyances outweigh the positives.

It’s very irritating when your best weapon breaks mid-combat and suddenly turns a winnable battle into an insurmountable defeat. Additionally, it takes away part of the fun of 3rd-person action RPGs, creating different builds around specific weapon combinations. Every time I found a weapon I liked, I knew it would eventually break and I’d need something else unless I wanted to spend time farming equipment. These issues are worse in the early game where everything has low durability and breaks after just a few swings. Given that enemies do a great deal more damage than in any of the previous titles, it makes the early hours a slog.

The lack of overall combat options is also a downside for me. Every weapon (although visually unique) has the same basic moveset. There are barely any fun finishers or combat tricks outside of the flurry rush and a parry which are both a little awkward to use. The parry in particular is something I often forgot about as you often fight many enemies at the same time who can attack simultaneously. As a result, It’s usually better to simply dodge attacks rather than wait for an opening to punish.

One gameplay feature I liked was the various Runes you collect each of which gives Link some crazy abilities. You have a magnet, the ability to freeze time, and the ability to create ice blocks. It allows for a lot of interesting puzzles and encourages players to problem-solve constantly as they traverse and explore. Speaking of traversal I find myself feeling very mixed. On one hand, there are aspects I like about it such as being able to climb anything, which is great fun and a solid design choice.

However, like most open-world games this game also suffers from a lot of the pitfalls linked to traversal. If you ever find yourself without a horse or a large variety of nearby warp points, it can take you ages to get from place to place. Additionally, whenever you fast-travel somewhere your horse doesn’t come with you. This means you’ll have to run to the nearest stable. This is a problem that was addressed in the DLC with the addition of the ancient horse gear that allows you to summon your horse anywhere. However, I still feel it’s worth mentioning as it did become a nuisance to me.

Another big gameplay change is the absence of dedicated dungeons. Instead, Link must scour the landscape for shrines which usually contain a puzzle of some kind. After completion, you’ll be rewarded with a spirit orb. You can then exchange orbs for additional stamina used for traversal or more health. I don’t hate the shrines, but they lack the charm and character of the themed dungeons of past games. I also think there are too many. Some shrines are quite fun to complete, especially the ones that involve accessing a hidden area or completing a test on the overworld.

Others are frustratingly difficult simply because of the terrible motion controls that were thrown in just for the two Wii U players out there. They aren’t so bad if you are playing connected to a TV though. On the other hand, if you play in handheld mode you’ll have a rough time as you now have to flip your screen around while trying to see what’s happening on it. I know Nintendo prides themselves on pushing the boundaries of controls, but here motion controls just feel forced and tacked on rather than seamlessly integrated into the core gameplay loop.

One initial complaint I had when I first played the game was the lack of music. Zelda has some of the most iconic and beautifully composed soundtracks of all time. In Breath of the Wild, the music is used more sparingly and there is a noticeable lack of area-specific songs. It wasn’t until this playthrough though that I appreciated this subtle change.

Though there is limited music, the world is never quiet while you adventure. Instead, you are constantly surrounded by the sounds of nature from the chirping of birds and buzzing of insects to the howling of the wind and rain. Nature has always been a core theme of Zelda and here it’s brought further into the forefront of the gameplay. Additionally, the few tracks that are present in the game are fantastic as usual.

In terms of graphics, this game still looks and runs great. It delivers a wonderful blend of the more cartoonish art style of Wind Waker and the more harshly detailed anime style of Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. Every area is richly detailed and filled with interesting landmarks and locales to explore. Like most Zelda games there are also dozens of quirky NPCs and side quests to accomplish.

I wouldn’t say these are the best side quests in the series as they are often built around much more simplistic tasks and rewards. Nonetheless, there are still a few fun ones that I enjoyed greatly. While Breath of the Wild still isn’t quite my favorite game within the franchise, I can’t deny its strengths and I respect how it sought to innovate and evolve the series. It’s another great entry within the series that should not be skipped by fans.

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Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

59.99

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Wonderfully detailed world
• Exploration and freedom
• Runes

Cons

• Lack of dungeons
• Weapon durability
• Traversal can be tedious