When The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released with the Nintendo Switch in 2017, I was less than apprehensive. I enjoyed what I played at E3 2016, and love the art style, but the multitude of ways the game takes my favorite series and makes it stand out makes me worried that I’ll be left behind by the shadow of what makes me love it right from the start. When I finally got my hands on the complete game, it came to me almost instantly, and all my fears went up in smoke.
Fast-forward 65 hours of gameplay and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has done what I once thought impossible: It dethroned Ocarina of Time as my favorite game. However, due to the confusing lack of multiple save files, I never replayed Breath of the Wild. Sure, I could create a second account on my Switch, but I want to keep my Switch profile accurate with my most played titles. With the Breath of the Wild sequel coming out, I decided it was now or never, so I created a new save file, deleting my first play solidified it as my favorite game. me and began my journey to challenge the strong opinions I formed more than four years ago.
New journey to familiar languages
Since I was so excited to start a new episode of Breath of the Wild, I have to admit that I was nervous. My reaction to it was the first around some kind of knee exaggeration? Can the game fail to reach the unimaginable highs I’ve set in the years since its release? Have I built it into “my favorite game of all time” for so long that my memory of it exceeds the actual product that exists? While I’m still not done with my journey, I’m happy to announce that I love Breath of the Wild in 2021 as well as 2017.
Before starting this time, I have reviewed what I like best about the game. I usually just head to the feeling of wonder Link’s latest adventure has instilled in me as one of the main reasons I consider it my favorite; I realized that with the ever-evolving open world, nothing could give me the feeling that Ocarina of Time could give me in the early years of 3D gaming. With Breath of the Wild, every nook and cranny presents surprises, and every exploration of discovery rewards you with surprises.
There are certain pieces of entertainment that I look forward to experiencing again for the first time – BreakThe Who’s Quadriceps myasthenia gravis, Black mirror of There were a few episodes of “San Junipero” – but none of them made me wish I could play Breath of the Wild again for the first time. While I usually wish there was some sort of Second Mission-style mode where the game plays out largely the same, Hyrule is completely rearranged for a new sense of exploration, it turns out that for four years between plays allows you to trick yourself into the situation itself. I clearly remember specific parts of Hyrule from my first playthrough, like the nightmare of stumbling across the Guardian for the first time or the challenge with a few existing towers, but I often find myself more Don’t stare at a high cliff and wonder what’s at the top. In that lies the magic that has sustained my love of Breath of the Wild for four years, and I am truly amazed that it still records on my second playthrough.
Beauty in every angle
While all it took was a glimpse of the screenshot to instantly remember how gorgeous Hyrule was in Breath of the Wild, this time I appreciated even more. For example, last night, I sat in the middle of a field and watched a storm come from afar. Everything about it was perfect, from the way the light was obscured by storm clouds to the columns of rain falling in my field of vision. That was just one example of the absolute beauty of this world. Hyrule is full of moments of unforgettable beauty, whether you’re talking about moments of tranquil discovery complemented by piano flourishes or delightful encounters with one of the dragons.
Of course, it’s not just about discovering and discovering the beauty of the world, but creating a unique and special experience. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is truly greater than the sum of its parts, and isolating any single component isn’t enough when it comes to painting a picture of the game’s greatness. All works in harmony; without Temples to reward the player, exploration is likely to fail. Without the random encounters, what incentive would the player have to complete the Temples and explore to steadily upgrade the Link and his inventory? And if temples aren’t fun, rewarding, and effective at giving you short, brain-tight puzzles to break up combat and wandering runs, this won’t matter in the first place. .
Breath of the Wild works because every piece is needed – yes, even breakable weapons. I generally don’t like weapon durability in games, especially ones that give you weapons as rewards for discovering and completing key story moments. Breath of the Wild does both, but it works because it pushes you to keep looking and moving so you can replace the things you’ve lost. Each battle must be approached skillfully in both how you engage and what you use; you don’t want to waste precious durability on a high powered sword if that’s not the case. Puzzles about how to enter combat, how to use, and how to find substitutes are essential to the Breath of the Wild experience.
With Breath of the Wild, the journey is definitely more important than the thinge is the destination, but the whole experience builds up to the final confrontation with Ganon. Every aspect of the game is training, leveling, and preparing you for your ultimate challenge, and the climax battle is well worth the wait. Me take this gameplay slowly, enjoying every little moment along the way, so I haven’t had the stressful experience of storming into Hyrule Castle on my way to The weirdest version of Ganon we’ve ever seen, but I know he’s looming. You see him haunting Hyrule Castle every time you go up the tower and get land, a forever reminder of what you’re fighting for and the power you’re up against. But as my former colleague Kyle Hilliard wrote in his review, “When I finally decided that I was ready to face Ganon, it felt like the culmination of a lifetime of preparation that ended with an extremely satisfying finale.” I’m avoiding that finale for now, but make no mistake, I’m definitely gearing up for it every time I turn on my Switch.
Now that I’m on my way to restore the Divine Beast and kill Ganon, I’m aiming Breath of the Wild sequel announced. I have a history of not playing direct sequels to my favorite games of all time; I’ve never played Majora’s Mask or Final Fantasy X-2 for more than a couple of hours each, mainly because of how different both are from their predecessors. As I worry about the possibility of a sequel abandoning key elements that made me love Breath of the Wild in the first place, I’m trying to keep an open mind as Nintendo begins to announce what the sequel really is. ; After all, it wasn’t long ago that I worried about how different Breath of the Wild was from the games that preceded it. I can’t wait to see what director Hidemaro Fujibayashi and the rest of the team behind the Breath of the Wild sequel might surprise me this time around.
