The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)

I already said much of what there is to say about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but it is impossible to separate it from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the launch of the Switch itself.

When the Switch released alongside Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey shortly after, it was a remarkable moment. The first time stepping out of the cave in Breath of the Wild—seeing the world open up, accompanied by the music—remains one of the most striking introductions in modern gaming. It felt transformative.

I was convinced that the formula could not meaningfully be improved. And yet Tears of the Kingdom managed to expand on it, adding mechanical depth and systemic complexity without losing the clarity and cohesion of the original. That alone is an achievement.

Both titles are five-star games without hesitation. For anyone purchasing a Switch and wondering where to start, these are easily among the top two essential experiences on the platform.

Played this as a launch title, and as a fan of LoZ i have to say this is my favorite iteration so far.

There's no way to satisfy all audiences. But same as following bands or singers, this was a welcome evolution of the genre.

Massive open world, plenty of side quests, and iterative ability to choose your own path in terms of the main story. What more can you ask for.

A perfect game with plenty of story to resolve in a sequel. Lots of hope that they can build on this game, although the hardware limitations do show (as a user of Xbox, PS, and PC the frame drops are inexcusable).

I'd say yes. For those of you who agree with me that innovation matters and a game with high-highs and low-lows is better than a more consistant, but mediocre one will, this game fits thatr description to a tee.

Back in the 80s Miyamoto made zelda 1 in a effort to try and capture the feeling he had exploring the Japanese wilderness. I wasn't even born at the time, so I can't say weather it worked, but I can say the later entries in the zelda series certianly did not capture that feeling. For the cool games among us who love the outdoors, like Miyamoto once did, this game finally did it. Breath of the Wild feels more like actualy exploring the wilderness than any other game, and that's an amazing thing. Capturing this feelings is revolutionary and worth much celebration. Doing this alone makes this the best AAA game of 2017, and it's not close.

When I think of some of the single greatest moments I've gad engaging with the vidoe game art form, BOTW has two very strong contenders. Both are when engaging with that raw exploration, and letting myslef get lost in the world. The first was one that I know was shared by almost every player at launch. It was that initial cut-scene when leaving the cave, when you get a view out over the beautiful landscapes of hyrule, when you see some obsitce in the distance (the Hebra mountain with the massive hole in it for me), and commit to get there. The moment I got off the plateau, heading straight there and undertstanding the raw freedom blew my mind. The second came only a few hours later when I finally made it to my destination; after battling the elements, the breathtaking view back over the entirety of hyrule, just stopping for a minute to look around was so magical.

Unfortunately, to achieve those ends, they had to make a lot of sacrifices. Reading my review so far, you may think I didn't enjoy the old zelda games. On the contrary, they are among the greatest games ever made in my opinion. BOTW is simply not a zelda game anymore, it does none of the great things the series had become known for and comes with many new strengths the series had never previously dreamed of (bar maybe zelda 1).

If this game had just abandoned series tropes entirely and focused solely on the new gameplay loop of wilderness exploration, and interesting traversal options, it may have earned 5 stars. Unfortunately there is a VERY poor story, and a lot of weak "dungeon" content distracting from what makes this game great. The dungeons & shrines both feel like they were designed by amatures when looked at next to the fantastic design of the world. The best way to play this game may even be to ignore the majority of the content that is pushed towards you and create your own goals.

In conclusion, BOTW was a masterpiece in innovation, achieving the most engaging open world ever concieved of in games (and maybe still 7 years later). Unfortunately most players will not get that raw experience I had at launch and will instead be brought down by the plethora of aggressively mediocre scripted content. Despite all of that, BOTW will stand strong in our collective memory as a game-changer.

I picked it up and put it down 3 times in the past 3 years and spent over 60 hours but I still can’t stay engaged to beat it till the end. While 2D Zelda (A Link to the Past and A Link between Two Worlds) are among my all time favorites, I don’t know why I just can’t get into any 3D Zelda game. The same happened to Ocarina of Time but I thought that was because of its age. I did enjoy the freedom of exploring the world and the genuine surprise to discover interesting new areas in the world. But that is hugely offset by the lack of real dungeons that were essential to a Zelda game.

BOTW is often considered one of the best games of all time (and the Grouvee top250 game agrees with it) I really wish I could love it like most people out there. But for me this is just a four star.

I started playing this game the year it came out and have been playing it on and off since then. 70+ hours later I decided I should probably beat it, so I did this March. And I'm still playing it for the exploration/side missions. This is just a beautiful game with a beautiful environment and such calming sounds. At some point I will probably restart it just to have the experience of seeking out all the towers again. Seeing a tower in the distance and then making my way to it and trying to figure out the best way to climb it was such a fun experience. You truly can get lost in the exploration of this game. You'll see something off in the distance and then something else catches your eye along the way. The creators did a magnificent job of placing key elements in the game to catch your eye and make you curious enough to explore just a bit further. The shrines are okay, some harder than others. The sound design is perfect for this game. From the peaceful music in the fields to the simple sounds of opening a chest or making food dishes.

I know some people have complained that they miss the dungeon aspect for this game, but I don't look at this game as a normal Zelda, so I'm okay with trading the traditional dungeon experience with open world exploration. One complaint I'll note is that the horse riding system was kind of lacking. It's too realistic in that you can't traverse many areas with your horse, so you end up leaving it behind, and then end up on foot the rest of the time. Your horse is really tethered to a few hundred yards from the horse stables, unless you're taking the roads, and with fast travel to the towers why would I? I ended up doing 90% of the game without a horse.

I go back and forth on the weapon breaking mechanism. It would have been nice to use a weapon for a bit longer and not feel like I'm hoarding weapons all the time "just in case one breaks," but I also feel like if you didn't cycle weapons out at all, you'd just keep some of the best ones and never have the experience of going into a fight a bit underprepared.

There's just so much to do and explore in this game that any time I load it up I know I'm going to have a great time. I wonder what's at the top of this cliff? What's across this giant chasm? A villager said there's something over here - I wonder what it is. Is that a chest in the middle of the walkway overlooking the lake? What's on that island? I wonder if I can tame that horse. What's inside that sandstorm? Those are just some of the questions you'll encounter playing this game.

This was my first Zelda game so I'm not too familiar with the tropes of the franchise. However, I have a lot of praise to give Breath of the Wild as an incredibly tidy and elegant rendition of many well known open world tropes. Even simple things such as forcing the player to mark every single important waypoint for themself by studying the map in-game (while perched on towers); these touches create a sense of ownership and immersion that so many open world games have failed to achieve.

The story is pretty weak (and maybe even kind of sexist); but I can forgive that as this is a game you play for the beautiful experience (and the stoy telling is just kind of an obligatory touch within).

The art style and subtle but effective soundtrack are also both excellent. Overall this is a package that is hard not to recommend to anyone who loves gaming. I can absolutely see where the high praise in the gaming media is justified.

Let's get this out of the way - People are on both sides, declaring this to be the best Zelda game in years (it has been awhile) and others demonizing how disappointingly non-Zelda it is. I'll fully admit that while this isn't the best Zelda game, it's an incredible game in its own right and pushes an unconventional new path for the series to amazing heights -

Gone are the dungeons filled with layers of puzzles. Gone are the neat little tools you come across in your journey to reach previously unreachable places. Gone is any and all linearity. Tools break, enemies kill with a glance at times, and the player is always agonized with the question "Where next?" Why love such a monster?

For every supposed weakness, Breath of the Wild creates a strength in its own gameplay. Dungeons are now split into a staggering amount of shrines, where enemy challenges, overworld quests, and puzzles fill Hyrule to the brim, begging you to explore them. All the tools are there in the beginning, giving the player absolute freedom to take on any challenge in any order and magnitude they desire. Do you want to take on Ganon with only three hearts and a stamina wheel? Glide right on into the castle. Want to scour the world, connect with old friends, and unlock your memories of the princess's struggle to save the kingdom? Go ahead! There are complaints about the presentation, but there's a beauty in creating such unique and memorable experiences in a way open world games usually falter and bore with, but every inkling of story and every upgrade is a well-earned treasure here.

As for breaking weapons and difficulty - the systems have been upgraded with some neat tricks (shield deflection, dodging and countering a-la Bayonetta Witch Time) that simply presents a new system to work around, which it does fairly well and forces players familiar with old tricks to come up with new strategies involving their runes, arrows, environment, and a good ol' blade.

As for "Where next", well - Breath of the Wild is one of those few games to present such a gigantic scope and still drag you into every corner and crevice to find its secrets and save the world. It's gorgeous for a portable system, the music is Joe Hisaishi-esque with beautiful subtlety, and the journey far exceeds any destination you choose, but it's a tough call with such an exciting final fight - Hop on in and enjoy! It's not the Zelda you remember but it's a Zelda you'll come to love all the same.