It has been 2 years already since this entry released with the launch of the Nintendo Switch and the demise of the Wii U, and now I have finally beaten it.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the latest seen in Nintendo's flagship franchise, and it is both an innovating development, as well as a major return to form. It goes leaps and bounds with exploration, while it harmonies that with the vast open world.
It is easily the largest game in the series seen yet, although technically and with valid arguments, most of the content is optional, and through knowledge and skill, the game can be beaten swiftly, but that is not the point.
The real point of any video game, or pretty much any story, is the journey itself, and Breath of the Wild embodies that beautifully. I had the most enjoyment climbing and hiking my way through the various regions of Hyrule, and come to think of it, I reflect that enjoyment through my real life by traveling to other countries.
Similar to A Link Between Worlds, Link's abilities are all available very early, on a region known as the Great Plateau, overlooking all of the other regions. This is clearly a department design choice from Nintendo, but as this was introduced from a top down perspective, it's now happening in 3D.
As the game is non linear, you are able to traverse through in so many ways. You can free the Divine Beasts, do side quests, gather materials, go exploring or attempt one of the numerous mini dungeons available, which are called Shrines.
The Shrines concept is rather cleverly done, as they not only function as fast travel objects, they also test you as the player through puzzles, combat and perceptiveness. Heart Containers and Stamina Vessels are locked as rewards after overcoming several of them, motivating your dedication.
Link's familiar skills and abilities return such as horse rising, arrow and bow plus the bomb, although the latter can now be remotely controlled, although I do miss the mechanic of being able to roll them, like in Skyward Sword.
New abilities include Cryosis, which lets you create or destroy ice blocks, Magnesis, which lets you control and move metallic objects, Stasis, which lets you stop matter and time of an object while you can "empower" it so that is will have an impact effect later on, and lastly the Camera, which is a photographic feature available since The Wind Waker.
The challenge is certainly available in the form of some very tough adversaries such as the fully functional large versions of Guardians equipped with lasers, or the intimidating Lynel race, and aside from the dungeon bosses, there are also mini, or rather overworld bosses available.
At times it can be tough to survive, but luckily in this game, Link can cook! This is another one of my favorite features, as you can gather many kinds of ingredients to mix up and cook at hot pots in order to create delicious recipes which not only let you restore your health, they have side effects too.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is certainly another strong point of entry for anyone to delve into, as veterans and newcomers can start here, despite being chronologically at the far end of the timeline. My only nitpick I can personally think of is the lack of an overall effective soundtrack.
Oh, and it's also one of, if not Nintendo's first embark into the ludicrous nature of Downloadable Content! Although to be fair, I haven't touched BOTW's DLC content yet. I plan to cover that as well as other DLC from Switch games in the future.
Rating: 8.6
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