The absolute key to how Nintendo nailed this came from a personal experience I had. There are over a hundred scattered throughout the world, and each one of them is perfectly designed to test a wide variety of skills.īut by far the biggest selling point Breath of the Wild has been marketing itself with has been its open-world design, which is utterly sublime. Completing the puzzle or combat challenge within earns you Spirit Orbs, which you can use to increase your maximum health or increase your stamina bar. These small distinct caverns are littered throughout the world of Breath of the Wild and serve as challenge rooms. This is especially helpful since they are the key to tackling shrines. It’s such a simple yet amazing detail since it can lead to intense situations coming from something as simple as climbing up a rock face and worrying if you have enough strength to reach the next foothold. In addition to acting as a sprint button for Link, it is also used to determine how far you can swim or climb up surfaces before collapsing. This is coupled with the return of the stamina bar from the last Zelda adventure, Skyward Sword. These are your traversal tools for the entire game, and as long as you know what you’re doing, you can go just about anywhere. These powers include: the ability to create bombs that can be blown up remotely with a single button press magnetic control where you can manipulate certain metal objects for puzzle solving or improvised weapons a stasis power in order to temporarily freeze objects and a cryo power that you can use to create ice blocks out of water sources. Within the first hour you get a collection of powers tied to a mystical artifact called a Sheikah Slate. The biggest change is instead of there being large intricate dungeons full of puzzles, traps, and monsters to defeat complete with a special item you need in order to travel to certain areas, most of your travel tools are available from the beginning. However, there are a myriad of changes to the franchise’s formula that keep things different. Not only is this a fantastic return to letting the player organically discover things for themselves, the minute I figured out how to surf down mountains using my shield as a surfboard I squealed like a little kid, it is an absolutely perfect fit for a sandbox. With no clear indication of where to go next, the trouble comes from what order you choose to attempt these various challenges. There’s a big bad that needs to be defeated, you start off with nothing but a simple sword, and the entire game world is chock full of items and abilities all meant to help you. In many ways Breath of the Wild is a modern remake of the original Legend of Zelda with this non-linear structure. Or you can dash straight to Calamity Ganon right off the bat and get reduced to a pile of ash. You can choose to follow the main story path of traveling to the various regions of the world to pull the four Divine Beasts from Ganon’s control to assist you in the final battle. Once this is explained, you are given the job of stopping Calamity Ganon and the game’s world becomes yours to explore. Hyrule Castle is overrun, various cities and towns have been blasted to pieces, the world is full of monsters, and Ganon himself has corrupted large walking tanks and war weapons originally used by Hyrule’s military known as the Guardians and Divine Beasts to do his bidding. However, instead of being a human warlock or pig monster like in past adventures, he has become a living force of nature known as Calamity Ganon.Ī new title that is quite appropriate because he has all but won. The embodiment of evil and hatred, Ganon, has risen once again to terrorize the kingdom of Hyrule. He ventures outside into a vast open plain, and meets an old man that tells him what has happened. Even when some parts of the experience don’t entirely work or fall short, this is the kind of adventure that seldom comes around and utterly grabs the imagination with absolute confidence and quality.īreath of the Wild opens with the hero Link waking up in a mysterious shrine. Yet with all of these unbelievable expectations, there are so many parts of Breath of the Wild that go above and beyond merely amazing craftsmanship. Furthermore, it is a launch title for the experimental Nintendo Switch console and is the machine’s killer app. It is also the franchise’s first foray into open-world design with a lot of various conventions integral to the games radically changed or altered a somewhat controversial and worrisome direction for many Zelda diehards. It is a celebration of the 30 years of mythic lore and is packed to the brim with references to past installments. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is full to bursting with reverence and respect for the franchise.
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