Spoiler Alert: Might spoil your experience with the game.

Game Rating: 4.5/5

The Legend Of Zelda: Breathe Of The Wild remains a major benchmark for Nintendo. It has attracted a mixed audience of age and is enjoyed by both. Considering how long-running franchises, unfortunately, end up making quantity over quality (and generate a lot of revenue through merchandising), Zelda fans have always enjoyed a quality experience and the franchise has yet again balanced both its older and newer audiences. Originally launched on the Wii U, its subsequent re-release on the Nintendo Switch has contributed to not only the sales of the console but also boost the popularity of the game itself as clearly, the Wii U did not do justice to any of its titles.

I’d like to clarify that I’m not a long-time Zelda fan and neither have I played the Legend Of Zelda games in the past. I did however get accustomed to Link, Zelda, Sheik, and Gannondorf through playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl on my Wii (it still works!) and been intrigued by the overall popularity. After getting a Switch on my birthday last year, I decided to expand my Nintendo tastes and try out this game. I did not watch any videos of this game before. All I knew was that this game was considered a masterpiece. Sure enough, my first 1-2 hours of playing filled me with awe as much as it is difficult to try something new out.

I was introduced to the long-running Link-always-waking-up-at-the-beginning-of-the-game trope and proceeded to try out the combat system on the Bokoblins. It was rather slow for my taste at first but gradually I got used to it. The game also seemed rather non-linear (a part that I shall dedicate a block to write about below) and it was fun trying different methods to proceed with the tutorial phase of the game. I had to collect four spirit orbs in exchange for a paraglider to advance further into Hyrule. After I did, I went off to Kakiriko Village and was given the main quests to find the Divine Beasts and unlock all lost memories. I first played around not minding the fact I’m not progressing the story but later I read that to truly enjoy the game, I must recapture the Divine Beasts and unlock all memories.

My first Divine Beast was Vah Naboris and guess what, I attempted it with barely 4 hearts and little stamina. The armor I had was the Soldier’s Armor. Did have a few Guardian weapons but it just was not an easy battle against Thunderblight Ganon. Not only was it fast, but it was also arguably the strongest of them all and of course, I didn’t know any better than challenging the toughest Scourge. I end up beating it after watching a guide on YouTube and boy, was it rewarding to receive Urbosa’s Fury after that.

Gameplay-wise, it’s terrific. It has a pretty friendly scaling to it as you progress gradually during the tutorial phase but soon, you have to be very smart with the way you use controls. It’s a pretty advanced feat to carry through the game with a few hearts but thankfully the controls are rather fluid and can be manipulated to your advantage as you learn more of the battle mechanics. The game does reward you well after certain boss fights and the loot is always worth keeping before challenging Ganon or post-game. It does tend to annoy me when it rains for long periods but it’s not a problem I want removed from the sequel. The lore is also very easy to be emotionally attached to as you proceed to spend hours to save a princess that will also lead you to free the spirits of your long-gone fellow comrades.

There’s a ton of side quests that helps to keep you company in case the main quests are still quite difficult for you. I haven’t done much but when I do play the game casually I look for shrine quests as they have fun gimmicks to solve. The main quests are those that revolve around answers to what happened a hundred years prior and to eliminate Calamity Ganon from Hyrule Castle. It did feel overwhelming at times as the locations to collect memories were very hard to reach and trying to climb Sheikah Towers was challenging. The Divine Beast quests were the most challenging of them all as you had to be keen to the smallest of detail to solve the puzzles. The Scourges were tough but it was rewarding to beat them. The sense of accomplishment of all these missions came right at the final boss fight which I will not speak of considering how awesome it was.

The music was ethereal. I must hand it to the composers about the terrific job they did with the music. My favorites include the Rito Village, Omen Of The Blood Moon, all the Reunion and The Divine Beasts Strike themes.

The non-linearity of the game was the best part. This is something I always thought Pokémon lacked and hoped this is what they would do with their gym battles alongside a proper level scaling as well. Breathe Of The Wild manages to capture both a fulfilling story ending and a non-linear progression system. As I mentioned about the hours of gameplay that took me to travel through, the game either grows on you with the experience you get with time or with how creative you get with combat. The Divine Beasts quests are not linked with each other neither will completing one before the other affect gameplay substantially other than receiving perks and stronger weapons. The Master Sword isn’t a must either and you can challenge yourself to beat the game without it. You can also face Calamity Ganon without even beating the Divine Beasts. This truly brings a huge depth to the gameplay and how much freedom the player is getting.

With everything I have mentioned, I have to admit over and over that it has grown on me. This game is truly beautiful and has brought Nintendo relevance to today’s gaming world. With once thriving with the GameCube and their previous handhelds, the game has tested the capabilities Nintendo is willing to deliver. Being a staple in the gaming world and selling millions of units, I hope you too discover the beauty of the world The Legend Of Zelda offers as I did.