Also, I apologize in advance for what looks to be a lengthy review. With a game that you spend 100+ hours playing, there are bound to be a great many aspects to reflect and discuss upon. So, feel free to soak up every detail or jump around as you please, but I hope this review serves as a platform to learn, discuss, and enjoy. With that said, enjoy the review:
Genre: Action-Adventure
Players: 1
Playtime: 115+ hours (Includes clearing the 4 main dungeons, finding and completing 115 of 120 shrines, collecting 200+ Korok seeds, numerous other side quests, and defeating Ganon)
Players: 1
Playtime: 115+ hours (Includes clearing the 4 main dungeons, finding and completing 115 of 120 shrines, collecting 200+ Korok seeds, numerous other side quests, and defeating Ganon)
With every game in The Legend of Zelda series, the subtitle offers a significant degree of context into the gameplay and narrative emphasis of the adventure you're about to embark on. For Ocarina of Time, Link controls the flow of time as he jumps forward into adulthood to save a prosperous kingdom from its bleak future without a hero. For The Wind Waker, Link takes command of the winds as he charts a course across the Great Sea to save his sister, but the power needed to do so lies in a dormant slumber awaiting to be awakened. So what is the intent and expected experience from a game that is called Breath of the Wild?
In short: This is a game in which exploration and discovery are the driving forces. Link explores a desolate and ruined kingdom in search of answers to a forgotten past and the power to stop a foreboding and ever-present evil. Very much like the original Zelda for the NES, players can explore this lavish landscape with unprecedented freedom, shaking up what has been a mostly linear experience for the past many years in this series. As expected from such a dramatic departure from standard conventions, this affects many elements within the game for better or worse. With that said, let's take a look the pro's and con's of this wild new world.
Exploration
Breath of the Wild is a massive game with an unbelievably huge world (roughly 12 times bigger than the entire map in Twilight Princess for comparison). Over 80 hours into the game, I was still being surprised and amazed as I stumbled upon new discoveries in this world. To fill a world of this scale with so much interest and wonder is beyond an impressive feat. From treasures and shrines, to minerals and Korok seeds, every inch of this world is worth exploring and rewarded for the effort.The experience of exploration is further enhanced by the ease of navigation and brilliant visual language implemented in this game. The topography of Hyrule is slowly revealed as players scale scattered towers and mountain tops, but it remains up to the players to decide what's worth exploring. The neon glow of an unexplored shrine; a crop of birds circling the sky; a skull-shaped cave surrounded by guard posts; these visual cues drive the player towards adventure and discovery. And with the ability to climb most any surface and to glide from the highest peaks, you are drawn into an addictive cycle of always having a destination to easily reach and more to identify.
Lastly, the quests in this game do a fantastic job at offering subtle clues of objectives to complete, but relying on the player to be able to identify the remaining needed information. It forces close observation of their maps and encourages exploration further based off clues and clever puzzles. And with rewards for these quests often involving cool weapons and gear, this makes exploration essential early in the game with your limited and durable arsenal. The merits of making weapons durable beyond repair is a debatable topic (I personally had no problems with such), but it certainly adds extra importance to exploration. Those who explore will be well equipped to tackle the challenges this downtrodden kingdom brings.
Music & Sound Design
Music is another driving force that can make any game a truly immersive and memorable experience, of which Breath of the Wild's soundtrack is no exception. The quiet ambiance of a piano and gentle sound effects of wild life help to paint a picture of a ruined and melancholy kingdom. Take a listen to a few of my favorite tracks from the game as you read the rest of this review:When riding your horse at steady gallop, this beautiful music starts to accompany you matching the rhythmic pace of your trusted steed. The day theme heard here subtly adds in Zelda's Lullaby, while the night theme incorporates the main Legend of Zelda theme.
The theme played in the Lost Woods and other equally labyrinthine moments in the game sets the perfect mood for mystery and intrigue.
The Rito Village theme is derived from one of my favorite tracks of Dragon Roost Island from The Wind Waker. The night theme heard here plays at a slower pace, highlighting the rich sounds of the guitar.
The music of the dungeons in this game are each unique and have a great build-up as players progress through them, building to a climatic crescendo as they ready their approach to the boss. My favorite is from the "sky" dungeon, which captures the majesty and awe that comes from exploring a strange wonder miles above the earth.
While I wish there were more variety in bosses, the music that accompanied each type was wonderfully epic and thrilling to behold while fighting them. Perhaps the best boss fight in the game, Molduga's Battle theme heard here has amazingly suspenseful chase music that turns into a fervent fiddle when the chance to strike back arises.
Art, Animation, & World Design
While exploring this wide wild world, you will often be left in moments of awe and wonder at the beauty that it holds. From the majestic entry towards Zora's domain to a sweeping field swaying with blades of grass, Breath of the Wild feels like a Studio Ghibli movie come to life. The frame rate may dip in moments of intense battles or the Lost Woods, but these are rare occurrences to what is otherwise a technical marvel this game was able to achieve. There is nothing quite like being able to look miles into the beautiful sunset and see a foreboding storm cloud pour rain in a distant swamp on the horizon.There is also so much detail and life in all the animations of this game. Jump off the cliff heading towards a body of water and Link will swan dive. Try to pull out a weapon when you're not equipped, and Link will reach for a weapon only to look at his empty hand with shock and disappointment. Enter a snowy region or cold altitudes under-dressed, and Link will begin to shiver and chatter his teeth. Be it your hero, the wildlife, Bokoblins, or the villagers, they all have amazingly detailed and varied animations to react in a multitude of situations.
To my surprise (though in hindsight, it shouldn't have been), Monolith Soft assisted in the development of this massive world for Breath of the Wild. As a subsidiary for Nintendo, they are best known for their recent Xenoblade Chronicle series with impressive large and varied world design. Their touch is notably apparent in the rich and diverse regions that cover every corner of Hyrule. Combine this with the vivid art and the lively characters, it all comes together to make this feel like a real living and breathing world.
NPC's & Zelda
Aside from their art direction and animations, further praise must be given to the non-playable characters (NPC's) that support this game. First off, every single NPC in this game is unique and has a detailed life that they live out. They aren't just duplicate models put in to fill up space like other open world games. They will travel the roads, get into fights with Bokoblins, run to shelter to avoid rain, go to bed and have dreams that you can listen in to. Talk to them in all these circumstances and they will have unique conversations for each. Talk to them in your underwear, and they will have unique conversations to react to such. The amount of work it must have took to create a whole world and multitude of characters with such a vast variety of actions and reactions is staggering to believe.Breath of the Wild also offers what is perhaps one of the most unique and interesting interpretations of Princess Zelda in the series yet. As you find and collect memories in the game, you'll get to learn more of this Zelda's backstory, personality, struggles, and determination. It is a refreshing take on the traditional tropes this series typically follows and makes for more endearing and heartfelt moments.
One last note: The children NPC's in this game have never been more adorable! Be it small humans, Gorons, Zoras, Rito, or Gerudo, they are all so OBSCENELY CUTE!
Combat
For the first half of this game, combat is an immensely satisfying experience due to numerous factors. First, enemies are challenging and punishing. The AI is crafty and will react based off the situation. If unequipped, they will run to grab items, or throw rocks at you, or even throw their own comrades at you. Bosses are especially fun as they will adapt as the fights carry on. For example, after shooting arrows several times into the cyclops's eyes, they will eventually learn to block their eye, forcing the player to figure out new tactics. And if you aren't careful about who you pick a fight with, you may take lethal damage much more quickly than anticipated.
Because of this added difficulty, you then learn to approach combat more carefully and observe the environment in more detail. This turns combat into more of a puzzle and an interesting affair. Lastly, the vast variety of weapons found in this game keeps battles varied enough to be enjoyable bouts. In fact, because of the limited durability of weapons in the game, you will find yourself experimenting and trying new weapons quite often, which keeps encounters fresh and fun.
Combat takes a step down later in the game once you begin to learn how to abuse enemy patterns and upgrade your stats / gear beyond any level of threat (see below in Post-Game Challenge for more detail). However, the combat system developed for this game still stands tall with the rest in the series and lays good groundwork to be expanded upon in future games.
Because of this added difficulty, you then learn to approach combat more carefully and observe the environment in more detail. This turns combat into more of a puzzle and an interesting affair. Lastly, the vast variety of weapons found in this game keeps battles varied enough to be enjoyable bouts. In fact, because of the limited durability of weapons in the game, you will find yourself experimenting and trying new weapons quite often, which keeps encounters fresh and fun.
Combat takes a step down later in the game once you begin to learn how to abuse enemy patterns and upgrade your stats / gear beyond any level of threat (see below in Post-Game Challenge for more detail). However, the combat system developed for this game still stands tall with the rest in the series and lays good groundwork to be expanded upon in future games.
Dungeons - Atmosphere & Mechanics
While this game may not have the best dungeons in the series, I have to commend them for being such a unique and refreshing experience. The pretext leading up to each dungeon sets the mood as you work with an ally to enter in epic fashion. Then once inside, the somber and mysterious mood is set further with the chilling music and scattered pools of malice about. As you make your way to key points in the dungeon, the music builds in dramatic fashion, of which I can't emphasize enough how grand this makes the experience of exploring these behemoth structures.
Aside from that, each dungeon is given a unique mechanic in which using the map, players can control a certain feature of the dungeon. For some of these dungeons, they really turn things on their head, like the Stone Tower from Majora's Mask head-turning levels of awesomeness. This ability to manipulate these dungeons at will is a really neat new take on what has been an otherwise formulaic approach to dungeon design and helps create a memorable narrative for these experiences.
Aside from that, each dungeon is given a unique mechanic in which using the map, players can control a certain feature of the dungeon. For some of these dungeons, they really turn things on their head, like the Stone Tower from Majora's Mask head-turning levels of awesomeness. This ability to manipulate these dungeons at will is a really neat new take on what has been an otherwise formulaic approach to dungeon design and helps create a memorable narrative for these experiences.
Hyrule Castle & Ganon
As I finally gained the confidence to approach Hyrule Castle, little did I know the thrill that would come from storming this mountain of a castle. This may be one of my favorite endings to the Zelda franchise ever. It all begins with your choice of how best to enter the castle, of which there are so many ways to approach. And once you cross the moat, you realize how massive this castle really is, as it weaves inside and out the landscape of the mountain. Guardians and turrets are mounted at every turn. Pools of malice block large stretches of the paths and doorways. Secrets lie in wait behind unassuming walls. Navigating this castle is an enormous an joyous puzzle to behold. And beneath all the wreckage and disarray, you get a sense of what a carefully crafted and real place this actually once was. Great libraries and dining halls. Armories and dungeons. Guard keeps and bedrooms. This castle is a world of its own to explore. All of which is accompanied by one of the most epic soundtracks, which incorporates the main Legend of Zelda theme, Ganon's theme, and a familiar and epic theme you may recognize from Link's Awakening.
I will keep details light on Ganon here, but to share some thought on such: The fight itself was fairly easy and underwhelming. And yet, the design of Ganon is so intimidating and awe inspiring, that I can forgive some of this short coming. Coupled with the ending portion of the fight that concluded with such perfect synchronization and epic poise, I can't help but be more than satisfied with this thrilling finale.
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| Standing at the front gates of Hyrule - One of but many ways to enter. |
Dungeons - Themes, Bosses, & Key Items
While the dungeons were certainly memorable and unique experiences, they aren't without fault, especially when compared to the stellar dungeons of past in the series. Firstly, while each dungeon has a unique mechanic in this game, they were too similarly themed for my liking. The dungeons are given light themes of wind, air, electricity, and fire, but they all look more or less the same. I understand the reasoning for doing such in the context of this story and Shiekah technology, but their themes and design could have been pushed more inside the dungeons to stand out more.
Same can be said about the dungeon bosses, of which were all much too similar and largely uninspiring by your 2nd, 3rd, and especially 4th encounter. These bouts were made less memorable by the lack of a key item to be found in the dungeons (such as the hookshot, bombs, etc.). I know the key item to beat the boss is a bit of a cliche at this point, but I feel it adds to the narrative of the dungeon. The lack of key items was likely decided upon so that no player was left shorthanded when solving puzzles in the main overworld, but this likely could have been negated if the key items served as alternative means to solving puzzles in the overworld, while remaining essential to the dungeon. In fact, key items would have added some variety to traversing the overworld and brought a fresh perspective when revisiting old areas. With a game whose focus is on exploration, this feels like a missed opportunity and odd decision.
Same can be said about the dungeon bosses, of which were all much too similar and largely uninspiring by your 2nd, 3rd, and especially 4th encounter. These bouts were made less memorable by the lack of a key item to be found in the dungeons (such as the hookshot, bombs, etc.). I know the key item to beat the boss is a bit of a cliche at this point, but I feel it adds to the narrative of the dungeon. The lack of key items was likely decided upon so that no player was left shorthanded when solving puzzles in the main overworld, but this likely could have been negated if the key items served as alternative means to solving puzzles in the overworld, while remaining essential to the dungeon. In fact, key items would have added some variety to traversing the overworld and brought a fresh perspective when revisiting old areas. With a game whose focus is on exploration, this feels like a missed opportunity and odd decision.
Shrines
The scattered shrines in the overworld are a joy to locate and discover, but what remains inside comes with mixed results. Too often the puzzles are so simple and unsatisfying. The combat shrines quickly become repetitive and tedious affairs, with next to no variety in their design. And sometimes the shrines don't contain any challenge at all, as in you walk inside and climb a staircase straight to your reward. This is typically after a long quest that led to the discovery of the shrine, but when and where they decide these "no challenge shrines" are necessary is never quite consistent or makes much sense. There are certainly a handful of interesting shrines to be found in this game, but it's disappointing so many other shrines fall flat. If they were combined together, they would likely make more interesting larger dungeons or caves to explore, but such was likely held back due to the massive scale that is this game's overworld and the need to spread these out. Due to this, what could have satisfied the itch for dynamic dungeons ends up just being a means to an end for obtaining stat upgrades.
Story
Because of the openworld design of this game, the story required an approach in which players could experience such in a non-linear fashion. This was in fact a very interesting way to experience the story and fill in the gaps, as you collect memories out of order exploring this massive world. However, other than a fresh and captivating perspective on Princess Zelda, the story takes a back seat and plays a passive role in this game. Ganon is unfortunately a bland plot device with little to no backstory or motivations. You unfortunately don't learn much or anything about the Sheikah and their ancient technology. And there aren't any surprising or inspiring plot twists / climaxes to be had, probably because the developers could not assure when such would be experienced with this non-linear approach. As such, the main story doesn't quite hold a candle to what is otherwise a much more invested and theatric stage.Enemy Variety
There are a decent variety of enemies to be found in the game, from your Bokoblins and Moblins, to Wizrobes and Octoroks, to the menacing Lynels and more. However, with enough playtime, these encounters will eventually begin to become repetitive affairs. Especially for the overworld bosses, of which there are only three variations. With a vast variety of regions, it seems a shame that more variety wasn't developed at least for region specific enemies and bosses. It would have kept combat more engaging as you learned new enemy patterns when exploring new regions, and made for an extra incentive to explore and discover new, wondrous creatures.
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| This game needed more region-specific enemies like the magnificent Molduga seen here. |
Inventory Management
For the most part, the inventory screen is clean and communicates clearly. That said, through repeated use of these menus, there are many annoyances to be found, such as:
- Trying to pick up gear only to be notified that your inventory is full. So you then have to open your inventory to decide what needs to be dropped, then close your inventory and pick up the desired gear.
- When you want to equip certain outfits, you have to equip each piece individually, with no option to make / equip sets.
- No easy way to track or record recipes cooked.
- No easy way to track shrine / Korok seed progress other than loading screens.
- Sorting functions within the inventory don't always make sense in how they sort.
- Unable to see durability stats of gear until such is almost about to break.
These are all small nitpicks, but they add up to distaste for accessing the inventory, of which you frequently need to use in this game. Hopefully these minor issues can be addressed in a future patch.
End-Game Challenge
Lastly, once you begin upgrading your gear and stats, enemies start becoming less of a threat. This feels empowering at first, taking revenge on those fiends that intimidated you so much throughout the game. However, you'll then want a challenge that puts up a fight with your newly acquired power. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be anything available in this end-game that puts up such a fight. Perhaps this will be addressed in the DLC Hard Mode / Cave of Trials, but it's disappointing there isn't at least one or two enemies ready to fight for the effort that was put in to obtain this power.
After some time and reflection with this game, it's clear that Breath of the Wild is not a perfect game, and yet it may be one of the most joyous and profound gaming experiences I've played in a very long time. The technical brilliance and exceptional execution of new ideas make for an adventure filled with constant discovery and wonder, and will surely be looked upon as a new benchmark for openworld adventures to come. The massive size of this world, though impressive as it is, may have been overambitious and a detriment to certain elements of its design. But these small faults pale in comparison to its many strengths, and in a strange way, these faults have me excited for the potential of the series to come. Breath of the Wild manages to break through the molds of old conventions and set standards to create a refreshing experience unlike any other, and with that the groundwork has been laid to allow the series to grow in ways never before imagined. So as we dream towards the exciting potential of the future, how will this game be remembered and reminisced? I believe the subtitle says it all: This was an adventure of exploring new and wild ideas. And this was a promise in which they absolutely delivered upon.
If you have any questions or thoughts about this game, please feel free to comment and discuss below. (Try to keep any comments spoiler free for those still playing the game) And if you like this review format or have any suggestions, I value all feedback. Thanks. And happy gaming!
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