The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
"After a century of hibernation, Link reawakens to once again save a ruined Hyrule from a great evil."
- IMDB Synopsis
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild wasn't just the perfect launch title for the Nintendo Switch. It was the game of the decade, arguably one of the greatest games of all times, and certainly a revolutionary title in the Zelda franchise.
What really blows my mind about this game is the world design. The land of Hyrule is so vast and beautiful. There are hidden details in every location. Every biome has something unique. The wildlife truly feels like it's alive.
With a title like Breath of the wild, it makes sense that Link lives off the land in this game. Usually, the concept of wielding temporary weapons would annoy me. But it's so easy to find really cool and useful weapons by just exploring, defeating enemy camps, or completing quests and shrines. You can also increase inventory by cashing in the 900+ korok seeds you find via puzzles found all around the world. There is a main quest to follow, but you find that it's very easy to get distracted as you go from place to place because there's just so many places to explore, so many shrines to find, ect. This game is hours of gameplay, easily.
I will never ever get over how beautiful this game looks. It's honestly one of the most visually stunning games I've ever seen. The art style is unique. The graphics and lighting are flawless. I would honestly climb a mountain just to take in the view of a gorgeous sunset in a digital, fictional world. Adding on to graphics, the physics of the game are so much fun. Link falls off a cliff and its rag doll physics galore as he tumbles down. I also like how physics is utilized in puzzles or even battle. This was displayed well in the big E3 demo form 2016.
This is the first Zelda game that featured fully voice acted dialogue and cutscenes. I really appreciated this change a little bit. The voice acting was pretty good and the cutscenes added an emotional layer that other Zelda games don't have. However, Zelda games never really relied on voice acting before to convey emotion. Previous installments really depended on an enchanting and powerful musical score to help immerse us in both in action moments and emotional scenes. The Breath of the Wild soundtrack is simple, which fits the tone of the game. This is great, but as a soundtrack, it's not as iconic as other games.
I have played a few Zelda games over the years, and have seen let's plays of all the ones I missed out on. The Zelda franchise is both a pillar of Nintendo and an iconic franchise in gaming. Each installment brings something new to the table while still presenting the same adventure feel. Link, in all his iterations, is hero we all love to play as. I'm am so excited to see what comes next in the franchise after what has now been 35 epic years of adventures.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★