The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

IMDb isn't really a site designed for people to rate video games, but this entry is too much fun to not talk about, so I'll write a review anyways. If you look deeper into my ratings you'll notice how I gave all the Zelda games I've played a perfect 10. I love the series' storytelling, quirky characters, engaging puzzles and charming level designs, but I do often wonder if these games deserve such a high rating. They do slightly suffer from repetition (Ganon must have multiple lives!), and there are a few irritating glitches that can hinder my overall enjoyment. Which is fine because, after buying the Nintendo Switch and trying this game out for a few good hours, I think this game is worth all the hype. And what hype it has!

In short, this game is an absolute blast. Open-world games have been done before (Skyrim), yet every little detail, every little technique, and the various ways you could go about on your adventure make this huge world feel fresh and exciting. There is so much to do in this game, and it never gets boring! Link could climb up steep cliffs, transport to towers, paraglide, and enter "Shrines" to solve puzzles by using magic in clever ways. Even the horse-riding was fun! I love how immersive this world is, because everything (graphics, controls, gameplay) is so flawlessly executed and so absorbing. It breaks a few video game conventions we're so used to, making this game an exciting, entertaining ride filled with smooth game-play and fun characters.

I haven't gotten too deep into the game yet, so I can't really comment on the main storyline too much. So far it has the typical Zelda formula, but with an interesting techno-twist that doesn't feel misplaced. The character interactions are natural, and the quests push the story forward instead of making them feel like filler. So far a good start.

Overall, this game is innovative, breathtaking, challenging, imaginative and endlessly addicting. I believe this is one of Nintendo's most well-crafted games they've made, and I'm not saying this out of pure nostalgia. If you're a Zelda fan, a casual gamer, or someone that thirsts for adventure, this is a great choice.

A huge problem with previous Zelda games is the limited freedom. Nintendo completely changed that with Breath of the Wild.

As soon as you walk into the endless world of BOTW, EVERYWHERE you see you can visit, heck if you want to, you can run in and defeat Ganon without anything! It truly is a change to the Zelda series. The story-line is great and the cut-scenes with voice acting make it seem that much more interesting. Plus, with the Switch, you can play a major console game on the GO! (Beat that Horizon Zero Dawn and any other Switchless console/PC game.)

Another great thing about BOTW is all of the side quests, shrines, korok seeds, DLC and MORE! So when you finish the main quest you haven't finished the game. There are still places you can visit and hundreds of things you can do among all of the side quests, DLC, etc.

No game is perfect, it does have some flaws such as the occasional drop of frame rate however it has improved and doesn't disrupt the experience.

Overall, it's an excellent game for young to old, zero Zelda experience to an Ultra Zelda Fanboy and non-gamer to hardcore gamer.

Easily one of the greatest games of all time, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild delivers a satisfyingly beautiful presentation on scale, world building, story, gameplay, and design. Most of my gripes are buggy graphics and such that have more to do with the Switch's shortcomings as opposed to the games'. And even gripes that are the game's fault are done purposefully to make the game better. If you play this game you will certainly not be disappointed.

That was the short version, long version of why this game is awesome along with a plot synopsis will continue now.

Synopsis: A century before the game begins, the peaceful kingdom of Hyrule was attacked by an evil entity known as Calamity Ganon, who is the game's version of the usual Zelda villain Ganondorf. Princess Zelda and her knight Link, fight the evil Ganon but lose, and Link barely escapes with his life. He's placed in a bed of water inside a cave for a hundred years and when he wakes up with no memory of what happens, he has to fight to defeat Calamity Ganon and his minions to purge Hyrule of its darkness.

Okay so first the plot. I'm not too familiar with the canon storyline of Zelda, but from what I've heard the game's storyline is completely original, at least in its structure. I really like how it got the elements of Zelda's story and broke them up into little parts and built up in its own unique way.

And surprisingly enough for such a simplistic children's story of good versus evil, it's very compelling. Link's memories become somewhat of a mystery and how he is in a world he has to defend but not remember becomes very interesting. Sure the whole "You don't remember me but you should" angle from almost every NPC becomes pretty flat, but I'll admit that its very compelling.

What limits the stories RPG elements such as the bog standard story and robotic NPCs are pretty much forgotten. I mean, the game is just genius. The music is atmospheric and engaging, what should make the game boring and forgettable such as the conventions of video game RPGs and fantasy instead make the game more classic. The combat sticks to the average shift and strike sort of method but still remains very very fun. There were times when I was on the edge of my seat, just slamming the respawn button to get back at an enemy in the game who defeated me.

Speaking of which, this game does not treat you like a baby. It doesn't hold your hand through a two hour tutorial, the handling of mechanics is very straightforward, and most of all the difficulty. On a scale between a Disney Channel online game and Dark Souls, Breath of the Wild is somewhere in the middle. It's easy enough that you can progress without being a hard core gamer, but hard enough to want you to keep getting stronger.

Likewise, there's something here for everyone. Hard core RPG fans can enjoy the rich worldbuilding and character design. Fantasy nuts can really enjoy the brilliantly created setting. And people who like fighting games can enjoy the very fun combat angle which is a very refined system which is based both on the player's skill and items. Everyday people who aren't too into gaming and just want to escape for a little can enjoy how investing the gorgeous graphics of the game are.

My gripes actually have reasons for them existing. I really don't like how weapons can break because its annoying to get a really cool or powerful weapon just for it to break two seconds later. However it prevents players from creating an overpowered build and flying through the game. I also don't like how the loading screen had awkwardly scratchy transitions and how riding at full gallop on a horse can make the bottom part of the screen sort of have an annoying 'ghost effect'. Again, this is the Switch's fault, not the game's.

Another gripe I have is the reliance on more powerful weapons as opposed to skill. To defeat stronger bosses you just need better arrows, which can be bought with the game's currency rupees. But this is just pretty tedious, grinding away at weaker enemies and selling their drops to exchange them for arrows.

Again this can be blamed on the simple fact that the game is an RPG, grinding is a simple facet of every role playing game. But it also limits the game heavily, you kill monsters to get drops, you sell drops to get rupees and spend rupees to buy arrows which defeat stronger enemies. You spend rupees on arrows pretty much. While limiting, I prefer this to simply having a purely skill based system which obligates newer players to just give up instead of grind when they reach an area of the game with too strong a boss.

Another gripe is that there is no simplified progression system to track your progress. Sure there's a 'Quest Log' that tracks how many quests you completed but still, on the game as a whole there is no way to know how many items you've obtained, there's no EXP system to boost your stats and most of all, and out of all of the game's content, how much of it you've experienced. Really enjoyable games such as Chasm, Assassin's Creed and even Lego Star Wars had clearly defined systems that let you know how much of the game there was left to uncover.

But like my other gripes I understand this entirely. In order to let the player create his own adventure instead of having a streamlined system tell him how much is left to uncover, he or she has to do it on his own, a surprisingly smart system for forcing the player to tackle the game on his or her own terms. Like Skyrim, the player does not have to follow the main story to progress through the game. He or she can take on side quests, dungeons and simply explore the game's magnigicent setting. This, like the removal of the average 'game percentage' aspect really allows the player to have the best experience possible.

The game gives an engaging experience on every level imaginable, from the simplest design to the most complex. The original game 'The Legend of Zelda' followed Link on his journey to reunite the pieces of the tri force, but this game focuses on Link's journey to defeat Ganon to free Hyrule from his grasp. The game does not retcon the whole series, but instead uses its elements in a new and intelligent way. It uses canon elements like building blocks to create its own beautiful masterpiece of a story and game. Unlike most RPGs, there is no leveling system, but instead...shrines which have replaced dungeons. Each shrine includes various obstacles, puzzles and enemies, at the end of which is a statue that gives you a Spirit Orb and a full health regeneration.

Every four Spirit Orbs lets you become stronger, either giving you an extra heart, or more stamina, which you use to run, glide and climb. There are over a hundred unique shrines with their own design and that in itself is genius and scrupulous game design. Can you imagine that? More than a hundred specially designed rooms, each with their own loot and obstacles. This really is a masterfully crafted game, with tons of effort and creativity thrown in. Little bits of fun here and there such as little 'Children of the Forest' or spirits, which have the most unique and interesting design, occur almost nine hundred times. How amazing is that? Nine *hundred* seperate encounters with unique spirits, each that give you seeds to max out your inventory. That is just one of the many aspects of the game that make it the most engaging and well designed video game ever made. The sheer amount of effort and ingenuity put into this game really shows, from the plethora of uniquely designed characters and monsters, items, dungeons (shrines), bosses, and puzzles.

I've never wanted to play a game that I hoped never ended except for this one. And when I finish it, I will probably play it again and again. And if you try it, you probably will too.

Wow this is just an amazing game i love it so much i do not remember seeing an amazing game like the legend of zelda Just a creative game at an open world level at the highest level I could really imagine gameplay I did not know and I really like to know I have been a fan for years and I just have not been such a really good game in terms of industry and good in my opinion 10 out of 10 is without a doubt really among my favorite games I've finished it three times already and it took me a full time to finish it but overall I enjoyed every moment and I think every good Zelda player dealing with Nintendo must play this game.

I mean this game is a masterpiece, anyone who says otherwise has probably not even completed the great platue.

Got a friend who tried the game once, then I asked how he liked it, and then he said it was boring. I asked him how far he was into the game, he said he didn't know. I asked him if he had gotten the paraglider and he didn't know what it was. And then I said he hadn't even completed the tutorial. Lmao.

Then I got another friend that I let borrow my game to try it. A week passes and I ask, how did you like it? He responded I played for 10 minutes and then didn't want to play more because he said he didn't like the graphics. Bro what?