The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I have spent my whole life playing the Legend of Zelda series loving each entry of the series, however over time I have noticed that the series has become far too formulaic and after Skyward Sword hand holding was taken way too far. Which is why I am glad to say that Breath of the Wild has taken every bit of the formula that was monotonous and threw it completely out of the window.

For the first time since the first entry way back in 1986 you have complete freedom of how you want to approach the game. From the very first moments you see the world unfold around you it won't be long until you get to explore the large and vast world of Hyrule.

After you complete the very brief tutorial of the game you can go wherever you want and do whatever it is you want to do. Feel like going straight to Hyrule castle to fight Ganon? Go ahead but don't be surprised if your ass gets completely handed to you.

One thing to note in Breath of the Wild is that the difficulty of the game when it comes to combat has become increasingly harder and you must learn to adapt to new ways of handling these encounters as you play. There were many times I would be killed again and again forcing me to keep loading back into the same confrontation which forced me to change my approach.

With all my praises of this game the one complaint I habe is the story itself which given the scope and scale of the game I expected to be much more. I soon realized the true story of the game is your adventure and when I came to think of that I didn't mind so much that the story wasn't stronger as my adventure and my journey throughout the game was so fun and compelling that there were times where I didn't even notice the story so much.

I really hope to see where Nintendo can take the franchise from here and with their new approach to the Zelda formula I hope to see many Zelda games with this level of freedom in the future. A definite must own for Zelda fans and even those who are curious or new to the series.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an amazing game that will surely be seen as a go-to definition of open-world gaming comparable to Grand Theft Auto or Super Mario 64; and even a little Skyrim-esque in parts. Breath of the Wild feels like a Zelda game, but also feels like an adaptation of the games by Hayao Miyazaki's team at Studio Ghibli. This game is unimaginably gorgeous to look at and play. Its scope is nearly quadruple that of Ocarina of Time (and I freaking LOVE Ocarina of Time), and it's such an enormous game that I wonder if I'd dare to say that it's even BIGGER than G.T.A. V. Also it's the launch title that made the Nintendo Switch SOAR to the top of the charts!

Get this game if you're a human being with a pulse and who has a strong love for all things video-games. Also, this is THE Zelda game for anime fans to get into.

This game is everything I wanted with an video game. The exploration, the lore and gameplay is just well done. It hade been a long time since I first played it and I recently picked it up again and is still just as amazed as the first time.

What can I say besides "what a god damn excellent game" as a Zelda and open world game fan I was more than satisfied!

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.