Why The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a masterpiece
I first experienced Zelda as a kid in the late 1980's. I didn't own it, but I had friends who did. We would rush home after school to play. We'd compare notes about dungeons and secrets during recess and over lunch. It was a game that shaped my lifelong love of the hobby .
I never thought I'd feel that way again. And then Breath of the Wild changed all that.
I finally put my controller down a few weeks ago after spending nearly 150 hours in this vibrant world. I've never come close to taking that much time in a single playthrough of any game, and by the end I felt satisfied while still wanting more. This was a special experience, and I took my time to soak it all in. What makes this game so amazing?
It gave me the same feeling of exploration and wonder that the original showed me back in 1988.
From the moment you first step into this world, you realize its something special. By the time you leave the plateau, it starts to sink in how amazing this interpretation of Hyrule is. This is a living, breathing world full of places to explore, discoveries to be made and adventures to be experienced.
It just felt...right.
And I think the key is the amount of detail and love the developers put into this product. Metal weapons attract lightning, people run indoors when it starts to rain, wooden objects start on fire, enemies get angry if you take their weapons. If you think something might work, give it a try and it probably will. This world feels like a playground, rather than a series of levels. You can explore endlessly and avoid the main quest, or you can go straight to the ending if you want. Hyrule castle is viewable from nearly every point on the map, serving as constant reminder of your final goal.
And I put off the final battle until I felt I was ready. The thing is, I still have nearly 40 shrines to find and beat. This is a game I'll pick up again when all the DLC has been released, and I'll pick it up again in a year or two to run through it again.
And I'll certainly be revisiting it again in a few more years, when I introduce it to my daughters for the first time.
Seems like ninja man. I just upvoted you :-)
Good feedback @retro-room. I can't wait to try it. I've watched a lot of streamer on twitch. Sadly it's probably going to be on emulators
It really is something special. The physics allow for so much. You can ride Guardians around. You can make flying boats by placing enough balloons on rafts. You can warm yourself up a bit by holding fire weapons. I really hope Nintendo keeps trying new things like this.
You know, I've been doing a number of interviews recently with active game developers who have been in the industry for decades, and this is the one title that they've all been referencing.
I'm loathe to buy a system just to play one game, but when the inevitable price drop comes, I may have to pick up a Switch to see what the fuss is about.