User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 20981 Ratings

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  1. Mar 12, 2017
    7
    The Bad:
    The breakable weapon system is flawed because it does NOT redeem itself later by allowing the player to find an ultimate, unbreakable, reliable weapon to give closure to the system. It forces you to deal with its breakable weapons the entire game, INCLUDING the Hylian Shield, and having to recharge the Master Sword. The player NEVER gets the feeling of satisfaction and security
    The Bad:
    The breakable weapon system is flawed because it does NOT redeem itself later by allowing the player to find an ultimate, unbreakable, reliable weapon to give closure to the system. It forces you to deal with its breakable weapons the entire game, INCLUDING the Hylian Shield, and having to recharge the Master Sword. The player NEVER gets the feeling of satisfaction and security and completion knowing he has finally worked his way up and acquired the final unbreakable weapons. There ARE NO unconditionally unbreakable weapons. This is DEEPLY disappointing, and an absolute deal breaker! Even at his most "leveled up" in the game, no matter how much time you spend building up Link, he will ALWAYS be forced to walk around Hyrule, as the Hero of Time, with BREAKABLE weapons. Again, this would be fine if it redeemed itself later on, but it doesn't. It's an open-ended, ongoing weapon breaking system. No unconditionally powerful Master Sword or Shield. It's a disastrous decision for the series.
    Overworld music: THERE IS NONE. Did you love the sweeping Hyrule music in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess? Did you love the atmospheric overworld music in Majora's Mask? Did you love the liberating sailing music of Wind Waker? Well, it's GONE. NO OVERWORLD MUSIC. And things get boring really fast. The only sounds you get are some random flourishes or taps of piano keys, some quick stringed instrument sounds, and everything else is nature sounds. This is virtually a universal complaint at this point, and a very bad decision by the developers. Music gives the world it's character. Breath of the Wild has to rely SOLELY on the beauty of its landscapes, because there is no overworld music which would have COMPLETED the experience of travel and exploration. Instead, it leaves much to be desired, unfulfilling, and at times boring.
    On to the good:
    The scenery is breathtaking, the glider is a magical experience, horseback travel is the best of any game to date, and the actual combat gameplay is very challenging, engaging, and much more intellectual and skilled than any Zelda game before it. Skyward Sword tried to become more realistic with its motion controls, but didn't quite live up to the hype that Nintendo tried to make for it. Breath of the Wild's engaging combat is much more natural, much more realistic. The bosses and common enemies are more mature in their design (much less kiddy than Windwaker and Skyward Sword.)
    All in All, this is a good game, but a letdown for a Zelda game. It is an open-world (open air) game more than anything else. It does the open world aspects right, with the exception of not including music. The voice acting is mediocre (more British voice acting {For Zelda}), and the story is pretty average. If you are a longtime Zelda player, this will likely disappoint. If you are looking for a change of pace for the series (and i mean a COMPLETE CHANGE), while not doing everything better, then this will be a good choice.
    --- I gave this review score based on what I literally think it should be scored. I was not trying to engage in a battle of averages. I truly believe my score is just.---
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  2. Apr 6, 2018
    7
    The term glass cannon comes to mind when playing this game–as well as tedium. Before I go into the shortcomings of this game let me just say that this is one of the best Hyrule universes that I have been able to experience in a Zelda game… Now, with that said, it seems that for everything that could have been amazing about this game is then dialed back a few notches with some strangeThe term glass cannon comes to mind when playing this game–as well as tedium. Before I go into the shortcomings of this game let me just say that this is one of the best Hyrule universes that I have been able to experience in a Zelda game… Now, with that said, it seems that for everything that could have been amazing about this game is then dialed back a few notches with some strange in-game mechanic choices…
    Creating fake difficulties with cheap game design, like enemies that give you forever and a day to hit them only to be hindered with your porcelain weapons constantly breaking all the time… Dialog choices that don’t lead to different outcomes (like the damn paraglider tasks). And a little green doughnut that is fighting hard to become even more notable than the tri-force…
    So, to sum up my opinion, Breath of the Wild is a great game that takes three steps forward but two back as with features that do not really add to the game’s difficulty or enjoyability as much as attempt to pad the amount of time spent playing it.
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  3. Mar 13, 2017
    7
    Eh, it was pretty good, certainly not bad, but not as euphorically amazing as a lot of reviewers seem to be claiming. Here's a rundown:

    GOOD - Solidly implemented open-world mechanics for combat, survival, exploration, and stealth. None of it is particularly groundbreaking but all is done well with the usual Nintendo polish. - Hyrule is varied, colorful, and appealing, reminiscent of
    Eh, it was pretty good, certainly not bad, but not as euphorically amazing as a lot of reviewers seem to be claiming. Here's a rundown:

    GOOD
    - Solidly implemented open-world mechanics for combat, survival, exploration, and stealth. None of it is particularly groundbreaking but all is done well with the usual Nintendo polish.
    - Hyrule is varied, colorful, and appealing, reminiscent of a Miyazaki movie
    - Plenty of good music
    - While some dislike the breakable-weapon system, I think they implement it well and like the way it forces you to use a wide variety of weapons throughout the game
    - I really like the design of the Divine Beasts and the general concept of having dungeons inside these massive lumbering cyber-steampunk monsters
    - In general they do a good job of letting you go everywhere practically right from the start, with the caveat that many areas are dangerous and require specialized gear to traverse safely. It gives the world a good sense of mystery and adventure
    - Good sense of character growth & progression throughout the game as you gain better equipment, new abilities, and more life/stamina
    - They do a good job of incentivizing you to constantly collect whatever you can, as ingredients wind up having lots of uses in cooking and upgrading

    BAD
    - Story is very thin, and if you don't bother hunting for (totally optional) memories practically nonexistent: "Calamity Ganon is in the castle! Go stop him and save Zelda!" "OK, sure" THE END
    - The characters were pretty weak too IMO. The only one of the Champions who left any impression was Mipha since she actually seemed to have meaningful connections to other people. The rest were blah.
    - I wasn't a fan of this angsty, conflicted version of Zelda too, especially since she doesn't get a proper arc: basically she's worried she's a failure because her powers haven't materialized, then they eventually materialize at the last possible moment and everything works out THE END
    - Later in the game the lack of enemy variety becomes pretty annoying. Palette swaps of Bokoblins, Moblins, and Lizalfos constitute the vast majority of enemies you'll face and it all gets very same-y.
    - The prospect of slaughtering and eating countless wild animals (including wolves and foxes) is pretty grim for Nintendo. I must have farmed hundreds of moose for their precious, precious meat and did not feel like a legendary hero while I did it.
    - I was very annoyed at the section where Link dresses up like a harem slave to sneak into an all-woman city. That kind of stuff doesn't belong in a family-friendly game, Nintendo.
    - The actual design of the Divine Beast dungeons was unimpressive. They're all basically just variations on "tilt it this way, now that way" over and over again.
    - Hyrule Castle itself was a huge disappointment. I guess it's tough if you actually WANT to spend tons of time poking around and dodging Guardians, but I just swam up the waterfall and climbed up to a window, whole thing took less than 10 minutes
    - Once you've beaten Ganon it sinks in that there's not much point in continuing to explore the world, since you're not going to find any bigger challenges and there's little point in trying to get even stronger (especially if that means farming the same stuff over and over again). All that's left is OCD collecting and box-checking.
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  4. Mar 27, 2017
    6
    I already know I'll be attacked because I'm not going along with "the flow" of reviews. So let's start out by quantifying that 6. For the record, the last Zelda I played was Twilight Princess. Last Zelda I beat completely was A Link To The Past. Last Zelda I enjoyed was Adventure of Link (the only real "RPG" of the bunch, IMO.)

    Graphics: 3 points. Yes, half the score is the graphics.
    I already know I'll be attacked because I'm not going along with "the flow" of reviews. So let's start out by quantifying that 6. For the record, the last Zelda I played was Twilight Princess. Last Zelda I beat completely was A Link To The Past. Last Zelda I enjoyed was Adventure of Link (the only real "RPG" of the bunch, IMO.)

    Graphics: 3 points. Yes, half the score is the graphics. They're beautiful. But they're limited, especially on the handheld. World of Final Fantasy on Vita is a great example of how it can be done.

    Story: 2 points. I feel that the story is compelling and interesting. You feel like you want to help the world. You connect with most of the characters. Nicely done.

    Sound: 1 point. Ambient sounds, voices, music, are all done decently. I didn't hear anything that bothered me, put it that way.

    But that's all the game has really. I get it - it's Zelda. It's a throwback to the first game. But quite a few things annoy me, and most of them have to do with UI (User Interface) decisions.

    You can't tell when weapons are degrading. I'm generally not a fan of the weapon break mechanic, but I can live with it so long as I can tell the life of my weapon, and I can repair weapons, ala Dark Cloud 2, or that I can easily create new ones, ala Dragon Quest Builders. Neither is the case here and it's annoying.

    Weapon strengths are illogical. Why it takes 9 swings to kill an enemy with an axe yet only three with a club makes no sense whatsoever. A fan leaf one-shots flying enemies yet a stick takes two, sometimes three hits. Why?

    Link will happily plummet to his death when you try to tell him to gently drop down from a climb to a ledge, and instead he jumps off the wall. I'd just as soon not have a jump from a climb at all.

    The button configs are a nightmare. Two different ways of using the Sheikah Slate rather than just one map with functions. Forced to move your thumb down to a touchpad that's not in a comfortable place just so you can switch weapons. Forced to press a tiny "minus sign" on the pad just to view the map and a tiny "plus sign" to view inventory. One trigger does something, one bumper does something else, another trigger does something else...It's too much! I thought FFXV's was bad, it's a work of art compared to this.

    The stamina bugs me only because it's so short. No human is that out of shape. At least let him sprint after a fast run.

    For all the criticism laid at the feet of Dragon Quest Builders I frankly felt that its battle "engine" was much more logical, as petty and simplistic as that was, for a very similar experience (legendary hero wakes up in a cave with no recollection of why they're there and now have to rebuild the world. Same. Exact. Story.)

    The world is massive, and while I do enjoy massive worlds (Dragon Quest VIII is an all-time great for me), the world has to interest me. Navigation is a pain in this game, and I assume they wanted you to feel the "realism" of it. But when you're playing a fantasy game, too much reality is not a good thing. (DQ8 and riding on a tiger to get around certainly isn't realistic.)

    Game directions are also lacking. You'll get instructions to go to a place, and in some situation it's a breeze, where in another situation they don't even bother trying to at least point you in the right direction. Again, too much realism.

    Yes, I know. "Explore". That's fine. But clear directions are a hallmark of roleplaying games, and it saddens me to see modern RPGs forget this.

    I discovered that the game feels much more "comfortable" in docked mode. The framerate drops don't bother me.

    It's a beautiful, well storied, average game. I'll keep the Switch in the hope the Seiken Densetsu Collection comes stateside *eeek*, and hopefully Octopath Traveler will be a much better experience. As for this, those that think this is a perfect game certainly must not have played Dragon Quest VIII on PS2 - thus far the only RPG to check off all of the boxes.
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  5. Mar 14, 2017
    7
    Its just ok. Simple. Don't listen to the Nintendo fanboys; this is NOT a perfect game. Let me explain:
    Cons:
    - The story is good, but I haven't found myself really into it. There isn't any real urgency to it. Just do what you want and oh yeah maybe save this princess. - Weapon durability system is actually awful. I'm not saying the mechanic is bad, but this game does it awful. Nothing
    Its just ok. Simple. Don't listen to the Nintendo fanboys; this is NOT a perfect game. Let me explain:
    Cons:
    - The story is good, but I haven't found myself really into it. There isn't any real urgency to it. Just do what you want and oh yeah maybe save this princess.
    - Weapon durability system is actually awful. I'm not saying the mechanic is bad, but this game does it awful. Nothing ruins a game more than giving you something cool only to take it away a few seconds later (And i'm serious, weapons break in just a few swings in this game. Nothing like Dark souls).
    - Combat is just meh. Everyone claims that the durability system is to encourage you to try different weapon types, yet the combat is just so bland. Sure, maybe this is great for casual players, but this game doesn't feel like it was made for new gamers.
    - The side quest are very generic rpg quests. Nothing like The Witcher 3 's quests which would draw you down a rabbit hole of action, adventure, and feels.
    - No crafting?? Only crafting is cooking food that give you boosts. Thats it.
    Pros:
    - The game world is beautiful. There are things to do everywhere it seems. Only gripe is that the switch cant handle it, but that's not the games fault i guess.
    - The puzzles are all really creative and take full advantage of the rune mechanic.
    - The world is really open. Go anywhere, do anything. There are a few ways the game limits you from just running to the final boss of course.
    - The physics in this game is great. Light a bush on fire, let it burn the whole field, and ride away on the updraft. You can be really creative in this game because of its great physics engine.

    In conclusion, its just another open world rpg game. The fact that Link is in it doesn't make it any different. If you like Zelda games, grab it. If you want a open world rpg with, maybe get Witcher 3 or Dark souls 3.
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  6. Mar 13, 2017
    6
    Combat is OK but the puzzles are garbage. If you think picking up a rock and placing it in a circle, throwing a rock into a circle, or pushing a rock into a circle is exciting then go ahead you'll be doing that 200 times. There are a few good side quests and a few good surprises but most of what you find is endlessly repeated simple Korok puzzles that you need to do because of howCombat is OK but the puzzles are garbage. If you think picking up a rock and placing it in a circle, throwing a rock into a circle, or pushing a rock into a circle is exciting then go ahead you'll be doing that 200 times. There are a few good side quests and a few good surprises but most of what you find is endlessly repeated simple Korok puzzles that you need to do because of how annoying the equipment breaking system is. You need the extra slots because how fast weapons become useless and break. If you enjoy Dungeons you need not apply because this has the worst dungeons in the entire Zelda franchise. They are no more than simple puzzle rooms with almost no enemy's.... the one enemy they the boss are also the worst in the franchise. Bosses almost with every other monster are either going to kill you in 1 hit or if you spent a little time powering up they will be so weak you may not even need to block. Bad menu's that you constantly use, bad voice acting, bad writing, bad story, bad lip-sync in some scenes, bad side quests.... Very little of this game is up to modern standards. If you think cooking should be quick and easy to prepare before battle well that's not this game. Maybe in the Witcher you can instantly fill up everything you know the recipe for but in Zelda you need to spend 30 min crafting each individual meal waiting through the 10 second jingle to finish after every one. This annoyance continues through the whole game... you'll need to sit through 5 loading screens to finish each shrine and most of the time they aren't even worth it. Shines are generally just very simple puzzles with no visual difference and they pale in comparison to open world puzzles used to unlock shrines. Even worse are the shrines that are 5 loading screens just to enter an empty room with a chest. Things Zelda was good at are now broken! Even things like the lock on system is garbage. Its still worth playing but its not the masterpiece reviewers keep saying it is. Expand
  7. Mar 4, 2017
    5
    I originally gave this game an 8, but the more i play, the more i start to feel that this game is a huge dissapointment. Most of the time is spent running around aimlessly in the empty world, while the rest of the time is spent hitting enemies with a sword over and over again. Not to mention every enemy in the game is pretty much the same, but with different colours and skins. The gameI originally gave this game an 8, but the more i play, the more i start to feel that this game is a huge dissapointment. Most of the time is spent running around aimlessly in the empty world, while the rest of the time is spent hitting enemies with a sword over and over again. Not to mention every enemy in the game is pretty much the same, but with different colours and skins. The game overall can be a lot of fun at times, but these times are so rare compared to the boring and repetitive ones. The framerate drops are also something that definitely brings this game down, as it is too noticeable to just brush off. I really don't understand the praise this game is getting, especially since it doesn't have enough variety or innovation to call it a "masterpiece". I will say that the art style is very pleasing in certain areas, as there are some places where this game looks gorgeous. The story is also very interesting with some really nice voice acting, and the game does give a great sense of adventure. Expand
  8. Mar 4, 2017
    5
    After waiting for three years for this game, I have to say I'm not impressed. The graphics are ok, the music is ok, the game is....actually kinda boring and repetitive. I love Zelda games, Windwaker is my favorite game of all time, but this game didn't draw me in like WW or OOT or even ALTTP. I didn't really care for SS and after four hours in, not a big fan of ABOTW. This game feels likeAfter waiting for three years for this game, I have to say I'm not impressed. The graphics are ok, the music is ok, the game is....actually kinda boring and repetitive. I love Zelda games, Windwaker is my favorite game of all time, but this game didn't draw me in like WW or OOT or even ALTTP. I didn't really care for SS and after four hours in, not a big fan of ABOTW. This game feels like a bad version of Elder Scrolls, not a Zelda game....hate the collecting, cooking food?, weapons break...often, Link is resurrected like Christ...is he a god now?, load times are often and long, lots of space on the map...lots of walking/riding, with nothing there, the quick travel takes forever to load next area, .............and on and on....also the first Zelda game you can't change your name, or have three save files....two stars...an ok game, NOT A LOZ GAME! Expand
  9. Mar 16, 2017
    7
    Okay, so I beat the game to give it a final review and I must say I was reallllly disappointed. I'll just make my list now.
    Cons:
    No enemy variety. Maybe 8 total enemies in the game reskinned several times. Shrines are boring and take about 5 minutes or less to complete. 4 dungeons in the game if you can even call them dungeons that is. These dungeons are just huge empty spaces with
    Okay, so I beat the game to give it a final review and I must say I was reallllly disappointed. I'll just make my list now.
    Cons:
    No enemy variety. Maybe 8 total enemies in the game reskinned several times.
    Shrines are boring and take about 5 minutes or less to complete.
    4 dungeons in the game if you can even call them dungeons that is. These dungeons are just huge empty spaces with one 20-minute puzzle and a boss.
    Calamity Gannon shot at me one time and stood there the rest of the fight.
    This is somewhat of a nitpick, but the music is really bad. If you have such an epic open world area the music should not have been soft piano. Ocarina of Time of time felt like an adventure with the music.
    The framerate is also very bad on the Switch. It was advertised to run at a "smooth 30 fps" and it doesn't if too many enemies are in one area and especially around the Great Deku Tree.
    The rain mechanic is very annoying. You can't just start a fire and wait either because that puts out your fire. So, then you need to go back to a town or a covered area and make your climb all over again.
    Chests are kind of pointless. They all hold some crappy weapon that breaks in a couple hits.

    Pros
    You can do a lot of silly stuff, but that's about it.
    The visuals look nice when they don't lag.

    That's about it.
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  10. Mar 3, 2017
    7
    Not as good as the critics make you think it is, but overall a pretty good game. The story is not excellent, the combat could use some more polishing, but the world created is simply marvelous.
  11. Mar 3, 2017
    7
    Sadly, the Zelda fanboy army and obvious paid reviewers are giving this game an artificially high rating whilst in truth it isn't *that* good, there are many glaring issues right now, and the game does get repetitive after about 20 hours in, especially after grinding shrines/temples over and over for little reward.

    BotW would have been better if you didn't get all the tools and
    Sadly, the Zelda fanboy army and obvious paid reviewers are giving this game an artificially high rating whilst in truth it isn't *that* good, there are many glaring issues right now, and the game does get repetitive after about 20 hours in, especially after grinding shrines/temples over and over for little reward.

    BotW would have been better if you didn't get all the tools and equipment you need within pretty much the first 20 minutes to an hour into the game. The gameplay is also questionable, with strange difficulty spikes basically saying ' you shouldn't be in this area yet ' so you die in one hit, whilst you don't lose anything you can lose durability since your weapons don't last forever and eventually you're going to need to craft items and especially potions.

    The crafting elements aside, the game is a psudo mixture of Dark Souls meets Skyrim? The game can be brutally difficult at times, and have a nice balance the next - whilst this isn't neccessarily a bad thing, I'm sure it could cause some player frustration.

    Whilst I think its a good opening title for the switch, the 90+ and especially 100s are all vastly over-rated scores, and shouldn't have scored that high. Sure this game is good, but it isn't that 'great' but its a worthy title to hold the Zelda name.
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  12. Mar 3, 2017
    5
    If you enjoy just messing around in a large, beautiful world then this game is perfect for you, lots to fiddle around with and definitely worth your money. Someone looking for a more engaging, focused experience will find Breath of the Wild somewhat lacking however. It's an okay game, and I hate to say this, but I can't think of it as anything but a bad Zelda game. Regardless I willIf you enjoy just messing around in a large, beautiful world then this game is perfect for you, lots to fiddle around with and definitely worth your money. Someone looking for a more engaging, focused experience will find Breath of the Wild somewhat lacking however. It's an okay game, and I hate to say this, but I can't think of it as anything but a bad Zelda game. Regardless I will give it a 5 since there are definitely many that will enjoy this type of game. Expand
  13. Mar 8, 2017
    7
    Was not the biggest fan early on and I thought the world felt a bit empty and felt abit mmo style in it's encounters, after another 10 hours I'm finding I enjoy it much more than my original impressions. The shrines work well at adding a hook and I've been surprised they haven't gotten too dull. I am hoping the frame rate can be improved with a patch because it can chug at times. I stillWas not the biggest fan early on and I thought the world felt a bit empty and felt abit mmo style in it's encounters, after another 10 hours I'm finding I enjoy it much more than my original impressions. The shrines work well at adding a hook and I've been surprised they haven't gotten too dull. I am hoping the frame rate can be improved with a patch because it can chug at times. I still prefer the earlier zelda games but this is solid but a bit over rated at the moment. Expand
  14. Apr 18, 2017
    6
    Este no es el mejor juego en el momento, tiene un enfoque divertido no lo niego, algunas armaduras me parecen muy bonitas, y los graficos no son punteros pero son agradables, algunas mecanicas aqui y haya, los giños a otros juegos de la entrega y una cantidad de actividades accesorias que alimentan la experiencia, son bien recibidas. El combate siendo sincero no, no es lo mejor del juegoEste no es el mejor juego en el momento, tiene un enfoque divertido no lo niego, algunas armaduras me parecen muy bonitas, y los graficos no son punteros pero son agradables, algunas mecanicas aqui y haya, los giños a otros juegos de la entrega y una cantidad de actividades accesorias que alimentan la experiencia, son bien recibidas. El combate siendo sincero no, no es lo mejor del juego ni remotamente, es de lo mas basico y tedioso, aqui si es donde destaca que es un juego para niños pequeños, claro que existira gente que le despierte nostalgia y es totalmente comprensible, pero que solo por eso deba tener una calificacion perfecta, es ser poco objetivo.

    El juego es interesante y divertido pero es para el nene de la casa, bueno y para el coleccionista que crecio con nintendo pero el concepto se ha desarrollado muchas veces y de mejores maneras, la historia de un the witcher, la exploracion de un assasins creed, el espectaculo de un Uncharted, el combate de Nioh, o el realismo de un tomb raider en modo de supervivencia aquellos son juegos que han marcado un antes y un despues. Este es un juego lindo, con mecanicas variadas, pero es todo. Si eres un jugador experimentado y buscas un reto, este juego no es para ti, si al contrario eres un niño pequeño, o guardas un buen recuerdo de nintendo supongo, aunque mi recomendacion es que comprar la consola por un solo juego, con los precios que tiene y la experiencia que ofrece la consola, no es lo ideal, es mejor esperar a que este todo mas barato.

    Aunque quisiera agregar que el juego ofrece una gran cantidad de contenido en actividades, y es interesante el enfoque que tiene en abordar el mundo abierto, al darle al jugador la libertad, para que explore y lleve la historia como le parezca, o trate de crear una propia parcialmente que es el punto mas fuerte para mi de todo el juego,

    lo que sigue no tiene que ver estricatamente con la review si no es un comentario que me gustaria realizar acerca de los mundos abiertos.

    El the Witcher fue un juego increible, pero una vez termine la historia principal y los DLCs no volvi a entrar precisamente por que no habia nada mas que hacer o descubrir despues de llegar al maximo nivel, los combates ya no me parecian un reto, considero que hay muchos mundos abiertos, que estan bien elaborados y tienen unas mecanicas solidas, y no me parece que hacer varias entregas de un juego sea la respuesta, si no que hacer un juego principal y alimentarlo periodicamente y siendo sincero prefiero pagar un dlc con una buena cantida de contenido de un juego que me gusta que por un juego nuevo incompleto o repetitivo.
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  15. Mar 23, 2020
    7
    First (roughly) half of the game is great, but then it becomes repetitive and quite boring at times. Excitement about puzzle dungeons starts to wear out, the enemy variety (especially the robots) is poor, loot is unexciting, and that ridiculous durability system for weapons... Not a bad game though, the "openness" of the world is well done and what I liked the most is the divine beast puzzles.
  16. Jan 3, 2022
    5
    This game is massive, wide as an ocean and deep as a puddle. The open world is the biggest flaw of the game, as it is empty, unrewarding, repetitive and boring. Aside from a few nice moments the game lacks serious motivation as to why someone should wander around this massive, yet empty open world.

    They threw away all the traditional things that made Zelda games what they are in order
    This game is massive, wide as an ocean and deep as a puddle. The open world is the biggest flaw of the game, as it is empty, unrewarding, repetitive and boring. Aside from a few nice moments the game lacks serious motivation as to why someone should wander around this massive, yet empty open world.

    They threw away all the traditional things that made Zelda games what they are in order to create this massive open world that has anything but depth. Even Assasin Creed games have more interesting open worlds than this. Korok seed after korok seed after korok seed after shrine after shrine after shrine and oh, a chest with yet another breakable item. Copy and paste and repeat.

    I can only look back to Ocarina of Time. A masterpiece. Timetravel, young Link, adult Link. THE MUSIC!!!, caves to find and discover, Witches and Witchshops, Fishing, Diving under water, Hookshot, interesting characters and towns full of people. valuable items, the feeling of being a hero on a journey. ALL things that Breath of the WIld misses completely.
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  17. Nov 5, 2021
    6
    The game is a 6/10 and once you take off the fanboy goggles the game isn't the 10 it deserves, okay maybe I should add more to that. The game is 6/10 IF you played other zelda games and other and better open world games and I've done both while not fanboying over this game. So you might be thinking "why would I give this a 6/10" and you're more and likely quick to get fanboy elitist likeThe game is a 6/10 and once you take off the fanboy goggles the game isn't the 10 it deserves, okay maybe I should add more to that. The game is 6/10 IF you played other zelda games and other and better open world games and I've done both while not fanboying over this game. So you might be thinking "why would I give this a 6/10" and you're more and likely quick to get fanboy elitist like fanboys do nowadays thinking I'm some troll but no, compare this game to other zelda games and the only thing it does right is the open world AND THAT'S IT.

    It does story in the WORST WAY POSSIBLE not just for legend of zelda standards but for gaming standards in general. The story is optional, let me repeat that, the story is optional. Now I understand zelda isn't really about story that much but again compare this to other zelda games like ocarina, majora's mask, wind waker, and twilight princess and it makes no sense why the story is something that can be ignored.

    The game play is decent that's it, I'm not gonna go to far into it but it just does things that are basic like wall climbing, sprinting, and freedom to do fight however you want.

    The game is way to easy to the point you're not punished for anything and don't sit there telling me about how you died because that tells me you didn't use (abuse) the cooking system and the stupidly endless amount of ways to help yourself out in a fight. In past zelda games if you died it's because of a certain curveball that was thrown your way unexpectedly but here it's mostly because "I thought the healing/defensive/offensive items I had were enough" which I found that I never ran out of. Again I understand games have to be casual to attract a certain crowd but BoTW is so casual that people go in as their first zelda game and walk out thinking the games have always been this childish of a baby's first open world game that makes even star fox adventures look like ninja gaiden.

    The shrines are dumb, stupidly easy, pointless unless you REALLY want the master sword, and not worth it at all since you can still increase your health (temporarily) with potions and food. Now what does shrines have to do with health? When you complete a shrine you get a spirit orb, collect four and you can either increase health or stamina, both of which aren't really needed for the completion of the game since you can just use potions and food to do that for you.

    The dumbest one of all that gets defended the most by fanboys, the weapon durability. Compare the weapon durability to something like elder scrolls and if you still defend how quick the weapons break then you're a deluded pathetic fanboy. There is no reason a sword should break by swinging at the air (I'm not even kidding) and by all means please go and explain that I'll grab a chair and listen to whatever pathetic excuse you have for that. And shockingly, the master sword doesn't break but has to "recharge" which wouldn't be so bad if you still could use the sword just as a weaker variant but you can't. It just becomes unusable for 20 minutes and by the time you get it if you decide to go after it the thing does pathetic damage, all that hard work for a sword that does as much damage as a basic hyrule sword and less than the other more powerful weapons.

    Overall the game isn't even that good it's just beautiful to look at, enemy variety is basic, like PS1 basic. Have you seen grandma's boy? You know that part where the asian guy tells JP about re-coloring the enemies to save time and not have to re-design them? Yeah that's what it is here like they took a page out of a typical mario game and slapped it on here and before you go "well this is nintendo they always do this" then it means you haven't played any nintendo game outside mario, pokemon, and zelda. At the time of this games release sure it MIGHT've been something worth playing on switch because there wasn't much worth playing till splatoon 2 or Xenoblade 2 dropped but now? Amongst the entire library available? I can think of five better open world games and that was just a 2 second quick thought process, also keep in mind this is a wii u game and even for wii u Xenoblade Chronicles X is FAR more interesting than this and offers a BETTER open world experience with a BETTER VARIETY OF ENEMIES native to each new location.

    For that true legend of zelda experience this ain't it chief unless you just want to experience the open world of hyrule that this game offers which is the ONLY highlight of the game, everything else is just mediocre and doesn't compare to other open world games.
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  18. Apr 22, 2023
    5
    It's not bad, but it's boring. Very boring. And even more annoying then boring. It is not the Zelda game I like. To much running around for nothing. I don't think I will be completing it. Previous Zelda's where much more driven and to the point.
  19. Aug 27, 2020
    7
    A lot of 10/10 reviews here, finding no fault with the game despite the outrageously derivative content (Skyrim, Dark Souls, Just Cause, plus every flippin’ Ubisoft open world game). And more than 1,000 ridiculously low scores... this game is certainly above average in some respects.

    Personally, I think the Jimquisition review hit the nail on the head with both the score and the two
    A lot of 10/10 reviews here, finding no fault with the game despite the outrageously derivative content (Skyrim, Dark Souls, Just Cause, plus every flippin’ Ubisoft open world game). And more than 1,000 ridiculously low scores... this game is certainly above average in some respects.

    Personally, I think the Jimquisition review hit the nail on the head with both the score and the two key aspects that spoil this latest Link adventure. It’s the ludicrously fragile weapons, and Link’s surprisingly limited stamina that instantly breaks immersion and make you feel the game doesn’t want you to enjoy your time in Hyrule too much (unless you’re a masochist of course).

    What makes this worse is this situation doesn’t improve as you progress through the game. It’s actually impossible to ever get Link’s stamina anywhere near that of an average human (in terms of running ability) and the one single unbreakable weapon you eventually get has a limited number of hits before it’s unusable for a period of time... so not a massive improvement. My personal bugbear is that I never seem to get one-handed weapons other than useless wooden clubs... I have 8 two-handed swords, that I dislike fighting with.

    And the faux-English accents of the (American) English language voice actors really are dreadful; if you are even vaguely conversant in any other language (bearing in mind you can retain English subtitles) I would urge you to switch (pun intended). I chosen Spanish (Latin American) myself, which means the game serves a second purpose as a much-needed boost to my vocabulary. Mexican Zelda (Zeldacita?) is much less of a sighing wet blanket, and you can actually hear what she’s saying above the background music, which is a bonus.

    If the game didn’t apparently hate me so much, I’d love to give it 8 or 9 out of 10. As it is.. 7 will have to do.
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  20. Jan 31, 2022
    6
    The hype for this game is outrageous. Sure it's fun, but it's designed to discourage such paper mache' weapon durability, ultra thin stamina and health meters, quests that are structured to frustrate. This game will take more from you than it will give. Prepare for boredom, frustration, and the urge to just quit. After you can get past these initial feelings the game opens up and you beginThe hype for this game is outrageous. Sure it's fun, but it's designed to discourage such paper mache' weapon durability, ultra thin stamina and health meters, quests that are structured to frustrate. This game will take more from you than it will give. Prepare for boredom, frustration, and the urge to just quit. After you can get past these initial feelings the game opens up and you begin to understand its systems. After reaching this point countless hours will pass and you won't even realize you've been playing that long. A sense of accomplishment will come with each shrine puzzle completed or mini boss defeated. You'll become immersed. If only it were a more reciprocal relationship. Expand
  21. Oct 25, 2021
    7
    Breath Of Wild is a great game, no doubt about it. However the game feels way too different from other Zelda games and feels worse because of it. The combat in Zelda hasn't been amazing but it worked in this game it's very difficult since the game wants have good reaction time to pull off attacks that do a lot damage. That's okay but having to do this a lot since your weapons in this gameBreath Of Wild is a great game, no doubt about it. However the game feels way too different from other Zelda games and feels worse because of it. The combat in Zelda hasn't been amazing but it worked in this game it's very difficult since the game wants have good reaction time to pull off attacks that do a lot damage. That's okay but having to do this a lot since your weapons in this game don't do too much damage. There is also no way to upgrade your weapons to make them do more damage. One issue in this game that is almost a dealbreaker at times is your durability of your weapons they feel like sticks and break very easily. There is also no way to upgrade your weapons making for a lot of weapon hunting and inventory management which is very slow and boring.
    The story is pretty good but not amazing like in Skyward Sword, The graphics look amazing and I love the way Nintendo made the visuals in this game. Another thing I do like the use of voice acting in the game and it's a welcome edition to the Zelda series. Overall Breath Of The Wild is good blueprint for BOTW 2 that I believe can be an amazing game if they improve on it's flaws.
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  22. Nov 22, 2021
    7
    Good game, Innovates but technically a failure. The art style will be eternal and will scale well in future but clearly the game is not being done justice. This 30fps 1080p nonsense is just that. This is a masterpeice of art constrained to an underpowered platform. I would give this game 9/10 if it were on a better gaming platform that could enable 4k/60. Byt Nintendo are so jealous andGood game, Innovates but technically a failure. The art style will be eternal and will scale well in future but clearly the game is not being done justice. This 30fps 1080p nonsense is just that. This is a masterpeice of art constrained to an underpowered platform. I would give this game 9/10 if it were on a better gaming platform that could enable 4k/60. Byt Nintendo are so jealous and greedy they continue to persist on only allowing you to see the true art of a game many years later. The HD Skyward Sword release is a perfect example of this crime! Expand
  23. Mar 14, 2023
    5
    Some good bits and innovations, but It's painfully overrated at this point.

    There are a lot of clever bits, sure. Do the tutorial and go explore the map, getting to the top of those often pretty challenging in a good way towers, unlock the map. Initially the variety of the shrines is engaging. Interactivity like being able to make your own shelter and fire from flint you found, scale
    Some good bits and innovations, but It's painfully overrated at this point.

    There are a lot of clever bits, sure. Do the tutorial and go explore the map, getting to the top of those often pretty challenging in a good way towers, unlock the map. Initially the variety of the shrines is engaging. Interactivity like being able to make your own shelter and fire from flint you found, scale any mountain you can see and have stamina for, prepare your own dishes. This sets a new standard for open-world games.

    The problem I found is, after a while it just gets repetitive and the flaws start to become obvious while the initial novelties of the gameplay mechanics start to wear thin. I did 30-50 hours on the Switch, put the game away and then never felt compelled to play it again. I got to the elephant Divine Beast, Ruta or whatever it was called, and was bored.

    I think what gets me the most is that basically all weapons other than the Master Sword break. No, you can't repair them. They all shatter. The Master Sword, while it doesn't have that problem, constantly needs recharging. I suppose if you own an iPhone you're used to that in the real world, but it doesn't make it acceptable in a game.

    Even if the weapons weren't constantly exploding, forcing you to kill the momentum of a battle by scrolling through your inventory looking for a suitable substitute, there isn't exactly a huge variety of enemies to dispatch with them. You'll see palette-swapped Hobgoblins or Bokoblins or whatever they're called all day long. Same old Guardians everywhere; when you learn the trick to destroying them that gets monotonous too. Lot of the bosses and mini-bosses get reused. I get it, animation is expensive, but I would have chosen a smaller map and more enemy variety, personally, spend the game budget there instead.

    You can tell it was designed for the dual-screen Wii U; there's a lot of legacy references to it left in. Nintendo spent too much money developing it to let it die on the Wii U, clearly, so they ported it here. Might explain the pretty poor DRS and frame rate issues; it's easy for the engine to get overstressed and start dropping those frames.

    The shrines, too, get overdone. Sometimes the biggest obstacle and most fun part is getting to them, only to find it's a rehashed Mini Guardian boss fight or some ever-so-slightly-different iteration of some puzzle that was only vaguely challenging the first time. Never seems like they get more complex or force you to think much, or combine the unlockable powers in interesting ways.

    The story is a bit thin, too. There's not much in the way of character development, or indeed many story-relevant characters at all. Zelda is somewhere between a cardboard cutout and a fairly standard warrior princess cliché; not much going on there.

    I'd like to say the music is memorable, but beyond reusing the standard Zelda themes and musical cues from older games I preferred (Link's Awakening, while pretty linear, was more fun than this is to me) I can't remember a note.

    I think I might have given the game a six or seven but the amount of praise heaped on BotW, I just don't get it, when people say "there isn't a thing wrong with it" and I can list a few things right away. A lot of the open world "innovation" is just stuff I thought you should always be able to do in games, and some that came before it had elements of those anyway, so I wasn't "blown away". Even reading through the most recent reviews it just reads like simping for the game while not even being able to articulate specific things they like about it before they hand it another easy 10. I wish it were better to me, I wish I was playing the same game everyone else was, but honestly it's a bit meh; certainly not terrible as there is stuff here to praise, but not the wondrous all-encompassing masterpiece some people seem to think it is.

    I personally think as hugely-praised and sometimes criticised for it open-world RPGs go, Skyrim and The Witcher 3 are the greater achievement. The Witcher 3 is dripping with fascinating characters, multi-part arcs, a nice balance of linear storytelling versus explore and find yourself. Stumbling onto quests and things in that game feels more organic, and I can tell you more about Zoltan and Triss from that one than I can about the lumps of unshaped clay that are the "characters" here. There's more world building, more lore. Actually the same is true about Skyrim, to an extent, and even though that's got a creaky old game engine powering it, was a more fascinating world too. I can't remember a lot about the questing I did in BotW, but I certainly remember things like the vampire DLC storylines, the thousand steps (and yes there are way less than a thousand) and Ebony Warrior character pretty well in that game.

    And you know the great thing? Both Skyrim and The Witcher 3 are also available on the Switch
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  24. Nov 9, 2022
    7
    Wow like wth is up with all these 10’s? I think everyone just WANTS this game to be the greatest of all time. They’ve decided this long before the game even came out. It’s ZELDA, after all…and Nintendo. They can do no wrong, right?
    So yeah, has anyone figured that maybe, just maybe those 0 reviews are just counterweight to all the mindless, brainless 10’s this game is receiving? Because to
    Wow like wth is up with all these 10’s? I think everyone just WANTS this game to be the greatest of all time. They’ve decided this long before the game even came out. It’s ZELDA, after all…and Nintendo. They can do no wrong, right?
    So yeah, has anyone figured that maybe, just maybe those 0 reviews are just counterweight to all the mindless, brainless 10’s this game is receiving? Because to me this is nowhere near as charming of a game as Ocarina of Time was. And that game I bought day one and even got the gold cartridge. I find BotW to be one of the most grossly overrated video games I have come across.
    There’s greatness in there, sure…but overall I find the games design to be bland and dull. The dungeons are a huge yawn fest compared to the masterfully designed areas of OoT and I found the entire soundtrack to be lazy and boring. Also I can’t stand the new design for Link.

    I don’t know….I just feel this game isn’t really the Zelda I once loved. OoT and TP are both vastly superior Zelda games to me.

    Lastly, the original Final Fantasy VII is still the greatest video game ever made and no one will ever change my mind.

    See? Opinions. Not everyone is going to be brainwashed into praising this game like it’s the second coming of Christ. Seriously based on all these 10’s that’s what I was assuming and came out absolutely disappointed. I ain’t gonna give it a 0 ad it’s a solid video game but I understand why some are gonna want to give it a 0.
    There are so many games that I find far more superior such as Shadow of the Colossus (ps4), God of War, A Plague Tale (both games), Resident Evil 2, The Last Guardian, etc.

    Honestly, I think I have very particular tastes and unique style and many games of this new generation don’t even really appeal to me anymore. Most of my other all time favs ever come from the past like Silent Hill 2, FFVII, FFVIII, FFX, Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver, ICO, Vagrant Story, Chrono Cross, Tekken 3, Prince of Persia Sands of Time, Contra, Streets of Rage, Ninja Gaiden I can go on and on…..

    Breath of the Wild isn’t my cup of tea but it is simply a good game. Nothing more, nothing less.
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  25. Apr 26, 2023
    5
    It's not a bad game, but it's far from perfect either. The gameplay is reminiscent of Ubisoft games: a large open world in which there is nothing interesting, except for enemies and a lot of fairly monotonous activities. Primitive combat system, for the most part consisting of calling enemies with one button. Yes, the game provides a lot of options that allow you to diversify the battles,It's not a bad game, but it's far from perfect either. The gameplay is reminiscent of Ubisoft games: a large open world in which there is nothing interesting, except for enemies and a lot of fairly monotonous activities. Primitive combat system, for the most part consisting of calling enemies with one button. Yes, the game provides a lot of options that allow you to diversify the battles, but there is no real need to use them, because. it will not make your fight faster and easier, it's just a way to somehow dilute boredom and monotony. I personally sorely lacked the spirit of exploration in the game, which I feel, for example, in the TES series or in The Witcher 3, when I study the map and constantly stumble upon something interesting: some quest character, notes, an interesting unique situation, etc. d. In Zelda, I only ran into enemies, enemies, enemies, enemies. And I didn't find anything interesting. Expand
  26. Jun 30, 2020
    6
    I gave the game a chance, but I could not get into it at all. However, I can tell that it is a very polished game, and that everyone should at least give it a chance.
  27. Nov 23, 2019
    7
    Zelda: Breath of the Wild is huge, beautiful and plays great, and I love that ramp up in combat challenge compared to past Zelda iterations. But to me, the positive aspects of this game end here, and its downsides sum up to make it only a passable Zelda experience.

    I personally miss the thematic dungeons of past games, and the gadgets you earned in them. In the previous entries, it felt
    Zelda: Breath of the Wild is huge, beautiful and plays great, and I love that ramp up in combat challenge compared to past Zelda iterations. But to me, the positive aspects of this game end here, and its downsides sum up to make it only a passable Zelda experience.

    I personally miss the thematic dungeons of past games, and the gadgets you earned in them. In the previous entries, it felt like all the minor puzzles in a dungeon were part of a bigger, cohesive puzzle that led me to a reward in the form of a the new trinket, and an epic boss fight. This feeling is gone in Breath of the Wild, as the beasts and shrines offer no new tools for your inventory, and the boss designs are uninspired.

    Enemy variety is lackluster.

    The weapon breaking system was a joy killer, since it turned weapons into basically consumable items. They could've made the system similar to Dark Souls, where the weapons last much longer than a couple hits and are repairable. This way, the top tier weapons are provided to the player much more sparingly, and they actually feel like a reward, instead of a consumable. This even opens up room for the existence of unique boss weapons, since you can repair them if they break.

    This last complain is a nitpick of mine, but I loathe autosave, specially when it saves to multiple files. This seems to be a trend in the latest Nintendo's first party games (looking at you, Luigi's Mansion). If you're going to make an autosave system, give me the option to turn it off and/or make me able to delete the files I don't want to keep.
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  28. Jul 4, 2020
    5
    No story, useless quest rewards, outrageously uninteresting boss dungeons and repetitive. The game is just not finished. To many shrines with ALL the same color, I was just hoping for a one room shrine to get ride of it. It was a wonderful creation for his visuals and the playability of Link. But the broking weapons were horrible. I usualy love Link's games but this one was a message.No story, useless quest rewards, outrageously uninteresting boss dungeons and repetitive. The game is just not finished. To many shrines with ALL the same color, I was just hoping for a one room shrine to get ride of it. It was a wonderful creation for his visuals and the playability of Link. But the broking weapons were horrible. I usualy love Link's games but this one was a message. Somone jaser to tell the truth! I love Nintendo! Peace! Expand
  29. Jul 10, 2021
    7
    Finally after all the good reviews I played this game and maybe because my expectation were high I felt a bit disappointed. I didn't really appreciate some game mechanics like the absence of a weapons status (since them can be destroyed you don't really know which one is worth to kept), some special moves have the same buttons of others attack (ZL is used both to guard and for Daruk’sFinally after all the good reviews I played this game and maybe because my expectation were high I felt a bit disappointed. I didn't really appreciate some game mechanics like the absence of a weapons status (since them can be destroyed you don't really know which one is worth to kept), some special moves have the same buttons of others attack (ZL is used both to guard and for Daruk’s Protection, and long Y press for strong attack and for Urbosa’s Fury) and more in general the combat sistem could be improved. Some other thigs didn't get a proper tutorial so on early fase was vary hard to manage (horse mount and the mechanism to create potion and food). The game doesn't give a proper count of all the sub activities like shrine, you don't really know how many of them are missing unless you walk without a real dastination, in an area you could have done everything but the game didn't inform you. That's sad because the shrine puzzles were the funniest part of the game. From an aestetic and graphic point of view I've nothing to say, just awsome some times a slightery frame rate drop but nothing to impossible to face. The story is maybe to weak, I would have preferred more dept and diversify main missions, in the end you just need to do the same thing 4 times before facing the boss. Expand
  30. Aug 17, 2020
    7
    Breath of the Wild is a wonderfully ambitious game with so much to offer, but its ambition often gets in the way of becoming a more well-made game. It is one of the most free games out there supporting so many different playstyles and approaches, yet has baffling decisions that restrict these freedoms. It is a game that respects your time and allows you to ignore key story beats and createBreath of the Wild is a wonderfully ambitious game with so much to offer, but its ambition often gets in the way of becoming a more well-made game. It is one of the most free games out there supporting so many different playstyles and approaches, yet has baffling decisions that restrict these freedoms. It is a game that respects your time and allows you to ignore key story beats and create your own adventure, yet tries to railroad players into playing through its narrative anyway, causing the game to feel hollow for anyone expecting a game similar to previous zelda titles, as the strong linear dungeon design and memorable plots that define that game are completely absent here. It is a game that tries to present puzzles to the player through its various shrines, only to make these puzzles feel half-baked and incomplete. Breath of the Wild is a game of contradictions; a game that will likely feel middling to those wanting a more traditional Zelda experience.

    Despite these criticisms, Breath of the Wild is one of the most enjoyable games I've ever played; its weak dungeon design and unmemorable plots make it easy for a player such as myself to simply ignore them and enjoy the freedom the game provides me, the various restrictions on one's freedom such as rain allow me to find new creative ways to find my freedom anyway by using the game's incredibly strong - and at the same time horribly broken - physics, the half-baked puzzles lend themselves to being broken and ignored entirely with enough creativity, with any two trips through many shrines not being the same for me between playthroughs as I slowly learn how to abuse the game's physics more and more to reach the end of these shrines in the strangest, most satisfying ways possible, and for those seeking a more traditional Zelda experience the game still provides an abundance of sidequests that allow my friends who don't have the same outlook as I do to sink 200+ hours into this game in a single playthrough. I myself have done the same, but over multiple playthroughs as I find new ways to bend this game to my will; this game that provides a sense of freedom and satisfaction unlike any other. This isn't even getting into the game's art and music, both of which are absolutely stunning; this game is the best that the Zelda series has ever looked, and the competition for a title like that is strong.

    This does not mean that the complaints are not warranted. Those complaints are what make this game worthy of a 7, despite my glowing review. But it is because of these complaints that a simple score cannot do this game justice; it may be a horribly flawed game with issues one could talk about for hours, but it's also one of the most ambitious games I've ever played, and is my favorite game currently on either of the consoles this game was released on for that reason.
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Metascore
97

Universal acclaim - based on 109 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Negative: 0 out of 109
  1. Dec 12, 2017
    100
    Where it takes mechanics from others in the industry, it improves upon them; where it introduces new ones, you slap your forehead in amazement that it hasn’t been done before. Breath of the Wild is development done right, and damn near the best game you’ll play all year.
  2. Aug 30, 2017
    100
    Breath of the Wild is a masterpiece.
  3. Games Master UK
    May 19, 2017
    96
    Up there with the finest Zelda games, Breath of the Wild is bold, liberating, and utterly astonishing. [Apr 2017, p.60]