The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

 Switch
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 20981 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17,830 out of 20981
  2. Mixed: 1,176 out of 20981
  3. Negative: 1,975 out of 20981
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  1. Traumvita
    Sep 6, 2023
    8
    Honestly not a huge fan of the new direction with LoZ but I still thoroughly enjoyed the game. The cell shaded visuals are stunning and music is good. Story and the way it’s told is pretty weak. World was cool and it was fun to explore and discover stuff. I’m 50/50 on the shrines. A solid entry and a solid mix up to the formula.
  2. Sapra
    May 25, 2023
    8
    Game is very good, but still wayy too much hype around it.

    Repetitive + meh graphics hidden behind a wall of cartoonish choice because of the switch.

    Gameplay facepalm : you can't switch locked target, you have to unlock, and pray for your next lock to be the target you expected.

    Other than that very solid game.
  3. SpiderSucc
    Mar 9, 2023
    8
    I have not finished alot of the game yet so take this review with a grain of salt but i think breath of the wild is pretty goot although the start is pretty slow so i didnt really get into it at first but i think other then that and weapon durrability making no sense and i dont like when your weapons break its a pretty good game and i can see why so many people like this game
  4. milesg305
    May 8, 2021
    8
    From the first minute until you beat Ganon, the game is truly astonishing. The exploration feels very natural, like you're progressing in a very real, slow, but satisfying way. After the game ends, there isn't much to do aside from a TON of side quests that don't really feel all that rewarding after you've already completed the game. Still though, the first 100 hours or so are worth the price.
  5. Wondux
    May 28, 2023
    8
    Incredible game. One of the best-designed open worlds I have ever seen. It's crazy how if you can see an area, you can go there. You can climb basically everywhere. Gliding makes it even crazier. I love that there are different communities and biomes within the world. I loved exploring every one of them one by one.

    The shrines are impressive. They are amusing to solve, and also very    Incredible game. One of the best-designed open worlds I have ever seen. It's crazy how if you can see an area, you can go there. You can climb basically everywhere. Gliding makes it even crazier. I love that there are different communities and biomes within the world. I loved exploring every one of them one by one.

    The shrines are impressive. They are amusing to solve, and also very rewarding. Increasing the stamina wheel incentivizes more exploring, leading to more shrines. It's a loop I couldn't escape. It feels very rewarding when you solve the puzzle. It makes you feel like you are the only one who could do it, as it doesn't give you any instructions. That is very satisfying.

    The combat feels great. I like that weapons break. It forces you to try new weapons which present a variety and breaks monotony. I also like the food system.

    There are some things that hold me off from giving this game a perfect score. Firstly, I didn't enjoy the majority of side missions. They are repetitive and dull. Also, the main story wasn't anything special. The final boss was extremely easy and disappointing. In addition, although the open world is amazing, there wasn't much to do in between the shrines.

    Still, a breathtaking game.    … Expand
  6. Mark6440
    Feb 27, 2022
    8
    the game is good, but i don't like the fact that your weapons break even the most iconic shield can get broken. The game i also hard if it's your first time playing it, but after you have gotten some good gear the game is a cake walk
  7. wuki
    Jul 19, 2021
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a really good Zelda game. The game's map is incredibly large and also incredibly extensive. The cutscenes in BOTW are also pretty good. However, I find the passages between the memories and also between the villages, shrines etc. far too lengthy. The music in BOTW is also good. (Fun fact: if you speed up the music from the Hylian field, you can hear Zelda's Lullaby). Unfortunately, I miss the story too much, which is what games like Ocarina of Time or Skyward Sword have. I give this game a rating of 8 out of 10 because the game feels incredibly free. You can cook what you want, you can carry the weapons you want, you can be where you want, this game defines freedom. I don't give it a 10 out of 10 because I just miss the story too much and the music isn't the best music in the whole series either.… Expand
  8. DoubleAgod
    Sep 10, 2021
    8
    Very good game, great visuals, atmospheric, yet simplistic music, a pretty good story, and some phenomenal little details to the world. Great bow and elemental combat, along with giving you the the tools to properly strategize and use your environment when tackling enemies. That being said, it does suffer from an unexciting melee combat system, the cutscenes are quite boring, and the worldVery good game, great visuals, atmospheric, yet simplistic music, a pretty good story, and some phenomenal little details to the world. Great bow and elemental combat, along with giving you the the tools to properly strategize and use your environment when tackling enemies. That being said, it does suffer from an unexciting melee combat system, the cutscenes are quite boring, and the world itself, as beautiful and atmospheric as it is, can feel vapid at times with repetitive awards and enemies.… Expand
  9. Non_Royal
    Sep 14, 2021
    8
    The game was good. I did not regret the 31 hour of my life spent on it. But the slow start was throwing me off the game to actually see it's beauty. took me like 5 tries until I managed to get into it
  10. Tikur
    Jul 12, 2022
    8
    I have just completed this game and in my opinion get this game more praise than it's deserve.

    Sure it is a very fun and experimental game, where you have many opportunities to complete it. The good aspects first. I really like the concept of the game that you can go to Ganon, the final boss, when ever you want. This leads to countless different ways to play and experience it. In    I have just completed this game and in my opinion get this game more praise than it's deserve.

    Sure it is a very fun and experimental game, where you have many opportunities to complete it.

    The good aspects first.

    I really like the concept of the game that you can go to Ganon, the final boss, when ever you want. This leads to countless different ways to play and experience it. In consequence it gets also a lot of replay value, because of the different options you have to reach the goal.

    The shrines, one of the most controversial new addition for nearly all of the players, is also one of my favourite new elements the developer have added. The little puzzle rooms, work like a collectible and also as tricky little puzzles to keep the motivation high. The player is always in control of the pace and able to make free decisions on his own.

    Another top aspect is the world itself. Hyrule looks beautiful, has a lot of secrets to explore and offers a variety of environments. The complete world feels alive and the music which unusually subtle for a Zelda game fits it all perfectly.

    However, now here are my issues with the game.

    The new element, that your weapons will broke down, is annoying all the time you play and especially at the beginning simply frustrating. You only get weak weapons which will broke down very quickly, so you need to get another weak weapon. Thankfully this gets better when you make more progress. But this Problem runs through the entire game.

    The second complain I have is the camera angle, especially in combat. They have never improved on that since 1998. At that time it was not that bad, because at that time there weren't much enemies on the screen. But now You it can easily happen, that you have to face four or five enemies simultaneously. At that point you realise that the combat system is not made for situations like that.
    The final boss fight against Ganon is really bad and a huge disappointment. Clunky controls and an outdated concept are the main reasons for that.

    My last complain is the praise itself that the game gets. This is by far not the best game on switch.
    Super Mario Odyssey and Kirby and the forgotten Land are by far the better games, because they implemented their new features, way more clever than Breath of the Wild did. Both games also feel more polished, than Breath of the Wild.

    It is clearly a good game but far away from being a masterpiece.    … Expand
  11. ArezuTotodile
    Nov 7, 2021
    8
    Good open world game but a bad zelda game .There no Big dungons and not lot of mobs.
  12. cchenders40
    Aug 25, 2022
    8
    I don't get the hype.

    This was my first Zelda game and I had high expectations for obvious reasons. And to be honest, other than the gameplay and art style this is a pretty empty game with virtually no story. I am pretty confused why anyone would consider this the greatest game of all time. You literally have to do a picture quest if you want to get any semblance of a story or    I don't get the hype.

    This was my first Zelda game and I had high expectations for obvious reasons. And to be honest, other than the gameplay and art style this is a pretty empty game with virtually no story. I am pretty confused why anyone would consider this the greatest game of all time.

    You literally have to do a picture quest if you want to get any semblance of a story or character development. The open world is pretty empty other than scattered enemy encampments and repetitive inns throughout. The puzzle dungeons were interesting but repetitive and not very fun.

    Positives. The sound track is a masterpiece without a doubt. The gameplay and physics mechanic and addictive and endlessly fun. The boss design is 10/10 amazing. But other than those positives this is a pretty empty and repetitive open world with virtually no story.    … Expand
  13. Kd-madrid
    Feb 15, 2022
    8
    Acutally I am a playstation fan and i bought the switch oled model as i really like this device and it’s idea and the innovation it delivers and i wanted to explore the universe of nintendo and i bought zelda BOWT and supermario odyssey when i saw the reviews and watched gameplay videos i realised that these games are overrated as i saw people claiming that zelda bowt is the best gameAcutally I am a playstation fan and i bought the switch oled model as i really like this device and it’s idea and the innovation it delivers and i wanted to explore the universe of nintendo and i bought zelda BOWT and supermario odyssey when i saw the reviews and watched gameplay videos i realised that these games are overrated as i saw people claiming that zelda bowt is the best game ever and 10s everywhere and i was not impressed with all the hype i think they are alittle bit overrated and overhyped games i started to play them and to be honest i did not finish both of them but i really went through missions and quests and i will continue till i finish both of them i am talking here about super mario odyssey and zelda as they are the best and highest rated game on the system but i will continue talking about zelda i just want the nintendo fanboys not to be bothered or feel offended but i really can not see anything wow or special about BOTW:
    Big empty lifeless world, combat no so exciting, i do not like the concept of broken shields and weapons , the climbing system which is not logic and against physicses graphics which is not astonishing or gorgeous it looks like ipad games , and link the protagonist who do not talk !!! No voice acting for link how come a game like this the protagonist do not talk currently one of the most important aspects of the best games ever made is the protagonist and voice acting of the character that makes us fall in love with games like arthur morgan or kratos , nathan drake and many many characters. zelda botw is good game but not S tier or best ever or what so ever you call it you can not put it besides red dead redemption 2 or god of war, last of us or many many games who are much better on many aspects and again i am not telling it is a bad game i am playstation fan but i really like to explore many and different games from the playstation system it is a really good game but not that much as most of you claiming it is the best ever or the 10/10 reviews i think it’s fair review 8 or 8.5    … Expand
  14. Rydia030
    Feb 21, 2022
    8
    Aunque debo aceptar que la formula clásica me gusta mas para zelda, creo este juego cumple y muy bien, aunque hay muchos sitios en los que avanzas sin realmente hacer nada, se sienten vacíos, es algo que suele pasar en la mayoría de títulos de este genero por el tamaño del mapa, aunque se extrañan los dungeons y las peleas con sus jefes, las 4 maquinas sagradas en el juego tienen su plusAunque debo aceptar que la formula clásica me gusta mas para zelda, creo este juego cumple y muy bien, aunque hay muchos sitios en los que avanzas sin realmente hacer nada, se sienten vacíos, es algo que suele pasar en la mayoría de títulos de este genero por el tamaño del mapa, aunque se extrañan los dungeons y las peleas con sus jefes, las 4 maquinas sagradas en el juego tienen su plus que lo hace muy bueno, la pelea final se ve bien, pero creo si deja algo que desear, no se si por que el final en twilight princess fueron combates finales muy emotivos contra ganon-ganaondorf o que fue porque lo senti muy simple, pero eso no significa que mal, creo lo mejor del juego mas que terminarlo, es el crafteo de armaduras, buscar los dragones y estar cazandolos por una escama, y las batallas con las bestias sagradas es lo mas destacable.… Expand
  15. purple_ostrich
    Feb 22, 2022
    8
    It's fine. No story to speak of, boring enemies. Best part is exploration but frequent rain and inability to call horse in the wild gets in the way of that.
  16. DarkwingSchmuck
    Mar 4, 2022
    8
    Breath of the Wild is a necessary and mostly successful reinvention of The Legend of Zelda. Everything about this game was taken back to the drawing board -- so much so that it takes a bit to rewire your brain from all the things video games have taught you in the past.

    As far as open-world exploration goes, Breath of the Wild is second to none. Its vast, gorgeous wide open map is    Breath of the Wild is a necessary and mostly successful reinvention of The Legend of Zelda. Everything about this game was taken back to the drawing board -- so much so that it takes a bit to rewire your brain from all the things video games have taught you in the past.

    As far as open-world exploration goes, Breath of the Wild is second to none. Its vast, gorgeous wide open map is like one big Zelda dungeon that you can explore at your own leisure. Go anywhere, do anything, and experiment with anything and everything. You can't walk 10 feet without tripping over things to do in this game.

    If the inevitable sequel can ditch the awful weapon degradation mechanic, add some full dungeons to explore, and allow you to climb when it's raining instead of waiting around for five minutes until the skies clear, then it will have the potential to be something truly special.    … Expand
  17. sovg1998
    Mar 7, 2022
    8
    ten points games no doubt,but Ninetendo fans is making a Yamato God in our homeland,make American great again
  18. Guts_147
    Mar 17, 2022
    8
    My first Zelda game and... wow, just WOW.
    when i bought the game i didn't expected the game to be this good, the best open world game on the switch right now, great graphics and art style, amazing story and incredible gameplay, non other Zelda game has gave me this feeling of being free in the world and such deep world to explore.
    Still the best switch game to this day.
  19. imreviewingstuf
    Mar 29, 2022
    8
    BOTW is a very good game that suffers due to people overhyping. It is not the greatest game ever but it is a good game.
  20. CouchPotato200
    Apr 6, 2022
    8
    On its own, this game is amazing. But when compared to other Zelda games, it doesn't really stack up. In fact I really don't think this game should be compared to other Zelda games because of how different it is. They completely changed the Zelda formula and I'd say it didn't work out. And with a sequel of this game on the horizon, it makes me think that maybe open-world is the future ofOn its own, this game is amazing. But when compared to other Zelda games, it doesn't really stack up. In fact I really don't think this game should be compared to other Zelda games because of how different it is. They completely changed the Zelda formula and I'd say it didn't work out. And with a sequel of this game on the horizon, it makes me think that maybe open-world is the future of Zelda. And I'm not a huge fan of that. When can we go back to the old Zelda formula? With the dungeons and the items and stuff. This game barely even has dungeons! Again, it's a great game, it's just an awful Zelda game.… Expand
  21. Koukaboora
    Apr 28, 2022
    8
    This is my favorite Zelda game to date. The style of the game is great and the world really feels like a battered and broken Hyrule. The characters you run into are funny and charismatic. There were tons of hidden mechanics in the game that I loved finding out about like the ability to warm yourself in cold temps by equipping red hot fire weapons. There is so much to like about the gameThis is my favorite Zelda game to date. The style of the game is great and the world really feels like a battered and broken Hyrule. The characters you run into are funny and charismatic. There were tons of hidden mechanics in the game that I loved finding out about like the ability to warm yourself in cold temps by equipping red hot fire weapons. There is so much to like about the game and there is a big emphasis on exploration and creativity.

    With that said, the reason I didn't give this game a perfect score is because there were so aspects of the game that I was not the biggest fan of. One of the biggest complaints that people have with this game was the weapon durability. I never really had an issue with this mechanic until I played on hero mode. I basically took a couple of weapons per enemy and it got to the point where I was using cheese strats to deal with enemies because it was more efficient. Another issue I had was with the enemy/dungeon variety. It was cool to see the classic Zelda enemies rendered in modern hardware but it sucked that there were only 6-7 enemy types and just recolored versions of them. I wasn't too excited for the DLC and I don't think it made the experience too much better.

    For being one of the first games on the switch, let alone the first Zelda entry on the Switch, it was a really good entry into the franchise. I am excited to see what they have in store for future entries and hope that they improve on the system/world that they have already built.    … Expand
  22. Vnderdog
    Jul 29, 2022
    8
    Good game but far from 10/10, combat is shallow, story is generic, puzzles feel like they were designed by kids, but exploration is fun
  23. raoulvador
    Jun 22, 2022
    8
    I've never been interested by a zelda game more than a couple of hours. Game boy one is pretty cool, but this one is the only you make me want to play more to discover the HUGE map and get lost in this world. This is good s****
  24. ElliottJudy
    Jun 26, 2022
    8
    This game is very very good and I recommend it too any person who plays games. However, some people act like its perfect when it definitely is not. Those flaws will probably not hinder your experience very much though. Overall you should play it but you already know that so why are you reading this? If you wanted to actually know about the game you probably would have just looked up aThis game is very very good and I recommend it too any person who plays games. However, some people act like its perfect when it definitely is not. Those flaws will probably not hinder your experience very much though. Overall you should play it but you already know that so why are you reading this? If you wanted to actually know about the game you probably would have just looked up a video. Most likely you have already played the game and just feel like looking at reviews. Well I have a message for that person... I'm never gonna give you up. I'm never gonna let you down. I'm never gonna run around and deserte you.… Expand
  25. Taken_Hades
    May 16, 2023
    8
    -5/10 story
    -10/10 gameplay
    -10/10 environments
    -7/10 characters
    -10/10 music
  26. BertKA88
    Aug 29, 2022
    8
    Without a doubt the most fun I’ve had exploring an open world ever. The fact I could go anywhere was so refreshing however this results in a game with not much of a story and some progression issues which stops it being a 10. That open world though….
  27. liminaai
    Mar 6, 2023
    8
    Link literally woke up with no memory, saw a creepy castle and an old man explained everything in such an oversimplified way and Zelda only told him to help her and save Hyrule yet Link STILL listened and helped. No **** questions he just knew what was right and what was wrong. I'm writing this at 12 AM so I probably worded this horribly- JUST BUT THE GAME
  28. PacoBN23
    Sep 24, 2022
    8
    Uno de los mundos abiertos que mayor libertad te ofrece. La trama principal es algo escasa pero cuenta todo lo que necesita, aunque se complementa a la perfección con las misiones secundarias y las actividades que te ofrece.
  29. Zarithra
    May 29, 2023
    8
    Many like me struggled to enjoy the first few hours (example: low stamina to climb walls or slipping druing rain, no proper cloithing to endure the cold, having to get used to weapons breaking). Soon after however, you really begin to enjoy and discover the open world and appreciate the effort developers put into this. BUT, eventually it begins to feel like a chore and you start to burnMany like me struggled to enjoy the first few hours (example: low stamina to climb walls or slipping druing rain, no proper cloithing to endure the cold, having to get used to weapons breaking). Soon after however, you really begin to enjoy and discover the open world and appreciate the effort developers put into this. BUT, eventually it begins to feel like a chore and you start to burn out. It becomes tiring to search for temples, tiring to collect additional heart and stamina containers, or increase inventory space, or replace weapons, or changing armour for weather or enemy type, or upgrading clothes or weapons. I found myself collecting all these for the sake of doing it, not for the fun of it.

    I would have rated this game a 6 for the first 3 hours, and then a 10 for the next 20 hours, and eventually settle at 8 overall for what should be called Zelda Chores in the Wild.
    Would be great to have voice overs instead of reading what felt like impossibly dry senseless dialogue accompanied by bizarre grunting noises. I had to lower the TV volume for fear my neighbours thinkinbg I'm watching porn (no joke).    … Expand
  30. Sephiroth_7_7
    Jun 24, 2023
    8
    the game is beautiful and brings a lot of fresh ideas to the table espescially regarding exploration. Although I cant say that this game is a masterpiece I will say that it is a good game indeed.
  31. Smorgasbord
    Nov 15, 2022
    8
    Good game. Can get a little boring just running around but if you’re into more slow paced exploring this game is fun.
  32. AlexMakesToast
    Dec 11, 2022
    8
    Breath of the Wild = 8/10
    .................................................
  33. ZYMROD
    Jan 22, 2023
    8
    Es un gran juego de mundo abierto e inmersivo en su ambientación. Pero carece de lo que hace un buen Zelda , con mazmorras mas bien genéricas que solo se usan para justificar uso habilidades, historia bastante irrelevante que es mejor explicada en libros o teorías de fans y personajes planos que pasan a convertirse en una anécdota tras el termino de su misión.

    En si, el juego es una    Es un gran juego de mundo abierto e inmersivo en su ambientación. Pero carece de lo que hace un buen Zelda , con mazmorras mas bien genéricas que solo se usan para justificar uso habilidades, historia bastante irrelevante que es mejor explicada en libros o teorías de fans y personajes planos que pasan a convertirse en una anécdota tras el termino de su misión.

    En si, el juego es una verdadera revolucion en mecánicas, uso de físicas, mundo abierto inmersivo, ambientación preciosa pese a limitaciones de hardware.

    Resumiendo, es un juego al cual debes entrar sin expectativas, mentalizarte que no es un Zelda en lo narrativo y disfrutar de un agradable paseo por Hyrule.    … Expand
  34. Houston49
    Dec 27, 2022
    8
    Хороша гра з простим, але класним сюжетом та стильною картинкою. Світ у грі гарний, локації цікаві, кожна з яких має свої «погодні» особливості і цим додає момент «реалізму», але незважаючи на це світ пустий. Додаткові активності, окрім невеликої кількості другорядних квестів, грінда ящиків та святилищ - відсутні, а шкода, бо хотілось би родовище затриматися в цьому світі. Гемплей у грі наХороша гра з простим, але класним сюжетом та стильною картинкою. Світ у грі гарний, локації цікаві, кожна з яких має свої «погодні» особливості і цим додає момент «реалізму», але незважаючи на це світ пустий. Додаткові активності, окрім невеликої кількості другорядних квестів, грінда ящиків та святилищ - відсутні, а шкода, бо хотілось би родовище затриматися в цьому світі. Гемплей у грі на високому рівні. Грати захопливо та зручно, особливо сподобалось використання гіроскопу у консолі. Не сподобалась моментами технічна частина, особливо у корковому лісі де по відчуттям фпс падав до 15 кадрів, але це дрібниці.
    Гра супер і пройти її повинен кожен власник консолі. Саме з неї у мене і почалось знайомство з світом портативок та Ігор Нінтендо.    … Expand
  35. luciamelier
    Jan 30, 2023
    8
    This game is really good. I am not even halfaway it but I am enjoying it very much!
  36. fogmann
    Feb 1, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is near-perfect from the countless ways to fight enemies to the endless dungeons and collectibles. The combat is refreshing and infinite.

    If I could ask for anything more, it would be the story, for me, the story is kind of blank, you only really pick up on it while doing the Devine beasts or after beating the game, I also wish the DLC’s were made free, I don’t like how you need them to upgrade the master-sword, this feature sounds like a core game mechanic.    … Expand
  37. kerminator
    Feb 23, 2023
    8
    the open world of this game is great but it can also prove to be a very difficult game at some points while playing but none the less it is a fantastic game.
  38. kirbo_11
    Feb 24, 2023
    8
    Good game must get for switch, a little overhyped. Best open world and best zelda.
  39. George_K
    Mar 30, 2023
    8
    A lot of fun and very adventurous sure it is a must play, one of the best exploration games, BUT as a zelda title it is not my favourite and not as good as majoras mask ocarina of time and even twillight princess (yeah i kinda like this title). I mean i love the vast exploration and the dungeons but it is not bringing me zelda vibes a lot, what i mean by that, you dont have the old goodA lot of fun and very adventurous sure it is a must play, one of the best exploration games, BUT as a zelda title it is not my favourite and not as good as majoras mask ocarina of time and even twillight princess (yeah i kinda like this title). I mean i love the vast exploration and the dungeons but it is not bringing me zelda vibes a lot, what i mean by that, you dont have the old good hyrule but a post apocalyptic one i would say, so to stop the comfusion it is an amazing title as a unique AAA game not a zelda game… Expand
  40. co3676
    Jun 26, 2023
    8
    Sekiz. .
  41. imalynxcat
    Apr 2, 2023
    8
    tatlı, şirin gözüken, açık dünya etkileşiminin iyi olduğu bir oyun. bir yerden sonra sıkıldığım için çok fazla oynayamadım
  42. BeckyGG
    Apr 2, 2023
    8
    Exploring the world was really fun. Plenty of secrets to find and places to see. Being a completionist it became a little less fun trying to locate the last shrine needle in a haystack. Not sure how your supposed to do that without looking it up. Thank goodness for the internet shrine maps
    .
  43. 4mity
    May 1, 2023
    8
    스위치 최고 존엄 RPG. 이 게임을 더 좋은 기기로 플레이하면 좋겠다는 생각이 꾸준히 들었다. 상상력이 부족한 나는 상호작용 시스템을 모두 이용하지 못했으나, 다양한 상상과 아이디어를 적용할 수 있는 게임이다. 수많은 코르그나 사당의 피로는 아쉬우나 한 번쯤 해볼만한 게임은 확실하다.
  44. Ff7ff
    Jun 22, 2023
    8
    This is a good game. The characters and combat aren't revolutionary, but the story and world is. I enjoyed playing this evening if it won't cracked my top games of all time.
  45. c1nelavy
    May 13, 2023
    8
    I don't know. Personally, the game often bores me because of the complexity or incomprehensibility. The game is a masterpiece, especially as the first exclusive, but if I had to choose between Zelda BOTW and Mario Odyssey, I chose Mario.
  46. miguellopez99
    Jun 1, 2023
    8
    84/100 .
  47. TheXxchaKing
    Jul 7, 2023
    8
    + World design of Hyrule is gorgeous, made even better by the various methods of traversal
    + Item management system and breakable weapons actually really worked for me
    + Atmosphere and charm is really evident + Boss design is epic, especially the final boss - Shrines are repetitive and tedious - Lack of dungeons and classic legacy items felt like a missed opportunity - Lazy    + World design of Hyrule is gorgeous, made even better by the various methods of traversal
    + Item management system and breakable weapons actually really worked for me
    + Atmosphere and charm is really evident
    + Boss design is epic, especially the final boss

    - Shrines are repetitive and tedious
    - Lack of dungeons and classic legacy items felt like a missed opportunity
    - Lazy side-quests are a drag
    - Minimalist soundtrack for a series with as iconic a discography as The Legend of Zelda's is a crime    … Expand
  48. NicoBelic7
    Jul 25, 2023
    8
    It's a good open world exploration game but in the end it's not a Zelda game which is its major issue, other than the combat is also a very weak point and the variety of the enemies and the plot. I won't comment on the horse riding experience as well as it is quite irritating and saying all these with more than 150 hours spent and a great Zelda fan which make me feel even worse. HopefullyIt's a good open world exploration game but in the end it's not a Zelda game which is its major issue, other than the combat is also a very weak point and the variety of the enemies and the plot. I won't comment on the horse riding experience as well as it is quite irritating and saying all these with more than 150 hours spent and a great Zelda fan which make me feel even worse. Hopefully they'll make some upgrades with totk.… Expand
  49. benst
    Aug 16, 2023
    8
    Absolutely amazing game, one of the best I have ever played. The story, exploration, mechanics and most of the game is perfect. The reason I have not gave it a 9 or 10/10 however, is because the game can drag on and be somewhat repetitive during the mid section for players that like to take there time. Other than that, superb game.
  50. feis_
    Sep 2, 2023
    8
    ⬜️⬜️
  51. Julian3692
    Sep 2, 2023
    8
    Juego revolucionario para el momento. Sin embargo no considero que sea perfecto como muchos indican. El mundo en ocasiones se siente vacío. No rejugable
  52. Razv
    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.
  53. Captiosus
    Jul 26, 2017
    7
    I grew up playing Legend of Zelda. The first game on NES was one of the first games I saved my allowance and mowed neighbors yards to buy. With exception to Skyward Sword, I have enjoyed all of the mainline console entries (and many of the handheld entries) of the Zelda franchise. So when I finally got my Switch, and thanks to the overwhelmingly positive reviews, I was stoked to pop inI grew up playing Legend of Zelda. The first game on NES was one of the first games I saved my allowance and mowed neighbors yards to buy. With exception to Skyward Sword, I have enjoyed all of the mainline console entries (and many of the handheld entries) of the Zelda franchise. So when I finally got my Switch, and thanks to the overwhelmingly positive reviews, I was stoked to pop in Breath of the Wild.

    30 hours of gametime later and I'm woefully bored. Let me be succinct: This isn't a Zelda game. Sure, it has the location and character names, the stylization, the same old "beat Ganon"/Triforce story, but don't let that fool you. The core of the game is a mediocre open world collectathon.

    If I were to mention a game where you have to collect hundreds of items to upgrade your inventory, health, and stamina, have multiple in-game currencies for items and other upgrades, and have to climb towers to unlock area map information while using a scope to identify landmark points of interest, you'd think I was talking about an Ubisoft open world game. Except that's precisely what Breath of the Wild does.

    BotW takes this penchant for collecting further by almost becoming a survival game. Gone are the days of buying/finding jars, buying potions in shops (or from witches!), finding hearts in containers, or keeping fairies in jars. Now it's all about hunting animals for meat, gathering insects, enemy parts, ores, herbs, spices, and other ingredients and then cooking. Endlessly cooking - and there are HUNDREDS of different materials. The materials themselves give paltry benefits (if any at all) but cooking them turns them into feasts and exilirs. Unless you go look up a strategy guide for what ingredients you need, the cooking process is all experimentation. In the 30 hours I've played thus far, I wouldn't at all be shocked if I've spent a third of that in front of a fire.

    It doesn't end with just cooking. Weapons and shields have paper thin durability so you're constantly breaking weapons even in the most basic of fights. This requires constant carrying of extra gear in order to swap when your weapon, bow, or shield inevitably breaks. You must also carry different sets of elemental resistance gear because if you wander into an area that's too cold or too hot and don't have enough resistance from gear or potions, you can DIE from exposure as it reduces your health as a damage over time effect. And just to remind you that they're going for realism, basic actions can become more difficult with various weather conditions (e.g. climbing while raining means you'll slide down a lot and have to start over).

    "But the shrines", I can hear people saying. Sorry, these Shrines are a very poor imitation of what previous Zelda game dungeons had been. They're often only one or two rooms with little to no challenge. Take ten of them and mash them together and you'd be close to having a proper Zelda dungeon. Quantity (and there are many, again, see "collectathon") doesn't equal quality.

    I don't know what this game is. It looks and sounds like Zelda but it plays like a sub-par mashup of open world games from Ubisoft, Rockstar, and Bethesda. Stylistically it looks great and despite the occasional frame drop, I enjoy looking at the game and visiting its locales. But the combat, the constant need to be a hunter/gatherer and cook, the open world fluff and the snorefest Shrines.. it's all just so dreadfully boring.

    It's not a 9 or 10, nor is it a 0 or 1 game. It falls squarely in the middle. On some level, it pains me to rate this so low as it's clear they put a lot of effort into it; However, this is an example where going to a western RPG open world style fundamentally changed the core of what made the franchise and not in a good way.    … Expand
  54. B-Knock
    Mar 20, 2017
    7
    Absolutely awful English voice acting. Pure garbage. The game is great, but the deal breaker was Zelda's fake British accent, which was pure garbage. It would have been fine if it was not forced. Absolute worse ever! Please don't buy this game and save your money for a quality Nintendo title that respects gamer's ears. The game is great but the terrible voice acting just sucks the life outAbsolutely awful English voice acting. Pure garbage. The game is great, but the deal breaker was Zelda's fake British accent, which was pure garbage. It would have been fine if it was not forced. Absolute worse ever! Please don't buy this game and save your money for a quality Nintendo title that respects gamer's ears. The game is great but the terrible voice acting just sucks the life out of the game because it just sucks so much. It was unnecessary. Nintendo bent over for stupid fan boys demanding voice acting in a game that didn't need it. Pure garbage. I give it a 10/10 for game play, but I can not get past the stupid English voice acting its so awful I just wan to go jump off a damn bridge, or smash my head into a concrete wall. Seriously!… Expand
  55. vincesz
    Mar 26, 2017
    7
    I dunno what it is about zelda games that makes every 'professional reviewer' think they have to give it a 10.

    This game is solid, it's tight, it's good but it's not a 10. Props to Nintendo for taking chances with the same old formula. It really felt like for the past 20 years they've just been trying to recreate the magic of Ocarina of Time and failing. Now they've finally figured out    I dunno what it is about zelda games that makes every 'professional reviewer' think they have to give it a 10.

    This game is solid, it's tight, it's good but it's not a 10. Props to Nintendo for taking chances with the same old formula. It really felt like for the past 20 years they've just been trying to recreate the magic of Ocarina of Time and failing. Now they've finally figured out that it's about trying to do something completely different.

    The combat is the biggest change here. They have an item system with durability rolled in so weapons and items are all temporary. There's no more 1 sword, 1 boomerang, etc. You get tons of swords and boomerangs. Makes it that much more special when you find the master sword.

    The game is also hard. I used to rarely if ever die in a Zelda game. I died a few dozen times in the first couple of hours alone in this one. It's more like Dark Souls than the typical Zelda. They also realized that getting items like the bow and bombs and all that is really boring so they made them super easy to access right from the get go.

    The game has been refocused on exploration with the new climbing system, which is really the only true innovation in the game. Almost every terrain is climbable. It adds a new dimension to the exploration that has always been a Zelda mainstay.

    The puzzles are fun but not too challenging, pretty typical to the Zelda series. They did try for different ideas in this new game with spatial problem solving which I appreciate. The dungeons seem to have taken a few pages from the Shadow of the Colossus book.

    One of the coolest, most thoughtful additions is that the last boss is accessible probably less than an hour from the start of the game. And you can go try your luck too! A really cool idea and it was very well implemented.

    So with solid combat, great exploration, and good puzzles why is it a 7? The game just has too many noticeable flaws.

    The voice acting is terrible. Everyone is gonna complain about it, it's truly God-awful. I wish I could just have silence and read text but there's no option to do that. What a shame...

    Second, the graphics. They're bad. I get that Nintendo never cares about graphics and while the art is beautiful, these textures are worse than games from 7 years ago. I almost want to say I've seen better texture work in games like Gears of War 1 from 2006... That's just unacceptable. Being 2-3 years behind is whatever, being more than 7? Give me a break.

    Third, music. I hate it. They tried to make the whole thing into a Miyazaki movie. The music just doesn't fit at all. You don't need symphonic music for everything with little cutesy piano pieces. It just doesn't fit the action or what's happening on the screen at all. I just never get that exhilarating feeling during action sequences because of how low-key and mellow the music is for fighting. I never felt like any of the zones had music that fit the mood or the atmosphere. It really detracts from the experience very very noticeably.

    Lastly, the open world concept was just not done well. There's not enough here to warrant exploring an open world. There are only so many moblin camps you can clear out before it gets boring and old. While some of the environmental puzzles and enemies (like stone monsters you have to climb on) can be fun, the novelty wears off. Eventually it dawns on you that you're completing little mini-games. Where other games made their side quests deep and immersive (a la Witcher 3, Skyrim etc) this game's side quests are fairly bland and unimpressive.

    The game is fun, if you're gonna buy a switch you probably already have it. If you're debating whether you need to buy a switch for it: pass.    … Expand
  56. DukeJon
    Dec 27, 2017
    7
    First time playing a Zelda game and now I'm several days in, I am beginning to wonder where this great game is everyone's been talking about. The world is very large, but dull and empty. Not much variety in terms of enemies. NPC characters are like something out of a game that was released 20 years ago; limited interaction and no voiceover dialogue. Link is a boring character : in otherFirst time playing a Zelda game and now I'm several days in, I am beginning to wonder where this great game is everyone's been talking about. The world is very large, but dull and empty. Not much variety in terms of enemies. NPC characters are like something out of a game that was released 20 years ago; limited interaction and no voiceover dialogue. Link is a boring character : in other games I can completely customise my avatar, in this game I get to choose what trousers to wear and that's pretty much it. Physics is fun but inconsistent; I can chop down a huge tree but my axe swings through the supports of an archer tower without harming it. I can climb better than spider-man but I'm a baby in the water. Crafting is essentially limited to cooking only. Weapons break after two hits which means I just avoid mobs where possible, and even when I don't the battles aren't interesting. Shrines are like puzzle games you might download for free on a smartphone. Music is forgettable. Story is like something out a children's fairytale.

    Yet there are so many 10/10 reviews flying about and this game is touted as not only one of the best releases this year, but possibly the best RPG of all time. I am guessing people have obviously not played Deus Ex, Mass Effect, Witcher, Fallout, Dark Souls or any of the Elder Scrolls games.

    It's a good game, but no more than that. If it didn't have Zelda in the title, and wasn't carrying a new console by Nintendo, I don't think many people would have paid much attention to it.    … Expand
  57. Camitic
    Apr 4, 2017
    7
    I am a huge Zelda fan make no mistake and Breath Of The Wild isn't a bad game but its not the best Zelda game either.
    The open world at first blew my mind i thought wow.........but after the alluring shine reality sunk in and I began to dislike certain aspects of the game.
    The weapon durability system is the biggest one and I wasn't quite sure what the aim was with that.I became    I am a huge Zelda fan make no mistake and Breath Of The Wild isn't a bad game but its not the best Zelda game either.
    The open world at first blew my mind i thought wow.........but after the alluring shine reality sunk in and I began to dislike certain aspects of the game.

    The weapon durability system is the biggest one and I wasn't quite sure what the aim was with that.I became increasing annoyed at having to change weapons mid-fight. The stamina wheel which made sense with climbing annoyed me when sprinting. The shrines......I get needing to make a system to upgrade our hearts/stamina but the shrines felt more of an annoyance then a challenge to overcome.

    However the story is fantastic. The climbing aspect is great I loved and with the rain causing climbing to be an issue it added a lovely dynamic to the game. The physics of the game overall are quite brilliant and work well in a open world game.

    Overall a good solid Zelda game that attempted to break from certain traditions which I respect.    … Expand
  58. ShadowofZexa
    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.    … Expand
  59. ultraviper
    Nov 29, 2017
    7
    A bit overrated. There are sooo many things in this game that seem to have no purpose other than to annoy the player. Not being able to climb in the rain. Climbing being so slow. Having to constantly change clothes when you enter different temperature zones. Having to go through so many steps to cook things. Weapons being so fragile. Inventory for weapons being so small. Lots of annoyingA bit overrated. There are sooo many things in this game that seem to have no purpose other than to annoy the player. Not being able to climb in the rain. Climbing being so slow. Having to constantly change clothes when you enter different temperature zones. Having to go through so many steps to cook things. Weapons being so fragile. Inventory for weapons being so small. Lots of annoying little cutscenes. Find a shrine: cutscene. Enter a shrine: cutscene. Finish a shrine: cutscene. They're skippable after the first couple seconds, but there's 120 shrines in the game, so you'll be pressing that skip button a LOT… Expand
  60. RDonnell
    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
  61. Dark_D3s7r0y3r
    Aug 22, 2017
    7
    I'm using the scale of 1-10 where 5 is average, 7 is very good, and 10 is a game that's perfect, no flaws or frustrations to be had during my entire experience. As in, there is absolutely nothing I can say that I think would improve the game. So rating it a 7, I think this is a very good game. If you have a Switch, definitely pick it up, you'll probably have a good time regardless of theI'm using the scale of 1-10 where 5 is average, 7 is very good, and 10 is a game that's perfect, no flaws or frustrations to be had during my entire experience. As in, there is absolutely nothing I can say that I think would improve the game. So rating it a 7, I think this is a very good game. If you have a Switch, definitely pick it up, you'll probably have a good time regardless of the things you may not like about it.

    Let's start with the good. The world is ENORMOUS and you really feel it. Seeing a mountain off in the distance that you have to run to before you can fast travel to has that grand feeling of wonder and exploration. The world feels alive and active, as well, with different weather patterns, events, and collectible flora and fauna to use in cooking and upgrades. Cold areas require special gear not to freeze to death, and hot areas require special gear not to die of the heat. Some areas rain frequently, some areas have thunderstorms that make it a bad idea to carry metal weapons around, some have sandstorms and blizzards and rolling blankets of fog that obscure your vision. It all makes each visit to an area that much more unique, since there will likely be a different weather forecast each day.

    The art style is stunningly beautiful. It's as if they took cartoon drawings and directly translated them 1:1 into a game. It really speaks for itself.

    The story is very compelling. Throughout the game, I genuinely wanted to know more about Link's past and was interested in learning more about all the people he met along the way. And with an entirely non-linear path (it's totally possible to beat the final boss from the get-go without breaking anything), the journey feels like it's my own unique pathway through the game.

    I absolutely love the horse capture/training system in this game. Finding the perfect horse, registering and naming them, and forging a bond with them as you ride all feels surprisingly natural, and makes each horse you train feel special and personal. Though I'd prefer if patterned horses weren't arbitrarily worse than solid colored horses...

    And now let's look at a few negatives, starting with the obvious durability system. The issue isn't having weapons to fight with, the issue is what the durability system brings to the table. Which is just making you pause mid fight to switch to the same weapon you were just using just for it to break again in the same fight because Lynels have a billion health and weapons don't. Previous Zeldas did just fine without a bizarrely hamfisted durability system, and Breath of the Wild would have lost nothing if they gave you less frequent, incremental upgrades rather than a mountain of weapons to break. In fact, it would have made combat, hitting stasised objects, and archery minigames actually fun to experiment with instead of just dreading having to break that one weapon you found because the game says so.

    Draw distance, framerate, and resolution are all terrible due to the Switch's extremely limited processing power. I'll frequently find myself missing distant items or enemies simply because the game can't draw them from more than a moderate distance away, and in areas filled with visual effects the framerate plummets from its already sub-standard 30fps. It's sad to see such a grand idea for a game limited so severely due to only being released for underpowered hardware. While the Switch is a great mobile system, it certainly doesn't make a very good modern home console. But I digress.

    Rain is also a big pain to deal with. If you need to climb somewhere and it's raining, you may as well just plop tour controller down and go make something to eat while you wait it out. And if the rain lasts for more than one weather segment, you could be sitting around doing nothing for minutes. I don't understand why they decided to add in this bit of realism instead of weapons that realistically didn't shatter into dust after a handful of encounters (or one big encounter).

    There are a few puzzles that force motion controls. These same puzzles also give what you're controlling a significant delay. It basically feels like shouting instructions at someone across the room to do something that requires a deal of precision with how unresponsive it is. Not at all fun to deal with.

    And finally, there are also puzzles that require precise player movement. The issue with this is that on top of Link not immediately moving as you instruct him, the Switch's joycons don't give nearly the level of precision required for these puzzles to not feel like a chore. I guess I just need to shell out another $70 on a pro controller...

    Again, this is a great game, but I seriously fail to see how it gets perfect 10's. The intro area in particular almost made me quit the game right then and there because a cliff I had been climbing for the past few minutes decided to eject me off the edge of a platform I had just climbed onto. But I am glad I stuck with it.    … Expand
  62. kuehnau
    Mar 3, 2017
    7
    Well the day is finally here for the Nintendo Switch and Breath of the Wild. After all the fanfare and hype, was it worth the wait?

    I'd like to start off by saying that all of the 0 out of 10 reviews don't seem fair. But I think that's sort of the price you pay for having such a well known brand and franchise, it brings out the worst in people. With that being said, those reviews    Well the day is finally here for the Nintendo Switch and Breath of the Wild. After all the fanfare and hype, was it worth the wait?

    I'd like to start off by saying that all of the 0 out of 10 reviews don't seem fair. But I think that's sort of the price you pay for having such a well known brand and franchise, it brings out the worst in people. With that being said, those reviews aren't wrong, even if the scores appear to be.

    Going into Breath of the Wild, based on just the online reviews and videos alone, I was expecting one of the most epic Legend of Zelda games to date, unfortunately that really isn't the case and previous entries in the game series end up faring better in comparasion.

    I think one of the bigger issues stem from the fact that the developers lost sight of the core game when they started moving it into "open world" territory. The developers became more engrossed in that concept than what really makes a Zelda title a Zelda title to begin with.

    When compared to other games in the franchise, the selection of enemies is shallow compared to what we usually come to expect from the series. Generally these games tend to have a wide selection of enenmies that change based on the dungeon and region of the game. With Breath of the Wild, we are seeing a lot less unique enemies and instead a lot of re-colored or re-skinned enemies as a direct result. This wouldn't be horrible if it was expected, like with titles such as Dragon Quest. But in a Legend of Zelda game, it's a bit of a disappointment.

    The story isn't nearly as grand as it has been in the past. And while I haven't actually beat the game yet, I have found myself not nearly as invested or interested as I would have from previous titles in the series. A lot of times it feels as though the story element of the game was tacked on as an afterthought.

    The game play is also equally shallow when compared to other games in the franchise. Yes, there's a lot of weapons you can collect, but considering their frequency of appearance and the fact many of them will break over time, they are really underwhelming. None of them feel nearly as powerful or epic as you'd expect from a Zelda title. Remember all the neat tools you'd get in other Zelda titles? Nonexistent. Don't expect to find cool tools such as the hook-shot, it doesn't exist. I think this is one of the things that hurts the game the most.

    There are no heart pieces. Rupees are still in the game, but not in the same capacity as other Zelda titles. Instead you'll need to actually work to earn Rupees, you'll need to make and sell things in what appears to be an active economy and for whatever reason, it doesn't feel as if it fits properly with the overall theme of Legend of Zelda.

    There's a severe lack of music in the game. It's still there, but it doesn't feel as grand as it did in previous entries of the game. I see what they were trying to go for with the music, but it doesn't feel the same.

    As far as the technical specs go, the game looks good for what it is, there is no complaint there. But if people recall, there was some complaints about slow downs for the game, which apparently were reported to be fixed. But lo and behold people are still reporting slow downs on Breath of the Wild. This doesn't really surprise me as a release day title, but that doesn't make it any less disappointing. Folks are reporting that the switch can get pretty hot when played for extended peroids, so it makes me wonder if the game is suffering from the system physically slowing down due to the system becoming too warm, like how a tablet game will under perform on a Android tablet.

    So, what's the final verdict? It's a Legend of Zelda title in name only, it doesn't feel like a proper Legend of Zelda game at it's core.    … Expand
  63. Subject98
    Jul 24, 2020
    7
    At first it seemed very promising, and they got pretty much all of the gameplay mechanics down very well, but after several dozen hours of playing it I came away feeling like this is just good ground work laid down for an even better game in the future.

    I've heard so much about how this is the best open world game and that it fixes all of the problems that have plagued the genre for    At first it seemed very promising, and they got pretty much all of the gameplay mechanics down very well, but after several dozen hours of playing it I came away feeling like this is just good ground work laid down for an even better game in the future.

    I've heard so much about how this is the best open world game and that it fixes all of the problems that have plagued the genre for years... and I couldn't disagree more. It fell into pretty much all the same old habits. The world may be huge, but aside from the main quest locations, the rest of the world is just filled with samey, borderline copy/paste material. Again it's fine at first but it starts to feel like you're never seeing or doing anything new after a while. There are lots of enemy camps, NPC stations are almost always the same horse ranch again and again, puzzles to get collectibles like the korok seeds repeat dozens of times.

    There are certain key areas of the map with unique events, but most of these I found pretty boring if not aggravating in some way. There's that big featureless maze box in one corner of the map, the lost trial and error woods, and the Yiga Clan Lair which is a forced stealth section with instant failure if you're spotted, just to give a few examples. Most of these side places that should have been interesting didn't make me very happy.

    Another example of reused assets is the shrines. I'm actually on board with the idea of these, since the world is so big it makes sense to have a lot of smaller mini dungeons dotted around the map, but I still felt they managed to botch this to a degree. They all have the exact same big blue cube look to them no matter which region they're in, and at least a third of them are empty except for the reward, or just put you in a combat challenge with the same enemy with slight variation in what weapons it carries.

    That brings me to my next example, the enemy variety. 80% of what you fight are moblins or lizalfos with color palette swaps. You go to one side of the map, red lizards. Go to the other side, blue lizards. Even mini bosses are the same everywhere you go too, either the fat pigs, the stone golems, or the man-lions you don't ever want to fight anyway because they kill you in one hit and tank 50 million damage. Hell even the main bosses at the end of each proper dungeon just feel like a variation of the same boss. Would it have killed them to put some more variety of foes in here? The world certainly is big enough! (Past Zelda games with 1% the map size had more content, and I'm talking about unique content, not copies.)

    To add insult to injury, after completing each main dungeon, the difficulty in the world increases by populating the world, not with new enemy types, but more of the exact same ones with different colors that now take a dozen hits to kill rather than a few. They don't function any differently, or challenge you in any way, it just makes combat more tedious and eventually I started ignoring enemy encounters out in the world whenever possible.

    I don't think BOTW is a bad game, I just don't see how it's any different from the medium standard of what open world games are like, except not having quest markers. They can do better than this.    … Expand
  64. revillo
    Apr 11, 2017
    7
    This is an enormous game that functions well as a casual handheld experience. Pick it up whenever and kill a few hours running around its theme park mmo style world. Solve a few shrine puzzles, clear out some monster encapments, finish a quest, see what's on the other side of that mountain etc. It's your run of the mill RPG experience, but with stunning draw distances that let you seeThis is an enormous game that functions well as a casual handheld experience. Pick it up whenever and kill a few hours running around its theme park mmo style world. Solve a few shrine puzzles, clear out some monster encapments, finish a quest, see what's on the other side of that mountain etc. It's your run of the mill RPG experience, but with stunning draw distances that let you see clear across the gargantuan map, and somewhat novel climbing and paragliding mechanics that help you get around.

    It's easy to be blindsided by the scale of the game, but after spending a few dozen hours grinding through it, I'm finding myself a little baffled by the perfect scores. The essentials here are weak, from the dark-souls-for-children combat mechancis, the ability to heal yourself whenever in the middle of combat with essentially limitless potions, puzzles that telegraph their solutions so blatantly you don't feel much reward in completing them, and maybe worst of all, an awkward, gaping void where a story ought to be.

    There's fun to be had for sure, especially when you find some novel way to play in Breath of the Wild's coherent but gimmicky physicsy sandbox, it's just that little charming quirks don't add up to a deep gaming experience. The expertly polished, pitch-perfect game design i've come to expect from the series appears to have peaked with Twilight Princess. I'm genuinely happy Nintendo is flexing their engineerig muscle and taking some big risks with a change to the formula, but I hope they make a smaller, more concentrated map next time and fix this game's clunky controls and shallow components.    … Expand
  65. Juras
    Mar 8, 2017
    7
    Most overratted game i ever played. Just good game, nothing more. Journalism this days is joke. Graphics is outdated (i do not care about Switch tech power, its almost price of PS4 Pro), art design isn't my style but ok, music no memorable, Zelda VA is terrible. Part where Zelda shines is "gameplay", so many possibilities and mechanics from other games in "one pack". But its not enough toMost overratted game i ever played. Just good game, nothing more. Journalism this days is joke. Graphics is outdated (i do not care about Switch tech power, its almost price of PS4 Pro), art design isn't my style but ok, music no memorable, Zelda VA is terrible. Part where Zelda shines is "gameplay", so many possibilities and mechanics from other games in "one pack". But its not enough to be perfect game.… Expand
  66. shundog
    Apr 10, 2017
    7
    The princess has no clothes! There, I said it. A good game, but not great, and nowhere near perfect.

    Before I get into the negatives, I will mention one positive: the art. The art in this game is truly amazing. It's unique and refreshing in a time where most games strive too look as realistic possible. I had mixed feelings about it when I saw it in trailers, but after playing the    The princess has no clothes! There, I said it. A good game, but not great, and nowhere near perfect.

    Before I get into the negatives, I will mention one positive: the art. The art in this game is truly amazing. It's unique and refreshing in a time where most games strive too look as realistic possible. I had mixed feelings about it when I saw it in trailers, but after playing the game, I absolutely adore it.

    The landscapes are also impressive. They are enormous and well designed. However, I can’t help but feel that they are over-done. A lot of the world, while beautiful, feels rather empty. I think that the open world concept works very well, but the world itself could have easily been 1/2 to 1/3 of the size. There world is seriously HUGE -- it's bigger than that of most MMOs. A lot of the areas don't even have dungeons, which makes me wonder what purpose they serve.

    My biggest complaint about this game is the weapon durability system. I think it is a decent idea, but one that is poorly implemented. It’s kind of hilarious to complete a dungeon and be rewarded with a weapon that breaks after a few swings… like thanks, I guess? It makes finding epic weapons feel like crap. I also find it laughable that bows have such low durability when you already have ammo to deal with. As if ammo wasn’t tedious enough! There needs to be more unbreakable weapons and the durability on breakable weapons needs to be increased by at least 10x.

    As for the shrines, the vast majority of them are way too easy or short. Heart pieces were better.

    Dungeons are in the same boat as shrines. There are only a handful and they are extremely easy, especially when compared to the dungeons in the previous titles. They are all very short, contain few enemies, have the same aesthetic, and rely on the same gimmicky rubrics-cube-map mechanic to complete (which I did not find challenging at all). Also, the bosses are pathetic -- I beat most of them in 1 shot, some without even taking damage. Dark Souls it is not. Overall, the dungeons in this game are a HUGE letdown. The Great Deku Tree in OOT feels epic in comparison to some of them (ok, maybe a slight exaggeration, but still). They feel like an afterthought. In past Zelda games, dungeons have always been the focus with the overworld being just a means to get you from one dungeon to the next, but in this game, it is the opposite -- the overworld is the primary focus and the dungeons are just... there?

    The inventory and cooking systems are also atrocious. I could go into great detail about why they are so bad, but I’d rather not waste my time.

    So all in all, it’s enjoyable, but I don’t understand all of the 10/10s. I think most of them are fueled by nostalgia and the hardware its running on (the Switch really is a great console). It's funny that most of the 10/10 reviews will list off several negative things about the game, but still give it a 10/10. I also find the difference between the user score and crictic score to be very suspect... Ultimately, it looks like Zelda, brings back some fond memories, but at the end of the day, feels more like a cheap thrill than the real thing. It’s a good game on it's own, but it's standing on the shoulders of giants and in comparison, looks rather insignificant. Definitely the worst 3D Zelda game to date.    … Expand
  67. Jorchking
    Oct 7, 2020
    7
    A ver, como videojuego es muy bueno y largo. Pero cuando uno califica un juego es en su totalidad, y la verdad hay cosas que no puedes dejar pasar por alto:
    - Port mediocre: Se supone que este era el gran plato fuerte del inicio de Switch. Es un juego que fue trabajado para Wii U pero la Switch ni siquiera puede mantener 30fps estables... Ni hablar de los bajones por debajo de los 20fps    A ver, como videojuego es muy bueno y largo. Pero cuando uno califica un juego es en su totalidad, y la verdad hay cosas que no puedes dejar pasar por alto:
    - Port mediocre: Se supone que este era el gran plato fuerte del inicio de Switch. Es un juego que fue trabajado para Wii U pero la Switch ni siquiera puede mantener 30fps estables... Ni hablar de los bajones por debajo de los 20fps cuando estamos en los bosques o hierba alta.
    - El Joy-Con drifting es donde más molesta es en este juego. Simplemente insoportable. Este juego drena la batería como una sanguijuela. No llego ni a las 3 horas con este juego.
    Ahora lo que más critico del juego, quizá, es la ausencia de grandes desafíos y de una historia bien construida. La verdad es que en ambos puntos es donde más flojea el juego. Se nota la falta de mazmorras y lo de los Santuarios, lugares totalmente vacíos, no representan desafíos memorables ni de gran altura. La historia está ahí, más como excusa que como otra cosa, no tiene mucho peso para decir verdad. Y salvo por uno o dos personajes (Sidon y Mipha) se siente mucho hueco aquí.

    La banda sonora está bien, y en cuanto a físicas y mundo el juego sobresale mucho. Pero siento que al juego le faltó algo más desafíos, los Centauros los sentí más desafiantes que el jefe final que fue un chiste para ser sincero. Pero en ningún momento sentí que este fuera más sobresaliente que otros juegos como Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Majora's Mask y, muchísimo menos, Ocarina of Time.
    El juego está bien, lo empaña bastante el port, y diría incluso que tuve mejor experiencia jugándolo en emulador. Pero así y todo no es un juego que vuelva a tocar, ni un juego que me ha encantado como tal. Sólo espero que Breath of the Wild 2 lo repiense y vuelvan las mazmorras y los desafíos.
    7/10.    … Expand
  68. Gecko300
    Mar 11, 2017
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'll some this up in one sentence.
    This is a great game, it's not a great Zelda game.

    Lets start with THE GOOD:
    -The open world aspect IS fun, exploring the world and wanting to know what's just over that next ridge is thrilling. (However this does wear thin pretty fast .... see bad.)
    -The combat is probably better than it has ever been; rather than enemies being mostly a nuisance that you just thwack away at...these enemies take some timing, potions and skill; especially in that early-mid game. It's not dark souls/witcher but it's V.Good for Zelda.
    -The artistic design is nice and never gets stale to look at. It's a far cry from the drab and dreary OoT or Twilight princess.
    -It's different...hell that might be a bad or a good thing but I'm putting it in the good. Zelda has been doing the same thing for 30 years and it's nice to see them try something else.

    THE BAD:
    -The story, I'm not asking for greatness in a Zelda game, however it was so cool in OoT when you pull out the sword and fly forward in time...In link to the past when you go to the dark world. Where is THAT here? It feels like I'm playing half the game most the time...with all the coolest and most fleshed out characters left 100 years in the past!
    -The "dungeons." These are embarrassing to say the least, why even keep these hollow shells of their former renditions in the game? Just try something different. Instead we are left with what essentially comes down to 4 larger shrines that take all of 10-15 minutes to complete with 0 difficulty and 4 end bosses that fight/look almost identical.
    -The sidequests, 90% of these SUCK SO MANY EGGS. This is basically about an effort/reward type deal. Minor spoilers but one person wants me to go searching high and low for rare ingredients or a super rare weapon and rewards me with JUST 100 Rupees!!! (Which I could get in 3 minutes from grabbing all the apples in a town and throwing them in a pot.) With heart/stamina containers given out for completing the shrines and the breakable weapons it almost makes the sidequests completely pointless.
    -Which goes back to exploring...I used to search in Zelda games because you are looking for that hidden quest that leads to a heart piece or some rupee's for a bag upgrade. But with nothing to really upgrade other than armor it's kinda worthless other than just enjoying the beautiful world.

    THE UGLY
    -The music: for a series that is known for it's beautiful music...this game is severely lacking in it. A few musical cue's here and there and a bit of fight music. The rest of the time enjoy the dead silence and the sound of Links sword banging against his shield.
    -The faaaaarming. Ok the most farming I've personally ever done in a Zelda game before this is about 30 mins farming in Majoras mask for the biggest wallet upgrade. But in BotW my God...to upgrade all the armor would take hundreds of hours of just running around following the bleeping and picking up fish/mushrooms/guts/butterfly's. I think I've already put in over 15 hours of solid farming for armor upgrades.

    Again this review may come off as negative but it is a beautiful and fun game.
    However take out the useless side quests, crappy farming and kinda not worthwhile exploring and you're left with maybe 12 hours of main quest line for a mediocre story.

    It might be harsh...however if they continued to improve on this formula + did the classic 2D Zelda for a handheld console. I think I'd be in heaven.    … Expand
  69. NikoBocce
    Dec 4, 2018
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Breath of the Wild is Nintendo's swing at the open world genre, using one of their most recognizable IPs "The Legend of Zelda". In terms of scope and size Breath of the Wild is Breathtaking (Pun Intended), the dynamic locations, cultures, and areas are truly something to be admired and praised. BotW also includes several callbacks OoT in locations and music. The gameplay is also a step forward, opting for a controversial yet innovative durability system for the weapons, shields, and bows. The graphics and art style are also unique and look great for a handheld experience. The story also has many moments that are tear-jerking and emotional. As an adventure game BotW works on many levels, innovating from the traditional Zelda gameplay and tropes.

    However, BotW is not free from criticism as there are numerous flaws that appear the longer the game goes on. The first glaring issue is the music, from a series that has created some of the best soundtracks in the industry; BotW opts for a more minimalist approach and in my opinion, it doesn't work at all. While older Zelda games have memorable jingles and melodies, BotW comes off as boring and lethargic. That's not to say the entire soundtrack is garbage, some battle scores are quite good. It's just that a large amount of the soundtrack is unforgettable and lacks in character. The story while admirably non-linear in its approach, is also lacking on several levels. It seems that most of the impactful moments in the story happened 100 years before Link was awoken at the beginning of the game. Some characters are interesting, and Link's dead girlfriend is certainly worth a mention. However, the cast of characters presented here are a step back from the other past titles in the series. This brings me to my largest critique the overworld. BotW's progression system is based on shrines which are scattered across Hyrule, there are 120 in total. The issue with these shrines is that they all look the same in design. Instead of a colorful thematic dungeon design, these shrines are aesthetically the same and after 5-6 of them, they begin to feel like an absolute drag. With this large interesting landscape, the lack of things to do and activities inhabiting it, turns the large expansive world of Hyrule into one large, uninspired, sandbox. While that might seem a little harsh, I do believe that this game and concept is one that should absolutely be built upon. There is a 10/10 game hidden somewhere inside here, I'm just not seeing the perfect masterpiece everyone else is.    … Expand
  70. Methanol
    Jul 29, 2017
    7
    Breath of the Wild is not a Zelda game anymore. They've changed so much and made things worse.
    It could have easily be a real 10/10, if they just had sticked to the original Zelda formula.
  71. Pannon
    Sep 20, 2018
    7
    I am really stumped by the 10s and raving reviews. I am a big Nintendo fan and I did play zelda on SNES. Now that was a long time ago. ..Anyway, as I said, I'm not sure which game the 10 scorers and the review magazines playing or they maybe played, but not 40hrs or more. As other stated, there is a lot of running around in the big nothing. There are a lot of vast empty space with nothingI am really stumped by the 10s and raving reviews. I am a big Nintendo fan and I did play zelda on SNES. Now that was a long time ago. ..Anyway, as I said, I'm not sure which game the 10 scorers and the review magazines playing or they maybe played, but not 40hrs or more. As other stated, there is a lot of running around in the big nothing. There are a lot of vast empty space with nothing and the cartoonized graphics hides the shortcoming of the Switch. It just can't render too much at once so they had to use extremely low quality textures in the game. Then, as I said, big grassy fields, rocky hills and flats with nothing beside grass hoppers and some birds. A lot of walking around. I'm disappointed by not having a cave or a dungeon to go monster hunting. The 1-shot one kill flower pottery (guardians) and some other 1-hit kill monsters are just super annoying and the most annoying have to be the always breaking weapons. Button mapping can be a pain. I constantly end up hitting sneak (left thumb stick down) while fighting and Link drops the shield cover and it's a dead sentence with one of the stronger monsters. The other is the "lock on" way to continuously hold the top left trigger. Why can't we just click once and be locked on? Why make it a painful experience? And as I said, the sneak -on/off is just super annoying, especially on the original controller. I heard the pro-controller sold separately is way better controller and strongly recommended for this game. But now...I have to cash out another $60 for it? That would make this game the most expensive game I have bought in years. The enemies are repetative also. Sitting by the fire, it's a rinse-repeat of approaching their camp sneaking, let loose some arrows to the one standing on the guard towers and then either pick them off with the bow or go into a melee. You gonna do this over and over and over...with a sort of increasing difficulty, but essentially the same thing. I am playing this game on an extra wide monitor, but nintendo doesn't support this format I think. The game is stretched like the monitor, but the quality of the resolution suffers greatly, not to mention I am not a fan of applying this cartoon skin over the 3D graphics. I'm just not, especially with the low quality textures and low quality polygon models. The game looks at least 10yrs old really, but again, the Switch just can't handle it, hardware-vise, it was already obsolete when it came out.
    So anyway, the game can be fun, some fights can be exciting and some items can be interesting. But there is no way this game is a 10. 7 is the max..which is "slightly better than average", otherwise you have played this game a few times already, if you played the Farcry series or Assassin's Creed etc. it'll feel awfully a deja vu, right from the first mission you get.
    Play it an enjoy it, but I don't think everyone is gonna finish this game entirely. It can get very boring and pointlessly time consuming.    … Expand
  72. starki11er
    Apr 30, 2023
    7
    Despues de 6 años que se puede escribir de este juego?
    Si bien no es excelente, se ha repetido tanto que es una joya, un caliz perdido, un cambiador de vidas que la mentira se convierte en verdad indiscutible, los compradores han hecho tan propia la IP que al decir que el juego no es perfecto lo defienden con uñas y dientes mas que su propia familia.
    la nula variedad de enemigo, la    Despues de 6 años que se puede escribir de este juego?
    Si bien no es excelente, se ha repetido tanto que es una joya, un caliz perdido, un cambiador de vidas que la mentira se convierte en verdad indiscutible, los compradores han hecho tan propia la IP que al decir que el juego no es perfecto lo defienden con uñas y dientes mas que su propia familia.
    la nula variedad de enemigo, la falta de piezas memorables de koji kondo, armas de cristal, enemigos esponjas, espacios tan vacios, nulos calabozos son algo que no se pueden pasar por alto.
    sin embargo la experiencia de la exploracion es lo que es un punto de inflexion para la franquicia que atrajo a propios y extraños.    … Expand
  73. Juhiz
    Mar 8, 2017
    7
    Technical hiccups pull you out from the experience. It´s a shame that Nintendo can´t make their first-party games run smoothly on their new platform..Still this is the best modern Zelda-game. If i exclude nostalgia and fanboyism from the equation, personally i think that critic-scores are a bit too high. If I have to choose between Zelda BOTW and Horizon ZD. I would personally pick HorizonTechnical hiccups pull you out from the experience. It´s a shame that Nintendo can´t make their first-party games run smoothly on their new platform..Still this is the best modern Zelda-game. If i exclude nostalgia and fanboyism from the equation, personally i think that critic-scores are a bit too high. If I have to choose between Zelda BOTW and Horizon ZD. I would personally pick Horizon - Zero Dawn.… Expand
  74. ANeuhouser
    Mar 17, 2017
    7
    To give an impression of play time have completed 74/120 shrines and unlocked all of the towers.

    The negatives: - Quest and character depth are pretty minimal compared to something like The Witcher. - Enemy variety is also lacking there are 12 enemy types (Lynel, Hinox, Molduga, Talus, Bokoblin, Moblin, Lizalfos, Wizzrobe, Chuchu, Keese, Octorock, Guardians) and they are all seen    To give an impression of play time have completed 74/120 shrines and unlocked all of the towers.

    The negatives:
    - Quest and character depth are pretty minimal compared to something like The Witcher.
    - Enemy variety is also lacking there are 12 enemy types (Lynel, Hinox, Molduga, Talus, Bokoblin, Moblin, Lizalfos, Wizzrobe, Chuchu, Keese, Octorock, Guardians) and they are all seen throughout the map, just recolored or with a different elemental power in different areas.
    - Weapons degrade too quickly, most weapons are not durable enough to kill a single one of the tougher enemy types without breaking (White Wokoblin, Blue Moblin, Black Lizalfos, Lynel, Hinox, Molduga, Talus)
    - Tougher variants of common enemies (White Wokoblin, Blue Moblin, Black Lizalfos) don't fight any differently than their weaker counterparts, they just have their damage and health cranked way up. Most of these units can be easily knocked down in a few hits but then you have to sit there breaking weapons on them for ~30s until they die.
    - There are only 4 real dungeons in the game, they are all quite small, and all have the same type of puzzles.
    - Too many "____'s Blessing" shrines that have no puzzle inside of them.
    - Occasional stuttering when playing in docked mode.

    The positives:
    - Nostalgia, nostalgia in spades.
    - It's a pretty good take on the standard ubisoft open world game. Towers unlock portions of the map but unlike a ubisoft game the towers do not then litter your map with icons. Exploration is key in finding everything.
    - The exploration mechanics are great, The paraglider and climbing mechanics make traversing the map quite fun.
    - There is weapon and armor variety well beyond any other LoZ game.
    - Combat presents a greater challenge than other LoZ games and taking down the miniboss monsters (Lynel, Hinox, Molduga, Talus) scattered around the map is very rewarding.
    - Smooth frames and no stuttering when playing in handheld mode.

    Overall it's a pretty decent open world game with some shortcomings but a good amount of fun.    … Expand
  75. rushiosan
    Jul 26, 2017
    7
    A beautifully crafted world, with engaging combat and lots of small details, hurt by lack of substance where previous installments succeeded. Breath of the Wild often feels too big or too ambitious for its own good. Some important aspects were left aside in favor of picturing a vast, lively Hyrule, and while they undoubtedly achieved that, this Zelda entry felt lackluster at times - bossA beautifully crafted world, with engaging combat and lots of small details, hurt by lack of substance where previous installments succeeded. Breath of the Wild often feels too big or too ambitious for its own good. Some important aspects were left aside in favor of picturing a vast, lively Hyrule, and while they undoubtedly achieved that, this Zelda entry felt lackluster at times - boss fights, enemy variety, story, dungeons, music. Although all of these aspects have memorable moments in the 50h main quest, they never reach the quality level of its predecessors.… Expand
  76. GK0
    Mar 13, 2017
    7
    Really good game - great graphics, the music is fantastic, the story is good, but the stamina bar location is kind of irritating and the fact that weapons break literally every 10 seconds during combat is so incredibly stupid. Weapon durability systems are garbage and should stay in the trash heap of design choices where they belong.
  77. bennibop
    Mar 8, 2017
    7
    Good game not great and not one of the best Zelda games. The game has 4 dungeons and 100 shrines (mini dungeons) all of which are very easy and pose no challenge unlike previous instalments. Finding new Vistas and the sense of exploration can be great but getting there in the first place can be repetitive and frustrating as you are unable to climb when it is raining (which is the mainGood game not great and not one of the best Zelda games. The game has 4 dungeons and 100 shrines (mini dungeons) all of which are very easy and pose no challenge unlike previous instalments. Finding new Vistas and the sense of exploration can be great but getting there in the first place can be repetitive and frustrating as you are unable to climb when it is raining (which is the main mechanic for getting anywhere.)

    The games framerate is awful, probably the worst I have seen since Just Cause 3 and it can impact on the game and definitely does on the immersion. I have also seen issue with physic where the game seems to stutter (perhaps due to switch cartridges.) Considering this is a Nintendo game it is very surprising as they have always prided themselves on high quality software.    … Expand
  78. pinball123
    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
  79. elterrible
    Sep 2, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really wanted to love this game, I Really did! However, I found there was too much open space and not enough tasks or actions to fill out the adventures.

    Also, what there is to do, is incredibly repetitive at times. Literally, shine after shrine had only small variations at best and in many ways it was a lot like the telephone game, where the variation of the shrines change slowly as you advance through them.

    Another thing that I found clever and also annoying were the elements... Lightning always got you if you had any metal on at all! Cold would kill you if you didn’t have a torch or a jacket (a jacket that your buddy gives you only after you’ve struggled to complete most of the early tasks in the opening portions of the game.

    Honestly though, I didn’t find the load times to be too bad, but I did find that Zelda was a serious battery killer for the original switch and that also lead to some frustrations as I typically played the switch when I was out on the road (Maybe I’ll play it again on the new switch and see if some of my frustration goes away with the improved battery life).

    Now, if you’re a Zelda fan from the way back, you will likely give this game 1 or 2 points higher than I did, but for me, Super Mario Odyssey is the best game on the platform. So, with that said, if you weren’t all that into early versions of Zelda, you should probably look at other games before buying this, or you might hate the switch.    … Expand
  80. smahlt
    Apr 19, 2017
    7
    I felt compelled to write an honest review because everything else is either "10/10 OMG IT'S ZELDA" or "LOL NEVER PLAYED IT BUT 0/10".

    I've played nearly every Zelda game. It is my favorite game series, and OoT is my favorite game of all time. I generally only hate on Zelda when it has something annoying getting in the way of the fun (such as Skyward Sword's and Phantom Hourglass's    I felt compelled to write an honest review because everything else is either "10/10 OMG IT'S ZELDA" or "LOL NEVER PLAYED IT BUT 0/10".

    I've played nearly every Zelda game. It is my favorite game series, and OoT is my favorite game of all time. I generally only hate on Zelda when it has something annoying getting in the way of the fun (such as Skyward Sword's and Phantom Hourglass's controls). This game is not amazing. It is a solid open world game with no particular strengths or weaknesses (other than having a giant world with nothing in it, but that's expected at this point). The story is standard Zelda fare, the graphics are great, the music is good when it's actually playing, and the controls are solid, though the mapping takes a little getting used to.

    Don't buy a Switch just for this game. Play it on your WiiU if you have one, or just wait until there's more reasons to buy a Switch.    … Expand
  81. sarisa
    Aug 17, 2019
    7
    I spent nearly 300 hours with this game and all DLCs. And all has been said about this game already.

    So just to recap: It's typical good AAA game of our times, but poor Zelda game. Period. Imagine "Link to the past" overworld without dungeons moved to modern 3D aesthetics. That's exactly this game. Good exploration game, poor in terms of being Zelda game. "Forget all you know about    I spent nearly 300 hours with this game and all DLCs. And all has been said about this game already.

    So just to recap: It's typical good AAA game of our times, but poor Zelda game. Period.
    Imagine "Link to the past" overworld without dungeons moved to modern 3D aesthetics. That's exactly this game. Good exploration game, poor in terms of being Zelda game.

    "Forget all you know about Zelda game..." - I thought that was just marketing. Oh boy... No, they were just honest with us.

    And all these 10/10... Really? How can you give 10/10 score to a game that was intended to have mini map on gamepad, but eventually had this feature disabled on the release (remember 2014 wii u demo? Just compare). Meaning automatically that current BoTW cannot be perfect right now, because we have seen better "more perfectish" BoTW with minimap on youtube! Logic? Who cares.

    Right, "Big N" will sell anything with right marketing. In my opinion Zelda has gone simply in wrong direction. With BoTW, our good old Zelda just made transition to another polished corporate product without soul. That's prolly what modern consumer expects, but not necessarily Zelda fan. All what made this game so unique was lost with this release "like tears on the rain".

    7/10 is a real score here.    … Expand
  82. franknbean
    Mar 26, 2022
    7
    This was my first Zelda game and first nintendo game in years. I enjoyed it but it didnt blow me away the way I was expecting based on the hype. The lack of dialog made it hard for me to get into the story. Everything was "100 years ago.....". The world is mostly empty and filled with the same few enemy types. Combat is limited with basic swing sword, or shoot arrow. Enemy difficulty isThis was my first Zelda game and first nintendo game in years. I enjoyed it but it didnt blow me away the way I was expecting based on the hype. The lack of dialog made it hard for me to get into the story. Everything was "100 years ago.....". The world is mostly empty and filled with the same few enemy types. Combat is limited with basic swing sword, or shoot arrow. Enemy difficulty is weird. The lynel's are tougher than ganon. Every now and then you'll run into one of the basic goblins that can one hit quit you. The grind and treasure hunt to find weapons and armor wore thin at the end.… Expand
  83. slugfest321
    Mar 16, 2017
    7
    TO start im coming at this as someone who has never finished a zelda game and the las zelda game i played before breath of the wild was wind waker. ive probably put 25 hours int botw now and can say i like the game and its a good game but it has its problems for me. The shrines feel too easy and short as well as never reaching that wow this is cool moment, the weapon durability is aTO start im coming at this as someone who has never finished a zelda game and the las zelda game i played before breath of the wild was wind waker. ive probably put 25 hours int botw now and can say i like the game and its a good game but it has its problems for me. The shrines feel too easy and short as well as never reaching that wow this is cool moment, the weapon durability is a nascence but i dont feel its a massive downside to the game. another problem for me is the lack of truely cool places to discover outside of quests like ive never come across a cave thats keeps getting deeper n deeper full of enemies n cool scenery leading to a cool reward. It does get boring time to time runing in the open spaces of botw but so does any open world game however despite the negatives the game does keep me engaged and is a fun game so for me i give it a 7/10… Expand
  84. DinoBeam
    Oct 27, 2019
    7
    Ocarina of Time had a highly emotional story and ending, with weaving themes about the loss of childhood and growing up to see the 'real world', the dark adult world. I just finished Botw and feel nothing, because the writing was quite terrible. The moment to moment game play has that "do one more thing" addiction to it, but overall this is one of the most overrated games ever made, aOcarina of Time had a highly emotional story and ending, with weaving themes about the loss of childhood and growing up to see the 'real world', the dark adult world. I just finished Botw and feel nothing, because the writing was quite terrible. The moment to moment game play has that "do one more thing" addiction to it, but overall this is one of the most overrated games ever made, a glorified tech demo… Expand
  85. TsukasaHiiragi
    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.    … Expand
  86. Vidicus
    Mar 18, 2017
    7
    An expected and average adventure, but with Zelda name. But beware the fanatical Nintendo fans if you say anything not positive. Many games already do everything Zelda does. But for the Nintendo console, it is a good RPG, but that also says how low expectations are on a Nintendo console. It is a must buy if you bought the Switch, what choices do you have really?
  87. Tazcat2011
    Oct 21, 2017
    7
    The reviews for this game are ridiculous, there are too many glaring flaws to merit a 10. The music, which is usually epic in past games, is all but missing here. There is no real story, no major dungeons, and the weapon durability is awful. Getting better gear is almost a slap in the face as you know it will break sooner than later. Why there is no repair mechanic in this game is aThe reviews for this game are ridiculous, there are too many glaring flaws to merit a 10. The music, which is usually epic in past games, is all but missing here. There is no real story, no major dungeons, and the weapon durability is awful. Getting better gear is almost a slap in the face as you know it will break sooner than later. Why there is no repair mechanic in this game is a baffling design choice. How this game gets a pass for bad mechanics is amazing. This is the most UN-Zelda, Zelda game ever and surpasses Skyward Sword for worst in the series. The game is beautiful and exploring is fun though, I do enjoy just heading off and seeing what I can find. I would have enjoyed this more if it were a new IP, im convinced this game started life as something new and someone at. Nintendo demanded it changed. It is 7.5-8 tops. So many claim this is the best open world design ever, they are wrong. This game doesn’t do anything that hasn’t been done in other games and in some cases others have done it much better.… Expand
  88. Noxispike
    Mar 6, 2017
    7
    The sceneries looks amazing. Beautiful landscapes really makes the whole game a fantastic piece of art. BUT, as this is a more action focused game, with occasional framerate drops, what we have right now on both switch and wiiU are not the best performance suitable for action games where milliseconds of frame drops can affect gameplay greatly.

    I'm personally not a fan of the overly    The sceneries looks amazing. Beautiful landscapes really makes the whole game a fantastic piece of art. BUT, as this is a more action focused game, with occasional framerate drops, what we have right now on both switch and wiiU are not the best performance suitable for action games where milliseconds of frame drops can affect gameplay greatly.

    I'm personally not a fan of the overly large but empty map, while interesting to explore, it's frustrating to know how much of the land I've not visited, and how much time it would need for me to 100% explore the world.

    Overall, other than the performance and map design, this is a solid game, 9/10
    With framerate locked at 30fps, as an action rpg, it hurt the gameplay experience 8/10
    With occasional framerate drops for no apparent reason sometime, this is not a well optimized game, 7/10

    Hope future patches can make improvements to the game's performance, and add more meaningful content to the mostly vast map.    … Expand
  89. otakuloser
    Mar 30, 2017
    7
    I love the Zelda series, especially LttP, OoT,and MM, but I guess I just don't like survival/exploration-based open world games as much as everybody else seems too. Also, that weapon durability system is plain stupid.
  90. MagiCPSG
    Sep 20, 2019
    7
    I had a good time with Zelda BOTW but in the same time I have been disapointed by poor interest of the fighting (mobs and bosses...), it didn't make me feel i'm living and adventure, much more a free open world on which i can play with physics and a puzzle game hidden on various places of the open world. Anyway, it's a very good game but not the one i've expected.
  91. posthuman
    Aug 30, 2019
    7
    Good looking game with some interesting mechanics, but for someone like me who likes to explore and experiment a lot, the loading screen time just killed the joy from the game.
  92. lefix
    Mar 15, 2017
    7
    The game has several flaws, which makes all the 10/10 reviews very questionable. The story is rather poor. The world isn't as "alive" compared to most other AAA open world games (Witcher 3, Fallout 4, Horizon) we have seen lately. The move to open world/survival/dark souls is an interesting direction, which has both it's pros and cons. There are however lot's of lovely details in this gameThe game has several flaws, which makes all the 10/10 reviews very questionable. The story is rather poor. The world isn't as "alive" compared to most other AAA open world games (Witcher 3, Fallout 4, Horizon) we have seen lately. The move to open world/survival/dark souls is an interesting direction, which has both it's pros and cons. There are however lot's of lovely details in this game and the gameplay is mostly fun.… Expand
  93. Hooker21
    Mar 28, 2017
    7
    Tired of shrine grind after 50 hours and 0 story progression. Meaningless side quest.
    Just don't belive all the prise, It's nothing special. You won't loose anything.
  94. Braduk
    Sep 15, 2017
    7
    Breath of the Wild is a decent and mostly fun open world game, but it is missing a lot that would make it a good Zelda game in my eyes.

    -- For starters, it suffers a lot of the problems that a lot of other modern open world games do, where the content is stretched out quantity > quality type content. Skyrim has a lot of dungeons with copy-pasted aesthetic and radiant repeating quests    Breath of the Wild is a decent and mostly fun open world game, but it is missing a lot that would make it a good Zelda game in my eyes.

    -- For starters, it suffers a lot of the problems that a lot of other modern open world games do, where the content is stretched out quantity > quality type content. Skyrim has a lot of dungeons with copy-pasted aesthetic and radiant repeating quests for example. A good chunk of Breath of the Wild's content comes from having 100 shrines with a copy pasted aesthetic, fighting the same enemy outposts, and having 900 koroks to find (a task that, really, no one finds fun and is really tedious). This is the bulk of the overworld's content. So it ends up feeling kind of lacking. Especially when, other than a handful, the shrine puzzles are really easy and not that in-depth, and when you have 100 of them and only a handful are somewhat difficult, that's not a good ratio.
    Another a problem that comes from it being open world is how barren the overworld feels at times. You go through large expanses of just, emptiness, too large of expanses, even. And there's really no places to explore or discover other than shrines and koroks. There aren't any unique secret or interesting areas to find. It's just, well, kind of bland.
    The point being the actual content that is in the game is just overall not very engaging, innovated, or unique, despite what everyone claims.
    -- Outside of the problems that come from it being open world the other main issue is how much it lacks of core Zelda aspects and mechanics. Dungeons have always been a very big part of the series, especially dungeons where each one has its own theme. Breath of the Wild only has four dungeons and all of them share the same theme amongst them. In addition to that, all the dungeons are also really easy and not memorable at all.
    Along with reused dungeon aspects comes the fact that the bosses are all literally the same. They're all aspects of Ganon and other than different elements behave the same. This is a big downside in a series where boss fights have always been a focus, as well, and the series has a lot of memorable and unique bosses in it. Breath of the Wild does not have that. Another memorable part of the series is the OST. Most of the time playing Breath of the Wild is spent with no music outside of a few clicks of a piano, the OST is really only in towns and other similar places, which is a shame, really.
    -- The last and probably most impacting missing series staple is having a large variety of equipment and items at your disposal. Breath of the Wild has tons of breakable weapons to use, but they all bubble down into one of four categories, and outside of combat melee weapons there's not that many different items in the game. There's no hookshot or pegasus boots, two items that'd make for VERY good later game upgrades, there's no ball and chain which would have worked perfectly with the combat system, there's a lot of series staple items missing and it really is a shame, because it would have helped liven up the gameplay having more toys to play with. Instead Breath of the Wild has probably the least amount of items in it out of any 3D Zelda game.
    -- Breath of the Wild does some things right. The story is good, though the story is also not there that much. The characters are for the most part also good. The new species designs are great and other than looking washed out at times the game has a decent art style. But there's so many flaws in the game and there's so many elements of a good Zelda game missing that it boggles me that it has such perfect reception from the masses, and it's disappointing that there's so much missing when the base idea has so much potential.    … Expand
  95. Kirahategod
    Mar 14, 2017
    7
    This game looks pretty fresh, but gameplay is poorly balanced. Each weapon is made of literally glass and breaks after 5-15 hits. No matter how you insist about being "openworld rpg" it does not making it better rpg, its only making it more empty, it breaking the flow of the game, and if some games, like skyrim or witcher 3 builded arround this concept wisely, here i feel it a bit empty, aThis game looks pretty fresh, but gameplay is poorly balanced. Each weapon is made of literally glass and breaks after 5-15 hits. No matter how you insist about being "openworld rpg" it does not making it better rpg, its only making it more empty, it breaking the flow of the game, and if some games, like skyrim or witcher 3 builded arround this concept wisely, here i feel it a bit empty, a bit ubisofty if you ask me/ Its good game, but not 10out10 in any way.… Expand
  96. Halyo
    Oct 8, 2020
    7
    The game has enough good things about it to make it at least somewhat enjoyable throughout, but there is simply a lack of meaningful progression to make the journey throughout the open-world truly worthwhile like a supposed masterpiece would have.
    It was stated by devellopers that the design philosophy here was to make everything accessible from the start. Well, I think this is an awful    The game has enough good things about it to make it at least somewhat enjoyable throughout, but there is simply a lack of meaningful progression to make the journey throughout the open-world truly worthwhile like a supposed masterpiece would have.
    It was stated by devellopers that the design philosophy here was to make everything accessible from the start. Well, I think this is an awful philosophy, considering that "go anywhere you want from the plateau on" really means "do basically the same things you've already done over and over again because there is no progression".
    The cooking system is shallow and repetitive, not to mention it can be used to break the game because you can just stack food indefinitely.
    Every progression mechanic in the game is basically an RPG-lite mechanic that boils down to "kill x to upgrade x's stats", or "find same weapon with better stats", with stats only referring to durability and damage output.

    The combat is ok, but for most encounters, spamming the attack button will suffice, and you can avoid nearly all ennemies quite easily. That would be ok if the loot you get from ennemies would be worthwhile, or fighting ennemies would grant you access to more unique areas, but unfortunately it's pretty much a self-contained loop, making it better to disengage from combat most of the time.
    Environmental interaction, for being praised so much, is NOT significant most of the time, fire and ice suck, electricity is only good in that it's an OP mechanic that can be used anywhere (only that in water it's completely busted). Also the game severely lacks ennemy variety. In the overworld, you'll encounter about 4 ennemies with re-skins (really not counting the blobs and the bats, because those are just pathetic), and 3 bosses.

    Now, exploring the world itself feels satisfying enough. The traversal mechanics are good. The shrine quests specifically are good, but they are too few and far between to completely redeem the game's open world. The 4 basic dungeons are also good, as is the DLC dungeon, and trials of the sword is also pretty fleshed out.
    Those are all good things that taken together make the game stand a little bit above most open-worlds, but it just doesn't wash away the fact that you are playing a tech-demo that overstays its welcome.    … Expand
  97. Ubermonkey88
    Jul 17, 2017
    7
    I must admit I've never been a massive Zelda fan over the years - I've enjoyed some of the games but it's not a series I've been mad for. However, with the hype surrounding this latest installment, I thought it's time to dust out the Wii and have a go! After playing through it, here's my thoughts from a neutral standpoint!

    The Good Given the Wii U or Switch can't compete with PC or    I must admit I've never been a massive Zelda fan over the years - I've enjoyed some of the games but it's not a series I've been mad for. However, with the hype surrounding this latest installment, I thought it's time to dust out the Wii and have a go! After playing through it, here's my thoughts from a neutral standpoint!

    The Good

    Given the Wii U or Switch can't compete with PC or other consoles from a hardware point of view, Nintendo have done very well to create a distinctive style for this game, and I think it works very well. Sunrises and sunsets are pretty, character models are well designed and the landscape is nice and varied. It's a cartoony style that I think works very well.

    Combat, although basic, is grand. There's a variety of melee, ranged and magical weapons available and encounters with groups of enemies or strongholds include a degree of strategy or planning required. There are some annoyances though, which I'll mention later.

    The inclusion of shrines was a sore point for many but I enjoyed looking for them and completing them, especially as each shrine gave you a token to use toward increasing your heart containers or stamina. Some are very short and simplistic but the majority of them are well thought out.

    The Bad

    The open world, although well designed and very pretty, can be a bit barren at times. There are very few major settlements throughout the map, aside from a handful of villages and stables to rest. I found myself spending too much time running across landscapes looking for something of interest, only to find very little.

    Combat, although quite good, does have it's issues. Firstly, the lack of variety in enemies means it can get repetitive very quickly. Secondly weapon degradation is an issue. Many have pointed out this to be a minor annoyance, however I disagree. There's nothing worse than finding a great weapon only not to use because you don't want it to be destroyed after 3 hits. It takes away from the enjoyment of finding weapons. Also, during battles it's incredibly frustrating to have a weapon break and have to pause the game mid-battle to change it. It certainly helps break the immersion of the game.

    Story is something that is an issue for many open world games (The Witcher 3 and Red Dead Redemption being exceptions), and BOTW is no exception. There's a story in there somewhere, but it's very bare bones, and the open world format takes away any urgency of the main quest - "Please Link, you must get to Castle Hyrule as soon as you can and help Princess Zelda!" "Sure, but after I find 300 Korok seeds and all 120 shrines, then we'll think about it".

    Overall, BOTW is a very good game, and is worth playing if you have a Wii U or Switch (well if you have a Switch, you've already bought it!). However, it's not the best open world game out there, and i fear that the very high scores are a lot to do with the fact that it has "The Legend of Zelda" tacked on to it. There are definitely much better open world games out there (Witcher 3, Skyrim, Horizon ZD, Red Dead Redemption, GTA V) but again, it's faults aside, it is worth playing and is an enjoyable game.    … Expand
  98. ZombiCoon
    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.
  99. Carl042
    Aug 23, 2018
    7
    Excellent game with fun mechanics but I did start to feel bored with repetition and the story plateaus adding to a feeling of indifference. Others clearly don’t share my thoughts so subjectively I’m in the minority but still, try to manage expectations. If you go in believing the hype it may colour your experience.
  100. night4
    Dec 31, 2017
    7
    It's a walking simulator with weapons that break. Meh.

    It looks decent, so at least there's that positive thing to say about it. I don't think it deserves "Game of the Year" by a longshot.
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Switch Game of 2017
1
#1 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2017
1
#1 Most Shared Switch Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
97

Universal acclaim - based on 109 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 106 out of 109
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 109
  3. Negative: 0 out of 109
  1. GameGrin
    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.
    Read full review
  2. Wired UK
    Aug 30, 2017
    100
    Breath of the Wild is a masterpiece.
    Read full review
  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]
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