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. 80manjr
    Aug 21, 2017
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game changed my view on video games. When I first got this game, it was my first Zelda game ever. The trailer is just a part on how great this game is. When you first get dropped into this world you are on a introduction like part where you get to learn how to play the game. It limits you, but also still gives you a small example of all the exploration is this game. After the small introduction you are able to go wherever you want. I got so connect to the characters in this game that when I re-watched the trailers and parts of the games I started crying. This game gives emotion, and a great story, but allows you to take breaks and just explore the beautiful world. The biggest complaint was I couldn't continue playing after defeating Ganon unless I went to my last save which didn't count that I defeated Ganon. Overall Rating 99/100.… Expand
  2. Mirt
    Mar 26, 2017
    9
    What can I say about The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of the Wild...
    I personally can't give it a 10 but it's really, really close. I took a gamble and decided to treat myself a little bit on a Nintendo Switch and Zelda...
    And so I played it.... And ended up losing 20 hours in one sitting which seemed like 2 hours. So the first thing that I noticed that brought this score down from a 10, is    What can I say about The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of the Wild...
    I personally can't give it a 10 but it's really, really close. I took a gamble and decided to treat myself a little bit on a Nintendo Switch and Zelda...

    And so I played it.... And ended up losing 20 hours in one sitting which seemed like 2 hours. So the first thing that I noticed that brought this score down from a 10, is the frame drops when on TV mode when you're in long grass. This doesn't happen when in Tablet mode though, and I actually found it more enjoyable in tablet mode.

    I also read a lot of reviews talking about the starting area. I can certainly say that the starting area is huge. After I finished my first sitting of the game, I talked to my friends who also bought it. There was so many things that we both missed.

    I'm going to have to say that this is definitely the game of the year so far, but it has its problems. A must buy! And if you're worried about the story and lack of things to do. The story is expansive but it's not linear. After spending a couple weeks playing this game, I haven't even explored half of the map. There definitely isn't a lack of things to do.

    - Mirt    … Expand
  3. Caracaveinossa
    Sep 2, 2017
    10
    Probably the best exploring game in this century so far. Incredible. The world is a piece of art, and the gameplay is fantastic. The player is always curious!

    Best switch game so far.
  4. sleepymae
    Mar 26, 2017
    9
    This game is one of the best video games I have played in a while, one of the few large open world games that I am actually interested in exploring every corner of, there is always an excitement of finding out whats over the next mountain or hill. The abilities, battle system, visuals, story and the world youre given complete freedom to explore are all top notch. I believe that NintendoThis game is one of the best video games I have played in a while, one of the few large open world games that I am actually interested in exploring every corner of, there is always an excitement of finding out whats over the next mountain or hill. The abilities, battle system, visuals, story and the world youre given complete freedom to explore are all top notch. I believe that Nintendo have pretty much set the bar for what an Open World Experience should be like.

    Although there are a vast amount of shrines which are mini dungeons I feel that the Divine Beast dungeons should have had more to them, comparing these main dungeons to previous Zelda Games I feel that they are quite empty and didnt really meet my expectation for a main dungeon. For being the games main dungeons I didnt feel much satisfaction in beating them in comparison to other Zelda games, my only other gripe with the game really is having "special" items locked behind amiibo's that you cannot obtain otherwise, Amiibo's making items easier to obtain is one thing but there should still be other (although harder) methods of getting the same items in game. That is the only reason I have given this game a 9/10 (would be 9.5), even so this game is simply a masterpiece.    … Expand
  5. Loganzo
    Sep 18, 2017
    10
    This game this game is awesome graphics are great gameplay drew me in and still finding stuff I'm interested in after 75 hours it is a must buy got a switch just for this and xenoblade 2 love it recommend it but finding good weapons is hard but that's what makes it fun.
  6. MacAsk
    Mar 22, 2018
    10
    Best game I ever played, over 200 hours in and I'm still finding ways to entertain myself before finishing off the DLC. Just never want it to end! Deserves the praise it gets.
  7. camstar13
    Mar 29, 2017
    8
    To start off, this game is a must buy if you own a nintendo switch. It has a beautiful soundtrack, a pleasant art style (note I was complimenting the art style, not the graphics quality), and fantastic gameplay mechanics. This is the first zelda game I had played since Oracle of Ages on my gameboy, and overall, I was happy with the quality of the game. However, I felt as if the story wasTo start off, this game is a must buy if you own a nintendo switch. It has a beautiful soundtrack, a pleasant art style (note I was complimenting the art style, not the graphics quality), and fantastic gameplay mechanics. This is the first zelda game I had played since Oracle of Ages on my gameboy, and overall, I was happy with the quality of the game. However, I felt as if the story was lacking. It's as if the world was almost too open, with a lot of empty space. There are some tedious mechanics in the game, such as weapons breaking after 5-6 hits. Also, with no way to track the durability of these weapons, except a large message saying that it's about to break, which isn't as useful as it sounds when you're right in the middle of heated combat, it can become annoying. However, once you get used to "switch"ing (see what I did there)to different weapons, it does become easier. Also, the graphics can sometimes become compressed when looking at a large open scene, which can affect your immersion. The climbing mechanic is surprisingly simple, which is good, and there are some fun abilities like shield surfing, which can make the game a whole lot more fun once you use them. Originally, I was going to give this game a nine, however, after reading that Nintendo will be offering a "hard mode" as dlc, which is something that should be in the game for free or not at all, I had to knock the score down to an eight, offering a difficulty setting as paid dlc, is absolutely ridiculous. Overall though, I would file this game under "excellent", and highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't played it yet.… Expand
  8. Black60Dragon
    Nov 2, 2017
    10
    This game is a masterpiece.

    It blew away every expectation I had for it. The world is incredibly vast and there is so much to do in it. I spent almost 200 hours on this game, completing quests, collecting armor, etc and never once got bored.
  9. Kosama
    Oct 21, 2021
    10
    Muy buen juego :3
    Increíble banda sonora. Mecánica y juego divertido. Buenos gráficos y estilo artístico. Hasta ahora la historia ha sido buena.

    Si te gustan Zelda y / o los juegos de mundo abierto, debes obtener BOTW.
  10. MikeIsCanadian
    Oct 11, 2017
    10
    The best game I’ve ever played. As a person who travels a lot I love being able to take a game with this much depth with me as I travel. This has game has made me excited about video games again.
  11. Goofy_008
    Jan 30, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Este juego a resucitado a una gran saga nunca me senti tan conectado como lo fue Ocarina of Time, me hizo creer que este juego a venido a luchar frente a frente el titulo a Ocarina Of Time para ver quien de los dos es el mejor Zelda, este juego reinventa todo, jugabilidad, combate y claro una historia que roza a la perfección… Expand
  12. JuDaRiorti
    Nov 22, 2017
    10
    El juego es excelente. Si bien es cierto que no tiene las mejores gráficas; la jugabilidad, audio y versatilidad está muy bien logradas. Estoy muy a gusto con la inversión y para mi ha valido la pena.
    Me ha ofrecido muchas horas de entretenimiento.
  13. lumberjackBR
    Apr 21, 2022
    8
    Very good history, amazing motion and combat controls. I think could be more dungeons and castles quests. The open world is fantastic but could be improve with duengons quests (like Elden Ring did). Looking forward the sequel!
  14. Tysw2
    Apr 17, 2017
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I own Master Edition and beat the game with all 120 shrines. I am a very huge fan of Zelda and Nintendo. This game is great, but not perfect and has clear flaws. Overall this game struck me as the "Metroid Other M" of the Zelda series. I'd give it an 8/10 generously.

    [The words below should not impact your opinion of the game]

    Things that improve gameplay in my opinion: Open world, complete anything in any order, complete 100% freedom, very smart advanced AI, stunning graphics, challenging bosses, abundance of characters and quests.

    Things that detract from gameplay in my opinion: Distanced character relationships, little reward for completing a puzzle, lack of concrete and engaging lore, lack of structure to puzzles.

    My personal opinion on what could be done to improve the game: Do not allow link to eat during fights, replacing the 120 shrines with full dungeons which would leave us 8 full dungeons, korok seeds could effectively replace shrines, and build a better relationship with the characters that are alive.    … Expand
  15. R7valero
    Aug 5, 2017
    9
    Sin ninguna duda es juego con mayúsculas, y probablemente el mejor Zelda hasta ahora, y por qué no, uno de los mejores juegos de la historia. Añadirle un mundo abierto me ha encantado. He pasado horas y horas solo observando el mundo y descubriendo nuevos detalles, incluso dejando muchas veces en un segundo plano la historia principal.
    Me ha gustado mucho esta nueva forma de jugar, le    Sin ninguna duda es juego con mayúsculas, y probablemente el mejor Zelda hasta ahora, y por qué no, uno de los mejores juegos de la historia. Añadirle un mundo abierto me ha encantado. He pasado horas y horas solo observando el mundo y descubriendo nuevos detalles, incluso dejando muchas veces en un segundo plano la historia principal.
    Me ha gustado mucho esta nueva forma de jugar, le sienta muy bien. El sistema de combate ha mejorado, y al principio es muy frustrante, ya que se hace complicado debido a los pocos items que poseemos. Quizás ésto sea una pega, pues si al principio es complicado, mientras más avancemos en el juego se nos hará todo más fácil, prácticamente no moriremos (Ganon no se convierte en un gran desafío que digamos).
    Otra cosa que echo en falta son las mazmorras, están ahí, pero no me han convencido mucho. Habría estado mejor las típicas mazmorras cerradas con salas y con muchos rompecabezas, es decir, igual que siempre, ya que eran muy desafiantes. Los jefes son algo lamentables, siempre tienen el mismo patrón.
    Pero como conclusión final, el juego es formidable. Una auténtica innovación a Zelda que le ha sentado muy bien. No es un juego perfecto, pues no existe uno como tal, pero si roza la matrícula de honor. Grandioso.    … Expand
  16. GranP
    Sep 30, 2017
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Most people knows the great things on this game, and it´s a 10 to me, but instead of saying the goods and greats, I wanna say like to say fixes/improvements in a sequel. 1 - Enemy variety: I want more kind of enemies, between 3 or 5 more enemies, would be wonderful. 2 - More interesting dungeons: I don´t know how to do it better mechanically, but visually can be enough, they looked all the same, and it was kinda sad. 3 - Difficult scaling bosses: Normal enemies had that, as you defeat the main dungeons you find buffed weapons and stronger enemies with more ease, now back to the bosses, they are easy, so how about making them stronger and have more strategies as you defeat them, after all wasn´t ganon supposed to be gathering strenght? 4 - More animal interactions: I wanted to mount on ostriches, cows, domesticate wolves like the amiibo, but couldn´t. 5 - Important weapons: wasn´t the champions ballad supposed to be great? their weapon break so fast to the point it´s almost pointless to make them again, how about giving a quest to make them unbreakable like the master sword. 6 - Minor things: Maybe a book for recipes, a fast cook option if you just wanna cook 10000 apples at once.… Expand
  17. khromos
    Nov 8, 2017
    10
    Totally AMAZING. This game is one of the best think I've played in my life. The graphics are gorgeous and you really have a lot of things to do. It really worth the award of the best of the year.
  18. Ironfalcon997
    Jan 28, 2023
    10
    There are good video games, there are great video games, then there is The Legend of Zelda series. Sure not every game has reached such heights that the series usually strives for, but as a general rule, this series stands as one of the crown jewels in gaming. Regardless of how impactful they are at the time, they are almost always one of the most polished, fun games of the year when theyThere are good video games, there are great video games, then there is The Legend of Zelda series. Sure not every game has reached such heights that the series usually strives for, but as a general rule, this series stands as one of the crown jewels in gaming. Regardless of how impactful they are at the time, they are almost always one of the most polished, fun games of the year when they come out. That is the legacy of this series. Breath of the Wild puts all of the Zelda games that came before it, as well as all preceding open-world games, to shame. As Ocarina of Time caused the world to see what games could be in its time, Breath of the Wild has shown us the pinnacle of gaming in the modern generation. The biggest way that it does this is through its incredible, gigantic world. everything feels so organic. The world is so alive with wildlife, npc's and enemies around every turn, but placed in a way with just enough empty space so that it feels real. The atmosphere is unlike any other in a video game. I would sometimes be so engrossed in it that I would, for a second, forget that I was just playing a video game. This is thanks not only to the excellent atmosphere, but to the way that everything interacts with everything else. The AI and systems of the game, such as weather and physics, all work together with each other in countless incredible ways. It becomes even more inviting and awe-inspiring when you realize how many ways that you can interact with the environment. Taking advantage of fire, weather, terrain, physics, and other things, you can easily find multiple ways to defeat whatever is in front of you, whether that be enemies, puzzles, or even exploration. It feels so real. It also helps that the world is so beautiful, everything shines in a very unique and colorful light, inviting you in. Make no mistake though, this game is not easy and will present you with the challenge necessary to make any goal you want to achieve satisfying. The 120 shrines that are scattered throughout the world are masterfully made and a joy to play, as are the dungeons. The towns and npc's are very dynamic and lots of fun to mess around with. The fact that nothing is required and you are not pushed in a single direction is incredibly liberating. My first 40 hours with the game were solely exploration and everything felt rewarding. The game manages to expertly keep you feeling that joy of exploration even after you complete the game. I've played around 160 hours, gotten all the shrines, dungeons, side quests, and fought the final boss 3 times and I still love just running or riding around the world. So many awesome moments have happened, both through the natural systems of the game as well as through amazing things that they set in the world for you to find. However, no game is without its flaws and Breath of the Wild has a few. The story, while good, could've used some more development and the voice acting ranges from pretty good to cringeworthy. The frame rate takes some hits from time to time, but this was largely fixed with a recent patch. That being said, these few flaws are not near enough to remotely soil an otherwise flawless and masterfully made game. The Legend of Zelda as it was in 1998 has finally returned. This is the open-world game to beat. This is the adventure game to beat. This is the game to beat. It is the rare treasure that seems to transcend gaming and its tropes and give us an adventure beyond our wildest dreams. This is most definitely my favorite game in this generation and, after sinking about 160 hours into it, my favorite game of all time. If you like open-world games, adventure games, games in general, or even just the idea of adventure and freedom, you must play this game.… Expand
  19. Nussi
    Jan 7, 2018
    10
    Played it for more than 150 hours and i really enjoyed it. It was often challenging but i also had relaxing moments. My small kids loved it watching link running through a big world containing a lot of interesting livings. (didn't show them Endbosses). Beautiful graphics, good sound/atmosphere -> a must have for each Nintendo Switch owner.
    ---
    Habe weit über 150 Stunden in der riesigen    Played it for more than 150 hours and i really enjoyed it. It was often challenging but i also had relaxing moments. My small kids loved it watching link running through a big world containing a lot of interesting livings. (didn't show them Endbosses). Beautiful graphics, good sound/atmosphere -> a must have for each Nintendo Switch owner.
    ---
    Habe weit über 150 Stunden in der riesigen Welt verbracht und habe jeden Moment genossen. Es war oftmals herausfordernd aber es gab auch entspannende Momente. Meine kleinen Kinder haben sehr gerne zugeschaut, vor allem einige süß gemalte Lebewesen haben Sie begeistert. (Endbosse habe ich Ihnen vorenthalten). Schöne Grafik, gute Musik/Atmosphäre - Alles in Allem ein Pflichtspiel für Nintendo Switch Besitzer.    … Expand
  20. Kheetor
    Jan 5, 2018
    10
    It's a sandbox Zelda game, done right. It's epic, beautiful, lasts forever and has you starting every game session with excitement. It'a lot more than the game of the year 2017, in many ways it's the pinnacle of Zelda games.
  21. flowbeus
    Sep 6, 2017
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I just finished this game and it was the most fun I've had in quite a long time playing a video game. I put in over 200 hours taking my time and enjoying the world.

    This game's great strength is the freedom to choose the way you want to play the game and to concentrate on those parts of the game you find enjoyable and deprioritize the other aspects. Don't like combat? You can easily avoid enemies most of the time. Don't like horses? Don't use them. Want to check out the flying beast in the sky? Go ahead. The game doesn't force you to do things you don't want to do and instead let's you do those things you find fun. As a result, it accommodates each individual's gameplay style and creates a more enjoyable experience. You end up learning all the aspects of the game by osmosis rather than forced tutorials as those parts you were hesitant to try out are gleaned at a natural pace tailored to the individual. This freedom really works and we're going to see this more and more in the gaming industry.

    The weapon durability is PERFECT. It's one of the best parts of the game. I had zero problems with the weapon durability system even from the start of the game. That tree branches and crappy weapons break easily is brilliant. Every difficult enemy has a weapon so there are always more weapons to choose from. By even mid game I was overflowing with great weapons, especially since I was using arrows half the time as well. The weapons mid game last quite a long time too. A killed two silver lynels with one savage lynel club and it still didn't break. The best weapons in the game are all easily re-retrieved. Just go back to any "major test of strength" (labeled on your map as such) and get 3 ancient++ weapons. Go back to hyrule castle for the royal guard series. Kill some lynels for awesome clubs, shields, swords and bows. Don't worry about losing your good stuff, because you can easily get it back and you do naturally throughout the game.

    The combat is the best Zelda combat ever. I really like skyward sword's motion controls, but there is so much going on with BOTW that I think it is superior. I really like the bow bullet time and the flurry rush, the parrying and dodging, the use of lightning, fire and ice weapons to handle tough situations, the use of bombs, magnesis and statis to mess with enemies, the stealth kill options, bomb arrows, etc, etc. The controls for combat are intuitive, fast and direct. Switching weapons is very easy once you get used to it, and I often use the weapons pop-up menu mid-combat to change weapons based on the situation. I think this is perfect and adds to the strategy.

    Other positives: foraging is a ton of fun and makes exploring the nooks and cranies of the world very enjoyable. The clothing aspect and the buffs they provide are really great. It's a lot of fun to get that next piece of clothing. The weather system is really cool, and I really like that you need some kind of plan to survive in certain biomes. the rain is sometimes annoying, but I wouldn't change it. It really is only a problem in the south and east parts of the map and usually you can build a fire or monitor the forecast to avoid these situations. Also, climbing in the rain is an art-form that you can get better at. The horse system works really well. The cooking is great.

    Some negatives. My main criticism with this game is that it would be better with more content. More enemy variation, dungeons and towns. More everything. But when your main criticism is that the game needs more content, but it already easily supports 100+ hours it's not really a bad thing. However I do think that certain parts of the map need more stuff going on. More towns and outposts, more interesting involved quests (like the Yiga clan confrontation).

    The music that is there is good. However I think in a game so big, there needs to be more default overworld music. There should be more variety of ambient music for the different parts of the map (even beyond the weather-dependent music). But I think the default overworld music needs to be a bit more melodic. It doesn't have to be overpowering music. The places that do have music (the towns, hyrule castle) are much more enjoyable for it.

    The story is not bad although I would have liked to see a bit more development of the side characters, especially the present-day ones. The voice acting is a mixed bag.

    Opening treasure chests, finding something, and having it close again AUTOMATICALLY if you don't have space for the item is bad. There should be an option to drop an item without having to reopen the chest. This should be patched with a menu option to toggle this new behavior.

    Overall I can comfortably declare that this game is a masterpiece, for all the things it does right, and since the detractors amount to nothing in comparison. It's the most astonishing and innovative experience I've had in gaming in quite a while.    … Expand
  22. ZeldaCritical
    May 15, 2023
    8
    This masterpiece completely and single handily, blew out the competition of open world gaming, with excellent visuals, incredible landscapes and towns. All washed down with the fantastic musical score.
    10/10.
  23. Sealyoung
    Oct 23, 2017
    10
    It's funny some players gave this game 0 score, you may not like it or couldn't enjoy yourself from BOTW, but by any means it is indeed a great game, and far better than most of the games today.
  24. boris_out
    Sep 9, 2018
    10
    Игра, позволяющая тебе исследовать ее механики десятки и сотни часов, а после всего посмотреть назад и ужаснуться, какой кропотливый труд проделали разработчики.
  25. Taiyu
    Nov 17, 2019
    10
    When Link stands on a snowy mountain top midnight, waiting for a shooting star, when Link glides over the bridge and sees the majestic dragon coming out of the distant water. There’s definitely a personal feeling in it. A masterpiece.
  26. AnnieBitencourt
    Jun 19, 2018
    7
    Visualmente bonito, mas o fato de ser mundo aberto me deixou muito sem saber o que fazer pra onde ir e etc
  27. Hongwaree
    Sep 8, 2018
    9
    Close to perfection. This game is a lecture of how you make an open world. Everything on the lands has a purpose and something to interact with. The art and the graphics are beutiful and the physics are incredible. The music is another department that Im happy with. Every score joins and fits every moment in a perfect way, which makes the experience even better. Every aspect in this gameClose to perfection. This game is a lecture of how you make an open world. Everything on the lands has a purpose and something to interact with. The art and the graphics are beutiful and the physics are incredible. The music is another department that Im happy with. Every score joins and fits every moment in a perfect way, which makes the experience even better. Every aspect in this game is made carefully. Now, though, it doesn't reach Ocarina Of Time throne. The story is not impressive and the characters won't become iconic in time. And although the music score is great, it doesn't have remarkable melodies that never age In any case, you never get tired or revisiting the game and there is so much to do and collect, that you can spend a year and maybe more trying to complete the 100% of the game. Really, this game is pure love and extremely well design..… Expand
  28. Andoverjon
    Sep 18, 2019
    10
    Top 10 game of all time for me and I don't like action games, open world games, and haven't played a Nintendo game in maybe 20 years. The amount of care and detail that went into this game is insane. Must play game for ALL gamers (not just Switch owners).
  29. robertoiglesias
    Nov 9, 2019
    10
    Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild is a fantastic on the best 2 Nintendo consoles
  30. Dazan
    Sep 3, 2019
    9
    Increible juego. Para mi, el mejor Zelda al que he jugado y, sinceramente, el mejor juego de mi vida. Además, gráficamente se ve precioso, vayas donde vayas siempre te quedas maravillado del escenario. No le doy un 10 porque hay mecánicas que no me gustan nada, sobretodo la repetitividad de cocinar recetas, el no disponer de caballo siempre que quieras (se queda en la zona donde desmontas,Increible juego. Para mi, el mejor Zelda al que he jugado y, sinceramente, el mejor juego de mi vida. Además, gráficamente se ve precioso, vayas donde vayas siempre te quedas maravillado del escenario. No le doy un 10 porque hay mecánicas que no me gustan nada, sobretodo la repetitividad de cocinar recetas, el no disponer de caballo siempre que quieras (se queda en la zona donde desmontas, así que si te teletransportas a otra parte el caballo no te oye), la inutilitdad de Link para nadar, la lentitud de la escalada, y la moda de los mundo abiertos de "cuantos más items pues mejor", que provoca que al final acabes con 300 objetos distintos que ni te acuerdas de qué hacen (y hace aún más tedioso el proceso de cocinar). Lo que se queja la gente de las armas, solo me ha molestado al principio y al final tiene su gracia.… Expand
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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

All reviews »
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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