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. Owlvideogaming
    Mar 27, 2017
    10
    Okay, so, this game is Nintendo at their best.
    I've played some of their best games from the original Super Mario Bros to Super Metroid to Splatoon; and I can say for certain that they're in fine form. I've had some experience with the Legend of Zelda before, and I loved it, but this takes it to a whole other level. This is probably the most free and non-linear game of all time, or at    Okay, so, this game is Nintendo at their best.
    I've played some of their best games from the original Super Mario Bros to Super Metroid to Splatoon; and I can say for certain that they're in fine form. I've had some experience with the Legend of Zelda before, and I loved it, but this takes it to a whole other level. This is probably the most free and non-linear game of all time, or at least very close to it. Rather than make a map and graft paths and story onto it, Nintendo have made a massive map, dispersed story elements and boss fights, and let you loose. The art style is Nintendo through and through, STYLE and BEAUTY over realism: this game nails the open-air feel it set out to capture not by having ultra photo-realistic graphics that imitate the real world to the atomic level, but by conveying the wonder and beauty of the world and creatures through delicious, simple yet complex, visuals and art. The characters are hilarious and relateable, the dialogue is perfect and the voice-acted cutscenes keep the gameplay light and fun and important story moments dramatic and attention-grabbing. Speaking of fun, this is THE most fun game I've ever played. I mostly play games for challenge and story, because they don't focus on fun, only driving you insane with massive challenges and small rewards to keep you coming back. What kept me coming back to BOTW was the FUN, the immense fun. This comes from plentiful mechanics that seek to give and enhance the open feel of the game, without being too realistic and dragging you down. The openness, WOW. If you want to do something one particular crazy way, chances are, you can: there is no limit on height, you can cheat at puzzles, and go wherever you want.
    I was hesitant for a long time with scoring this, I'd had such fun, but was worried that it would dwindle and I'd just get used to it. I didn't. I entered a completely new area, extremely hostile and beautiful, full of awesome new characters that had me busting my gut with their ego and ineptitude. The game was fresh again, the variety limitless, the Zelda charm amplified by the new style and risk. I realised that this was the best and most engaging game I'd ever played, and was beyond perfect. Exploration and taking risks were hugely rewarding, and I ended up sacrificing speed and efficiency by not fast-travelling, because the world is so beautiful and exploration is a joy.
    My final score for The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The wild is 20/10    … Expand
  2. Kentathon
    Mar 27, 2017
    10
    Happy to say I can now safely change my review of the game from a measly 3/10, thanks Nintendo for finally getting some Switch in stock! It's fantastic, and easily the best Zelda to date. If this is what the future of the Switch looks like, this is going to be a killer console.

    The game gives you a vast open world to play in and a lot of tools to do so with. It's the biggest Zelda ever.
  3. Sicarius089
    Mar 27, 2017
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What ever has generally made a great Zelda game in the past from it's atmospheric dungeons, in-depth story and memorable characters to bizarre temples that often have religious, psychological, philosophical and theological elements to them often backed up by music and architecture that compliment and enhance the experience all seem to have been taken out. The only thing close to this is Hyrule Castle. Which has tunnels that link to different parts of the Castle, around most corners are enemies hiding in nooks and crannies, whilst a ghostly composed Zelda's lullaby plays in the background. This would've been more atmospheric had the game given more emotional support to characters from Link's past that had died rather than just experiencing less than a minute of memories for each character.

    I felt no attachment to the four champions that had died, often I felt glad to be rid of them for how they treated Link. I felt little impact on when the footage of the guardians were waging havoc on Hyrule as I had no interaction with those characters and or towns. It had no personal element to it, I didn't have much empathy towards Link after playing for the first 30 hours as there was no events that brought out anything to flush out his character or to make the player feel attached as this was a new Link. There were probably only two memorable moments in this game that made me feel anything, that was reading Zelda's diary as well as the cutscene where Zelda tries to feed the frog to Link.

    Voice acting is by far the most terrible I have heard and I wish I could turn it off. Having 900 koroks is overkill and is often pointless repetitive tasks, not puzzles that after a while you don't even get excited about exploring anymore after you have completed the shrines, found all the memories and side quests as you know it'll just be another useless weapon that'll break, or another korok. Had the Koroks actually had a heavy emphasis on the story such as planting seeds in heavily affected areas so the forest could be restored to it's former glory would be much more intriguing and investing into.

    No under water exploration?! what the hell?! this was said by the creators to be the ultimate Zelda experience. Side quests were lousy and I would often complete them unintentionally even before speaking to the person. Only after speaking to a person would it flash up on screen only to come up with a completed marker. The pay offs aren't that great too, rupees I can easily farm using ore deposits, Weapons? they're just gonna break, armour, yeah I got that piece 10 hours a go. Where are the people that have been cursed where you have to find things like the skulltalas to lift the curse. This would've at least been an incentive to explore rather than just have an isolated cliff with four koroks.

    Shrines in this were massively disappointing, as they were way too easy and I barely spent any more than 8 minutes max in the high difficulty ones. Where previous games had temples that you'd get lost in for hours. Had there been actual Temples in this world some the size of the great plateau in terms of space with dozens of individual rooms to explore and fight your way through would've helped make this a far better game. The shrine add nothing to the story only a means to gain health and stamina. Having certain shrines reward you with stamina and the rest playing a heavy role in terms of story would be a far better way to implement a better story. Not to mention having the heart pieces in previous games encouraged exploration as you're needing more health. In BOTW exploration isn't even rewarded.

    The four bosses in the Divine beasts were a let down, I was looking for some interesting not to mention individual and unique designs. Whilst the four forms of Ganon did look awesome. It just felt like I was fighting a cheapened puppet four times.

    Side quests have little to no choice involved what so ever. The most linear side quests I have seen in a long time.

    What this game does right though, is open world is proper open world. You see a mountain, you climb it.
    See a river with no way across, ok I'll cut down a tree and use it as a raft.
    Horse riding is the best I have ever seen in a game, with little to no effort involved when on roads/paths, the handling feels natural and very easy. The cooking system is actually pretty fun with the different animations and noises for a successful or none successful experiment in cooking. The art style is amazing and breath taking, quite often I'd run out of stamina using the paraglider and fall to my death as I was just taken back by the scenery.

    So the game was good, but no way near the ultimate experience it was said to try and achieve.    … Expand
  4. solitos
    Mar 27, 2017
    10
    Masterpiece is a small word to describe Breath of the Wild.Game cant be compared vs OOT since their logic isn't the same..U don't need to kill bosses with specific dungeon items since it had to be an open world action adventure and not a "show me where to go and what item i should get first " Dungeons were kinda easy as well compared to other puzzle dungeons of the same series but..theMasterpiece is a small word to describe Breath of the Wild.Game cant be compared vs OOT since their logic isn't the same..U don't need to kill bosses with specific dungeon items since it had to be an open world action adventure and not a "show me where to go and what item i should get first " Dungeons were kinda easy as well compared to other puzzle dungeons of the same series but..the feelings? From the first glide till the last anagram that gives all players a small smile thinking and reminisce the past game of their childhood this game is a MUST. Unique weather mechanics , right into feels soundtracks and the lore (even without voice) that most of nintendo boys love to see is back.And it is back for good !… Expand
  5. luminaxster
    Mar 27, 2017
    10
    Since Ocarina of time, I have not been so mind blown by game. Batman: Arkham Asylum, and City as a bundle come really close to it, but the replay value and game mechanisms aside fighting were on a middle ground. The art is impeccable, the game mechanics are incredible addictive, and the open-air flow of the history-upgrade-skill make this game a whole puzzle that from every angle has aSince Ocarina of time, I have not been so mind blown by game. Batman: Arkham Asylum, and City as a bundle come really close to it, but the replay value and game mechanisms aside fighting were on a middle ground. The art is impeccable, the game mechanics are incredible addictive, and the open-air flow of the history-upgrade-skill make this game a whole puzzle that from every angle has a different way to approach it. I have enjoyed the 150+ hours I have played it, still missing 10 shrines and 20 Koroks, though.

    The art was conceived to be everlasting, they used the Windwaker style to do so. The scenography, such blend between japanese anime and real world' beauty is breath-taking. Miyasaki's renown art style has a huge footprint here. This difference between Japan and the West art philosophy makes this game timeless. Hyper-realism of the West make their art to be limited by the hardware resources of the time, with the exception of animatronics.

    Sometimes overlook by players and developers alike, weapons break there are no silver bullets. This foundation for playing the game drives everything, from exploring regions to choosing your fights (or avoiding them) to decide whether your are ready to fulfill your destiny. Once you got weapons, how many can you hold, how many do you need to get things done on a quest? you have to explore to get Korok seeds so you can carry more. Then, you learn how weapons, armor, other items and the environment work, so you know where to go and keep at hand. The game mechanics are so intuitive and connected to its open world that you forget that you actually cannot do that in the rest of the games you play. I cannot recommend this game more. Please, put skepticism and ill-advises aside, once you take a breath of the wild, you know there is not going back.    … Expand
  6. chad_pattan
    Mar 27, 2017
    6
    I already know I'll be attacked because I'm not going along with "the flow" of reviews. So let's start out by quantifying that 6. For the record, the last Zelda I played was Twilight Princess. Last Zelda I beat completely was A Link To The Past. Last Zelda I enjoyed was Adventure of Link (the only real "RPG" of the bunch, IMO.)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    It's a beautiful, well storied, average game. I'll keep the Switch in the hope the Seiken Densetsu Collection comes stateside *eeek*, and hopefully Octopath Traveler will be a much better experience. As for this, those that think this is a perfect game certainly must not have played Dragon Quest VIII on PS2 - thus far the only RPG to check off all of the boxes.    … Expand
  7. ValerieAlexis
    Mar 27, 2017
    10
    There is no game more perfect, more beautiful than this game right here!
    It's a game that somebody made and put effort into and that makes it an automatic 10/10 in my books, they put in effort and money into making a game on a console that is so poorly built, a large portion of people broke it the same day!
    I have to give props to Nintendo for deciding to outsource their console creation    There is no game more perfect, more beautiful than this game right here!
    It's a game that somebody made and put effort into and that makes it an automatic 10/10 in my books, they put in effort and money into making a game on a console that is so poorly built, a large portion of people broke it the same day!
    I have to give props to Nintendo for deciding to outsource their console creation to a third party of IT students with 2 hours of experience, it really gave them a lot of hands-on experience with consolemaking 101.
    Now about the game, it is about this protagonist called Zelda who carries around a legendary sword and crossdresses as a girl sometimes because of fanservice (many people were aroused by this) who is looking for this egyptian symbol he can put on his hand to grant him infinite power, much like Palpatine except he's not grey and wrinkly.
    This game is beautiful, 10/10 I am so proud of everyone for buying this game and being alive to play it!    … Expand
  8. clay3232
    Mar 27, 2017
    9
    Putting in over a hundred hours, I can say it's definitely a great game, but the game does have issues. The game play was good offering many ways to get around in the world and fight enemies, the weapon durability does however get annoying at times. While its gives you more of strategic outlook on battles it also keeps you from using some awesome weapons with you wanting to save them. IPutting in over a hundred hours, I can say it's definitely a great game, but the game does have issues. The game play was good offering many ways to get around in the world and fight enemies, the weapon durability does however get annoying at times. While its gives you more of strategic outlook on battles it also keeps you from using some awesome weapons with you wanting to save them. I would of enjoyed the it if the weapons had better durability and weapons such as the Master Sword, Champion Weapons, and the Amiibo weapons were unbreakable since they are supposed to be special, this would of made them stand out more from the rest of the weapons. It also really made the Master Sword seem kind of weak in this game given that it's usually only 30 damage, and the beams are super weak yet it still runs out power. Climbing and paragliding, I found to be really fun, with the only issue being the very frequent rain making impossible to climb. Having gear for climbing in the rain would of been a nice easy fix, also a rewarding discovery. The inventory system is alright but could of been better, One my biggest issues with the games is the dungeons. The game four divine beasts that act as dungeons, but each one is really short and easy to beat. Looking at the maps in each beast, allowed for you to alter the dungeons, but also made it appear that there would be more going on inside these dungeons showing the whole body of the beast, but sadly that wasn't the case with each not being very big. It was definitely a departure from the great dungeon designs of previous Zelda games. The 120 shrines I found fun at first, but they start to feel repetitive with their similar ancient tech look in each shrine. The puzzles are all pretty easy, but offer a lot of creativity with solving them. Once I had a good understanding of game play and all the runes, each shrine was a cakewalk. There is also shrines where you are challenged to fight a certain type Guardian these are pretty repetitive, Overall with the shrines, I didn't think they were all that great, I would of much preferred more time spent on making actual dungeons. This world is huge compared to other Zelda's and with there only being four small dungeons it's ludicrous. I would of also enjoyed if heart pieces were collectible instead of just weapons and korok seeds being found around the world. Playing the game you want notice much new music, or old music which is disappointing given the series' history with putting out great tracks. The crafting system is pretty simple, but I kind of wish hearts were still laying around (not like food actually heals you in real life). The difficulty of the game will have you dying a lot at the beginning but as the game goes you will acquire better armor and weapons making it actually pretty easy. The Story I found pretty disappointing, with it having a lot potential that got wasted. I liked the premise of waking up a hundred years after failing, but the story was so rare and short in the game that it hardly explored. The ending of the game, I thought was also a let down with Ganon being easy to beat anti-climatic, and the scene after his defeat was dull and short compared to many other Zelda endings. There is also some awesome characters but they really don't get that much time to shine or develop, which is really frustrating. The frame rate is definitely noticeable at times and in certain areas like Kakariko and by the Great Deku tree is really bad, but it won't ruin the game for you. Voice acting was pretty meh, which is kind of disappointing given that this is Zelda's first game with voice acting. Overall it's still a great game, but with so much potential to be even better. They did a great job incorporating open world aspects and adding stuff to the formula, but at the same time they took out a lot of stuff I really loved about the Zelda series... Dungeons, story, lack of music, items such as the hook shot, etc.. I give it a 9, definitely not a 10 or masterful. Placing it with the other Zelda's I would place it as my sixth favorite which is disappointing, because above it are Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword... All of the 3D adventures before it... Still a great game though… Expand
  9. adanfime
    Mar 27, 2017
    10
    Nintendo did its best to release this game as a launch title for the Switch. This game proves that Zelda definitely is a system seller. As Aonuma said, this game, by breaking the conventions of Zelda, proves that Nintendo definitely always has surprises for us gamers. Definitely the beginning of a new era.
  10. 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
  11. Alectriciti
    Mar 26, 2017
    10
    I wasn't sure about this game at first, until I started playing it. This game is a testament of the change the gaming industry needs. The attention to detail is beyond that of any game I've ever seen or played.

    I believe nothing is ever perfect. But Breath of the Wild sure seems to come close.
  12. MarcoL81
    Mar 26, 2017
    9
    Not since Skyrim has a game captivated me this much.

    I'm a casual gamer who doesn't have an allegiance to any particular gaming company and I have to say Nintendo hit it out of the park with this gem. If it weren't for the outdated graphics, FPS issues, and lack of a Japanese voice acting option I would have given this a 10/10. I'm an Art major in University and with every ounce of my    Not since Skyrim has a game captivated me this much.

    I'm a casual gamer who doesn't have an allegiance to any particular gaming company and I have to say Nintendo hit it out of the park with this gem. If it weren't for the outdated graphics, FPS issues, and lack of a Japanese voice acting option I would have given this a 10/10. I'm an Art major in University and with every ounce of my academic knowledge I label this game "a work of art". The freedom of choice, The beautiful scenery, The serene soundtrack, and the wonderful game play is what drives my decision to give this game such a high rating. I picked up the switch fully understanding that once i was finished this game i would sell it, but this game has changed my mind. The Switch and Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild will always have a place in my home.    … Expand
  13. yoppyx
    Mar 26, 2017
    10
    This game is truly ground breaking. I have a few minor nitpicks with it, but for everything that this game innovates on and brings to the table, those nitpicks are acceptable.
  14. TheSeahorse
    Mar 26, 2017
    10
    They definitely succeeded with breaking the conventions of Zelda in a good way. Sure, there are things that I miss from the other Zelda games (such as better music and more complex dungeons) but this one is just pure fun to play.

    Being free to do anything you want almost from the get go is what makes this an amazing experience. Whenever I think, "maybe I can do this..", I can! And there    They definitely succeeded with breaking the conventions of Zelda in a good way. Sure, there are things that I miss from the other Zelda games (such as better music and more complex dungeons) but this one is just pure fun to play.

    Being free to do anything you want almost from the get go is what makes this an amazing experience. Whenever I think, "maybe I can do this..", I can! And there are so many small details that just made me fall in love with this amazing world.

    Definitely pick this up if you have the Wii U, and if you don't I would recommend buying the switch just for this game.    … Expand
  15. BreakingBadBR
    Mar 26, 2017
    10
    This game is amazing. It's beautiful and It's so fun I just could not put it down. I love going around and exploring and doing the side quests. The gameplay changed things up from previous Zelda games and its great. The music is fantastic. It's just a great game. I love it.
  16. Akelazam
    Mar 26, 2017
    9
    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a great open world game, that takes the Zelda franchise to the next level while still maintaining true to the franchise. This game is truly a work of art that combines a wonderful soundtrack with a fantastic story and beautifully artistic graphics. While the game doesn't run at the highest resolutions out there, the game performance and art styleThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a great open world game, that takes the Zelda franchise to the next level while still maintaining true to the franchise. This game is truly a work of art that combines a wonderful soundtrack with a fantastic story and beautifully artistic graphics. While the game doesn't run at the highest resolutions out there, the game performance and art style more than makes up for this.

    In open world games it is often easy to become overwhelmed and lose track of what you are doing. Breath of the Wild however gives you just enough direction without forcing you down a particular path. The world designers used the negative space to there advantage to give you the feeling of a truly expansive world. There are hidden things spread across the entire map including some great mini games like bowling and golf.

    The game does suffer from a few minor issues that keep me from giving it a perfect score. Chief among them is the fact that the weapons are too fragile; the UI gives no indication of the durability level of a weapon only warning you at the last second before your weapon shatters. While cooking food was initially fun it soon became a tedious task that takes away from the overall experience.

    While the game is not without its flaws I still believe this game is a masterpiece and would highly recommend it to newcomers and Zelda fans alike. Nintendo has raised the bar with this game and I can't wait to get back to playing it. I look forward to the DLC releases later this year and hope that they make an already great game even better.    … Expand
  17. kasparius
    Mar 26, 2017
    10
    I wanted to wait until I had not only finished the game, but done everything the game threw at me before writing a reviews. Sometimes initial enchantment for a game fades as you realize the limitation of a game.

    Yesterday, after completing my final 120th shrine, collecting all the memories and about 450 Korok seeds, I went to defeat the bloated, furious, orange swine to save Hyrule.    I wanted to wait until I had not only finished the game, but done everything the game threw at me before writing a reviews. Sometimes initial enchantment for a game fades as you realize the limitation of a game.

    Yesterday, after completing my final 120th shrine, collecting all the memories and about 450 Korok seeds, I went to defeat the bloated, furious, orange swine to save Hyrule. Once that was done, there was a feeling of elation and subsequently, emptiness and sadness. I had finished one of the absolute best games I will ever play, and I would never get that initial feeling again.

    I have been playing games for about 28 years, I've played a lot of them, and I can say that I've only extremely rarely had the feelings I had playing Breath of the Willd, and the most staggering thing isn't the fact that I got those feelings playing the game, it's how many times throughout the journey, I had them. Feelings buried deep within me that were probably beaten and driven to hide within the confides of my being somewhere around Junior High School. Feelings of awe and wunderlust, feelings of childish playfulness and wonder. The sheer desire to go see what's on the other side of the hill, the glory of the journey and the delight in what was to be found.

    You can find other reviews that will better describe what makes this game so wonderful, but I have to say that I think the less you know about the game, the better. The joy is in the journey, and the discoveries you make along the way. This might seem like a cop out, but trust me it is not.

    Is the game flawless? No, there are some minor issues and aspects that could have been even better (hopefully, those will come with the next iteration of the series), many of those can actually be fixed and patched, and probably will. But do those minor flaws take away from the whole? Absolutely not. I don't know of any flawless game, to be honest, even among my absolute favorites.

    I've played hundreds of hours of this game, and thankfully I still have 400 Koroks to find hidden within the world, but even if I didn't, and there was nothing left on my checklist to do, I would still pick up this game regularly just to take a stroll along the hills and see what it has in store for me.

    If you want to know what my absolute favorite games of all times are, to see if you might enjoy Breath of the Wild, here is a short list:

    Witcher 3
    Ocarina of Time
    Wind Waker
    Dark Souls
    Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
    Pikmin 3
    Bloodborne
    Red Dead Redemption
    Super Mario Galaxy 2
    Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
    Metroid Prime
    Resident Evil 4
    Mario Kart 8
    Chrono Trigger
    Silent Hill (the first one)

    And many more.    … Expand
  18. tasteful-gamer
    Mar 26, 2017
    10
    Annoying framerate, constant bad weather and green fog, world not filled with too much interesting stuff, lacks enemy variety, lack of interesting enemies and bosses. However, it's still by far the best game released this decade with one of the most c ompelling open worlds ever created, some of the most amazing vistas you can find in a video game, amazing music, tons of things to unlockAnnoying framerate, constant bad weather and green fog, world not filled with too much interesting stuff, lacks enemy variety, lack of interesting enemies and bosses. However, it's still by far the best game released this decade with one of the most c ompelling open worlds ever created, some of the most amazing vistas you can find in a video game, amazing music, tons of things to unlock and find, a very good combat system for an open world game and the absolutely best dungeons and level design ever in a video game. Pure interactivity.… Expand
  19. 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
  20. imalmenzar
    Mar 26, 2017
    10
    Great game, a MUST. If you want to achieve the 100% of the game you will be playing around 200 hours in a really beautiful and enormous world. The game is absolutely amazing. You won't be disappointed.
  21. 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
  22. guek
    Mar 25, 2017
    10
    An incredible experience. I cannot recommend this game enough. Nintendo has managed to create an experience that feels both familiar and incredibly fresh. BotW is going to be influencing adventure games for a whole new generation of gamers and game designers.
  23. FrayDabson
    Mar 25, 2017
    10
    Love it. As a long-time Zelda fan I did not know what to expect going into this game.

    As much as I miss some of the Zelda Classics (hook-shot, more temples with monsters and puzzles) The game set a whole new standard in gaming. The world is amazing, the game is beautiful. I honestly don't think I can give this game anything lower than a 10 . After about 70 hours I have completed the    Love it. As a long-time Zelda fan I did not know what to expect going into this game.

    As much as I miss some of the Zelda Classics (hook-shot, more temples with monsters and puzzles) The game set a whole new standard in gaming. The world is amazing, the game is beautiful. I honestly don't think I can give this game anything lower than a 10 . After about 70 hours I have completed the main story but there is SO much Side stuff I did not do. Only 60/120 shrines, and not even 100 Korok seeds.    … Expand
  24. brizes22
    Mar 25, 2017
    10
    Breath of the Wild es ejemplo claro de como una franquicia se reinvento de forma existosa , esta vez ninendo ha puesto a puesto patas arriba la historia de zelda y dio como resulado una obra maestra
  25. buranya
    Mar 25, 2017
    10
    If you buy a Nintendo Switch, this game is a must buy.

    It is the absolute perfect return for a Zelda game. Nice story, with a great graphics, nice puzzles, and the fighting mechanics are very accurate to what a Zelda player must expect. The soundtrack fits perfectly within the game. The return of Gannon's activities are, probably, one of the best aspects of this new Zelda world. We also    If you buy a Nintendo Switch, this game is a must buy.

    It is the absolute perfect return for a Zelda game. Nice story, with a great graphics, nice puzzles, and the fighting mechanics are very accurate to what a Zelda player must expect. The soundtrack fits perfectly within the game. The return of Gannon's activities are, probably, one of the best aspects of this new Zelda world. We also see a more human part of Zelda and Link's relationship, making it even more interesting to save Hyrule.

    Also the RPG new aspect of game (armors, weapons, foods and consumables) adds a very nice experience to players, all scaled very correctly. After the prelude, you are just thrown into a vast free world, where you can seek, destroy camps, do side-quests or just stare-out to the brilliant nature that surounds the player.

    This new journey of Link's tales is, with non doubt, a 10 game. ¡This is a brilliant way to start a new generation of consoles for Nintendo, and we expect this to keep on this good work!    … Expand
  26. ErFranGr
    Mar 25, 2017
    10
    juego perfecto el mejor creado hasta el momento ojala todos los juegos fuesen asi de buenos y con esta calidad

    me lo termine y debo decir que es una obra maestra
  27. BenneyBob
    Mar 25, 2017
    9
    This game is a good game it is gigantic, full of things to do and seemingly endless
    If you ever get the chance to play this game take that chance.
    The only bad thing about this game is the frame drops and the somewhat long load times. Still Really Good!
  28. enterfusion
    Mar 25, 2017
    10
    This game shows perfectly how Open world should be.
    Beautiful Story
    Beautiful Soundtrack
    Beautiful Atmosphere

    You have more than the "one correct way" to solve a puzzle or dungeon.
    Its motivate to check out new ways.

    For me its the best game I´ve ever played.
    10/10
  29. neosim
    Mar 25, 2017
    9
    Bad things first: First impression was kind of confusing same for the controls. The enemies get recycled often. Calling horses when they are out of range doesn't work (realistic? yes, fun? no). Yes the world is as open as it could be, but alot of it is locked behind having to get better equipment. Weapons breaking is annoying (but also forces you to try new ones).
    After a few hours tough    Bad things first: First impression was kind of confusing same for the controls. The enemies get recycled often. Calling horses when they are out of range doesn't work (realistic? yes, fun? no). Yes the world is as open as it could be, but alot of it is locked behind having to get better equipment. Weapons breaking is annoying (but also forces you to try new ones).
    After a few hours tough you'll get used to the mechanics and the controller and an amazing World awaits you. The map is enormous and there are countless weapons, materials, shields et cetera. Definitely amazing if you are a bit of a loot whore. Traveling around takes a bit of time at first, until you unlock the port locations. No place feels like the other and surprises wait around every corner like a cave locked behind breakable stones filled with gems, a random bird bard on a mountain or a giant dragon suddenly appearing. There are secrets hidden everywhere and they actually provide something worthwhile if you find many of them instead of simply being something to collect. The puzzles are fun and become quite tricky later on. Combat changed a lot instead of a static damage number like most zelda games you now have countless weapon types and weapon multipliers like food giving attack strength and so on. I also like that the game rarely explains stuff, you have to find your way through most the game by yourself only hints are hidden in lore, no hand-holding. Rupees are actually worth something in this game, never once encountered a point where money didn't matter (looking at you ocarina of time).

    TLDR; This game is amazing, but amazing enough to buy an entire console going with it? Debatable, if you are a Nintendo fan, plan on getting stuff like super mario odyssey and you enjoy the "switch" part (gotta say it's actually a huge improvement in quality of life imo, using it a lot) then definitely yes. If you only plan on playing Zelda then i'd say wait until the console gets cheaper. But nonetheless anyone not playing this game is missing out, very great experience. I'd rate it 8.2-8.5 but gave it a 9 for changing the formula.

    Oh and everybody giving this game a score of 4 and less is objectively an idiot. Most of them can be summed up like this: "WÄHHH IT'S NOT THE ZELDA I LIKED/USED TO KNOW THINGS CHANGED AND I DON'T LIKE IT THUMBS DOWN EVERYBODY". Please for the love of god ignore them.    … Expand
  30. JaymTime
    Mar 25, 2017
    10
    Estamos ante el renacer de una legendaria saga de videojuegos. Durante décadas he jugado a varios de los títulos de esta saga y creo sin duda que este se ha vuelto mi favorito y explico el porqué.

    Tras más de 40h dedicadas al título, puedo decir que los juegos de The Legend of Zelda pecaban de linealidad total en todas sus pasadas entregas, es decir, ve al punto tal, consigue el arma    Estamos ante el renacer de una legendaria saga de videojuegos. Durante décadas he jugado a varios de los títulos de esta saga y creo sin duda que este se ha vuelto mi favorito y explico el porqué.

    Tras más de 40h dedicadas al título, puedo decir que los juegos de The Legend of Zelda pecaban de linealidad total en todas sus pasadas entregas, es decir, ve al punto tal, consigue el arma cual, mazmorra, mazmorra, jefe y empezar de nuevo. BOTW rompe completamente con esto y ofrece un mundo abierto real, donde no hace falta hacer las mazmorras salvo que así lo desees, aunque finalmente si quieres vivir la historia del juego deberás pasar por ellas.

    Vivimos en un momento donde los juegos, y sus notas, se miden en resolución y FPS en vez de medirlos en lo que realmente cuenta, vivencia, experiencia, transmisión de emociones, y si, es cierto, Zelda no va tan si quiera a 1080p y no corre a 60fps, pero es que da completamente igual una vez te metes en el juego, el apartado artístico es el mejor que he visto en años, los sonidos, los detalles, la jugabilidad impecable, la grandeza que se siente y es que nada más empezar te empiezas a sentir parte de Hyrule, esta vez de verdad, por primera vez he sentido la necesidad de salvar el Reino y esto me ha mantenido horas y horas pegado a la pantalla.

    Los que ponen un 0 a este juego aquí o bien no lo han jugado o bien están ciegos y sordos, esto amigos no es un videojuego, es una nueva obra de arte de esta industria que tanto quiero.    … 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.
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  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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