Some of the innovations in Breath of the Wild fell flat for me. (I almost typed “disappointed,” but I have a feeling you’re not going to be disappointed.) I won’t spoil how the developers have replaced them, but, once again, if you’re expecting an experience along the lines of Ocarina of Time or Link to the Past, you’re going to be taken aback. Gone are the winding, multi-story dungeons of Zelda past. It took me a while to warm up to the idea of riding around on a horse, but by the end of the game, I was going out of my way to find new horses to tame and register to add to my collection.Īs huge and compelling as the world of Breath of the Wild is, it comes at a cost. As vast as the world is, running from one location to the next can become grueling, even with the fast travel system. Not only can he sneak up on one and jump on its back, attempting to calm it before it bucks him off he can register it at one of the many stables and give it a name. During his quest, Link will occasionally run into a pack of wild horses grazing in a field. It’s the little things that elevate Breath of the Wild. I spent at least 30 hours completing quests, conquering dungeons and beating bosses, but there is still an entire game’s worth of content I haven’t discovered. There are new shrines, interesting NPCs, hidden treasures, environmental challenges and picturesque vistas around every. “Around every corner” is a hackneyed, vapid phrase, but it’s the only way to describe the amount of content in the latest Zelda. Breath of the Wild puts them all to shame. From the original NES game to Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy to Wind Waker on the GameCube, players have spent hours walking, bombing and sailing their way from one corner of the map to the other in search of secrets. All of the best Zelda games have put discovery above all else. Thankfully, as I scurried away from one thing, I was always scurrying toward another. Other times, I had hardly an arrow to my name, but still managed to sneak my way through an encampment, taking out one foe at a time until nothing was left but the entrails of my enemies.Īnd then there were a whole bunch of times when I just hightailed it out of there. There were times when I would approach an encounter with enough firepower to make Rambo jealous, yet I’d still end up dead. Grappling with these decisions was simultaneously stressful and thrilling. Then when I did run into a group of powerful baddies or a miniboss with a long health bar, I had to decide which weapons I was willing to expend. Upgrading Link’s arsenal quickly shot to the top of my list of things to accomplish, but with a limited inventory and breakable equipment, it became a strategic challenge of sorts to decide which weapons I wanted to bring with me and which I would leave behind. Or until it breaks, which every weapon, shield and bow eventually does. It doesn’t do much damage, but until you find something more appropriate, it’s all you’ve got. Naturally, you pick it up, only to learn that this little stick will be your first ever weapon. When you first walk out into the world, you’ll see a tree branch lying in the grass. Everything is collectable, from the apples on the tree to the swords and spears wielded by patrolling enemies. No Master Sword, no shield, no bow.įor Link to survive in this world, he has to become a scavenger. Link walks out of an odd crypt of sorts with nothing but the clothes on his back and a Sheikah Slate on his hip (a device which doubles as a map, a key and a camera, among other things). It’s not always the most efficient way to traverse Hyrule, but it’s definitely the most entertaining.īut before you can start clambering your way over mountains, you have to slog through a protracted (but necessary) tutorial that lets you know you aren’t playing yet another 3D Zelda game. If you want to climb a mountain, you don’t have to find a path - just latch on to the face of the nearest cliff and start climbing. Though limited by a stamina bar, Link has the ability to climb virtually any surface in the game, save for a few that would make certain puzzles trivial. What do I mean by open? I mean you can actually go anywhere.
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