The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Nintendo EPD |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| System | Wii U, Nintendo Switch |
| Release Date | March 3, 2017 |
| Genre | Adventure |
| Rating | ESRB: E10+ |
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an adventure game that was released in 2017 for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U. It is the ninteteenth game for the The Legend of Zelda series and the first original Zelda game to be released for each respective system (not counting Wii U's spin-off title, Hyrule Warriors).
Story[edit]
The game begins as Link wakes up in a mysterious place known as the Shrine of Resurrection, with no memories of his past. However, he slowly learns the story of what had happened. After a ten thousand year era of peace that was enjoyed by Hyrule, Calamity Ganon had broken free and began to attack Hyrule. He corrupted the Guardians and Divine Beasts, machines that had originally been created to help in the fight against Ganon. Link had been mortally wounded in the following battles, and he then spent the next century reviving in the Shrine of Resurrection. Elsewhere, Princess Zelda has been using her powers to contain Calamity Ganon for the entire hundred years. Link embarks on a new quest to find a way to stop Calamity Ganon.
Gameplay[edit]
The game is known for its open world gameplay, as it is set in a version of Hyrule that is more expansive than in any other game. After leaving the initial area, the Great Plateau, the player is free to explore all of Hyrule and to complete or skip the objectives given to them as they please. The player is urged to free the Four Divine Beasts, which involves exploring the dungeon-like interiors of the machines, but even that is optional. There are also 120 different shrines hidden throughout the game that Link can optionally explore. These shrines act as mini-dungeons, containing puzzles to be solved and/or enemies to be destroyed. Upon completing a shrine, Link will gain a Spirit Orb. Link can present every four Spirit Orbs to a Goddess Statue to receive an update to his heart meter or his Stamina Wheel, which is depleted through actions such as running, swimming or climbing.
Link's inventory is split up differently than normal. There are three different categories to Link's weaponry: the first is for various melee weapons including swords, spears, axes, sticks, boomerangs and more; the second is for shields; and the third is for different types of bows and arrows. Additionally, all of those items can only be used a certain amount of times before breaking. Link can also collect a variety of materials that he can either consume himself or cook into dishes or elixirs. Link also has an item called the Sheikah Slate, which is used to access the map of Hyrule, which Link can fill in with data from various towers scattered throughout Hyrule. It is also contains the Runes, which are some special abilities and features that Link can access. The Runes consist of two different types of Remote Bombs, Magnesis (which allows Link to move a metallic object), Stasis (which temporarily freezes an object in time) and Cryonisis (which can make platforms of ice rise out of water) and a Camera. There are only a few limits placed on Rune abilities, as most of them can only be used on one target at a time and with time limits between individual uses.
This installment also boasts a revamp of the horseback riding system. Instead of gaining a single horse, Link has to approach horses in the wilderness and attempt to tame them. Horses can be registered at different stables located throughout Hyrule. Additionally, Breath of the Wild has amiibo compatibility. Scanning amiibos can make items or unique pieces of armor appear in the game, or other easter eggs (such as bringing Epona herself into the game).
DLC[edit]
This game has had two different DLC packs that have been released, containing additional objectives and bonus items. The first pack, called The Master Trials, contained a new sidequest called the Trial of the Sword, as well as bonus items and an optional harder mode known as Master Mode. The second pack was called The Champions' Ballad, which contained a new sidequest based around the pasts of the Champions with new shrines to explore, in addition to bringing in some more bonus items.
Continuity[edit]
Breath of the Wild was the first game since the release of the Hyrule Historia to lack a concrete timeline placement. Nintendo left it up to the players to decide which timeline in took place in, while only saying that it takes place far into the future of all past Zelda games.
Breath of the Wild notably contains references to various different past Zelda games, across different timelines.
- Two of the sages from Ocarina of Time (Ruto and Nabooru) are mentioned and have Divine Beasts named after them, with another of the Divine Beasts being named in reference to Darunia. Ganon's origins as a Gerudo are also mentioned.
- One of the historical stone tablets found near Zora's Domain tells the story of Ruto becoming a sage, and it is also mentioned that there is an old Zora legend about Ruto's affections for the Hero of Time. Those both refer to the events of Ocarina of Time, although Ruto becoming a sage is only known to happen in two of the three alternate timelines stemming from that game.
- The Rito tribe and the Koroks from The Wind Waker appear. Additionally, the Divine Beast of the Ritos is called Vah Medoh, in reference to Medli, the Rito sage from The Wind Waker.
- In one of the memory scenes where Zelda performs a ceremony with Link to recognize him as her appointed knight, she talks about the feats of past incarnations of the hero. Her wording references Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. The Japanese version also references The Wind Waker.
- While they may be easter eggs more than continuity references, many areas throughout Hyrule are named after characters from various past Zelda games. Some areas of Hyrule also are named after parts of Koholint Island from Link's Awakening.
- Some of the sidequests added with the DLC packs involved seeking out pieces of armor that were said to have been stolen from Hyrule Castle. Most of them are connected to past Zelda games, which is referenced in the descriptions of the items. These include pieces of armor belonging to Phantom Ganon (from Ocarina of Time), Majora's Mask (from Majora's Mask), Tingle's outfit (from multiple Zelda games), the Hero of the Winds (from The Wind Waker, the Phantoms (from Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks) and Ravio (from A Link Between Worlds).
Legacy[edit]
Breath of the Wild was released to critical acclaim and became the best-selling game of the Zelda series. It has been praised for its open-word design and won multiple game of the year awards. It has gone on to have an influence throughout the gaming industry.
Sequels[edit]
The spin-off game Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity was based on Breath of the Wild and acted as a pseudo-prequel to it. Set during the backstory of Breath of the Wild, the game starred Link, Zelda, the Champions, a younger version of Impa and others as playable characters fighting to prevent the Great Calamity from occurring.
A direct sequel was released for the Switch in 2023 as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This retained the basic gameplay and setting from Breath of the Wild, while adding various expansions to the setting as areas in the sky and underground, as well as new abilities that replaced the Sheikah Slate powers and largely involved constructing/combining items.