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 | Worldwide: 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 Zelda series and the first original Zelda game to be released for each system (not counting Hyrule Warriors for the Wii U).
Story
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
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
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 several new shrines to explore, in addition to bringing in some more bonus items.
Legacy
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.