It’s been a while since I talked about any video games on the blog, but oh man, I have to talk about this one. It’s easily become one of my all time favorites, and there’s just so much about it to adore. It’s also one of the first games I’ve completely 100%ed, which is so satisfying.
It’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild!
From the start, I’ve been absolutely blown away by the sheer amount of content in this game, even without factoring in the DLC. The story line is structured in a way that you can go anywhere and do anything in any order, and there are literal hundreds of fun secrets scattered around the beautiful open world map. Feel like doing every Divine Beast and all shrines before facing down Calamity Ganon? Go ahead! Want to try and beat Calamity Ganon without a shirt and armed with a big stick? It’s unadvised, but go ahead! Feel like tracking down every single compendium entry and Korok seed before attempting any bosses? Tough, but possible. The game is so truly open world, and I love it.
Of course, that open world feature can be daunting. There’s A TON to explore, and without concrete direction to explore in, it’s easy to get a little lost. Thankfully, I really liked the quest system, which places pins on your map for the selected quest, so you have at least some idea of where you’re going, and a detour along the way won’t get you completely off track.
Or maybe you want to go off grid. You do you.
One of my other favorite features was all the game’s puzzles. There is so rarely a puzzle that has only a single solution; in fact, I don’t know if there are any with a single solution. If you’re clever and have the abilities/items/uncanny gaming skills, almost every single thing can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Some of the videos I’ve watched before illustrate this perfectly. It’s possible to kill enemies by throwing metal boxes instead of engaging directly. If you can find two mine carts and stack them, you can use the Magnesis rune to lift the lower mine cart while standing in the upper one, then fly around. It’s even possible to sail all the way to the top of Hyrule Castle using some bombs, the Stasis rune, and apparently some bananas, though you need ace timing and possibly a bit of an “I’m going to do it anyway even though it’s a bad idea” in you. There’s plenty more examples, too, not just these, most of them equally delightful and outrageous.
The ambiguity of the timeline is another thing I like. The LoZ timeline is already a mess; it’s hard to track which games belong where in the timeline, especially since there’s a split in the timeline after Ocarina of Time: one line for the hero’s failure, one line for the hero’s success by protecting the Sacred Realm, and one line for the hero’s success by sealing Ganon away. BotW’s location on this timeline is after the split, according to most people, but it could be justified in any one of the three paths for different reasons. Some people dislike this, but I love it. It’s the Legend of Zelda, and that ambiguity fits nicely with the ability of legends to change and adapt even as they endure. It’s a nice touch (and if you’re a fanfic writing kind of person, it opens ALL KINDS OF DOORS).
I think the only thing I don’t love is the sheer number of Korok seeds to find. There are 900 of the little things scattered throughout Hyrule, and there was no way I could ever find all of them without looking up a guide. It’s a huge challenge to find them all, and it took me HOURS of gameplay to do it. But they count toward the percentage complete that appears on your map after the first time you beat Calamity Ganon, and man, I do love that sweet little 100%, even if it took forever to get it.
And beyond the main game, the DLC is incredible! The Trial of the Sword is a real challenge (I am NOT looking forward to how long it’s going to take me to best when I try it on Master Mode, which has stronger enemies sooner, as well as enemy health regeneration), but it was so satisfying to beat, and the Champion’s Ballad DLC gives fantastic awards while adding a few extra story elements that bring the four champions to life more than ever. Typically, I don’t buy DLC because I can’t afford it, but this was well worth it for sure.
It’s also nice that there won’t be any more DLC. The two packs (which amount to $20 USD altogether) are the only DLC Nintendo will release for BotW, and it’s a great cap to an already massive game. The apparent endlessness can be so daunting, but ultimately, it doesn’t go on forever, and with some intense hours logged, it can be totally finished.
Hopefully, now that I know exactly what I’m doing and I’ve aced the regular mode, I’ll be able to conquer Master Mode in my spare time. It’s a challenge I’m looking forward to, and I expect I might find some corners of Hyrule I hadn’t explored before!
Have you played BotW? Did you enjoy it? What are your favorite LoZ games?
Great post!! I’ve never played this game but it sounds right up my alley.
Thank you! And if you have the chance, I recommend trying it! It’s so much fun.
I’ll probably check it out!! 😀
Go for it! It’s available on the Nintendo WiiU and the Switch.
You 100%ed Breath of the Wild?!?! You’re basically my hero. Wow, I am totally impressed!!
Haha, I did! It took a lot of free time, but it happened! I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do it again on Master Mode, though. It’s tough!
Honestly I have never played a LoZ game and I’ve always WANTED to so much. I know that they are amazing and iconic, I just never got around them.
The only Zelda-related game I’ve played is Super Smash Bros. lol
I’ll admit that I have listened to the soundtracks to Breath of the Wild and Ocarina of Time and I LOVE THEM. I enjoy video game music a lot.
I totally recommend it if you get the chance! My personal favorites are BotW, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and Phantom Hourglass. Honestly, though, you have a ton to chose from!
And yesssss video game music is so good. LoZ music is always stellar, and I have a collection of Pokemon music as well. I know which generation the music is from without even looking! 😂 The Professor Layton music is also absolutely amazing!
Yesss to Pokemon music!!! I also recognize the different generations 😀 Listening to them brings back so many memories.
It really does!!! They’re just so wonderful. ❤ And they make for good study music!
I want to play this game so badly but haven’t bought a Switch yet. It looks incredible and now I am going to watch some let’s plays again ahaha
Also for some reason I really like Windwaker??? But Ocarina is my fave.
If you have a WiiU, it’s also available on that! But the Switch is a great console, so I totally recommend it. And let’s plays in the meantime is a SOLID idea. This is a game where no two will be the same.
Funny enough, I got bored with Windwaker even though a lot of people say they love it! But yesssss, Ocarina is a good time. Love the music especially!
I never upgraded to the WiiU from the Wii because I didn’t see it as worth it, and buying one now seems a waste. I will just wait and see if I can nab one this holiday season! I want the switch but books + travel have been draining my expendable income lately so I keep putting it off.
Ocarina is magical and I always love the music in these games!
The holidays is probably a good time for it! If you’re a Black Friday kind of person, you might even be able to snag it then.
The composers just have such a wonderful sense of what music fits the location. 💚 Absolutely masterful.