(THIS ARTICLE IS SPOILER-FREE)
Breath of the Wild (botw) is a game that launched in 2017 for the Nintendo Switch as an exclusive. I praised it for its open-world experience compared to other Zelda games. It has received a 10/10 on IGN, 97/100 on Metacritic, and many more excellent reviews. But the question is, after seven years, is it still worth it?!
Story of the game
As Link ventures through the vast kingdom of Hyrule, he discovers memories from his past that reveal the events leading to Calamity Ganon's return and the fall of Hyrule. These memories provide insight into Link's relationships with Princess Zelda and other characters. Along the way, Link encounters various races, including the Sheikah, Gorons, Zoras, Ritos, and Gerudo, each playing a role in the kingdom's history and offering assistance in the battle against Ganon.
The game's narrative is rich in lore and mythology, exploring the ancient technology of the Sheikah, the significance of the Guardians and Divine Beasts, and the role of the Champions chosen to pilot them. Link's journey is a quest to defeat Ganon and a personal and emotional exploration of his identity and purpose. While exploring Hyrule, the player also recovers memories associated with places. Breath of the Wild's narrative is characterized by its non-linear storytelling, allowing players to uncover the story at their own pace and in their preferred order. The game's emphasis on exploration, discovery, and player-driven choices contributes to a unique, immersive storytelling experience.
Reason 1 - Timeless + Unique Design and Innovation
First of all, The enduring charm of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the Nintendo Switch, despite its 30 fps lock and hardware limitations, stems from its outstanding game design and artistic direction. The immersive open world, innovative gameplay, and captivating art style overshadow technical constraints, providing players with a rich, engaging adventure that surpasses limitations in frame rate and hardware capabilities. After finishing the game, there is still much to explore and achieve: side quests, shrine quests, and even new locations! For example, after finishing the game twice and having 200+ hours, I still found a new stable in a forest I had never seen before! Little details make this game realistic; for example, if you talk to most characters while you are in your underpants, they will have different responses; perhaps the funniest response, in my opinion, is Hestu’s response!
Reason 2 - The runes of the game
Secondly, the runes of the game are unique game mechanics to be creative and tools for puzzles and problem-solving in the game. For example, you might move a metal box with Magnesis, and you can use that same rune to beat bokoblins by dropping heavy hammers on them, saving durability. What is crazy though is that the game has no annoying bugs.
Reason 3 - The Reviews also say so
Finally, I have gone through a lot of Critic Reviews, and I have not found a website that has a negative review about the game. For example, IGN has rated Breath of the wild as the best game of ALL time, aka the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) with “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild eschewed the semi-linear, borderline predictable path of the 3D Zelda games before it in favor of a bold, crazy new approach: let players do what they want, how they want, and in whatever order they decide.” Very few games made me cry, this is the one made me flood the room when I beat the final boss.
Conclusion
In the end, I would say Breath of the Wild is worth it. As a person who bought it shortly before the release of Tears of the Kingdom, I still thoroughly enjoyed, and did not feel left out. Especially if you are going to get the sequel, you have to buy this game.
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