Date played: March 3rd and 4th
Platform: Switch
The Legend of Zelda's last main entry was 2011's Skyward Sword. More than 5 years later, there's finally a new game in the iconic game franchise. It's time for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
The game opens with Link waking up as he lies in a weird blue liquid inside a strange room. He picks up a special item called the Sheikah Slate which looks a lot like the Switch. Still in his boxers, he exits the room and goes outside. This moment was very strong, as Link climbs a small hill and gets a grandiose view of Hyrule, including Death Mountain and Hyrule Castle. Then the title screen appears in the corner, marking the beginning of an epic adventure.
While it's not as graphically impressive as some of the recent releases on PS4 or PC, Breath of the Wild is still very beautiful. A vast, open world is presented. Birds are chirping, wind is howling, grass moves to the elements and the vibrant colors bring the world to life. It was a wonderful moment.
It was quickly apparent that the world is open and that I can go wherever I want. This is a lot different from other Zelda games... While some of the others had big open worlds, it's rare that the opening hours of Zelda are so good. Normally, it's full of tutorials, annoying characters and too much text. This time, I can just play right away, so that's great.
I met an old man as soon as I left the hill. He explains that I won't be able to leave the Plateau region without a paraglider, which he's willing to share with me, but on the condition that I gather some treasure from a nearby shrine.
As I made my way to the shrine, I learned many of the game's open world mechanics. There's resource gathering, like wood, eggs, meat, mushrooms and more, which can be used to cook at campfires that have a cooking pot. Up to five items can be combined in the pot, so there's a ton of combinations available. My daughter really enjoyed picking ingredients for cooking and seeing the tasty result. There's also a big looting mechanic, where Link can pick up weapons from enemies or from the ground. Weapons break after a few uses, so there's a constant rotation of weapons as I fight enemies.
There's also enemy camps, where a few enemies are chilling around a campfire, a tree house or other quiet areas. When defeated, they often unlock a treasure chest that contains useful items. I can also use the Sheikah Slate to survey the area and place markers on the map. There's towers too, like most open world games of today, except they don't reveal activities and quests, instead, they only reveal the map.
The shrines are a really interesting concept. They are basically very short puzzles, similar to what a dungeon room would look like. The four shrines I explored in the Plateau each gave me a new ability. I can now move magnetic items, stop time for certain objects, throw spherical or square bombs and build ice pillars wherever there is water. These abilities can be used at any time, with a short recharge timer.
Each shrine has a specific mechanic. For example, in the shrine that focused on the magnetic skill, I had to move a bunch of metal boxes to solve. The reward is a special orb, and four of these can be traded for either a heart container or a stamina upgrade. Speaking of stamina, Link can now climb most natural surfaces, which is really awesome. Combat is pretty standard Zelda fare so far. The big difference is really that the weapons break after a few uses, so there's a lot of weapon switching on the fly. Each weapon has a different set of moves, so that's nice.
The story is pretty cool so far. After delivering the 4 orbs from the shrines to the old man, he revealed that he is the former King of Hyrule! 100 years ago, Princess Zelda and Link fought Ganon, but lost. Zelda is still protecting the kingdom from him somehow, but she's trapped inside the castle and won't be able to hold Ganon for very long. As for Link, he was killed in the battle, then put inside a resurrection shrine for 100 years to rebuild his body. That's where I woke up in the opening moments of the game.
The King explained that I must gain control of 4 divine beasts, giant creatures (machines?) which should make me strong enough to head to Hyrule Castle, defeat Ganon and rescue Zelda. He gave me a paraglider for my efforts, which lets me glide through the air after jumping from a high place. It can also carry me long distances if the wind blows in the right direction.
At this point, I've left the Plateau and am heading towards the first Divine Beast. The second area is a big road, filled with tons of open world fun, shrines and beautiful landscapes. I got to the second tower, completed a couple more shrines, fought some monsters and hunted wild animals.
I am absolutely in love with Breath of the Wild. It has a few minor problems, like a clumsy interface, the occasional framerate drop and some odd camera controls, but for the most part, this game is incredible. I can't wait to see more of it!
Platform: Switch
The Legend of Zelda's last main entry was 2011's Skyward Sword. More than 5 years later, there's finally a new game in the iconic game franchise. It's time for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
The game opens with Link waking up as he lies in a weird blue liquid inside a strange room. He picks up a special item called the Sheikah Slate which looks a lot like the Switch. Still in his boxers, he exits the room and goes outside. This moment was very strong, as Link climbs a small hill and gets a grandiose view of Hyrule, including Death Mountain and Hyrule Castle. Then the title screen appears in the corner, marking the beginning of an epic adventure.
While it's not as graphically impressive as some of the recent releases on PS4 or PC, Breath of the Wild is still very beautiful. A vast, open world is presented. Birds are chirping, wind is howling, grass moves to the elements and the vibrant colors bring the world to life. It was a wonderful moment.
It was quickly apparent that the world is open and that I can go wherever I want. This is a lot different from other Zelda games... While some of the others had big open worlds, it's rare that the opening hours of Zelda are so good. Normally, it's full of tutorials, annoying characters and too much text. This time, I can just play right away, so that's great.
I met an old man as soon as I left the hill. He explains that I won't be able to leave the Plateau region without a paraglider, which he's willing to share with me, but on the condition that I gather some treasure from a nearby shrine.
As I made my way to the shrine, I learned many of the game's open world mechanics. There's resource gathering, like wood, eggs, meat, mushrooms and more, which can be used to cook at campfires that have a cooking pot. Up to five items can be combined in the pot, so there's a ton of combinations available. My daughter really enjoyed picking ingredients for cooking and seeing the tasty result. There's also a big looting mechanic, where Link can pick up weapons from enemies or from the ground. Weapons break after a few uses, so there's a constant rotation of weapons as I fight enemies.
There's also enemy camps, where a few enemies are chilling around a campfire, a tree house or other quiet areas. When defeated, they often unlock a treasure chest that contains useful items. I can also use the Sheikah Slate to survey the area and place markers on the map. There's towers too, like most open world games of today, except they don't reveal activities and quests, instead, they only reveal the map.
The shrines are a really interesting concept. They are basically very short puzzles, similar to what a dungeon room would look like. The four shrines I explored in the Plateau each gave me a new ability. I can now move magnetic items, stop time for certain objects, throw spherical or square bombs and build ice pillars wherever there is water. These abilities can be used at any time, with a short recharge timer.
Each shrine has a specific mechanic. For example, in the shrine that focused on the magnetic skill, I had to move a bunch of metal boxes to solve. The reward is a special orb, and four of these can be traded for either a heart container or a stamina upgrade. Speaking of stamina, Link can now climb most natural surfaces, which is really awesome. Combat is pretty standard Zelda fare so far. The big difference is really that the weapons break after a few uses, so there's a lot of weapon switching on the fly. Each weapon has a different set of moves, so that's nice.
The story is pretty cool so far. After delivering the 4 orbs from the shrines to the old man, he revealed that he is the former King of Hyrule! 100 years ago, Princess Zelda and Link fought Ganon, but lost. Zelda is still protecting the kingdom from him somehow, but she's trapped inside the castle and won't be able to hold Ganon for very long. As for Link, he was killed in the battle, then put inside a resurrection shrine for 100 years to rebuild his body. That's where I woke up in the opening moments of the game.
The King explained that I must gain control of 4 divine beasts, giant creatures (machines?) which should make me strong enough to head to Hyrule Castle, defeat Ganon and rescue Zelda. He gave me a paraglider for my efforts, which lets me glide through the air after jumping from a high place. It can also carry me long distances if the wind blows in the right direction.
At this point, I've left the Plateau and am heading towards the first Divine Beast. The second area is a big road, filled with tons of open world fun, shrines and beautiful landscapes. I got to the second tower, completed a couple more shrines, fought some monsters and hunted wild animals.
I am absolutely in love with Breath of the Wild. It has a few minor problems, like a clumsy interface, the occasional framerate drop and some odd camera controls, but for the most part, this game is incredible. I can't wait to see more of it!
