Introduction
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild completely changed the idea of action-adventure with an open world. The game rose above the baseline norms for what to expect from a title in this series. In Breath of the Wild, the developers showed the world in 2017 on the Nintendo Switch and Wii U, and it became a breakthrough with over 150 “Game of the Year” awards.
We play as Link, the protagonist who awakens from a century-long slumber to battle Calamity Ganon, an ancient evil. This will be the first time a grand Zelda game features Link freely roaming. You experience the freedom of wandering in almost the entire world, and that is what made millions fall in love with this game.
Story & Lore
It starts with Link waking up inside the Shrine of Resurrection after 100 years. His mission is to save the almost entirely crushed land of Hyrule from Calamity Ganon. An ancient evil has consumed Hyrule Castle, and only Princess Zelda is holding Ganon back from destroying everything.
The game has deep lore revealed through artifacts, shrines, and surrounding NPC encounters. You learn half the story by reclaiming Link’s memories. Each place in the game has its own past and secrets. The story missions can be done in any order.
Hyrule is an open world, and you will eventually track down the Guardians (four large mechanical creatures) and free them to fight against Ganon. Link must release these creatures to help fight the final battle.
World & Exploration
The openness and player freedom offered by Breath of the Wild is genuinely unmatched by other games. There is no linear path for Link to journey, and he can go wherever he wants from the beginning. Hyrule is enormous — roughly 360 square kilometers of land (or 140 square miles).
The world of Hyrule is packed with secrets, from chests hidden behind walls to ancient temples. There are more than 120 Shrines, each tasking Link with a unique puzzle or challenge. All of this adds up to stamina and health boosts, crucial for withstanding the more grueling sections.
In the world of Breath of the Wild, physics plays a major role: you can set trees on fire, make bridges out of fallen logs, crush enemies with rolling boulders, or even attract lightning to metal objects to create thunderstorms. An endless range of possibilities!
Gameplay & Mechanics
The game features some unique and divisive mechanics which we will examine at this point.
All weapons including swords shields and bows deteriorate with continuous use. The weapon breakage mechanism generates additional stress during combat events. Each weapon including legendary ones needs to undergo recovery.
Hunger system – consuming cooked food will restore your health and stamina at the same time through. Special food recipes help you survive through harsh weather as well as provide temporary safety from temperature extremes. Your ability to mix ingredients leads to obtaining rewards that help you develop stronger culinary recipes.
The living world showcases changing weather patterns that consist of wind systems fire elements water effects and magnetic forces. The Cryonis rune enables users to build ice bridges across water surfaces for crossing lakes.
Link interacts with the world through the main tools which he calls runes. Bombs together with Stasis (freezing objects in time) and Magnesis (moving metal objects) help puzzle-solving and combat capabilities.
Best Tips
What to Do:
- Travel throughout the complete world to locate every Shrine and treasure that will strengthen your character while providing strategic benefits.
- The preparation of food and elixirs enables you to restore your stamina gauge and resist extreme temperature conditions. Different combinations of ingredients will result in superior effects.
- The use of paragliding enables efficient exploration while also conserving your energy. Jump from tall positions to extend your movement distance through gliding motion.
- Material collection is important during the manufacturing process of improved armor and weapons. The acquisition of rare materials becomes possible by tackling hard locations and overcoming strong enemy opponents.
- Runes function as vital equipment since they enhance combat efficiency while providing solutions to puzzles. Through Magnesis the player can grab objects and Stasis enables them to freeze opponents during their movements.
- Slowing down time during flight allows paraglider users to achieve precise bow shot accuracy.
What Not to Do:
- Don’t fight strong enemies like Lynels and Hinoxes when you are underpowered. They will waste your resources.
- Save your best weapons for bigger enemies and bosses. Use weaker items for easy fights.
- Don’t ignore the weather: Prepare proper protection with appropriate clothes and food for heat or cold.
Graphics
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has a one-of-a-kind art style that combines realism with watercolor effects They chose a magical, quite realistic world to present the game, using cel-shading with softly colored and dampened tones. This art style takes from gazing upon verdant landscapes to entering the side of a live painting: towering mountains and peaceful meadows all around.
It runs at 900p when docked and 720p on a handheld on the Nintendo Switch. For an open-world game, a lot is going on in it, but the framerate remains solid with only occasional dips.
Sound and Music
Breath of the Wild takes a minimalist approach to its music compared to past Zelda titles. The ambient soft touch of piano/wind/bird chirps as you walk over green grass rustles.
However, the music will kick into a more upbeat and intense song once combat starts. Composers Komei Sone, Manaka Kataoka, and Hajime Wakai focus on colorful musical scores to accompany Link while he adventures.
Interesting Facts
- It took more than 5 years to develop Breath of the Wild with over 300 developers working on it.
- The game sold 30+ million copies by 2017, making it one of Nintendo’s largest undertakings.
- There are 120 Shrines and 900 Korok seeds to discover. Finding all Korok seeds rewards you with a humorous “golden poop” trophy.
- Fully voiced cutscenes add emotion and personality to the characters — even Zelda has spoken lines!
- The open-world design of Breath of the Wild inspired developers to create Elden Ring and Genshin Impact.
Conclusion
The experience of Breath of the Wild stretches beyond being a mere game because it allows players to freely discover a living environment. The game provides both its expansive world and intelligent puzzles and changing challenges so you can create your own experience. The vibrant world of Hyrule is interesting through its hidden treasures and natural splendor which discoveries at every movement. The game provides all the elements that players who enjoy exploration and magical universes seek in their adventures.