So, this is not gonna be my normal, “professional” posting style because I don’t want to put the effort into that this time. However, being as BotW is one of my all time favorite games if not my favorite, it felt right to do SOMETHING for its three year anniversary. So, instead of an intellectual analysis, allow me to gush and fanboy about this game once more- all I mean to do is compile all the reasons I love this game so much into one little post.
I love video game worlds. Watching a story told in a fantasy world is one thing, but being a part of that world can really grab my interest if done right. Likewise, Zelda games have always had some of my favorite worlds for multiple reasons. I love the unique fantasy concepts and lore bits. I love the architecture and symbols that you can find. From a gameplay perspective, Zelda has been less about following the objectives and more about that one cool thing you discover; whether it be blowing up a wall to uncover a cave or finding a heart piece in a hidden corner of the room or under a cleverly placed puzzle.
The idea of Zelda going full open world was exactly what the series need to take all of those things to their fullest potential — and it succeeded. Every time I first set foot outside of the Great Plateau, I get chills or just feel a sense of awe. It’s so well built up as you play around in a smaller location, getting familiar with the mechanics, before the game finally takes off the training wheels and goes “Okay, go have fun, explore to your heart’s content.”
I know there’s lots of open world games that market themselves on being giant and explorable. But BotW is easily the most captivating from the moment you set foot into it. The landscape is sprawling, and you can see so far into it. When I play something like The Witcher 3 (which I still think is a good game), I notice just how flat the landscape feels. Nothing looms in the distance to grab my attention. In BotW, all I have to do is climb up a mountain and look in the distance, and I can see everything: each part of the landscape looks unique and interesting in its own way, from the intimidating death mountain to the bizarre twin peak mountains to the sense of dread that Hyrule Castle always brings.
Shrines and towers have bright colors that stick out, making them easy to spot and convince you to head in its direction because “Ooo shiny!” Kass’s accordion draws my interest because it’s comforting in an otherwise lonely world, and it often leads to a new Shrine riddle. Speaking of, the Shrines are honestly such a genius idea. They’re so easy to grab attention not only visually, but in promising fun content. A strength of the Zelda series has always been having a bigger focus on puzzles to balance to the combat, creating true equilibrium rather than mostly action with a couple of puzzles thrown in here and there. So just having bite-sized puzzle shrines to occupy your time as one of the games major things to discover rather than just the one-and-done items that you quickly move on from... it’s the most Zelda-like thing you can do for a Zelda open world.
It actually reminds me of one of the reasons I love Wind Waker so much, which was my favorite Zelda game before BotW and another game I treasure so much. One of my favorite things to do in that game is to sail the open ocean, only to find myself dropping into a cave on an island. I go in to fight monsters or solve puzzles and get to the end, obtaining a cool new treasure chart or something, and come back out to continue exploring. This exact gameplay loop I love so much is in Breath of the Wild, but on a grander scale.
The puzzle design in Shrines are so good, too. The complex physics engine means puzzles really make you think outside the box, and in some cases, there are even multiple possible solutions. I’ve always loved Zelda puzzles, but they’ve never been this experimental or satisfying. They’re just so creative and fun. Even when all the Shrines have the same interior aesthetic, I can always distinguish them because I the really cool and unique puzzles from each one.
Back to the world, the presentation of this game and it’s world is enough to make a case for why I love video games on an emotional level. I love looking at nature, so getting lost in world with so much attention to detail in of plant life, animal and nature noises echoing in the background, and the absolutely gorgeous sky and lighting/shading creates something so beautiful, and it works with the cel-shading style.
To go with that is the piano melodies. They’re all broken up to fit the Hyrule in ruins, and yet, the melodies are strong enough that they’re still so memorable despite being broken up and full of rest notes. I also love atmosphere and ambience in Zelda music across the series, so a Zelda game emphasizing that side of Zelda OST resonates with me.
However, speaking of the soundtrack on a grander scale, I love how dynamic is. There’s a gradual progression of style here: explore on foot is greeted with broken up piano. Ride a horse for a stronger melody with some beautiful violin remixes of classic Zelda melodies on top. Cutscenes keep the same piano + violin atmosphere, but have lots of beautiful and emotional melodies rather than pure ambience. Then, fighting bosses or taking on Divine Beasts can have some of the most motivational and exciting songs in the game, sometimes with Skyward Sword levels of masterful orchestra. Each part of the soundtrack is excellent at what it does, and as a result, it’s probably the Zelda game that makes me the most emotional by far- I don’t think I’ve ever played a Zelda game that made me feel this reflective or this excited.
Lastly, let me talk for a minute about story. I’ll have to it that yes, the story is underdeveloped in a handful of areas, and by no means would I call this one of the best Zelda storylines. However, there are specific aspects that speak to me so much, even if they don’t make the story as a whole as amazing as it could be.
First, the atmosphere and world-building. I mentioned at the beginning of this blog that I love Zelda worlds not only for their exploration, but their lore and fantasy. Seeing Hyrule’s architecture and religion in the context of a world so giant is something that I can’t get enough of — going through the remains of old temples, seeing statues of Hylia, all in a world the size of a continent makes Hyrule feel like a real place. At the same time, seeing a post-apocalyptic version gives such a heavy impact. For example, seeing the Temple of Time in ruins can feel so impactful because it’s a place we’ve come to know and love in the series for so long.
Second, as a small note, each cutscene looks so well shot and has some of the best soundtrack in the game, so they can capture so much in so little time. Finally, I absolutely adore Zelda games where taking down Ganon is a team effort for both Link and Zelda, which is something I mentioned in my Spirit Tracks Review. Breath of the Wild really turns the damsel stereotypes on their head by having Zelda ultimately being the one saving Link in the game’s backstory, and the fact that her being held at the castle being due to her holding Ganon back with her own magic rather than being trapped against her will is such a clever idea.
Zelda herself is just an interesting character, too. She’s the most relatable princess in the series because of the burdens she carries — how she is expected of such a great things despite the fact that she can’t achieve no matter how hard she pushes herself. She hates herself and sees herself as a failure, which I think is something many can relate with. Also, as a teenager, she has such a strong desire to pursue her own interests, stepping outside of the typical “royal” attitude and appearance. She’s such an interesting and lovable character, and one of my favorite characters in the series.
I know Breath of the Wild isn’t without its flaws. The story is underdeveloped because we don’t spend enough time in the memory world for it to have the impact that it could, which also leads to not enough time developing the Champions as characters. The Divine Beasts lack distinct dungeon aesthetics to help them stand out from each other, and they don’t always have the same feeling of progress like some past Zelda games do. The food system can be a little too broken by the end of the game (though the system is rather fun and rewarding all the way up until endgame territory).
I know lots of people criticize the game for these reasons and more. But Breath of the Wild, to me, is a special game. It hit me at just the right time and had a sense of magic that few games in my life have captured. The world and the exploration, the atmosphere and presentation, the gameplay loop, it’s all so captivating. I can never get enough of this game, and it opens up so many possibilities with what Nintendo can do with the Zelda series. This is what makes the sequel so exciting; we can hopefully see the games flaws addressed, but we can also see just how Zelda can further evolve in this ambitious new direction that we can all was established by a little game called Breath of the Wild.
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I know this was a lot different from my usual style of blogs, but I really wanted to use this as an opportunity to just rant what’s on my mind rather than neatly organize my thoughts. There’s no doubt that this game has received so much positive reception over the past few years, but I feel like now, more than ever, this has also become one of the most divisive Zelda games in of opinion just like Ocarina of Time was before it. Because of this, I always feel a burning ion to give my own two cents on the game and why I personally love it so much. I hope you guys enjoyed, and happy three year anniversary to Breath of the Wild!
Comments (2)
YES RUUUUU