The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

INTRODUCTION

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U video game consoles. The game is a part of The Legend of Zelda series, and follows amnesiac protagonist Link, who awakens from a hundred-year slumber to a mysterious voice that guides him to defeat Calamity Ganon before he can destroy the kingdom of Hyrule.

The title's gameplay and mechanics constitute a departure from the series' usual conventions, featuring an open-world environment, a detailed physics engine, high-definition visuals, and voice acting. Announced in 2013, the game was initially planned for release as a Wii U exclusive in 2015, but was delayed twice prior to its release on March 3, 2017. Breath of the Wild was a launch title for the Switch, as well as the final Nintendo-produced game for the Wii U.

Breath of the Wild received universal acclaim from critics, who deemed it to be one of the greatest video games of all time. Critics praised the game's open-ended, physics-driven gameplay that encourages player experimentation and exploration, with many calling it a landmark title in open-world game design, although minor criticism was directed at the game's technical performance at launch.

GAMEPLAY

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild departs from most games in The Legend of Zelda series, as it features an open-world environment, twelve times larger than the overworld in Twilight Princess, with less emphasis on defined entrances and exits to areas. Similar to the original The Legend of Zelda, the player is placed into the game's world with very little instruction, and is allowed to explore freely at their own pace.

Taking control of Link, players are able to freely explore Hyrule, with actions such as running, climbing, swimming, and gliding with a paraglider using up stamina. Unlike other games where Link obtains specific key weapons for permanent use, the player must procure various items from the environment, including melee weapons, bows, and shields, which break after excessive use. Many items have multiple uses; for example, wooden weapons can be set to light fires and shields can be used as makeshift snowboards, a practice known in-game as shield surfing. Players can also obtain various food and materials, such as meat from hunted animals, monster parts from defeated enemies, and valuable gemstones from ore reserves. By cooking various combinations of food or materials, the player can create meals and elixirs that can replenish Link's health and stamina, or provide temporary status bonuses such as increased strength or resistance against cold environments. Near the start of the game, Link obtains multiple rune powers that are installed onto his Sheikah Slate, which can also be used to mark waypoints on a map and take pictures. These include remote bombs, which come in cube and spherical forms; Magnesis, which can be used to manipulate metal objects; Cryonis, which forms ice blocks on watery surfaces; and Stasis, which temporarily stops objects in time, during which the player can build up kinetic energy which is released once time resumes.[4][5][6] Players will need to be cautious of environmental climate and changes in the weather; for example, cold environments will damage Link unless he wears warm clothing or eats spicy food, while lightning will become attracted to metal objects during thunderstorms.

Spread throughout Hyrule's overworld are towers and shrines, activating either of which adds waypoints that the player may warp to at any time. Activating towers adds the surrounding territory to the player's map, although specific location names are not added until the player explores that area for themselves. Shrines replace the series' traditional dungeons, instead consisting of smaller challenges ranging from puzzle solving to battles against robotic opponents, with some shrines requiring a puzzle to be solved on the overworld to enter. Clearing these shrines earns Spirit Orbs, which can be traded in for additional heart containers or an expanded stamina wheel.[8] Also scattered across the overworld are various small puzzles that reveal the hiding places of Koroks. Solving these puzzles earns Korok Seeds, which can be traded in to expand inventory size for weapons, shields, and bows.[9] Players may also scan Amiibo figures to add items into the game, including Link's horse Epona and Wolf Link from Twilight Princess.[10][11] If the player fulfills certain conditions, they are able to unlock an alternative ending of the game.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Action-Advanture Video Game

INTRODUCTION

GAMEPLAY

TRAILER