Relax Zelda, and take a Breath of the Wild
There’s a special kind of joy in unboxing a new console. It’s shiny and new, waiting to immerse you into all its worlds. Every console needs its launch flagship and Zelda: Breath of the Wild was Nintendo’s when they launched the Switch. And boy did they hit it out of the park!
Right at the very outset, you’re put into the ragged shoes of Link (well, he doesn’t even have proper clothes at this point!) and the game sets you loose into the expansive, open-world of post-apocalyptic Hyrule. This is a survival game at heart, disguised as an action-adventure Zelda game, subverting almost every established trope of the Zelda series.
Here, it is not Link or Zelda that is the real protagonist. It’s the open-world of Hyrule, which is not only vast and breathtaking but also follows real-world physics in all the environmental interactions. Do you see a tree? They bear fruits, which you can pluck, and then they regrow. Are you in an open grassy field? Well, use your torch and set it ablaze. The fire spreads as you would (or wouldn’t!) expect. Wild animals roam the world, which could be tamed and used during your journey. The fun in BoTW is experimenting with the world and seeing what happens. You’re always reminded that you’re at the mercy of the elements when the dynamic weather kicks in; when it rains, your surroundings are peppered with lightning; if the…
