Four years on, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild remains the Nintendo Switch’s crown jewel
In 2014, Nintendo officially revealed their ambitious new (and then-untitled) Zelda game. Their goal was to break away from the linear conventions of the franchise, something they had experimented with in the 2013 title The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Teasing the freedom and exploration element of the game, producer Eiji Aonuma said “the puzzle solving in this game begins the moment the player starts to think about where they want to go, how they want to get there, and what they will do when they arrive”.
Initially slated for a 2015 Wii U release, it wouldn’t be until 2017 when The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released. It had undergone some changes, but the biggest difference was that the game was no longer a Wii U exclusive. Alongside a release on the Wii U, Breath of the Wild was now the flagship title for the newly launched Nintendo Switch.
It wasn’t the first time a Zelda game was simultaneously launched on two consoles; the 2006 title The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was originally developed exclusively for the Nintendo Gamecube, but ended up being released as a launch title for the brand-new Nintendo Wii too. While both games are certainly playable on their original console, they’re vastly improved on more modern hardware.
So why is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild one of the definitive Nintendo Switch titles, especially considering it came out on two different consoles? What makes the game one of the must-have titles in the Switch library, even compared to four years’ worth of games which followed it? Well, there’s two key reasons.
The first reason, like with Twilight Princess, is that it shows off the magic of new hardware. Twilight Princess allowed gamers to use motion controls, such as aiming a bow, and it’s a novel concept which had fans sold. Similarly, the Nintendo Switch allowed gamers to play a technically powerful new Zelda game however they wanted. Whether they chose to sit in front of a TV, on a train or during their breaks at work, fans had the power to choose how they experienced the dystopian-era Hyrule. The Wii U version is still perfectly playable, but occasionally buckles under the myriad of explosions and enemies.
The second reason is that it takes The Legend of Zelda franchise to a whole new level. Exploration has always been a key element of Zelda games, all the way back to the original The Legend of Zelda on the SNES, but this time it was different. If you could see it, you could explore it. Gamers couldn’t believe this to be true, but it took them playing the game to understand the scope and freedom they had. That giant mountain in front of you? Scalable. That far-off island? Sail or fly there. Thunderstorms and pitch-black forests? Enter them and find out what’s going on. When Nintendo said players can explore “any area they can see from virtually any direction”, they meant it.
In Breath of the Wild, everything is magnified. The world is gigantic, with a lot of the gameplay focused solely on finding new areas and hidden secrets. The game’s musical score is melancholic yet intense, accompanying a calamity-torn world with haunting melodies. The game is visually impressive in almost every way, from the majesty of Hyrule’s environments to its quirky inhabitants. Gameplay feels familiar, yet new features such as scavenging for weapons and cooking food makes it feel like you’re truly braving the wilderness.
And let’s take a moment to consider the absolute freedom this game gives you. Exploring anything you see is one part of it, but you’re very rarely forced to follow a pre-determined course. The game advises you visit four Divine Beasts and grow in strength before fighting the monstrous Calamity Ganon, but you can simply stroll into the malice-infested Hyrule Castle and give him a good walloping. It’ll be a lot tougher, but it’s your choice.
You can also choose how you tackle the tasks presented before you. Quite often there’s not one single solution for doing something, and it’s about what feels right for you. One quest has you stripped of all your items and asked to place three orbs on three pedestals. One of the orbs is resting on a Hinox, a giant ogre-like beast. There’s a few ways you can tackle this. You can hit it with nearby objects until it dies. You can glide onto the Hinox’s stomach, gently pick up the orb and sneak over to the pedestal. Or, if you’re like me, you can grab the orb and run like hell as the Hinox chases you. This freedom is what makes Breath of the Wild shine.
Four years after the console’s release, the Nintendo Switch is boasting an impressive lineup. Super Mario Odyssey built on previous 3D outings by developing impressive worlds and exciting power-ups. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 let RPG players explore massive fantasy realms and interact with an array of well-developed characters. Animal Crossing: New Horizons has kept players company throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing them to craft a peaceful life on a beautiful little island.
There are so many impressive games on the Nintendo Switch, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the console’s biggest triumphs. It took players into a whole new era, not just for The Legend of Zelda franchise but for a revolutionary new console. By 2020 it was one of the best selling games on the Nintendo Switch, with over 21 million copies sold. Nintendo have capitalised on its success, releasing the action-packed prequel Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and announcing a Breath of the Wild sequel.
If I were to recommend one game for the Nintendo Switch, it would be The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It not only captures everything magical about the Zelda franchise and the Nintendo Switch console, it’s a masterclass in video games as an out-of-this-world experience. Traversing the world of Hyrule as Link has never felt so good.
