The Legend of the Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Surprise! It’s Really Good
I first attempted to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild a couple months after its release when a friend of mine sold me their Nintendo Switch after completing their playthrough of the game. Buying a Switch just to play one game sounds silly, but the hype was intense back then. It was already being touted as one of the greatest games ever made - a conversation that it is still very much a part of even after the release of its sequel Tears of the Kingdom.
Despite all of that chatter, I bounced off of it after a couple of hours. By the year’s end, it wasn’t even in contention for my Game of the Year list, and for years after that I bounced off of the game a handful of times, selling and rebuying it on multiple occasions. I described it at the time in a now defunct podcast as “intimidating”.
Well, I was finally able to get over the hump a few weeks ago. This will come as a shock to many I’m sure, but I thought it was really fun! At this stage in my life, what previously felt intimidating felt freeing. The game became a space to just explore without concern, and its simple (at least on the surface) mechanics and framing device get out of the way to make room for said exploration. Picking a mountain off in the distance and climbing to its peak became a zen like experience whenever I found myself with a free hour.
The narrative, while maybe simplistic, has a heart to it. And after collecting all the game’s optional memories that heart’s potential is more fully realized, providing more punch than I was initially expecting. I don’t have much of a relationship with Zelda as a character, but her arc became one of the games most compelling elements for me. You may play as Link, but Zelda is the main character.
I believe one of the reasons that Breathe of the Wild clicked this time around is its versatility. I could pick up the Switch and choose to, depending on my mood, climb mountains and collect food for half an hour or seek out the game’s side missions to get to know the characters and the world better if I wanted to/had time for a more in-depth play session. The design of the game makes room for you and what you’re bringing to it that day.
In 2024, it feels unnecessary to advise anyone to seek out Breath of the Wild, so what I’ll do instead is encourage you to give a game you may have given up on a second (or third or fourth) chance. As you change so may your interpretation of a game’s intentions, opening up some new worlds that you had previously closed the door on.
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