It has been five years since the Nintendo Switch and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild launched. Now we are about to get the long-awaited sequel in Tears of the Kingdom on May 12th. So if you haven’t gotten around to playing the game, now is the perfect time to jump in.
Gameplay
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild strayed from the tried and true formula for Zelda games in many ways. One of the biggest ways is that there weren’t any traditional dungeons. Instead, there were shrines that acted like mini-trials that would grant Link an orb upon completion that he could trade in for extra hearts or stamina. The shrines were varied, some being a simple battle with enemies and others being a maze.
The biggest selling point was that you could do almost whatever you wanted. That mountain in the distance, you can go there and climb to the top. On top of that, they made how you attack very different as well. Instead of a single sword, you could have multiple weapons that you could swap in and out of at will. The only downside is that now the weapons had a durability meter, and once it reached zero, the weapon broke.
The Story (Spoilers)
The game starts with Link waking from a 100-year sleep after being defeated by Ganon. As he emerges from the cave he discovers that the Hyrule he knew is very different. He meets a man on the road to an abandoned church and is tasked with going to different shrines on the plateau in order to obtain abilities. Once he does so, he will be given something that will help him escape.
Before he leaves the plateau, he learns that Zelda is still in Hyrule castle, holding back Calamity Ganon. Link’s mission is now to destroy Ganon and bring peace back to Hyrule. In order to do so, he must reclaim four Devine Beasts that can help weaken his nemesis. As Link travels the land, he learns that all the allies he had have been killed, and now he must find new ones.
During his travels to gather these allies, he discovers many more shrines that he can conquer to receive gifts. He travels to the Gerudo, meets Riju, and helps her take control of Vah Naboris, the Devine Beast. Afterwards, Link heads north to the Rito village to get another Devine Beast on his side. As he frees the beast, he also frees the spirit of Rivali, the Rito, who stays on the beast to help bring down Ganon.
Then Link heads west to the volcano and meets Yunboro, a Goron. Together they free the Devine Beast Vah Rudania and set it up, ready to attack. After being in that hot environment, Link travels to the water tribe of the Zoras. There he meets Prince Sidon and frees the Devine Beast Vah Ruta. With the four beasts freed, now it’s time to go and collect the most important weapon, The Master Sword.
After searching the forest and finding the Great Deku Tree, Link recovers the legendary sword and prepares for the final assault. He reaches the castle and fights through several enemies until he reaches the throne room. There he finds Calamity Ganon and enacts the plan.
The four Devine Beasts attack and severely weaken Ganon, but not nearly as much as Link hoped. From there, a long battle ensued, and finally, Link was victorious. However, not all was as it seemed, as Ganon took on his final form of Dark Beast Ganon and tried to take down Hyrule. With the help of Zelda, Ganon is defeated in this form as well, and it seems like peace will be fully restored to the land.
Reception
When Breath of the Wild was shown off at E3, the anticipation for a new Zelda game became the only thing people talked about when it came to Nintendo. It won multiple awards before the game even had a release date, just on hype alone. After it launched, the awards, including multiple Game of the Year awards, continued.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is considered one of the best Zelda games and even one of the best games ever made. The freedom that the game gives players has to lead to whole videos dedicated to seeing all the ways you could get around the world. One such video was a player creating a flying minecart and flying all over Hyrule.
Pick up this game to catch up on the story, and stay tuned for more Legend of Zelda news. Follow our Twitter and Instagram and tell us your favourite Legend of Zelda memory. While you’re here, why not check out the newest Dreamlight Valley update?
