The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Preview – Over That Next Hill
The journey is the best part of the adventure in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Here are our thoughts on the adventure so far.
There’s little I’m able to say at this stage of previews about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that you don’t know already from the countless demos and screenshots and clips we’ve seen up to now. I could go into detail about the cooking system, or how weapons break after enough wear and tear, or discuss the genius of some of the shrine puzzles–but none of that would quite capture what’s thus far so captivating to me about Breath of the Wild, and that’s something that’s difficult to convey unless you, too, have played the game. I’m talking about the journey itself–the open world adventuring through the vast, beautiful kingdom of Hyrule.
When Nintendo reps told us after E3 2016 that the Great Plateau was just the tip of the iceberg, they absolutely meant it. Consider the Great Plateau in all its vastness a minuscule tutorial area compared to what’s to come. But the enormous world of Breath of the Wild is not a snowy, featureless wasteland with the occasional generic cave dungeon full of zombies. Nor is it so stuffed full of sidequests and distractions that you’ll constantly be interrupted by folks in distress as you attempt the main quest.
The spacing, pacing, and variety of items to catch your eye out in the world is about as close to perfection as can be. From one hilltop, you might see a shrine, a pack of enemies guarding a chest, and a forest full of forageable food. You’ll select one goal and head toward it, and just as you reach your destination, you’ll catch something even more interesting over the next hill, waiting for you when you finish your current objective.
Breath of the Wild does not coddle you.
Hyrule is a world of few glaring map markers, favoring vague, yet promising, directions from passing travelers like yourself. Breath of the Wild evokes the feeling of truly being a wanderer, cobbling together what you can find to survive as you go. That’s not to say survival is an active challenge that will have you freaking out over meters and the elements, but difficult enemies, dynamic weather and climate, and functions such as sneaking and temperature will have you sighing for joy when you spot a fire with a cooking pot in the next enemy camp. The mere act of passing from one point to another is an active gameplay and decision-making process, not a mundane, hands-off trot (unless you are on a path, with a horse, and keep your eyes determinedly straight ahead only).
Between these survival sojourns into the gorgeous and stunningly vertical wilds of Hyrule, I’ve been having a blast with both the combat system and the game’s puzzles. Special attacks available for successful dodges or parries offer the skilled player with few heart containers a chance to bring down even the more terrifying of enemies. Different weapon types encourage different playstyles, and the cycle of weapons breaking and new weapons consistently available keeps your play well-rounded and fresh, though it may mean frustration for those who prefer to just swing one sword around the whole time.
As for puzzles? I can say almost nothing, except that this is the first Zelda game I’ve played where I feel the game wants me to use all the tools it gives me, all the time. Breath of the Wild does not coddle you. You are given your tutorials early, and then set loose to use that information in every possible way imagined by the developers, often in combination. The shrine puzzles seem like they would easily grow repetitive and skippable, but I haven’t yet found one that wasn’t fresh and at least slightly challenging; some are very, very challenging. In a manner similar to how the game encourages you to approach enemy camps in different ways, many of these puzzles boast different solutions depending on your approach.
I’m still working through the game, and I will be likely right up until I write the review next week–because even though you can sprint from story point to story point with some ease, I have absolutely no desire to. That’s not a reflection on the main quest in any way (I won’t reveal my thoughts on that just yet), but simply a praise of the world surrounding them. Last night, I looked through my Sheikah Scope at my next destination point and said, “I’ll get here before I go to bed.” I did not get to that point. I visited ten other diverse, interesting, and challenging locations instead, all the while meandering somewhat closer to my intended goal. And I had a blast doing it.
Next: Things Not To Do With A Nintendo Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild launches on March 3rd for Nintendo Switch and Wii U. A full review with all my impressions of the game and a final score will go up on March 2nd here at App Trigger.
A copy of this game and a Nintendo Switch console were provided to App Trigger for the purposes of this preview. Click here to learn more about our Review Policy.