Zelda games have been "console sellers" for Nintendo going back decades. Sometimes I've gone for them, sometimes I haven't. But I've never really been disappointed. The teams behind these games know what they're doing, rise to the occasion, and always succeed in making something familiar-yet-new and so very satisfying. But they've really outdone themselves here. Breath of the Wild is a real contender for the best Zelda game ever.
Again, being quite late to the party on this one, there's probably nothing I could say about the game that hasn't already been said somewhere. Nevertheless, I can still highlight the things I loved. This is an "open world RPG" about as perfectly balanced as it can be. You never have to wander far to find some new shiny object to draw your attention. You're never at a loss for things to do, places to go, monsters to fight.
Most significantly, all this content is broken up into super-satisfying bite-sized chunks. It's very rare to play the game -- even for just an hour or so (assuming you can stop yourself) -- and not feel like you've accomplished something meaningful during the session. The "shrine" system is one great way this happens, a series of 120 mostly puzzle-based instances where you can find loot and gradually level up. There's seemingly no end to the ways a shrine can call upon your skills in a new way, make you work step by step toward some clever solution, and look at things from new angles. Even after beating the game by completing its story, I found myself continuing to play mainly to find more shrines and experience their compelling gameplay.
"Durability" systems in RPGs, in which items break and are lost, often feel like too much realism and too little fun. Breath of the Wild threads the needle here, though, using the gradual destruction of items as a way of coaxing you into trying out different weapons and shields. The system is sufficiently vast that everything has some purpose somewhere: one- or two-handed weapons, bows and arrows of half a dozen types, powers of fire and ice and lighting, and gear (which doesn't degrade) to help you swim or climb better, hike deserts or snowy mountains more easily, and more. There's an enormous array of items in this world, and nearly everything is useful at some point.
Cooking and crafting systems have often felt tacked-on to me in other games, but the system is much more satisfying in Breath of the Wild. You can experiment on your own or learn from guidance throughout the game. None of this is revolutionary; it just feels polished to me here, by designers who were definitely learning from other games in the genre.
The music is excellent. There are a number of melodies that will get stuck in your head in the best way... but that's not because of a shortage of music overall. Dozens, if not hundreds, of situations in the game each have their own music, a wide backdrop to your adventuring. It's the first game soundtrack in quite some time that I could imagine listening to outside the game... though the association will be so strong that the game would be very much in my mind if I ever did.
I may be four years behind when it comes to this game, but I'm here in time for the sequel. In designing downloadable content for Breath of the Wild, the team reportedly found their way into a whole new game that has been in development now for some time. Years between Zelda games isn't that unusual; quality like this takes time. But I know I won't be behind the curve next time around. I'm excited to see what's next from the people who created this masterpiece of a game.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an absolute A for me, and deserves the highest of praise. If, like me, you somehow haven't played it either, I really can't recommend it enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment