The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

February 6, 2021

The much needed and long awaited rethinking of the Legend of Zelda franchise. Oddly enough, the end result was taking the series back to where it began, exploration. Could there have been better dungeons? I guess? Could the weapons have lasted a bit longer? Absolutely. But these choices were deliberate and further pushed the player to explore and interact with the environment around them. I believe that the endless criticism of the weapon degradation and the dungeons come from a failure to appreciate the underlying thesis of Breath of the Wild. Specifically, with the dungeons, they are the weakest part of the game--not because they aren’t as fleshed out as prior Zelda titles, but because they shouldn’t have been in this game at all. Instead, the shrines reinforce the exploration focus, and the game is stronger for it. The same is true of the weapon system, continually asking you to re-engage with the environment. Ultimately, it is a game that challenges you to push back against the game, and decide what you want to make of the experience. The further you dig in, the greater progression you feel, but it’s entirely optional. It’s a beautiful thing, and it’s bold. It was refreshing to see Nintendo still willing to take risks with even it’s most mainline franchises.