pretty much any surface, paraglide off tall mountains,
swim across lakes, and even fast travel to important
locations. An ever-present Stamina meter adds a
survival element to these; run out of stamina whilst
climbing and Link will fall, often to his death. Do the
same whilst swimming and he’ll drown. Combine these
with temperature and weather effects, a surprisingly
deep cooking / potion brewing system, and weapons
with limited durability and you soon begin to realise
that Breath of the Wild can be a punishing experience
for the unprepared.
Combat can be equally punishing. The open nature
of the game makes it easy to explore places where you
probably shouldn’t yet be, and encounter enemies you
probably shouldn’t be fighting. Some foes can insta-
kill you with one hit, though as is typical with Zelda
titles, enemy attacks are usually well choreographed,
enabling you to react and respond to them if you’re
thinking about what you’re doing. It’s quite feasible for
a player without any upgrades to take on a powerful
enemy like a Lyonel and survive - though not
particularly recommended. This does give an unusual
sense of danger to the world, which can seem harsh but
generous checkpointing mitigates any frustration. That
said, combat can feel a bit stiff at times, with dodging
and sidesteps tethered to a not-always-reliable target
locking system. There’s also the fact that your weapons
break very easily, often after a handful of attacks -
it’s not as bad as it sounds as this does force you to
experiment with other weapon types, but it can be a
cause of frustration.
The inventory system - often a downfall of Zelda titles
- is likewise rather clumsier than it needs to be, with
limited slots for weapons and shields quickly filling up,
but no quick way to discard current equipment without
going into the inventory manually before you can pick
up a new weapon. Cooking is similarly clunky; you
can select a few items to ‘hold’ from your inventory
screen, then drop them into a cooking pot, but given
the importance of cooked recipes it would have made
more sense to have a dedicated cooking interface, and
maybe a menu of learned recipes.
What makes the clunky inventory stand out is that
everywhere else the game is so polished. The various
systems running the world and the abilities and powers
Link possesses segue together so well they feel like a
natural fit for one another, even down to the unique
way the game handles mapmaking (you have to tag
your own locations on the map with stamps). The rune
powers Link has access to - bombs, magnesis, freeze and
stasis - all have their own clear uses in the puzzle-based
Shrines, but can be applied liberally to encounters in
the open world as well. Crushing a bunch of moblins
with a hunk of metal dropped from high above, before
they’ve even seen you, never gets old.
When you’re not abusing your powers to blow up
Ganon’s minions, you’ll be using them in the 100+
Shrines hidden around the game world. Each Shrine
is like a mini Portal level, often with their own unique
mechanics to contend with. They’re nothing to the
main dungeons though, which are sprawling, intricate
affairs up there with some of the finest the series has to
offer, even if the boss fights aren’t always as good.
What makes Breath of the Wild so impressive is that
it manages to combine a string of influences into one
cohesive whole, and yet still feel like a Zelda game -
even if it doesn’t always play like one, or at least not
one many modern gamers will recognise. If anything,
Breath of the Wild owes much of its ideas to the classic
NES and SNES Zelda games, divesting itself of the
guidance-heavy gameplay that characterised much
of Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword and opting
instead for something much more open, in keeping
with its challenging roots. A fitting full circle for the
31 year old series, then, and a game that is likely to be
every bit as important now as the Legend of Zelda was
in 1986. 10/10
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