Back in 2017, and the subsequent time afterward, when I completed Breath of the Wild I developed a bit of a negative opinion surrounding the game. I thought that it lacked story, that the narrative structure was outright bad, and that many of the gameplay systems deviated from what I thought was supposed to be Zelda. After starting a new (ongoing) playthrough of the game on Master Mode, my opinions have changed, and I now regard Breath of the Wild as one of the series’ best. In this brief article, I’m going to go over the aspects of BOTW that I’ve come to deeply appreciate a lot more.
Let’s get this out of the way; The 4k, HDR, 60FPS upgrade the game received on Switch 2 is phenomenal. Its gorgeous, cel-shaded art style is even more dreamy and timeless, and the performance is buttery smooth. The impossible has now become possible – What once was a game that felt perfect to play – now feels even better than ever. It’s even more addictive, and I couldn’t be more enthralled to hop in and roam the lands of Hyrule, forage for equipment, and survive the wilderness.
Getting into what has changed for me, the first thing I’d like to start with is the story. Once the honeymoon phase initially wore out back in 2017, I developed a disliking for BOTW’s story purely because I had a misconception that a good story was told through cutscenes. And while BOTW’s cutscenes are dramatic, beautiful, and help to tell the story, they’re not the end-all-be-all of what makes a narrative good.
BOTW’s method of storytelling is a lot more subtle, and I don’t blame younger me for missing the point of it. As Link, you explore a post-apocalyptic Hyrule 100 years after the Great Calamity. The kingdom lies in ruins, and yet a century later, people still find ways to live, survive, and thrive in the face of a ruined Kingdom. Coming across the field past the Dueling Peaks Stable and discovering the ruins of of a great battle at Fort Hateno between the corrupted Guardians and surviving Hylian soldiers is a treat. I’ll always look forward to the little details, listening to Link’s boots tapping against the grass and splashing through puddles of water and mud whilst being surrounded by defunct Guardians and battered stone walls which once made up lively villages, scarred but still standing after the Calamity’s assault. This imagery tells a vivid story without needing to give you exposition. Connecting the dots across Hyrule in many such instances is always satisfying in a way many games struggle to replicate. On top of that, the juxtaposition of seeing this war-torn land bursting with life, beauty, and a resilience to survive worth celebrating always makes me feel inspired.
The gameplay is so refined and responsive, especially within the living, breathing world of Hyrule we have here. And even though Breath of the Wild isn’t even in my top 3 Zelda games, I’ve always found this iteration of Hyrule to be the series’ most alive. Various animals litter the landscape, fish swim in all waters, insects stalk the grass. You find travelers of all sorts on your journeys as well, the remnants of who still lives after the Calamity 100 years ago. Once again, this connects back to the game’s focus on environmental storytelling, and given how well they pull this off, it’s nothing short of a miracle.
I could go on and on about why Breath of the Wild is such a fantastic work of art. This title marked the start of a new chapter for the Zelda series and solidified itself as a soft turning point for the industry at large, due to the conventions Breath of the Wild challenged. I’ve come around to rediscovering what makes this Zelda entry one of the greatest video games ever created.
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