Before tears fell, a deep breath was taken to withstand calamity...
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the series magnum opus. This is of course my own opinion, and many will either agree, disagree or have their own decision as to what the best Zelda title is. Ocarina of Time loyalists will unequivocally have their heads explode at that opening statement, and enthusiasts will state that A Link to the Past stands the test of time, and to that I will concur. The greatest thing about a franchise as strong as The Legend of Zelda, is representation. Each carry a myriad of integral gameplay features that differentiate from each other, albeit a dependence on inspiration or re-invention. From top-down, side-scrolling, platforming, open-world and more, Zelda has done it all, if not capitalised and improved on every stretch. A formulaic pursuit that sheds its skin each iteration, and presents a whole new way to experience Link’s endless timeline.
To be frank, I fell off The Legend of Zelda after Ocarina of Time, only previewing Majora’s Mask, however it never really piqued my interest. At that time I had moved onto the Sony PlayStation and had left Nintendo behind. While the series continued to flourish with polarising sequels ahead of it, I knew that Zelda’s glory days were left with its primary Nintendo64 entry – or so I thought. Through Oracle of Seasons and Ages, to Four Swords and Wind Waker, there was never a doubt that I was not missing much. The series popularity diminished slowly, despite its misunderstood GameCube entry, which I would say was well ahead of its time and copped an unfair amount of criticism, despite its unorthodox aesthetic and design choices. It now sits deservedly above some of the greatest within the series, and to be honest, due to my naivety and presumptuous impressions, I missed out.
Coming back to Zelda on the Wii was a warm embrace with Twilight Princess, re-igniting interest in its dark tones and deathly aura which had semblance of realism tied-in. The series looked to be back on track for a great re-emergence – not necessarily a renaissance just yet, but it was heading toward bigger things surely… right? Well, not to be negative but it nosedived again. Let’s call what it was. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword decimated any momentum Twilight Princess had managed to generate, landing on Nintendo’s tombstone era for the Wii. It was way too late in the Nintendo Wii’s lifecycle to be releasing a new Zelda title, and it suffered because of its lacking capabilities. It also tried its best in rebirthing any interest in motion controls, a gimmick that was the Wii’s selling point in its initial phase but had died a slow death as the generation was overdue for its closure.
Skipping the Wii U – and although its considered a Wii U generation title – Breath of the Wild came at a time where Nintendo were the butt of the joke within the industry, and were desperate to attract core members of its audience back to its brand, with a shiny new platform to boot. In tandem, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild can thank the Nintendo Switch and vice-versa for their insanely successful launch in March 2017. The title was an instant classic, if anything a modern masterpiece that took everything we knew and loved about prior Zelda’s, and manifested an amalgamation of its entire history. From gameplay, aesthetic, level/world design and an abundance of inspiration from other established open-world titles, Breath of the Wild had escaped Zelda’s archaic swordplay action-adventure, and adapted an unbridled testament to a lofty escapade that preceded to be a breath of fresh air, no pun intended.
The ambition to reboot Zelda and give it new life was risky in absolute fact, it would divide a section of its audience to attract a corner of the community that had never touched a Zelda title. Breath of the Wild managed to capture the interest of younger gamers that were enamoured with titles akin to The Witcher 3, the hottest open-world role-playing game at the time of the Nintendo Switch’s launch. Broadening Link’s adventure from a dungeon crawler/metroidvania like traversal experience into a brand new, sandbox style open world was emphatic to Nintendo’s statement to revitalise interest in the franchise, and I for one was not ready. I was excited for the Nintendo Switch, and of course I wanted to try the new Zelda on launch like many were, so I went all in and pre-ordered the Switch with the Breath of the Wild Collector’s Edition.
While my first Switch was DOA, I managed to exchange it for a new one, returned home, booted into Breath of the Wild and from its soft melodies of the opening overture, I was hooked. The pan across a reimagined Hyrule with its delectable detail and lighting was awe inspiring. A wave of nostalgia hit me to the point where the hairs were standing on my arms, goose bumps rolling off my back, and my eyes welling as I bested to hold back any tears. It was immediately magical, and I was unquestionably hooked. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was perfect. From its renewed gameplay loop which is still arguably one of the most polarising points bought up to this very day, on whether ‘weapon degradation should be carried over to Tears of the Kingdom?’ which remains to be seen, to segregating Hyrule into different provinces which is nothing new, but its seamless experience was inarguably impressive.
Yes, much of its Wild is barren, almost dystopic in some regard. But this plays off the narrative in which Hyrule has been overruled for a century by Calamity Ganon, an incarnation of hatred bought on by the Great King of Evil, which possesses and contaminates everything it touches. The scourge of Hyrule Castle is rid of his anthropomorphic embodiment and is represented through a dark haze that circles the Royal village. You thought Ganondorf was Ganon’s most badass form? This was truly an unearthly concept which takes every previous personification of the deviant sorcerer, and makes him a literal demiurge. An essence manifested to produce literal hell for Hyrule. The excitement was palpable, and my anticipation to reach the finale was unmanageable. This was already the greatest version of Link’s quest ever told.
The Hero of Time, Light, and the Wild. The Knight of Hyrule, The courageous one. The fearless face that saved the Princess. This was his ultimate escapade. In every entry, a new Link is born, and a story re-written. Call backs and hints are imposed to assume all entries are connected, but never in the same universe. The embellished events of each iteration pose a cascade of events, leaving ripples of hope and hate from respective sides represented, but The Legend of Zelda has always maintained its original lore in which Link saves his love, Zelda. No matter how, or what, or where they are, it’s the same tale standing the test of time. One of the greatest video game franchises, ever. But its tour de force, its best entry of its rich chronology, is for now The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. A game if you have not experienced, should be essential gaming in 2023, prior to its direct sequel, Tears of the Kingdom.
Disclaimer:
This article was originally published February 16, 2023.
– The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom releases May 12, 2023 for Nintendo Switch.
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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a 2017 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U consoles. The game is an installment of The Legend of Zelda series and is set at the end of its timeline.
