“Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” Will Take Your Breath Away

You wake to a strange and mysterious voice, only to find yourself in a damp and dark rock cave, alone with only the detached voice to guide you out. Following the directions of the voice, you make your way outside. As you walk forward, a warm light shines from the exit of the cave, and as you run from the dark enclosure, you are greeted by a valley of green with a grand stone castle towering in the middle, covered in a black of cloud of evil energy. You have returned to Hyrule.

“Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” is unlike any other Legend of Zelda game that the world has encountered. The familiar land comes with friends and foes that spark the nostalgia of all that free time spent playing Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64. The champions of Hyrule also make a return to this installment to help Link along his quest to defeat Ganon once more. However, much has changed, for Link has been dormant for 100 years, and the rest of Hyrule was overrun by corrupted moblin, bokoblins and guardians, ancient tanks that were created by the old civilization of the sheikah clan. You must save the conquered champions and rise up together once again, to get rid of Ganon. At least for another 100 years…

The basic prowess of the game has still remained as charming and complex as previous titles. Players go through countless dungeons, also known as shrines, to collect spirit orbs, in order to grow stronger for the upcoming final fight. This installment of Legend of Zelda is the first to include a completely open world, and the option to do anything you want. There is a tutorial-like starting area, but once complete, you are left to explore Hyrule as it is. There is a plethora of interesting areas and characters to meet along the way, some that you may recognize. The open map, cooking, taming and many other mechanics have been added to the game, almost similar to the 5th install of “Elder Scrolls: Skyrim”.

However, with all the wonderful additions, there are problems when it comes to performance. On the Nintendo Switch, which this game is a launch title for, it runs at clean 30 fps (frames per second) most of the time. But, when in an area with a lot of grass or other images to render, the fps drop dramatically, even with the 720p resolution screen on the Switch. When in docked mode, it still runs at a 30fps pace, at a 1080p resolution, making the beautiful art and colors of “Breath of the Wild” all the better.

Despite its ups and downs, “Breath of the Wild” took my breath away with how involved the game became, drawing me into its expansive world filled with so many quests and collectibles, that I didn’t know what to do first. It is definitely worth the $60 price tag that comes with the game if you have a Nintendo Switch. If you are still on the edge about buying a Nintendo Switch, the specs may not look promising, but games like “Breath of Wild,” “Arms,” and “Super Mario Odyssey” will definitely make it be worth the $299.99 price tag. I may not be a video game expert, but I do know when I’ve played a truly, great game.

“Legend of Zelda: Breath of Wild” gets a 9.5/10 by me. If there were no fps problems, it would be a perfect 10. Some gamers may find the 30 fps a big drawback. However those who truly know what this game means to the creators, know that they will always break through and tell the story of a legendary hero and a wise princess, fighting against an ancient evil that longs to rule the world.