There are no perfect games. It is important to keep that in mind with Nintendo’s big hit, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Zelda has come to be known as one of the most consistently great gaming series in the Nintendo-verse. The vast majority of fans agree that BotW is one of the best Zelda games yet.
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That said, BotW does suffer from a few flaws that some of the previous Zelda games avoid altogether. Here are 5 ways that BotW is the best Zelda game so far and 5 things that the previous games did better.
10 BotW: Vast, Open World
Breath of the Wild has an amazing scope and sense of openness to the world. It gives the essential tools needed for enjoyable gameplay to the player immediately and grants access to the majority of the world almost straight away as well. There is very little that feels off-limits from the outset of the game, and in short order, the entire world is available to explore. If you’re feeling really strong, you can even fight the final boss as soon as you leave the Great Plateau.
9 Other Zeldas: Dungeons
Breath of the Wild‘s substitute for major dungeons (the Divine Beasts) and mini-dungeons (Ancient Shrines) are spectacular in their own right. However, they don’t compare to the rest of the series’ dungeon design. Skyward Sword and A Link Between Worlds are the best in that regard. The dungeons in those games just bled creativity. Skyward Sword had 2 dungeons where time travel was the main mechanic, and A Link Between Worlds had a dungeon-based around using enemies as a means to solve puzzles. Not to say the Divine Beasts had nothing going for them. The idea of controlling parts of the dungeon yourself and having the music change as you activate more terminals were great touches. They are simply not the same.
8 BotW: Visuals
Breath of the Wild is a visually stunning game, with its incredibly fluid animation, wonderful art style, and breathtaking environments. Climbing to the top of a large mountain or cliff to see the sunrise is nothing short of beautiful, and the various locations the game provides all stand out in their own way.
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From the tropical aesthetic of Faron to the colorful Autumn bliss that is Akkala, Breath of the Wild is nothing short of visually spectacular.
7 Other Zeldas: Items
Breath of the Wild‘s use of runes in place of traditional items is a creative and fun system, but it comes with downsides. Obtaining the 4 necessary runes as fast as you do makes the later rewards you get in the game feel less important. Since much of the gameplay revolves around these 4, the variety is not as strong as it was in prior games with. There’s no Clawshot, no Cane of Somaria, no Beetle, none of the extremely off the wall stuff that the series is known for.
6 BotW: The Cast
The cast of characters in Breath of the Wild is truly a sight to behold. From the 4 Champions with their own distinct personalities to the Yiga Clan quite possibly being the goofiest gang of assassins to ever exist, the character roster really helps bring this game to life. Even some extremely minor characters are memorable, like Magda the overly protective “flower lady,” or Brigo, the friendly bridge guard.
5 Other Zeldas: Underwater Gameplay
You are basically defenseless while swimming in Breath of the Wild. You cannot dive, use any weapons, or use any runes. This was not always the case in earlier games in the series. In Majora’s Mask, the Zora Mask item made underwater travel & combat a blast, as Zora Link was a dream to control and more than capable of defending himself when needed. The Mermaid Suit in Oracle of Ages also made being in water fun, as it allowed for the use of items like the sword, Seed Shooter, or Switch Hook underwater.
4 BotW: Rupees
Something many of the earlier Zelda games struggled with was making Rupees consistently useful. A perfect example of this is how Ocarina of Time only required you to spend Rupees twice in the entire game. Breath of the Wild makes prominent use of Rupees, with things like armor sets and Great Fairy Fountains being very expensive. Seeking out or saving your Rupees is actually worthwhile.
3 Other Zeldas: Collectables
For a game as huge and infinitely playable as Breath of the Wild, it is lacking in the collectibles department. The only 2 real collectibles in the game are Ancient Shrines and Korok Seeds, and the latter stop mattering once you get 441 of them.
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The sense of reward is not there when compared to games like Phantom Hourglass or Skyward Sword, which had an insane amount of things to collect. Phantom Hourglass had Spirit Gems, Treasures, Ship Parts, Heart Containers, Treasure Charts, Sands of Hours, the list goes on. It made opening generic chests in the game exciting as all of the collectibles meant something.
2 BotW: Armor Sets
Equipment isn’t anything new for the franchise, but it wouldn’t be fully fleshed out until Breath of the Wild. Breath of the Wild offers a very large selection of armor effects, including offense upgrades and temperature resistances. The right armor will even enable Link to run faster, resist certain enemy attacks, or not be seen altogether.
1 Other Zeldas: Enemy Diversity
The enemy variety is rather low when compared to other games in the series, but the depth of the depth is better. There’s so much to consider in combat. What kind of enemy is Link fighting? What weapon are they holding? Can they call for reinforcements? What type of environment are you in? What other enemies are in the area? That said, this is just how Breath of the Wild makes up for its lack of enemy diversity.
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