The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
While Mario is bringing a big holiday season for the Switch, Zelda started the year out with one of the highest rated titles of the year. Breath of the Wild may not be exactly as accessible as Super Mario Odyssey, but there’s plenty of fun to be had for players of any age. While the central story of Breath of the Wild has some memorable characters and moments, the game is really about exploring the expansive world of Hyrule. Almost immediately the entire world is opened up to you, and the game’s new climbing mechanic and some new items mean that you can quite literally go anywhere in Hyrule.
Breath of the Wild is freeform for everyone, meaning you can approach the game in pretty much any order you want, including the main story. You’re also constantly rewarded by finding new secrets, towns, quests, shrines, and more. Younger audiences might have just a bit of a hard time adapting to the combat and new systems at first, but the joy of exploration is sure to draw them in. After all, it was Shigeru Miyamoto’s childhood adventures in the Kyoto countryside that inspired the Zelda series, so it only seems right that young gamers get a huge world to explore with Breath of the Wild.
