5 Ways to Know Zelda: Breath of the Wild Is For You

If You Like Great Visuals

Let’s get one thing out of the way straight off the bat. Breath of the Wild is one beautiful game. Whether you’re playing on the Switch’s portable 720p screen, or have it docked and displaying in 1080p on your TV, your eyes are going to be lavished with vibrant colors and magical sights.

At the top of a Sheikah Tower, overlooking the lush green plains below, or battling your way through the intense heat of Death Mountain, Breath of the Wild never looks anything less than polished. It’s a visual style that just fits with the Zelda series, and Hyrule has never looked or felt quite so magical and enthralling.

If You Like Open Worlds

Open worlds aren’t something new that Breath of the Wild is bringing to the table, but it is an evolution for the series as a whole. Gone is the rather linear feeling of the quests in a slightly large, but limited world. Breath of the Wild gives you a huge, stunning rendition of Hyrule, and fills it with tons of interesting things to see and do.

Side quests send you venturing into secluded sections of the world, 120 Shrines are littered across the area, testing your skills and rewarding you for your commitment. Sheikah Towers stand way above the trees and Bokoblins, revealing new sections on your map, and mini-bosses fill the world, waiting to send Link to an untimely end. Breath of the Wild’s Hyrule is one of the most interesting open worlds to be in, and will consume hours of your time in one sitting if you let it.

If You Like Zelda Games

While the change to an open world may seem like a big change for the Legend of Zelda series, that doesn’t mean that Breath of the Wild doesn’t still feel like a game from the series. Despite being spread over a huge world, every inch of it still has that special Zelda magic. Heck, Breath of the Wild probably has the most realized version of Hyrule in a Zelda game to date.

If you’ve enjoyed Zelda games before, with their environmental puzzle solving, simple but challenging combat, and intense dungeons, it’s all still here. Yes, there are only four main dungeons you’ll need to make your way through, but there’s 120 Shrines that encapsulate that Zelda dungeon magic in bitesize form. If you were worried Breath of the Wild wouldn’t feel like a Zelda game, think again.

If You Like Complete Freedom

Open world games often provide players with a good sense of freedom, there’s no denying that. Yet, Breath of the Wild decided to take that one step further. Rather than forcing you through its main quests in a set order before you reach the final boss, Breath of the Wild tells you to do what you want, in whatever order you want. Think you can take Ganon on at Hyrule Castle after the first dungeon? Go for it. Want to spend 50 hours completing all of the Shrines and then go to Ganon? Sure.

Breath of the Wild’s freedom doesn’t just lie in its quest structure and open world, it trickles down into just about every choice you make. How will you choose which inventory to focus on upgrading? Will you spend Spirit Orbs on Health or Stamina? Will you run in with melee weapons or pick off targets from a distance with the bow? Will you completely ignore the world’s mini-bosses, or take it upon yourself to hunt them all down? Will you even pick up the Master Sword?

You get the idea. Breath of the Wild’s Hyrule is a playground where you can do whatever you want, however you want. If you’re down to explore and experiment with this freedom, Breath of the Wild will deliver.

If You Like Puzzles

The Legend of Zelda series has always been one for some form of puzzle solving. Whether it’s a cryptic clue to a location, or environmental puzzles that require manipulation to complete, there’s always been something that players have had to work around in order to save the day. In previous titles, most of this was contained within a good few lengthy dungeons. Breath of the Wild mixes this formula up a bit.

This time around, you’ll find four main dungeons, each meticulously well-designed and filled with interesting puzzles to solve. Though it has fewer of these large dungeons, Breath of the Wild makes up for it with tons of Shrines, all testing your puzzle solving abilities. All of this is perfectly mixed together to create an experience that sates your need for both combat and puzzles.