The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the newest installment to the Legend of Zelda series, available on the Nintendo Wii U and the new Nintendo Switch and is by far the best one yet. It completely changes the original formula of linear maps, dungeons, missions, and bosses for Zelda games. It now brings brings open world game play. Which means that the player can do whatever they desire, whenever they want to. The player has the ability to explore the open world of Hyrule as the hero, Link and explore its mysteries that are yet to be discovered.

The game is absolutely stuffed with content. For example, Breath of the Wild introduced a new cooking system which allows the player to gather ingredients and cook them in a pot to make a dish. A food dish can then be used to replenish health within the game. The game also introduced “the stamina wheel”; sprinting or using heavy attacks consumes stamina from the wheel but may also be replenished if a certain food type is consumed.

Breath of the Wild also introduced shrines. Shrines in a sense are dungeons that are spread across the map waiting for them them to be found; all 120 of them. The player may enter the shrine and will be taken underground in a large space that looks beautiful from an architectural standpoint and is as though it is building that is sitting on the surface. Within these shrines, there are mostly puzzles and some have enemies to defeat. Most shrines will even have chests will useful items inside. Once a shrine is completed, the player will obtain a Spirit Orb. Once the player collects four Spirit Orbs, the player can exchange them for one heart container, extra heart for more health, or exchange them for a piece that’s added to the stamina wheel.

The game would not be perfect if it didn’t have its story. Without spoiling the story, it brings a diversity of missions and characters. In the story, Link returns to the land of Hyrule after being asleep for 100 years. With his memories erased from his slumber, e embarks on an adventure to remember what was forgotten. Link soon discovers that he was once “the hero that seals away the darkness” 100 years ago. He is told that he must now regain his memories, take back control over the four divine beasts, slay Calamity Gannon, and save Princess Zelda.

The four divine beasts helped protect Hyrule 100 years ago. They were giant mechanical beasts that were piloted by the different races of Hyrule. Calamity Gannon is an ancient evil monster that made the kingdom of Hyrule collapse.

When the main story is completed, there is still a lot to do. There are plenty of side missions to complete and there is even an option to buy a house to settle down in once everything has been completed.

Overall, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an excellent game that gets the player hooked the moment the start button is pressed. The game contains hours of gameplay with an excellent open world map followed by fantastic characters that help aid Link on his adventure to forever seal away the darkness. I recommend this game for anyone that enjoys Nintendo games and/or open world games.