The Legend of Zelda - Breath of the wild - Easy allies review

It’s been a long time since The Legend of Zelda series has seen a new entry on consoles. Skyward Sword came out for the Wii in 2011. However, the latest installment, Breath of the Wild, promises to be worth the wait. This new Zelda is a massive game that completely dwarfs anything the series has done before and it’s a radical departure from previously established conventions. Gone is the more linear nature of progressing through a world in a specific order and completing elaborate dungeons to obtain key items needed to progress. In its place is a vastly more open game that allows you to literally go off in any direction to see what you can find without any major restrictions. It’s the type of freedom that hasn’t been seen since the original NES classic, now 30 years old, but the return of this unhindered exploration is the best thing that’s happened to Zelda since Ocarina of Time took the series into the third dimension. Those fearing that there’s little-to-no direction need not worry. Breath of the Wild provides ample pointers to put you on the right path. You can also use a new device called the Sheikah Slate to place waypoints and pins on the map, as well as track your current quests. Many of these formal tasks, whether they be story quests, side quests dished out by NPCs, or random events triggered by reaching certain areas, are cryptic in their own right and require you to use the old noggin to get by, rather than relying on a trusty companion as was the norm in the past. Breath of the Wild constantly encourages you to venture out in any direction, more so than any previous Zelda and perhaps more than any similar open world games. The staggering amount of things you can come across simply by peeking over a hill, climbing up a mountain, or crossing a lake is unmatched. There are hidden mini-dungeons called shrines, rare gear and items, random NPCs with critical clues to side quests, new enemies that will test your combat prowess, towers that let you gather info on the region, numerous mini-games, and massive villages teeming with life. You can easily lose yourself for hours on end simply seeing all there is to see, and even then, you’re likely to have missed so much you don’t even realize. To put its size into perspective, we’ve spent roughly 50 to 60 hours with the game and our total completion sits at just 21%. So while you may be able to bypass a lot of the optional exploration and side attractions to race through the story in 25 to 30 hours, Breath of the Wild’s allure is so compelling you'll find yourself lost in its breathtaking world for far longer. The amount of freedom and the large scale of Hyrule come at a price, though. On the Switch version, when docked, there are serious framerate issues in certain parts of the game. These problems happen most often in dense forest environments, but they occur in just about any type of area from the plains to the top of snowy mountains. In some cases, it’s so bad that the game is virtually unplayable until the problem subsides. The framerate issues are frequent enough that you can’t ignore them, either. It’s the only serious blemish on an otherwise stellar open world experience. With this sense of freedom comes the perils of surviving this new Hyrule. For many years, the Zelda series has been too easy with all of its hand holding and enemies that never really pose a threat. All that changes in Breath of the Wild. This Hyrule is far meaner and less forgiving. Death is common, whether it be from accidental falls, succumbing to other environmental hazards, or simply being overwhelmed by the more aggressive and dangerous foes you'll encounter. Compounding your survival problems is the addition of durability to all of your weapons and tools, as well as the return of the stamina system. Stamina governs how long you can sprint or swim, how much you can use more aggressive attacks, and how high you can climb virtually any surface in the game. It’s the only real limitation on your ability to explore at will, but you can upgrade your stamina over time to alleviate some of the hardship. Likewise, in combat, there’s the constant threat that your weapon, shield, or bow will break at any moment, leaving you temporarily defenseless. It’s easy to toggle between weapons on the fly, but what will ultimately be your downfall is rushing into battle ill-prepared. Whether you’re fighting a new type of enemy or stumbling across a more boss-like encounter, it’s common for them to get the better of you on your first try. However, Breath of the Wild pushes you to be more strategic and utilize the tools that are given to you, like using the terrain to gain an advantage, or tracking down a more appropriate weapon or piece of gear to exploit a foe’s weakness. The durability system also makes rare weapons all the more precious, so using powerful swords or axes haphazardly can come back to haunt you. What this all amounts to is not only a lot of dying, but far more challenging combat situations that feel more rewarding than anything this series has delivered in a long, long time. It’s not just the overworld that’s gotten a major revamp. The patented Zelda dungeons have also been overhauled as part of this new evolution. Scattered across the world are over 100 shrines that are self-contained mini-dungeons with their own unique challenges. The first few serve as tutorials for new special items called runes, which grant special abilities ranging from hurling remote bombs to being able to move metal objects around with magnetism. The later shrines get progressively more complex, at times requiring you to use a combination of different rune abilities to solve puzzles. Others focus strictly on combat challenges against various opponents. Some of the puzzles are rather difficult and they can get really cryptic, too. These mini-dungeons feature some of the best individual puzzles in the series, which is very impressive. There’s plenty of incentive to track down shrines, too, since they reward you with Spirit Orbs which are the most common way to upgrade your life meter and the only way to upgrade your stamina gauge. Not to mention, some shrines also contain precious unique items. Dotting the land with these shrines is one way the game encourages you to keep exploring every nook and cranny, but there is a small drawback to this system. While there are four traditional dungeons, they don’t quite live up to some of the best dungeons in the series. They each have clever hooks, but a majority of the puzzles are simply derived from what you’ve already seen in the shrines. Aside from one dungeon, they’re all pushovers and take much less time to complete than dungeons found in previous entries. The numerous shrines and their ingenuity help to balance out the lack of traditional dungeons, but it still leaves us yearning for more. However, the bosses in these dungeons are something else. While there are several boss-like encounters scattered across the overworld, they’re not nearly as complex or challenging as the dungeon bosses. They not only require combat skill, but clever thinking and strategic use of the battle arenas. There are no key items from the dungeons that will exploit their weaknesses, either. It’s a fitting complement to the game’s brutal nature. Aside from the framerate issues mentioned earlier, Breath of the Wild is a sight to behold. Sure, there are the usual hiccups expected of a vast, open world, but the game truly benefits from great art direction. Some environments clearly look better than others, but overall this is a pretty game with gorgeous scenic views. Unless you count the Japanese-only Tetra’s Trackers, Breath of the Wild marks the first time the series has used significant voice work for its characters. All of the major NPCs have spoken dialogue, though Link remains a mute as usual. The game even pokes fun at this fact in several cut-scenes when characters speak to Link but don’t get a response. It does feel a bit weird not having him engage the cast at times, and considering how much of Link’s personality is defined in the narrative, the usual excuses for why he isn’t given a voice don’t seem to justify the decision as strongly as they did in the past. The developers have taken an interesting approach for Breath of the Wild’s musical score. Most of the time you simply have ambient noises and a few notes playing here or there, which is really effective at immersing you in the moment. However, there is a traditional score, too, which kicks in when you arrive in a town, enter a Shrine, or visit a new location. The game’s music also serves to inform and alert the player to certain happenings, like when the temperature changes, you approach nearby enemies, or during more significant events. It’s a more organic use of sound, but it works well, even if it feels like there’s less traditional music than in previous games. Nintendo has achieved something really special with Breath of the Wild. All that’s holding it back are the glaring framerate issues, but even that’s not enough to dim the greatness that shines through. After trying for nearly a decade, the Zelda team has finally made a radical departure from the established Zelda formula. This is a bold new direction for the series, one that so perfectly embraces the spirit of the original NES adventure and re-imagines it for a new generation. Rather than striving to outdo Ocarina of Time, Nintendo has given us something entirely different, yet its impact is just as profound. Breath of the Wild is a landmark game that’s hopefully just the start of an amazing future for Link’s continuing adventures. Easy Allies Reviews are made possible by generous viewers just like you. If you like what you see, check out patreon.com/easyallies to see our other videos and consider becoming a patron to help us make more.