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The Largest Zelda Game in the Franchise Yet

n Jan, 12th 2017, Nintendo teased fans and viewers across the world with a massive amount of video games to be released on their Nintendo Switch console. There was, however, a game in particular that we’ve been keeping an eye on since it’s announcement back in mid-2015. Breath of the Wild is Nintendo’s answer to an open world experience with one of their most well-known IPs. We’ve compiled a list of the most notable features, inclusions, and elements that will bring the series a breath of fresh air(no pun intended).

In a Q&A with Peter Brown of GameSpot, the double question of:

GameSpot: Is this the biggest team you’ve worked with, and is this the biggest team that’s ever made a Nintendo game before?”

Nintendo’s Producer for the cult series Eiji Aonuma responded to the Q&A as such:

Aonuma: “Yes, to both questions. There’s a lot of people.”

So it’s without a doubt that this installment of the franchise will be the largest, which it should be. As with such, many gamers in the community are arguing over whether the game will be up to today’s standards in the vastly large world of RPGs. To CNG’s understanding, we believe it is. It not only has introduced a non-linear pathway into adventuring into the world of the game, but it focuses on survival within the land of Hyrule. Forcing you to gather materials, craft a stronger arsenal and meet various allies to venture forward in the story of the game.

Crafting, Hunting, and Gathering, Taming +more

This game will be one of the first in the franchise to make you gather materials in order to survive throughout the game, Link must make an effort in killing animals nabbing meat, cutting trees for wood and other possible usages. To cook food and revive his health as it will be the only way the Legendary hero will be allowed to. Those new to the series will have to understand that previously Link was able to eliminate an enemy and collect hearts to recover any health that had been lost, now in Breath of the Wild this will be changing. Gathering will be more labor inducing; For Link, that is, as the hero will need to preserve any materials to keep himself alive.

Breath of the Wild also allows Link to tame horses, for those who are fans of the series who’ve come to know Link as a Knight, traversing the lands of Hyrule with his beloved horse; Epona. We should be expecting not to see her appear within this game and the new approach will be to tame a variant of horses in which will be the norm for the protagonist, unfortunately.

In this series, it will be expanding it’s culminated arsenal of weaponry from the original Master Sword and shield combo. To the copious amounts of weapons that can be found within the game, from tools such as battleaxes to using a mutton as a weapon of your choice. Having a differing attack damage and durability set in motion. Making this one of the first times you are able to fully customize Link, aside from not being able to change his physical appearance.

Open World, Interactive Objects, and Dungeons

It’s been a long time coming for the series to finally become an open world adventure. Aside from games like Ocarina of Time which were at the time the largest worlds within the series. Though were limited to several borders across the map. Now the predicament comes to an end as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will have the largest, expandable open world to date. You’re set with obstacles and many enemies across the overworld to fight with. You can obtain many different items and tools throughout the game that will allow you to push on becoming stronger in the process.

The game will not feature a leveling up system, however. In the overworld, you can interact with certain land masses such as mountains, where Link can scale on, as long as his stamina doesn’t run out. Fires can be created from grass, trees can be cut, bonfires or stoves can be crafted and other equipment can be created as well.

Noted by Nintendo, the game will include over 100+ shrine of trials, which are essentially at the core. The dungeons that fans are used to playing, solving puzzles, discovering new artifacts and attracting more enemies. The shrine of trials is spread out across the entire Hyrule field, which will mean that your gameplay experience will last you quite some time. The game being non-linear will allow you to enter any one of these trials and complete them without needing any of the special equipment you might come to gather on your adventure, however, if you have said equipment. Your experience in the trials will be much simpler to complete.

Amiibo Support, A Story Line, and Release Date

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, will feature Amiibo support for the Zelda related figurines that Nintendo currently has to offer. There will be some new Amiibo to be released the day Breath of the Wild releases. Each with their own range of abilities. Here’s a shared image that is taken directly from Nintendo’s website.

The most notable of these is being able to use the Wolf Link Amiibo. To use Wolf Link as a friendly within the game. Having him attack enemies, collect items and adventure with you if you’re feeling a little lonely playing by yourself.

The history of Zelda has always been the most confusing, with several iterations of old folktale being assembled in the prospects of creating an infinite loop of ancestors. Each Link is different, except for those few games that follow the lives of the current hero of that tale. From what we’ve gathered this current generation Link is said to be sealed for 100 years, where the destruction of Hyrule takes place. Guilty of letting his home country come to peril. Link must be tasked with the mission of saving Hyrule and reversing the effects of utter Hyrulian destruction. Or so that’s how we assume it to be. Nintendo hasn’t been really clear on the whole story line just yet but that’s just a theory.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is set to release on March 3rd, 2017, it will be releasing side-by-side with the Nintendo Switch as well as the new Amiibo. Will you be buying the Nintendo Switch with Breath of the Wild? If so give your comments below!

Last modified: January 17, 2017