Link looks out over the massive world of Breath of the Wild. (Courtesy of Nintendo)
The Zelda franchise has been one of Nintendo's most popular series since its debut back in 1986. With more than 15 games in the series already, we wouldn't blame you for thinking that its newest game, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, couldn't possibly bring anything new to the classic series.
Well, dear hypothetical video game critic, I have good news for you: you are very, very wrong. This newest Zelda game is amazing.
An open-world game packed with endless styles of play
You are Link, a legendary hero tasked with defeating an ancient evil in the land of Hyrule. There are dungeons to solve, monsters to fight, and a princess to aid. For anyone who's ever played a Zelda game before, this will all be instantly familiar... but one huge change is clear right from the start.
Breath of the Wild version of Link, the legendary Hylian hero and protagonist of all Zelda games. (Courtesy of Nintendo)
Most Zelda games have you going straight from Point A to Point B to Point C. You beat one area, then move on to the next. If you get stuck or can't figure something out, too bad—you can't do anything else until you solve that section.
In Breath of the Wild, the map is wide open and practically endless. You can choose to skip Point A entirely, go all the way to Point F, circle back around to point B, and then spend a few hours taming wild horses or hunting down treasure—until you get curious enough about Points X, Y, and Z to go check those, too. Basically, you can play this Zelda however you want, in whatever order you want. Stuck on a puzzle that's too hard? No problem! Just come back to it later. There are a million other exciting things for you to do in the meantime.
A strong start for a new system
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a launch title for Nintendo's new console, the Nintendo Switch. This means all eyes are on Zelda to convince us that the Switch is capable of bringing great games to consumers.
So, are we convinced? Ooooooh yeah.
And if you've never played a Zelda game before, that is A-OK. Breath of the Wild isn't just awesome compared to past games. It's awesome, period—and a great way for new players to explore the Zelda world for the first time.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild goes on sale today. You can check out the trailer below.
Zelda looks fun. I want to ride the big horse. I want to fight with a sword. I want to climb to the mountains. I want to shoot arrows. I want to make swords. I want to fight with a shield. I want to play it all March Break.
This game is awesome! I have been playing Legend of Zelda for a long time. I love it. There is no other way to describe Zelda but awesome.