A Gorgeous Open World to Explore
Zelda games have never exactly been small, but Breath of the Wild really kicks things up a notch. For the first time in the series, players will get a true open world to explore, however they want. After a very short introduction, Breath of the Wild opens up its expansive world to you, letting you travel wherever you want almost immediately. From the trailers we’ve seen, Breath of the Wild’s environments are incredibly varied too; ranging from icy mountain peaks, to glistening meadows and fiery caverns. Wildlife dots the entire world as foxes, birds, horses, and more all roam the landscape.
Luckily, you’ll have a few tools to help you explore the various regions. Link’s shield can be ridden down slopes like a snowboard, while a paraglider lets him leap from mountaintops and glide down. You can also capture and ride wild horses, climb and grip objects, and jump, along with a few other options.
To go along with this, the way the story plays out in Breath of the Wild has been changed up a bit. You no longer follow a linear story, but will instead have to uncover it piece by piece. It’s also, apparently, possible to even finish Breath of the Wild without seeing the entire story. In addition to story moments, you’ll have plenty to uncover and do.
Tons of foes like Bokoblins roam the world, setting up little towers and outposts in Breath of the Wild. You can, of course, avoid them, but it’s equally satisfying to take out a horde of Bokoblins with a swift explosive arrow. The puzzle-filled dungeons you expect from Zelda will return in Breath of the Wild, but you’ll also have the chance to explore over 100 smaller Shrines. These are smaller, more focused experiences that usually contain one or two puzzles and some treasure. Because of all this, you’re going to want to explore every nook and cranny of the new Zelda world, finding every hidden puzzle, object, and Heart Container. The good news is, you now have more freedom than ever to do that however you want.
A Mysterious Tale to Uncover
While the general format of Breath of the Wild’s story is different from the rest of the series, there’s still quite a bit that we don’t know about. We’ve seen the very brief opening at last year’s E3, showing Link waking up in some kind of mysterious, and almost futuristic looking, facility. Here he finds the Shiekah Tablet, an advance device that lets Link view a map, and look through it to focus on distant objects. The device is both central to the story and gameplay.
Beyond that, we’ve also seen a story trailer for Breath of the Wild. The particular points of interest in this trailer involve the mention of “The Calamity Ganon,” and seeing Zelda at various points. It’s also important to note that we’ve seen images of a rusted, broken Master Sword in multiple trailers and shots. Breath of the Wild’s story involves events of both the past and present, as Ganon awakens one hundred years after being sealed to wreak havoc once again. You’ll also have the dangerous mechanical beings called “Guardians” to deal with along the way. The good news is, it looks like Link will meet a few companions to help him on his way.
Although we’ve seen a bit of Breath of the Wild’s story, Nintendo has been very light on the details outside of the basic setup. The main attraction of the title, of course, lies in exploring its world and uncovering more about it, so there’ll be plenty of surprises in store. Considering we now have an official timeline for the series from Nintendo, it’ll be especially fascinating to see how Breath of the Wild might connect to other titles.
Fast-Paced, Adaptive Combat
Zelda has always had strong combat systems, especially since the series moved into 3D with Ocarina of Time. Breath of the Wild’s combat, however, looks even more fast-paced than what fans are used to. Of course, there are quite a few changes to deal with as well. First and foremost, it’s important to know that Breath of the Wild will feature weapon and equipment degradation. Armor and weapons will degrade and eventually break as you use them, meaning you’ll need to be picking up and finding new ones during your adventure. Luckily, you can find new weapons around the world, including being able to pick up those of enemies you defeat. This also means that Link can use more than just swords in Breath of the Wild by equipping sticks, axes, spears, and more.
You’ll also have access to a few special abilities in battle, the first of which is the flurry attack. If you dodge out of the way right as an enemy attacks, time will slow down and you’ll get the chance to unleash a rapid series of attacks on the enemy. This is a powerful move that can instantly take out weaker enemies. Additionally, if you counter an enemy when it swings its weapons, you can disarm them, weakening the enemy and giving you a chance to pick up the weapon.
Besides hand-to-hand combat, Link has the option of sneaking and taking out enemies while they’re unaware, or use his bow to take them out from range in Breath of the Wild. This time you’ll have access to exploding arrows, and jumping off a high area or off of your horse will slow down time, letting you pull off a flashy and explosive arrow attack. As you progress through the game you’ll gain access to even more options and items to use in battle.
There’s plenty of combat options in Breath of the Wild to master, and doing so can really make you feel like the fabled Hero of Time.
Cooking and Crafting Galore
Adding even more new ideas into the Zelda series, Breath of the Wild puts a ton of emphasis on both crafting and cooking. Older games in the series restored Link’s health by having you find hearts or other items in pots and other areas. However, to restore health in Breath of the Wild, you’re going to need to take advantage of Link’s survival skills. By finding food items like apples and mushrooms as well as hunting animals, Link can cook up food for himself. There’s a ton of different food options with various levels of recovery, and you’ll want to always have a bite with you to restore health, if you run into trouble.
Additionally, Link can craft some other items to give himself advantages or boosts in Breath of the Wild. You can use materials to craft your weapons, and give them a stat boost. Additionally, crafting items like Elixirs will give Link a temporary speed boost. There’s bound to be even more recipes and craftable items to uncover as you discover more of Breath of the Wild’s world, giving you yet another reason to explore. For a glimpse of how this all works, take a look at some hunting and gathering gameplay Nintendo showed off at last year’s E3.
Realistic Physics and Weather Cycles
With such a huge open world, Breath of the Wild has multiple aspects affecting Link and the other inhabitants. Physics will play a larger role than ever before, letting you do things like drop a boulder on enemies, surf on his shield, and even climb larger enemies to hit their weak spots, like in Shadow of the Colossus. Additionally, and item will let you use an ability called Magnesis. This nifty item lets you pick up certain objects in the world, and move them around however you want, and even fling them in some cases. There’s a ton of different uses for this ability both with puzzle solving and combat, and you can see a little bit of it here.
On top of more realistic physics, Breath of the Wild will also have different weather cycles and effects. Rain will put out any fire burning, lightning storms will strike metal objects including Link in some cases, and snowy environments will slowly drain your health bar unless you wear warm clothing. You can also see these kinds of weather systems at work by setting grass on fire and seeing the burn spread out to any nearby flammable objects. Keeping weather in mind and preparing appropriately is important in Breath of the Wild – definitely a first for the series.
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