Breath of the Wild: Hold Your Breath or Play the Game?

Ashley Ramsey, Writer

Breath of the Wild is an RPG where you play as Link, the main protagonist of past games within the franchise. It has two DLC’s, expanding the game’s plot a bit further and adding items from past games in the series. I enjoy the game because it has an extensive world to explore and a highly customizable wardrobe. You can unlock items in the game, such as bridles and saddles for your horses, knight’s armor, the Phantom Ganon set, the Phantom Armor set, the Fierce Deity armor set, and even more. The story line somewhat continues after the main plot, but all that’s left is the side quests or finding and conquering all the shrines.

However, once you complete the main storyline, nothing changes. The main plot is about expelling Ganon, the embodiment of evil, from Hyrule, while also saving Zelda. During Ganon’s reign of terror, Hyrule was left in ruins. Guardians, incredibly powerful enemies, infest the entirety of Hyrule. Even after defeating Ganon, they continue to crawl over the land, and Hyrule is never rebuilt. It only shows glimpses of Hyrule’s former glory. Even after being obliterated, Ganon continues to reside in the castle, leaving that area completely unexplorable, even if you do decide to fight Ganon again. Everything stays the same exactly. There isn’t exactly much left to do, besides side quests. And even with the DLC’s, the game does not have many other tasks to complete, unless you’re striving for 100% completion.

The game has multiple amiibos, which are figurines unlocking in-game content. These help some with expanding it after completing the main plot. The downside to this is that a lot of them can only be used once a day. This is understandable with some of them, although the Wolf Link should have the ability to be used more often. Wolf Link hunts and fights alongside you, yet you are not able to easily control the wolf to prevent it from dying. Wolf Link has only four hearts and runs away at the sight of an enemy to attempt to kill it. The only way to revive Wolf Link is to return to the last save he was still present.

Breath of the Wild is a beautiful game and worth the price. The world is so extensive with so many different nooks and crannies to explore that there’s always something new to discover. But that only applies to the world around you. The main plot can be completed at any time, and if it is completed shortly after getting the game, looking in nooks and crannies can get kind of old.

All in all, its pros outweigh the cons and make it worth playing.