5/5 ★ – DivingPenguin's review of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

(!warning, this review contains moderate/major spoilers. I don’t spoil anything explicitly but I speak about the game as if you’ve finished it!) Firstly, I would like to say that my opinion on this game is definitely seeped in nostalgia and childhood memories. Anyways, I love this game. The storyline is not in your face. In fact, you can actually go many hours not interacting with the main story at all. But that is not a drawback of the game. The only time your hand is held is during the tutorial on the Great Plateau, but even then the game gives you a surprising amount of freedom. Once you obtain the Paraglider, the game opens up immensely, allowing you to do whatever you want. Recently, there have been a lot of open world game which actually aren’t open world, because some/ most of the map is blocked off, or they claim to be open world, but hold your hand very tightly during the opening section of the game. BoTW is not like that at all, and you have free rein once the tutorial is over. Personally I think the freedom is great. Similarly, the main characters don’t get as much screentime as you would expect them to, as the gameplay within the open world seems to be the main focus. However, when the main characters are on screen, the story that is told pulls at your heartstrings (RIP the Champions 😢). The trials that Link and Zelda endure are sad to watch, and the story is touching. (Honourable mention goes to when the four champions blast the final boss with their divine beasts!!!! I love that part❤️) In terms of gameplay, the combat is smooth and I have no complaints. The idea of having breakable weapons is a smart one, and I like the mechanic, but personally I found late game I started avoiding fights because “I didn’t want to waste my good weapons”. Probably an issue with me though. I have played both DLCs. The main appeal of Pack one is that it has the trials of the sword. I admit, these fights are HARD. I’ve never actually finished it. I prefer Pack two, containing the champions ballad. I love further exploration of the four champions and the upgrades to their abilities. The puzzles within the final divine beast were extremely hard for my small brain, and the fight afterwards was tough, but the reward of the master cycle is very worth it!! Overall, if for some reason you are reading this very spoiler heavy review but haven’t played the game, please go play it because it is very good