The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Reviews

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is ranked in the 100th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
10 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is no mere Zelda game — it is a return to form for the decades-old series, showing that Nintendo still very much understands how to handle their property. Breath of the Wild may not only be the best Zelda game ever produced, but it rivals Super Mario 64 and Halo: Combat Evolved for the best launch game ever shipped with any console. With no exception, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a masterclass in game design and creativity, unprecedented from even Nintendo.

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10 / 10
Mar 2, 2017

There is no other way to define The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild other than sheer genius. Link's immense and extremely ambitious quest takes the series into new heights, as it introduces elements of survival and item management, bringing new life into a saga that now puts the players in the middle of an open and free roaming adventure, rewarding explorers at every single moment with its beautiful settings and far-reaching worlds. Nintendo has delivered and Breath of the Wild is one of the shiniest stars that could ever light up a new system upon its launch.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

Link's biggest adventure turns a blind eye to some technical insecurities but bets everything on an inimitable style, a perfect mix between fantasy and fantastic, perfect incarnation of a thin and modern fable.

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Will Greenwald
Top Critic
Mar 2, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the biggest, most impressive Zelda game yet, and a fantastic launch title for the Nintendo Switch.

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Emma Schaefer
Top Critic
9.5 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

While Breath of the Wild doesn't follow the standard Zelda formula, it may be the quintessential example of the Zelda spirit. With a stunningly beautiful and interactive world, surprising difficulty, and a dizzying amount of riddles and puzzles, there's no end to the secrets hidden in the vast land of Hyrule.

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Mar 2, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a landmark achievement for both the Zelda franchise and Nintendo as a whole.

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Mar 2, 2017

'Breath of the Wild' is the best launch game on Switch and unlike any Legend of Zelda game you've ever played.

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Daily Dot
Top Critic
Mar 2, 2017

There is always something new to discover, but at your own pace. Somehow, the adventure never loses momentum over dozens of hours of exploration, the inspired design holds up, making for an unmistakable Zelda game that completely changes everything expected from the series.

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GameXplain
Top Critic
Liked-a-lot
Mar 2, 2017
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - REVIEW (No Story Spoilers! - Nintendo Switch) video thumbnail
10 / 10
Mar 2, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a landmark release for its franchise and Nintendo. It's the first time that Nintendo has truly taken on the open-world genre in a current-generation sense; in arriving late to the party, though, it embraces some strengths from top-of-the-class games while also forging its own identity. This game is a revolution for the franchise, but the Legend of Zelda essence is still there - its soul remains.The end result, then, is a captivating experience. This will be in the running as the best game in the IP's history, and it will likely be discussed as a leading contender in the broader open-world genre. Nintendo has bravely taken one of its biggest franchises in a new direction, and it's delivered a triumph.

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Mar 2, 2017

In reinvigorating the Zelda series, Nintendo has rediscovered what gave it life all those years ago, capturing a spirit of adventure that flows through Breath of the Wild like the breeze on Hyrule's fields. Link and Princess Zelda's battle to save Hyrule and vanquish evil has rarely felt like such a personal journey, thanks to a masterful game defined by its peerless, charming and truly beautiful setting. A masterpiece.

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Mar 7, 2017

It's a game of the year contender.

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10 / 10.0
Mar 14, 2017

The new Zelda game is so big and so full of everything that it's impossible to write about all of that in a traditional review. Breath of the Wild is a true system seller, probably the best starting game in the history of gaming. Nintendo is back and if only this quality of game design is maintained, Switch will become THE console. No question.

Review in Polish | Read full review

9.5 / 10.0
Feb 17, 2018

Games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sells consoles. Newest Zelda is the most amazing hours that you can get from video game.

Review in Polish | Read full review

10 / 10
Mar 5, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is without a doubt one of the best games and freshest takes in the series, and should be played by every Nintendo Switch owner. Whether playing docked or in handheld mode, the game is reminiscent of gaming bliss. There are frame rate issues in both modes, but dock mode certainly has more technical problems. Breath of the Wild has surprised me at every turn, and after the lackadaisical Skyward Sword, I’m elated to see the series try something new and become one of the best games in recent memory. I am disappointed that the overall narrative is lacking and Link’s lost memory since quite cliché, but the gameplay makes up for any shortcomings.

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RPG Fan
Top Critic
96%
Mar 23, 2017

A new direction for the franchise that is as brilliantly successful as it is bold, Breath of the Wild raises the bar for a series that has already set a phenomenally high standard.

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10 / 10
Mar 2, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will go down as one of the best launch titles of all time. Yes, technically it's a Wii U game that was ported over to the Nintendo Switch, but Nintendo made the right decision in holding this game back. It perfectly compliments the Nintendo Switch and highlights why it has the potential to be such a great and versatile console. Many have doubted Nintendo's ability to bring this series into the modern age of gaming, but they've done that and taken it one step further in creating one of the best open-world action-adventure games ever made.

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Mar 10, 2017

Just when you think Legend of Zelda can't get any better, Breath of the Wild proves that this series has depth to spare. Beautifully rendered, wonderfully designed, and expertly crafted both in story and in gameplay, Breath of the Wild will have you playing for quite some time, and then some time after that.

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9.7 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

The depth you expect, the open exploration and constant sense of discovery the series is known for, are here in perhaps greater effect than ever before, but with the systems and mechanics that drive the moment-to-moment action heavily overhauled. The result is a Zelda that feels unmistakably like a Zelda, but that also breathes new life into the venerable classic. It’s too early to fully weigh it against the historical record, but if forced to rank the entire coterie of Zelda games, Breath of the Wild would come in near the very top.

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Ben Salter
Top Critic
10 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

Simply put, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the best launch title I've ever played. It's captivated me more than any game with a system launch, and it's rocketed straight into number one on my all-time favourite Zelda games. You could play it on Wii U, where it's still a fantastic game — clearly the best on the console. But it's that little bit more special to have such an amazing, massive game on a handheld system. Wherever you play, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was worth the wait.

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