Top reviews from the United States

• 

  Amazon Customer

  5 out of 5 stars

  Perhaps the Ocarina of Time Dethroner

  Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2020

  Platform For Display: Nintendo Switch Digital CodeEdition: Standard

  Verified Purchase

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  So I am about 3 years late in playing this game. I just bought a Switch primarily to play this game during quarantine, and it has been so so worth it. Zelda is my all-time favorite gaming series by leaps and bounds. I am one of those people who has said for 20 years that Ocarina of Time is the best game ever created and cannot be dethroned. Now, I'm not so sure.

  Look, while overall this game has clearly been very highly reviewed, I know it has been polarizing in the Zelda community, and I do understand why. This game breaks from classic Zelda formula many huge ways: a true open world, a non-linear story, degradable weapons (everything except one weapon can and will break, usually quickly), some voice acting (!), and most notably, the lack of "proper" dungeons. There are 120+ mini dungeons, some of which contain elaborate puzzles, and others being simple (you fight an enemy or two, and that's it). There are 4 or 5 (depending if you get the DLC, which you should) bigger dungeons, but those are all quite small compared to what longtime Zelda fans are used to. But it doesn't matter. If anything, I was happy to spend less time in dungeons, and more time exploring the sprawling, beautiful, majestic open world, where there are countless things to find and do. The attention to detail is amazing - double rainbows, grass sparkling as the sun rises, enemies that actually act realistic (such as hunting wild animals, eating food, sleeping, and fighting you like they actually have a brain). The combat in the game is super fun and engaging. That was one complaint I always had about OoT, MM, and to a lesser extent, TP and WW: so much of the combat in those games was basically just waiting around for the opponent to expose their obviously vulnerable parts to you.

  This game is not like other Zelda's, which to me, even as a longtime fan, was incredibly exciting, and proved to be a breath of fresh air. Yet it IS undeniably a Zelda game. When solving puzzles, fighting bosses, or of course, finding a certain item hidden deep within a forest, that familiar yet exciting sense of "damn, I LOVE Zelda" is always present. Unlike some other fanboys, I believe Breath of the Wild found a perfect balance between integrating so much of what I have always deeply loved about these games, while leaping into new territory.

  There are some small issues I did take with the game. I found the main story to feel just a little flat - not that the plot is bad, I just would have liked to see it fleshed out a bit more. I also found the ending to be very unsatisfying, which was disappointing given the hours I'd put in to the game. Also, while I was happy that Nintendo finally included voice acting in a Zelda game, some of it - especially the male characters - felt a bit like overkill and made me cringe a bit. (Zelda's voice is perfect, though).

  So ultimately, did BOTW dethrone OoT for me? It's hard to say. They are very different games, but what I do know is that as I replayed OoT shortly before buying this game, I found myself...well, bored. Times have changed. OoT's once vast world now feels small. The enemies are predictable and kind of boring to fight. I found myself playing mostly just to try and recapture a sense of nostalgia. None of that is to say OoT is anything less than a masterpiece - 20 years ago, it was revolutionary. Unlike BOTW, OoT's ending still sends chills up my spine. The final boss battle is incredible. What I do know, though, is that once I picked up BoTW, I felt the awe, the joy, the excitement, the sense of adventure that OoT had initially inspired in me decades earlier. Again, hard to compare apples to oranges, but in terms of sheer enjoyment, Breath of the Wild has bested any game I've played since I was a kid. And that's what games are all about.

  Kudos to you if you read all this.

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  43 people found this helpful

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• 

  Andrew D. Lossing

  5 out of 5 stars

  A breath of fresh air!

  Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2018

  Platform For Display: Nintendo Switch Digital CodeEdition: Standard

  Verified Purchase

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  This is a fantastic game, as is probably evident to you, the reader, given the praise lauded on it here and elsewhere. Many game review outlets gave this a 10/10 or similar, tippy-top, score. And it's deserved. Nintendo upended the Zelda franchise, which is a good thing since I could never really get into them despite their high quality. Zelda titles just rely on too many mechanical conceits which are difficult to learn, and at odds with the loosey-goosey Western RPG play style. This entry, by contrast, doubles down on the easygoing play and creates a massive, filled-out sandbox in which to do it. It has been compared many times to Skyrim, and it does have elements that feel like an Elder Scrolls game. But, since you play as Link the Hylian, there isn't the same level of character customization - in fact, there's none at all. Instead you simply find orbs to increase Link's health and stamina, and of course gather equipment to better your chances in battles. But the core concept of what Link can and cannot do doesn't change at all.

  Nearly every piece of equipment in the game deteriorates with use, which is a mechanic both frustrating and rewarding. Enemies which use weapons will drop them when they die, meaning you can use them. Some are much more desirable than others, but even the most grunt-level of implements serves a purpose, should you have room in your inventory for them, as they keep your favorite gear from wearing out. It's a fun method of resource management that keeps you more invested in finding and conserving the better gear.

  In this game, there are no real health potions. Instead there's food! Both raw ingredients and cooked meals can be found in the world, but the real fun is cooking the raw foods into meals which offer various benefits. Few games implement cooking mechanics, and perhaps none do it as well as this game. it's pure joy coming up with new concoctions, although everything else pales in comparison to climbing to the top of high things and parasailing off of them.

  Story is parceled out in this title in between the sandbox sessions, almost entirely dependent on when the player wishes to engage it (another similarity to an Elder Scrolls title). Here are plenty of the silly noises that are typical of Zelda characters, but sometimes there is a real cutscene with real voice acting, and those times feel valuable and exciting, since they are some of the few times you really feel connected to the story. But this title is at its best when the larger thread of story only sometimes intersperses the narrative created by the player in the world. In fact, nearly everything you can think of doing is not only possible, but is something the designers wanted you to try, and will reward you for doing.

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  25 people found this helpful

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• 

  Kevin L.

  5 out of 5 stars

  Defintely a Must For Any Zelda Fan!

  Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2017

  Platform For Display: Nintendo Switch Digital CodeEdition: Standard

  Verified Purchase

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  On the night of release, I downloaded the game overnight in anticipation to play in what felt like forever to try out. I couldn't sleep till 5 in the morning waiting to see when it finished the installation. But then, it completed that dreaded loading bar, and I immediately launched the game. I was greeted with an amazing opening to a world that I have waited for years after their last Zelda installment. Beautiful landscapes, accompanied by glorious piano music that I have never heard before in a Zelda game. To the new intricate designs and style for the game mechanics and Japanese animation art. Thus, began my one-of-a-kind adventure through what it had to offer... Now, without ruining anything for anyone who has yet to play it (What are you doing?? Go out there and get the game! It's amazing!), I will tell you that in my 150+ hours of playing, I found nearly everything the game had to offer, and I was not disappointed one bit in the content. Compared to other similarly priced titles, this one was by far, the most fulfilling for me in quite literally, a decade of my life. Even now, after all that time of playing, I am doing a 2nd playthrough of it with new challenges to put on myself and see what other ways I can come up with to advance through the game itself. You will not get bored of this game for many, many hours to come, I assure you. Don't listen to what hyper critics nitpick at and instead, attempt the game yourself! It is what gives you the full experience and you will not be disappointed!

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  47 people found this helpful

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• 

  J. Hallahan

  5 out of 5 stars

  Refreshingly difficult and fantastic build

  Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2017

  Platform For Display: Nintendo Switch Digital CodeEdition: Standard

  Verified Purchase

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  This game is infuriating, fun, frustrating, and, in many ways, a refreshing return to the challenging way games used to be made when you couldn't do everything immediately and had to work your way up and return.

  I loved the gorgeous graphics and open world. The game has an almost infinite number of different questions and places to explore and do and can be fun to just walk around and explore.

  Unlike previous Zelda games where you have to keep backtracking to do things with new tools you find, BOTW makes it feel more organic, as you explore the countryside and return to places to see new things and explore new parts you missed the first time. In earlier Zelda games, it always felt very grindy to me to have to keep returning to the same boring screen to walk in circles while you decide if you have the resources to break through a section and on to the next. This game is very fluid and always moves forward. If you get stuck, you can easily leave it for later.

  Aside from the frustrations that arose with the difficulty and parts of the game that were just beyond infuriating to try to get through, the only thing I found really disappointing was the final boss.

  I'd recommend the game to anyone, a fun take on Zelda lore in an open world.

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  8 people found this helpful

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• 

  ilovechocolate

  5 out of 5 stars

  Phenomenal Game, Tons of Fun, Hours of Gameplay and Amazing Sense of Freedom

  Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2018

  Platform For Display: Nintendo Switch Digital CodeEdition: Standard

  Verified Purchase

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  This is a phenomenal game. This is only the second Zelda game I have played, after Skyward Sword, but it is so much better already. Even though I have not finished even the main story yet, I can tell that this game will have a ton of play time, especially for a person like me who solves every shrine I see and has dozens of map markers for places to visit later. The open-world feature is awesome and makes me feel like I can really go wherever I want to. There is a never-ending stream of things to do in Breath of the Wild, and I have been able to ignore the main quests for hours, seeking out shrines and towers, without any pushback. The only real complaints I have about this game are that you cannot make save points in the middle of shrines and that awesome weapons you find barely last any time before they break and you have to use generic, bad weapons again, but these are very minor problems. I am so glad that I purchased this as the first game for my new Nintendo Switch, and it is one of the best singleplayer games I have ever played.

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  3 people found this helpful

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• 

  J

  5 out of 5 stars

  Not a fanboy review: Why Amazon doesn't have 6 (or 10) stars for reviews

  Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2019

  Platform For Display: Nintendo Switch Digital CodeEdition: Standard

  Verified Purchase

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  I never played a Zelda game before, although I was well aware of Ocarina of Time (My brother's all-time favorite). A Link to the Past is many of my friend's all-time. While, I knew most of Zelda's characters, and iconic items, those games didn't capture my attention.

  I was determined to give Breath of the Wild a chance, and boy does it deliver. The best feeling I could describe it is that when you are entering Hyrule Castle for the very first time, it's like training for a boxing match and you ask your sparring mate to give a punch in the gut to test your resilience, except that it is not just a simple punch, it's a rocket launcher attached to a nuclear-powered bullet train. Breath Taking (not a misspell). The music, the guardians, the loot, the environment. I was in awe.

  I'm playing this game in 2019, well after the hype and the fanboyism, and I got hooked. I'm ordering the Hylian Shield for my room. The Legend of Zelda series has gotten yet another one.

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  5 people found this helpful

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• 

  Trevor

  5 out of 5 stars

  I love the Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild!

  Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2019

  Platform For Display: Nintendo Switch Digital CodeEdition: Standard

  Verified Purchase

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  I bought a digital code through Amazon and was able to quickly redeem it through the Nintendo store on the Switch. This game is amazing. Ever since I’ve played it, I play it for hours almost every day. It’s an amazing world and you can pretty much go anywhere you see. I’ve been waiting for a game like this. The graphics are amazing and I feel like I’m in the game when I play. Hands down, this is one of the best zelda games I’ve ever played. I highly recommend it! The controls are easy to get used to over a bit of time and with some practice. I’m over 30 years old and I can figure it out. If I had the chance to buy it again, I definitely would.

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• 

  Kam

  5 out of 5 stars

  Such a fun game to play!

  Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2023

  Platform For Display: Nintendo Switch Digital CodeEdition: Standard

  Verified Purchase

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  I recently purchased Zelda: Breath of the Wild and I am absolutely loving it! The game is visually stunning and the open-world gameplay provides endless hours of exploration and adventure. The puzzles and challenges are engaging and require strategic thinking, which keeps the gameplay fresh and exciting. I also appreciate the attention to detail in the game, from the various environments to the intricate character designs.

  Overall, I highly recommend Zelda: Breath of the Wild to any fans of the Zelda franchise or open-world games in general. It's a must-have for any Nintendo Switch owner and has quickly become one of my all-time favorite games.

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  6 people found this helpful

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