Nintendo Switch
The Legend of Zelda is a series defined by reinvention. With some exceptions, each game literally stars a different hero named Link, in a different era or timeline from the last, trapped in a perpetual loop in the fight between good and evil. Each game presents new innovations, new mechanics and worlds to explore, down to their art style and tone.
But Breath of the Wild was revolutionary. It took the very simple premise of the original a hero dropped cold into an unfathomably huge world and ran with it to the furthest extent. Other open world games let you feel like you’re exploring, but Breath of the Wild makes every action a personal puzzle to solve. Leaving behind the endless fetch quests, checklists and markers of the genre, it’s a freeform game of discovery, where its colorful environments and subdued orchestral score lead players along by hinting at their curiosities.
And while most games present players with a goal and maybe a handful of solutions, Breath of the Wild offers a world whose physics and rules were meant to be bent (or broken). But beyond ways to play, the game’s greatest achievement is building a place players want to be. More than anything else, Breath of the Wild is a vibe, where you can spend your hours just doing whatever it is you want to do. Saving the day can wait.
