The latest installment of The Legend of Zelda franchise garnered top scores across the review boards, praising the immersive, massive open-world adventure game as a new Nintendo masterpiece.
The launch coincided with the debut of the anticipated Nintendo Switch on March 2. However, the title is not exclusive to the Switch; gamers can also play on their Wii U. Nearly 90 percent of Switch purchasers also purchased The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Co-representative Director of Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, detailed that Breath of the Wild must sell two million copies to turn a profit. During a recent shareholder’s meeting, Miyamoto detailed the gaming industry’s trials to break even on development costs.
“Breath of the Wild has over 100 staff, and over 300 people in the credits, spending over 5 years,” Miyamoto said. Miyamoto explained that he aspires to make the new title a worldwide success.
As the requirements for gaming systems advance, so do the labor and development costs. Large titles like Grand Theft Auto 4, with an estimated development cost of $264 million, match the likes of Hollywood productions.
While the Switch does not lead in graphics quality, Breath of the Wild is praised for its unique stylistic choices. One stylistic addition that Zelda predecessors have been without, is voice acting.
While the most players will get from Link will remain grunts and he has no voice lines, Princess Zelda does have speaking roles. Eiji Aonuma, Breath of the Wild producer, told Polygon in an interview that he felt voice acting could make an ‘impression’ on players that the series’ traditional text does not.
Aonuma elaborated that he sees no foreseeable future where Link will have a speaking role.
“If Link said something the user doesn’t agree with, that relationship between the user and Link would be lost,” he said.
Breath of the Wild lives up to it’s name, allowing players to progress through the lands of Hyrule from virtually nothing. While the game does feature trackable quests and tutorials, players can fully explore everything Breath of the WIld has to offer on their own.
Like a castaway, players will need to hunt, collect, cook, build and scavenge to progress through the hordes of obstacles across Hyrule’s vast terrains. Players will mind the temperature, the weather, their stamina and of course the signature hearts of Link’s life meter while they create their own pathway to the game’s finale.
Fans can even beat the game without finishing the storyline. The controls are responsive and intuitive. The game features a save option at mostly any point as well as the option to load from previous saves.
The sheer mapsize to traverse is impressive, dwarfing the likes of Skyrim, Grand Theft Auto V and the Witcher 3. From scorching deserts to mountain peaks and Great Plateaus, Breath of the Wild may open the franchise to even those that are not fans of the traditional games.
Barton Kleen
Executive Editor