The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review - Is It The Greatest Game Ever Made?

00:00:00.400[Music]

00:00:03.350we can't link everything that you've

00:00:10.349heard about the Legend of Zelda breath

00:00:11.880of the wild is true at vensim The Legend

00:00:14.610of Zelda breath of the wild has had an

00:00:16.230obscene amount of hype going into its

00:00:17.910release a part of that has to just deal

00:00:19.770with the serious stature Zelda is one of

00:00:21.720the most beloved gaming franchises of

00:00:23.519all time and a new major entry in it

00:00:25.650piques everyone's interest and attention

00:00:27.390but the high progress of the wild has

00:00:29.099gone above and beyond just that there

00:00:31.170has been a fervent anticipation for the

00:00:32.790game and a lot of that has to do with

00:00:34.350just how stunning the game has been in

00:00:35.760all showings and hands-on with it in the

00:00:38.010lead-up to the game's launch we've

00:00:39.270recently been led to believe though of

00:00:41.190course it's never been explicitly stated

00:00:42.960as such that breadth of the wild will be

00:00:44.640the next evolution of open-world gaming

00:00:46.530now that the game is here we can tell

00:00:48.239you that all the hype in the world would

00:00:49.829not have been enough to do justice to

00:00:51.420just how good breadth of the wild really

00:00:53.850is you might expect that given the fact

00:00:55.860that this is Nintendo's first modern

00:00:57.780open-world game the company pioneered

00:00:59.850open-world gameplay on the NES SNES and

00:01:02.370then on a Nintendo 64 but it's fallen

00:01:05.070behind in this regard since that there

00:01:06.810would be stumbles missteps basic

00:01:08.610learning flaws or deficiencies that one

00:01:10.530would have to put down to this being in

00:01:11.909tendo's first shot at this kind of a

00:01:13.439game but incredibly enough with breadth

00:01:15.479of the wild Nintendo has sidestepped all

00:01:17.460the common failings at every open-world

00:01:19.259game including the best ones fall - and

00:01:21.420it's crafted a literally perfect world

00:01:23.100that is massive inviting and teeming

00:01:25.409with things to do the size and breadth

00:01:27.060of the wild is not what is impressive

00:01:28.860about it this is a great big open world

00:01:31.049sure but lots of open-world games have

00:01:33.150big worlds and there have been bigger

00:01:35.040ones than this anyway what truly sets

00:01:36.810breath of the wild apart is the sheer

00:01:38.610degree and scope of the interactivity

00:01:40.140that is to be encountered in this game

00:01:41.780everything that you see in this game can

00:01:43.770be interacted with and everything is

00:01:45.270governed by a common system of

00:01:46.649overarching physics that govern these

00:01:48.360interactions so for instance be careful

00:01:50.549when you pull out a little chat it's

00:01:52.110windy the wind might carry the flavors

00:01:53.939away and start a forest fire or make

00:01:56.250sure you don't have anything metallic on

00:01:57.719you in a thunderstorm you'll attract

00:01:59.340electricity straight to you and be

00:02:00.840knocked out as a rating you might not

00:02:03.149want to be scaling any clips or rocks

00:02:04.619things get slippery and you'll have a

00:02:06.390hard time gravity inertia momentum

00:02:08.819recoil everything in the game behaves

00:02:10.920exactly as you expect it to

00:02:12.900did you shoot an animal with the fire

00:02:14.400arrow of course the mead you get will be

00:02:15.930seared do you find yourself on a wraps

00:02:17.760but nothing to move it with well at a

00:02:19.319tree branch and wave it around that

00:02:20.909should generate some wind and let you

00:02:22.379move it's this staggering degree of

00:02:24.239interactivity that truly impresses in

00:02:26.099breath of the wild the rest of the wilds

00:02:27.959vision of Hyrule is not a game nor is it

00:02:29.909a sandbox is a full-fledged living and

00:02:32.129breathing world and it acts consistently

00:02:34.409like what if there is something you want

00:02:36.180to do breath of the wild will let you do

00:02:38.310it without any limit no matter how crazy

00:02:40.440your idea is if the physics of the world

00:02:42.329permitted you can do it and if you do it

00:02:44.579you may find you stumbled upon an

00:02:46.410unexpected solution to your problem this

00:02:48.390is honestly liberating and it gives the

00:02:50.280player the kind of freedom that's never

00:02:51.780found in any other game in every video

00:02:53.790game the player is bound by a series of

00:02:55.319restrictions imposed upon them by the

00:02:56.940game is rule in breath of the wild the

00:02:59.129rules exist not to forbid you from doing

00:03:01.200anything but to define what happens once

00:03:03.450you do do it if there is a puzzle on the

00:03:05.730shrine there is no longer just one

00:03:07.650clearly defined solution mess around

00:03:09.390with the tools at your disposal and

00:03:10.739manipulate the game's physics your own

00:03:12.359ingenuity is all that limits you this

00:03:14.370freedom and mechanics also extends the

00:03:16.170game's overall structure early on and

00:03:18.389you're given a full view of this game's

00:03:19.739version of Hyrule it is a vast boundless

00:03:22.319endless play stretching out in every

00:03:24.120direction for as far as the eye can see

00:03:25.709and beyond there told you can go

00:03:27.959anywhere you want even straight to the

00:03:29.609game's final boss so you are solemnly

00:03:31.769informed that doing so will result in

00:03:33.299almost certain failure you are given

00:03:35.489some pointers a few main quests and then

00:03:37.440you're on your own you're not going to

00:03:38.879be told where to go

00:03:40.049you're not going to be reminded of what

00:03:41.489your objective is no pop-ups or annoying

00:03:43.709reminders will interrupt your play

00:03:44.879session for the first time in over 20

00:03:46.590years

00:03:47.129Zelda seems to respect its players no

00:03:49.290more annoying tutorials everything is

00:03:50.940taught to you implicitly or as you go

00:03:52.680along the players own curiosity and

00:03:54.599drive or what are used to substitute for

00:03:56.699the explanation for the my notice of

00:03:58.530things being set open in the world is a

00:04:01.169joyous thing with the game sheer level

00:04:03.269of interactivity and the vast expanse is

00:04:05.310available to you you've never had a

00:04:06.900shortage of things to do one of the

00:04:08.760things that people were worried about in

00:04:10.169the lead-up to the game's launch was how

00:04:11.790sparse it may possibly be the world

00:04:13.739looked a bit empty from all that we had

00:04:15.690seen in the final game this isn't an

00:04:17.880issue you run into NPCs villages and

00:04:20.370towns resources to gather animals to

00:04:22.860hunt outposts camps enemies to take down

00:04:25.800to traverse and all the while you see

00:04:27.780something else in the distance that

00:04:29.460catches your attention that you now want

00:04:31.349to move towards if you run into

00:04:33.030something hostile you take it on in the

00:04:34.800most fleshed out and challenging combat

00:04:36.599system that Zelda has ever had enemies

00:04:38.940are smart and learn on the fly trying to

00:04:40.800wriggle bomb at them they'll kick it

00:04:42.000right back at you they dodge your

00:04:43.530attacks they parry and they no longer

00:04:45.509attack one at a time instead seeking to

00:04:47.610overwhelm you in mobs and your party Oh

00:04:49.710an arsenal of weapons each controlling

00:04:51.389differently and the same abilities dodge

00:04:53.220parry sidestep attack if you time

00:04:55.409everything right possibility to unleash

00:04:57.629a flurry of attacks you give it a chance

00:04:59.520to attack with all kinds of weapons you

00:05:01.319can use one-handed sword two-handed

00:05:03.150swords boomerangs bows and arrows lances

00:05:05.699Spears and even trident each weapon you

00:05:08.129have has a certain durability after a

00:05:10.080while it will break and you can't stop

00:05:12.060that from happening this forces you to

00:05:13.770get adept with multiple different kinds

00:05:15.449of weapons and it encourages you to

00:05:16.860experiment every weapon and breath of

00:05:18.810the wild is disposable like ammunition

00:05:20.759and you're not supposed to get too

00:05:22.199attached to any one of them you're

00:05:23.639supposed to use it for as long as it's

00:05:24.930good but have a different one handy to

00:05:26.610replace it when it breaks to its credit

00:05:28.830you will find a lot of weapons in the

00:05:30.810game so you're never going to be caught

00:05:32.219without one on head by therefore

00:05:34.020trivializing weapons and making them

00:05:35.430glorified ammunition rest of the wild

00:05:37.409side steps the flaw and other RPGs where

00:05:39.300you can possibly get too powerful a

00:05:40.889weapon too early and then overpower the

00:05:42.840game and it forces its player to be good

00:05:44.759with all kinds of weapons no matter how

00:05:46.590good you get though you will die a lot

00:05:48.930breath of the while is a difficult game

00:05:50.759and everything in the game is out to

00:05:52.440kill you as mentioned the enemies are

00:05:54.150smart and ruthless but more than that

00:05:55.919it's the environment and your own limits

00:05:57.750that will do you in most of the time if

00:05:59.849you're going to place too cold for

00:06:01.080instance you'll get hypothermia and

00:06:02.729start losing health until you die or

00:06:04.349dress them more warmly if you're

00:06:06.330standing on a slope and it starts

00:06:07.740raining you lose your footing and slip

00:06:09.659and fall if you try to get too ambitious

00:06:11.639with some clip you want to scale you'll

00:06:13.560find yourself out of stamina causing you

00:06:15.360to let go and fall to your death

00:06:16.680and if you go underprepared into any of

00:06:18.539the game's glorious boss battles which

00:06:20.159flop and feel right at up Dark Souls

00:06:21.690then you will get your ass handed to you

00:06:23.580oh yes there are bosses

00:06:25.319there are also dungeons not as many in

00:06:27.180previous games most of the dungeons and

00:06:29.129breath of the wild art shrines which are

00:06:30.840small self-contained puzzle rooms

00:06:32.370equivalent to one or two rooms in the

00:06:34.259dungeons in previous Elder games but

00:06:36.360there are some of them I won't tell you

00:06:37.800how many so you can discover for

00:06:39.029yourself

00:06:39.479and these dungeons are unlike anything

00:06:41.069you've ever seen before freed from the

00:06:43.229constraints of having to be designed

00:06:44.759around one item you get all your

00:06:46.439essentials bilities in the opening

00:06:47.879section of the game they are vast and

00:06:49.740massive gigantic moving structures that

00:06:52.110require full spatial and contextual

00:06:54.089awareness as well as some ingenuity of

00:06:55.800the box thinking simply getting to them

00:06:57.990requires planning an effort and some

00:06:59.639very cool stuff these moments and when

00:07:01.169you're finally in one you're treated to

00:07:02.729some of the best design areas in the

00:07:04.559game which given just how well designed

00:07:06.479the game is in general it was really

00:07:08.129saying something the dungeons are

00:07:09.689inextricably tied to the game story

00:07:11.490which is surprisingly complex for a

00:07:13.110Zelda game breath of the wild is set in

00:07:14.849a post-apocalyptic Hyrule 100 years

00:07:16.919after Link's previous attempt to take

00:07:18.479down get and failed and it is a dark

00:07:20.339oppressive society constantly under the

00:07:22.499shadow of the looming calamity the game

00:07:24.539handles its storytelling largely well

00:07:26.129approaches it in a nonlinear way and

00:07:28.020delivers a narrative that ranks as among

00:07:29.849the best in the series and that fans are

00:07:31.620sure to appreciate it also helps that

00:07:33.689breadth of the wild is the most

00:07:34.740cinematic game Nintendo has ever made

00:07:36.270with full voice acting the cutscenes

00:07:38.099sweeping camera shots and some epic

00:07:40.050music to accompany on your quest as

00:07:41.819those the fact that it's written

00:07:43.020surprisingly well with sharp dialogue

00:07:44.999and all of the trademark wit that the

00:07:46.860series is known for it's also largely a

00:07:49.020beautiful game no it's not the most

00:07:51.089technically proficient game you'll ever

00:07:52.589see and as far as graphics go it can't

00:07:54.509hold a candle to something like horizon

00:07:55.919zero dawn but it's gorgeous nonetheless

00:07:58.080with a beautiful art style great dynamic

00:08:00.629lighting and shadows and an incredible

00:08:02.249draw distance at least for the

00:08:03.629environments a game simply wouldn't work

00:08:05.490if you couldn't see something in the

00:08:06.930distance far away that caught your eye

00:08:08.459that you want to make your way towards

00:08:10.289there are some framerate drops but at

00:08:12.870least on the Nintendo switch these have

00:08:14.370been largely ironed out by idea one

00:08:15.990update and when they show up they're not

00:08:17.550that distracting but ultimately the best

00:08:19.499graphics in the world can't cover for a

00:08:21.209weak core game and breadth of the wild

00:08:23.189is anything but a truly infinitely

00:08:25.469interactive world one that is limited by

00:08:27.479nothing not even your own imagination as

00:08:29.520well as all the right lessons learn from

00:08:31.439the staleness that I've begun to set in

00:08:32.819with the last few console games in the

00:08:34.440series all come together to deliver what

00:08:36.360is hands-down the most sophisticated

00:08:37.469best open-world game we've ever seen and

00:08:40.289also the best Zelda game the best

00:08:41.639Nintendo game and quite possibly the

00:08:43.560best most perfect game of all time as

00:08:45.480well that'll be it for this video if you

00:08:47.550like what we're doing please go ahead

00:08:48.779and subscribe and we'll see you next

00:08:50.670time

00:08:52.730[Music]