Review: Is Zelda: Breath of the Wild still worth playing?
Our Verdict
Though Tears of the Kingdom may be a better game, they offering distinctively unique experiences, and Breath of the Wild mustn't be forgotten, as it remains a tremendous open-world adventure that will forever be a turning point for the Zelda series.
I know you're wondering why I'm reviewing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 2023 when everyone is gushing about Tears of the Kingdom, which has just recently been released. I believe that now is the ideal moment to discuss its predecessor. Many players will undoubtedly be playing Zelda for the first time with TotK, and many more will probably be debating whether or not to pick up Breath of the Wild as well.
I won't force you to read the article all the way to the bottom to find out the answer to the issue of whether BotW is still worthwhile to play on the Nintendo Switch; the answer is yes. I am prejudiced, however, being a Zelda lover. Despite the Switch makeover, I still believe that Link's Awakening's original Game Boy version is worth playing. Majora's Mask and Ocarina of Time both still have merit in my opinion. Of course, I believe a unique, all-encompassing experience like BotW is worth playing—I even think the Zelda Game & Watch is still worth playing.
Since everyone enjoys games for various reasons—which is understandable—I'll break the game down, discuss each feature, evaluate its strengths, and, where applicable, provide a comparison to TotK.
A Story
It was sort of wonderful that Breath of the Wild was set a very long time after the other Zelda games, as there's no doubting that the multi-pronged chronology connecting all of the earlier games is a bit complicated (and no doubt, off-putting for some). Although previous games weren't necessary to understand, there were still a lot of little allusions and Easter Eggs for devoted players to find.
In this one, Ganon, now a formless, mindless evil, controls Hyrule Castle, trapping Zelda within, while Link awakens from a century-long slumber to discover Hyrule in ruins. Following a quick introduction, you are free to explore, talk to NPCs, find side missions, and seek for secrets, or you may test your skills and go directly to Ganon. You can also search for shrines to increase your health and stamina.
The fact that it occurred at such a remote point in the timeline—after Ganon had lost all of his intellect, Link and Zelda had already failed to stop him once, and Hyrule had been reduced to rubble—made it seem very dramatic when it first came out. Tears of the Kingdom gives Link a more complex goal, even if it's no longer this far-off, end point that it previously was. The setup is also incredibly intriguing, and it's unusual to be able to confront the ultimate monster anytime you choose.
The plot of BotW is very straightforward, but if you take the time to find every BotW memory location, you'll be able to access a number of cutscenes that provide an interesting history to the game. If you're looking for it, you can find a lot of it.
Map
Though TotK extends it with sky islands to explore high in the sky and other regions we won't reveal in case you haven't heard of them yet, most readers will likely already be aware that Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom share the same map. With this in mind, one may assume that the BotW offers nothing in the way of map content that is distinct from TotK.
However, I don't believe that to be accurate. After completing the new Johto area, Pokemon Gold and Silver shocked gamers years ago by letting them go to the Kanto region from Pokemon Red and Blue. Did this imply that anyone who hadn't played the Pokemon games from the first generation had no excuse to go play them? No. Likewise, this is true for BotW and TotK.
In TotK, you get to observe how Hyrule and its people have changed over time, just as you did with Kanto. I thought it was quite fascinating to see all of those changes, but you won't understand that if you haven't played BotW. But you might also have the opposite experience, which is to perceive the world as it was in the past.
BotW allows you to visit sites that have been devastated by the arrival of the Gloom and see them as they were before. Conversely, you get to see what Hyrule was like before they began to restore and repair in TotK, while the region is mostly in ruins in BotW. These little details, along with many other minor details from previous Zelda games, truly contribute to the feeling that Hyrule is a living, breathing place that evolves with time.
Viewing the previous BotW map is something you should absolutely do if you like environmental narrative and world-building.
Play Time
When compared to TotK, this is most likely the area where BotW will seem to be missing. BotW Link not be able to swim through ceilings, turn back time, or assemble anything by joining disparate materials. This will undoubtedly frustrate individuals who like creative expression. Although you can "build" things in lesser ways, nothing compares to what you can achieve with TotK.
Nevertheless, the Sheika Slate is what BOTW does have. With this, Link gains access to an entirely new set of skills, including the capacity to summon bombs at any moment, instantly form pillars of ice out of water, and freeze objects in time (by attacking them repeatedly, the cumulative effect of which is released all at once).
Except for Magnesis, which is rendered obsolete by subsequent abilities, many of the Sheikah Slate skills may be somewhat reproduced in TotK utilizing alternative resources, although you are not always able to employ them. This implies that while Link has a distinct set of abilities to use in each game, your approach to solving puzzles in each will be extremely different.
Probably the most significant difference between BotW and TotK is this. Having spent many hours playing BotW first, I was somewhat conditioned to think in terms of Link's prior game's powers whenever I approached a shrine in TotK. It's a very different experience, and that's one of the main reasons I think you should continue playing BotW after TotK.
It's essentially the same in terms of your ability to go about and explore the game anyway you like. However, one thing you'll note is that, while it's not exactly a weakness of TotK, you'll discover a far wider range of weapons available for you to use in BotW (though, of course, there's no way to personalize them with various things and resources).
BotW would have benefitted greatly from one very important quality-of-life aspect that TotK supplied. You always have a mini-map on screen that indicates which way the markers are on your map. I know some players would rather be lost in the wilderness without a mini-map than stop and look at the whole map, but I would personally find it difficult to get used to BotW's pre-mini-map days after TotK.
Last but not least, Link has the opportunity to purchase a motorcycle (the Master Cycle Zero) and explore the Hylian plains on it thanks to the BotW DLC. Even if you can create a ton of your own cars, it would have been awesome to have the Master Cycle return even though this isn't in Total War.
Visuals
I'm not a graphics snob; I play games on my NES, Game & Watch, and Game Boy on a daily basis. All that being said, I believe BotW looks awesome. It resembles a Studio Ghibli film transformed into a three-dimensional scene. While several 2017 games that aimed for a more realistic aesthetic haven't held up as well, BotW's artistic direction ensures that it looks fantastic even today.
To be sure, TotK seems somewhat better, but not much. You would probably assume they looked similar unless you were really seeking to compare them. Although there are little details, such as moss on the walls, that make TotK seem even more beautiful than BotW, I would be shocked if someone felt BotW looked awful in addition to TotK.
Bosses and enemies
Zelda video games are well-known for their assortment of bizarre and fantastical adversaries. It's fair to say that one of the main complaints against BotW is that there wasn't much variation in the enemies it faced. It's true that there aren't many distinct adversaries depending on the map's many regions (such as mountains, deserts, snowy wastelands, etc.); instead, there are a select few foes that you'll face again. The enemy selection never came to the point where I was sick or tired of it, but I did find myself wishing for encounters with stuff like Like Likes and ReDeads, which both come back to TotK.
There's no question that players who began with TOTK will find the limited enemy pool to be a bit disheartening. At least you'll have the visual distinction between them all in BotW and TotK to prevent the impression that you're only seeing a small percentage of TotK's adversaries.
Soundtrack
Some people undoubtedly thought that BotW's music wasn't as good as previous games' when it was first released. I disagree; I believe the music is appropriate for a different kind of game. The game's composers, Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata, and Hajime Wakai, did a fantastic job of bringing the beauty and isolation of the Hylian wilderness to life via their music.
Since music is such a personal taste, I won't compare the soundtracks of BotW and TotK directly, but I do believe they both sound amazing. It's really the right type of music to listen to when hiking with Link throughout the vast Hylian fields, and it's fantastic when you can simply hear the ambient sounds of nature at times.
In addition, the game that brought us Kass' Theme—such a lovely piece of music—was BotW.
Conclusive Opinion
Tears of the Kingdom was a great game, but The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild tries something new, so it's definitely not nearly as excellent. It will always be remembered as a historic game as it was the first Zelda title to employ the gameplay mechanic that, let's hope, will be carried over into many more games in the future.
It is not attempting to accomplish the same goal as TotK, despite their many similarities. Rather of thinking, "Let's do the same thing, but better," I believe the TotK creators were thinking, "How can we turn this winning formula into something new?" while they were creating the game.
Therefore, play BotW again if you're fresh to the series via TotK and want to explore more of this environment. Even though it's brand-new and well-liked right now, as the dust settles, I have no doubt that some fans will support BotW as the better of the two.
Although I won't be one of them, I can understand why some individuals will innately appreciate the way things are done in BotW since it's enough different. Regardless, it has a particular place in my heart and should always be regarded as one of the greatest Zelda games.