The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Reviews

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is ranked in the 100th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Guardian
Top Critic
Mar 2, 2017

The Nintendo Switch launch title takes the Zelda franchise to a whole new level, producing something even greater than the sum of its finely honed parts

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10 / 10
Mar 2, 2017

The most special Nintendo game in years, Breath of the Wild is an incredibly polished mixture of myriad ideas we've seen before - but never in a package quite like this.

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Polygon
Top Critic
10 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

I guess, in the end, it's not just that Breath of the Wild signals that Zelda has finally evolved and moved beyond the structure it's leaned on for so long. It's that the evolution in question has required Nintendo to finally treat its audience like intelligent people. That newfound respect has led to something big, and different, and exciting. But in an open world full of big changes, Breath of the Wild also almost always feels like a Zelda game — and establishes itself as the first current, vital-feeling Zelda in almost 20 years.

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Eurogamer
Top Critic
Essential
Mar 2, 2017

Switch's debut and Wii U's demise are marked by a radical reinvention of The Legend of Zelda that will go down as an all-time great.

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100 / 100
Mar 2, 2017

I’ve mentioned Ocarina of Time a few times, and there’s a reason – it is the benchmark by which all other Zelda games are tested. Somehow, and beyond all of my expectations, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild exceeds that mark. I can confidently declare that Breath of the Wild is the best Zelda game ever made.

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10 / 10
Mar 2, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a landmark release for its franchise and Nintendo. It's the first time that Nintendo has truly taken on the open-world genre in a current-generation sense; in arriving late to the party, though, it embraces some strengths from top-of-the-class games while also forging its own identity. This game is a revolution for the franchise, but the Legend of Zelda essence is still there - its soul remains.The end result, then, is a captivating experience. This will be in the running as the best game in the IP's history, and it will likely be discussed as a leading contender in the broader open-world genre. Nintendo has bravely taken one of its biggest franchises in a new direction, and it's delivered a triumph.

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Mar 2, 2017

The simple fact is that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the best games ever made. It marks a turning point for the medium that will be learned from for some time. It is a system seller in every sense of the word, and if you don't already have a way to play it, you owe it to yourself to find one.

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CGMagazine
Top Critic
9.5 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a culmination of every small step Nintendo’s made with the series resulting in one of the most satisfying games I’ve ever played.

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Mar 2, 2017

Link's most ambitious adventure is one of Nintendo's crowning achievements.

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10 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

This isn't your typical boiler plate open world cash grab, rife with to-do lists and busywork. Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an evolution of the formula for both eastern and western philosophies alike, and a new blueprint.

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GameSpot
Top Critic
10 / 10
Mar 2, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is Nintendo's most ambitious and impressive game to date.

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Daily Dot
Top Critic
Mar 2, 2017

There is always something new to discover, but at your own pace. Somehow, the adventure never loses momentum over dozens of hours of exploration, the inspired design holds up, making for an unmistakable Zelda game that completely changes everything expected from the series.

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Mar 2, 2017

'Breath of the Wild' is the best launch game on Switch and unlike any Legend of Zelda game you've ever played.

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Ben Salter
Top Critic
10 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

Simply put, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the best launch title I've ever played. It's captivated me more than any game with a system launch, and it's rocketed straight into number one on my all-time favourite Zelda games. You could play it on Wii U, where it's still a fantastic game — clearly the best on the console. But it's that little bit more special to have such an amazing, massive game on a handheld system. Wherever you play, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was worth the wait.

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Unscored
Mar 2, 2017

Triumphant. Groundbreaking. The pinnacle of Zelda.

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Mar 2, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a landmark achievement for both the Zelda franchise and Nintendo as a whole.

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Emma Schaefer
Top Critic
9.5 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

While Breath of the Wild doesn't follow the standard Zelda formula, it may be the quintessential example of the Zelda spirit. With a stunningly beautiful and interactive world, surprising difficulty, and a dizzying amount of riddles and puzzles, there's no end to the secrets hidden in the vast land of Hyrule.

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9 / 10
Mar 2, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild dramatically updates this venerable and beloved series, bringing new ideas into the fold which, while seemingly taking inspiration from others, seamlessly adapts them to fit and never loses its own identity. It’s refreshingly new and familiar at the same time, making for both one of the greatest launch titles and the sweetest swan songs any console could wish for.

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9 / 10
Mar 2, 2017

By avoiding the pitfalls, other open-world adventures have made too often, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild makes itself an instant classic.

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9 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

Despite a weak performance on the TV and some unimaginative Riddles, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild presents itself as probably the best launch title of the current console generation. The enormous open world leaves little to be desired and the main quests will surely entertain you over 10-15 hours.

Review in German | Read full review