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.
IGN
Top Critic
10 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is evocative, exhilarating, and a masterclass in open-world design.

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Mar 2, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild exceeds lofty expectations on the Nintendo Switch, cementing it as one of the best installments in the beloved series to-date.

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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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Mar 2, 2017

The most freeform Zelda yet, without sacrificing the charm, fun or quality you expect from the series. Nintendo’s finest work since Super Mario Galaxy.

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10 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

Breath of the Wild is a feat of design and polish. Hyrule feels like a real place, and the journey Link and Zelda undertake to defeat Ganon is compelling

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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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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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Mar 2, 2017

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

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Unscored
Mar 2, 2017

Triumphant. Groundbreaking. The pinnacle of Zelda.

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4.5 / 5.0
Mar 14, 2017

The feeling of adventure has always been present in Zelda titles, but none of the previous titles have offered the same immense feeling of freedom as Breath of the Wild. The huge world offers hours upon hours of exploration that is well worth it, but will always show the way to continue moving forward in the story at any time.

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Mar 7, 2017

Breath of the Wild isn't just one of the best Zelda titles ever made; it's something that comes along only once in a generation, and it's a game that everyone should play.

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Mar 2, 2017
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Easy Allies Review video thumbnail
Nintendo Life
Thomas Whitehead
Top Critic
10 / 10
Aug 5, 2021

Some will say, not unreasonably, that as the Wii U iteration can't fully match the Switch version in visuals and performance it should be docked a point. We understand and appreciate that perspective, but this is nevertheless a fully functional and still entrancing iteration of one of Nintendo's greatest ever games. Across dozens of hours it blends innovative ideas with established tropes, and unfolds in a manner different for everyone. The freedom, the spontaneity, and the outstanding charm and craft of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild isn't lost on Wii U.The best version of the game is on Nintendo Switch, but Wii U owners need not despair - this incredible game still has a worthy home on Nintendo's 'last-gen' system.

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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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GamesBeat
Top Critic
100 / 100
Mar 2, 2017

And while I don’t know if I ever felt like a genius while playing Breath of the Wild, I did feel like I was 11 years old and unlocking the magical secrets of Zelda all over again.

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10 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

Breath of the Wild is an absolute masterpiece, and may well be the best The Legend of Zelda game ever made. Despite a few minor technical issues, this a truly unforgettable experience.

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9 / 10
Mar 2, 2017

You know when you were a kid, in the summer, you used to have huge pretend adventures in the back garden with all your mates? Where the shed was a castle and the hedge was a jungle? And it was like really having an adventure? This is sort of like that.

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9.7 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

‎Ready for adventure once again in a unique and massive world in the skin of Link, the adventurer ready to save, once again Zelda.‎

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10 / 10
Mar 6, 2017

One of those games that you have to play. A great adventure and an excellent beginning for Nintendo's new console.

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Erik Kain
Top Critic
10 / 10.0
Mar 2, 2017

It's one of the best video games I've ever played, and is sure to keep you busy for many hours, days and weeks, exploring this vast, beautiful, unexpected world.

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