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[Dystify]

We have been waiting for this moment for a very long time. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will finally release! Welcome to the review thread for this exceptional game.

Please PM me or send me a message/tweet on Twitter if you want your professional review added to this list. If possible, include your quote of choice from the review so I can put it here.

Nintendo Switch Preview Thread | Nintendo Switch Review Thread

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Official Thread | Preview Thread | Spoiler Thread (Please do not post spoilers anywhere but in the spoiler thread.)

METACRITIC (98 from 63 reviews) | OPENCRITIC (98 from 53 reviews)

Written Reviews

• IGN | 10/10
  

  The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a masterclass in open-world design and a watershed game that reinvents a 30-year-old franchise. It presents a wonderful sandbox full of mystery, dangling dozens upon dozens of tantalizing things in front of you that just beg to be explored. I've had so many adventures in Breath of the Wild, and each one has a unique story behind what led me to them, making them stories on top of stories. And even after I've spent more than 50 hours searching the far reaches of Hyrule, I still manage to come across things I haven't seen before. I'll easily spend 50 to 100 more trying to track down its fascinating moments.

• Eurogamer | Essential
  

  All that has been either swept aside or remade from first principles. It's hard to overstate the courage and conviction with which producer Eiji Aonuma, director Hidemaro Fujibayashi and their team have rewritten their own work, and the size of the risk Nintendo has taken with a beloved property. Breath of the Wild isn't just the most radical departure from the Zelda tradition in its 30-year history, it's the first Nintendo game that feels like it was made in a world where Half-Life 2, Halo, Grand Theft Auto 3 and Skyrim happened. It's inspired by those greats and others, but it doesn't ape them any more than it rests on its own laurels. And if we're talking inspirations, we have to recognise one game above all others, an uncompromising adventure from 1986 that dared to take gaming off the rails, that put a whole world beyond the TV screen and invited the player to explore it: the original Legend of Zelda.

• GameInformer | 10/10
  

  Breath of the Wild is an achievement in the design of a living world. Hyrule is massive, with multiple environmental systems layered on top of a grand adventure. The only technical issue I encountered was one related to the framerate when fighting multiple enemies in busy forests. Despite the massive scope of the game, Breath of the Wild retains Nintendo's knack for polish without any major technical hiccups to disrupt the experience. I was entranced by this version of Hyrule, and it surprised me at nearly every turn, from its wealth of discoveries to the way it shuns the established tropes of previous Zelda games. It represents a profound new direction for one of gaming's best franchises and a new high point for open-world interactive experiences.

• GameSpot | 10/10
  

  No matter how gorgeous its environments are, how clever its enemies are, and how tricky its puzzles get, the fact that Breath of the Wild continues to surprise you with newfound rules and possibilities after dozens of hours is by far its most valuable quality. It's a game that allows you to feel gradually more and more empowered yet simultaneously manages to retain a sense of challenge and mystery--which, together, creates a steady, consistent feeling of gratification throughout the entire experience. Breath of the Wild is a defining moment for The Legend of Zelda series, and the most impressive game Nintendo has ever created.

• Kotaku | Open-world perfection
  

  And as you talk about Breath of the Wild with your friends, there's one word that will rarely if ever come up: ”can't." Stories about the new Zelda will instead revolve around what you can do. How you climbed all the way to the top of the Temple of Time just for kicks, or how you parachuted down to the lowest point of Hyrule to see what kind of secrets you'd find there. How you found a brilliant method to brute-force your way through the freezing, snowy mountains, or how you set a forest on fire just to see if you could.
  
  Or, how you tried something as ridiculous as flipping over a maze so you wouldn't have to solve it, and the game somehow let you finish the puzzle anyway. Breath of the Wild is the best Zelda game to date, and it accomplishes that simply by saying yes.

• GiantBomb | 5/5
  

  Nintendo may have changed so many long-standing traditions of the Zelda franchise, but the spirit of discovery is as strong as it's ever been no matter your age. I didn't think I'd feel the Zelda magic this strongly ever again, but I couldn't be happier to be proven wrong.

• Press Start | 10/10
  

  The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will go down as one of the best launch titles of all time. Yes, technically it's a Wii U game that was ported over to the Nintendo Switch, but Nintendo made the right decision in holding this game back. It perfectly compliments the Nintendo Switch and highlights why it has the potential to be such a great console. Many have doubted Nintendo's ability to bring this series into the modern gaming age, but they've done that and taken it one step further in creating one of the best open-world action-adventure games ever made.

• Stevivor | 10/10
  

  Breath of the Wild is The Legend of Zelda game I didn't know I always wanted until I starting playing. It's a disservice to simply label it spectacular, and ”must buy" as a Switch launch title is merely a formality. Nintendo promised a lot and left us hanging delay after delay, culminating in a cross-gen switch, but it's delivered in every sense of the word. Breath of the Wild is the best in a series that's almost never disappointed.

• GamesRadar | 5/5
  

  The series has always had something of a fairytale quality to it - its grand landscapes and worlds suggestive of so much more. The sight of dawn over a shimmering lake. The rolling plains of Hyrule Field stretched out beneath you. It speaks to our imaginations, calling us on to adventure. What a familiar feeling to look across Hyrule Field at Death Mountain, wondering what it would be like to climb it. What a profound thrill to make that journey in its entirety. It has taken 18 years, but Nintendo has done it again: this is the adventure game to beat.

• Wccftech | 9.8/10
  

  Minor technical problems aside, this is one of gaming's greatest and most storied series returning with something we've never seen before. Breaking all the conventions of the series, and even a few general gaming conventions, Breath of the Wild is essential for any self-respecting gamer. A new bar has been set in open world gaming.

• GameCentral for Metro | 10/10
  

  In Short: The best Zelda there's ever been, and very possibly the best video game ever made.

• Trusted Reviews | 5/5
  

  If there's a better game out there than Breath of the Wild, I haven't played it. Nintendo has created, for me, the greatest game of all time. It's everything I want from a game and one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had.
  
  With the incredible variety of gameplay on offer, it's understandable why Nintendo cleared the Switch launch schedule for Zelda. There's a good chance you'll be absorbed in everything it has to offer all the way up until the release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
  
  For me, there isn't a better experience to be found on the Switch or anywhere else.

• USGamer | 5/5
  

  The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an amazing game. As someone who loves open-world games, this is one of the best out there. As someone who enjoys the Zelda series, I honestly think I can say the same thing again. Nintendo has brought together a number of different ideas and mechanics, but integrated them into something that stands on its own. It's the kind of game where I don't want Nintendo to do something completely different for the next Zelda. I want more of this.

• NintendoLife | 10/10
  

  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.

• Destructoid | 10/10
  

  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.

• Polygon | 10/10
  

  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.

• Nintendo Insider | 10/10
  

  It was said that Nintendo Switch has inherited DNA from each of the many hardware systems that Nintendo has released. In a similar sense Breath of the Wild, while successfully breaking from many long-held conventions, is still built around familiar ideals that saw everyone fall in love with the series in the first place.

• VentureBeat | 100/100
  

  Zelda's problems are tiny, and they look even smaller next to the its gigantic accomplishments. Nintendo has made a special video game in Breath of the Wild. As the name suggests, it is a breathing wilderness that Nintendo brought to life by abandoning the structured, predictable Zelda formula. At the same time, it feels like the ultimate culmination of the ideas we encountered in the first Zelda in 1987. And I think the result of all of its interlocking systems is a game that wants to slam you with moments of epiphanies. For me, my experience with Link's Awakening was about getting that one major flash of insight and then using that to understand the rest of the game and then the rest of the Zelda series. For Breath of the Wild, Nintendo made a game that could replicate that moment over and over.

• The Guardian | 5/5
  

  But the shrine is a fast travel point, offering you the ability to divert from the trek and easily resume it at a later date. And now you've got a hundred rupees, you can entice a Great Fairy out of her hiding place. So you head over there, and chat to her, discovering that she'll enhance your armour. But you need a few more Hightail Lizards to do so – and so you put the trip to Zora's Domain on hold again, just for a few more minutes ...
  
  You look up, and it's five hours later, and you don't care.

• TIME | 5/5
  

  Though in the end, most of what drives Breath of Wild to soar the highest this series ever has, comes down to quintessential Nintendo: daring to zig where others zag, crafting a sublime experience that's also a virtuoso commentary on the yin-yang of freedom and constraint. That an odyssey this beguiling and capacious happens to also be playable on planes, trains and, yes, the toilet, is almost beside the point.

• Cubed3 | 10/10
  

  Nintendo has outdone itself with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - absolutely sublime work.

• IBTimes UK | 5/5http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/legend-zel...ines-adventure-open-world-masterpiece-1609176
  

  In reinvigorating the Zelda series, Nintendo has rediscovered what gave it life all those years ago, capturing a spirit of adventure that flows through Breath of the Wild like the breeze on Hyrule's fields. Link and Princess Zelda's battle to save Hyrule and vanquish evil has rarely felt like such a personal journey, thanks to a masterful game defined by its peerless, charming and truly beautiful setting. A masterpiece.

• WIRED | No score
  

  I haven't finished Breath of the Wild yet. It's scale is unprecedented for a Zelda game, and it encourages you to move slowly. I want to honor that. And while I fear that the sheer breadth of the experience might ultimately push some players away, I'm relishing my time spent in this hushed, half-dead Hyrule. After thirty years of The Legend of Zelda, I'm delighted that the series has finally lost its way again.

• God is a Geek | 10/10
  

  I do not say this lightly: Breath of the Wild is an absolute masterpiece, and may well be the best The Legend of Zelda game ever made. Having grown up playing those first games as a child on a system I remember fondly, it feels extra special to be playing a new Zelda on a new console; that I can't deny, and there are flaws (it's not perfect), but otherwise, this is everything I wanted it to be and more. I won't forget Breath of the Wild for a long time, because it's a memorable, beautiful, stunner of a game.

• AppTrigger | 10/10
  

  The Nintendo Switch, for its launch day flaws, bursts out of the starting gate with a title like Breath of the Wild, to say nothing of the Wii U version. It's beautiful, emotional, full of surprises and nostalgia, and just flat-out enjoyable to play at every moment. While I have played open world titles before, Breath of the Wild gave me a new sense of control over how my adventure played out, offering me a steady flow of chosen objectives and paths to them without overwhelming me with unnecessary information or bogging me down in sidequests. Mechanically sound, aesthetically pleasing (often breathtaking), challenging but rewarding, Breath of the Wild is a joyous journey you won't want to put down, just so you can see what's on the other side of each new hill.

• We got this covered | 4.5 Stars
  

  The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a landmark achievement for both the Zelda franchise and Nintendo as a whole. It's a brave new step into uncharted territory that continues to offer surprises and challenges long into its massive running time. I can't overstate how great it is to see the Big N taking risks again — though the vast majority of them do pay off, I have to admit I felt a good deal of affection even when the chances they took fell flat. This is an adventure that people will be talking about for a long time to come, and let's hope that encourages the beloved Japanese developer to keep trying new things as it moves into a new generation of interactive entertainment.

• WWG | 10/10
  

  As I stepped into Hyrule field, swept as it was with great strokes of green and brown that signal the coming of spring, the moment occurred. It was like magic. In the real world my window was open since we had been enjoying an unseasonably warm night in Tennessee, and a steady breeze brought in the sweet fragrance of rain in the air. On my screen, as the sun dipped below some of Hyrule's grander mountain peaks, there came suddenly a great wind that swept through the fields causing all of the tall grass to lean and whisper. As if eager to join in the natural chorus, a few meditative chords spilled gently from a piano like water from a fount.
  
  I took a deep breath in, and I smelled the air around me. For a moment the outside world and Hyrule came very close, one bleeding into the other like shades of color on an artist's palette. I was completely immersed, and the experience resonated deeply in a soul spot that I hadn't felt fully present since I was a kid. I was free and on an adventure.

 

[Dystify]

• RPGSite | 10/10
  

  This is the most special game Nintendo has made in years - especially for the core game playing audience. It's certainly the most important, interesting and exciting Zelda since OoT and LttP. It is a new all-time classic.
  
  So here we are. How do you deal with a legacy like The Legend of Zelda? Turn it inside out. Borrow from others. Make something mad. And new. And old. And brilliant. I don't know how they did it either - but they did, and it works.

• TiredOldHack | No score
  

  The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild is the best Zelda game to date.
  
  The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild is the best game I've ever played in my life.

• VG247 | No Score
  

  Your jaw isn't going to drop in that Ocarina sense, but you are going to smile a lot. Hours are going to simply melt away. Polished to a ludicrous degree, this is a different kind of game but still one that gives Ocarina of Time a run for its money. After Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, which I found formulaic and awful in turn, it's quite a stunning change.
  
  The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is, without a doubt, one of the best games of the last decade. Taming that legacy seemed an impossible task, but they've done it.

• Gaming Trend | 10/10
  

  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.

• Nintendo World Report | 9.5/10
  

  Even with a few nagging issues, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild soars in a variety of incredible ways. It truly recaptures the distinct essence of the original Zelda game on NES in a way that feels warm and familiar but also exciting and new. This is an amazing, standout entry in a series with a history dotted with masterpieces. It absolutely reinvents the Zelda style while still staying true to what makes past games work so well. This is a hell of a way to kick off a new console (or close one out if you play it on Wii U), as Breath of the Wild is one of the most impressive games I've played in years.

• Telegraph | 5/5
  

  And that is Breath of the Wild all over. I went back to transport that flame before finishing this review, you know. What I expected to be a brief milk run turned into a gauntlet against a troop of rangy Moblins, a battle with the elements and even included a neat variation on the classic Zelda fire-arrow puzzle. How apt. Brilliance found in every corner.

• ShackNews | 9/10
  

  Though there are some technical issues with Breath of the Wild, they pale in comparison to the sense of wonder and adventure the title projects. By setting The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo debuted with a system seller. If you're getting a Nintendo Switch, there's simply no question of what the best bang for your buck will be in the system's early days. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a game that is meant to be loved and savored for years to come, and I'm sure it will be looked back on with as much fanfare and admiration as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Nintendo's other hallmark titles.

• DigitalChumps | 10/10
  

  This is it, folks. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is Nintendo's Magnum Opus. It's not only the best Zelda game ever created, it's also one of the very best videogames in the history of the art. Games like this are so rare that it would be impossible to classify it as anything other than a masterpiece. Experience it at all costs.

• Engadget | No score
  

  The second layer of complexity comes from points of articulation within the dungeon. Once you've downloaded its map onto your tablet, you're able to transform the layout slightly with the press of a key. In one example, this might be to change the flow of water to get wheels spinning in motion, while in others, you're able to rotate the entire dungeon on its side. The level of challenge offered isn't off the charts -- although I did get stuck for an hour by missing something blindingly obvious -- but the puzzles really encourage lateral thinking, and required me to use all the tools at my disposal to progress.

• Pockelint | No score
  

  It's an old cliché that each console generation starts with a game that sells the hardware on its own. It's also pretty much a lie. Neither the PS4 nor Xbox One launched with must-have games – they followed down the line.
  
  The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is such a game, however. It has been crafted with so much love, care and attention that you feel just as involved when playing. The sandbox you are given to play in is enormous and the game will eat time like a Sutton United goalkeeper eats pies.
  
  It is clearly the best game of the year so far, likely to be the best game of 2017 even by the end of December, and is a fine start for a games console that certainly needed one.
  
  A great Zelda game has always been synonymous with Nintendo success in the past. And for all that is good about gaming, let's hope that's the case this time too.
  
  We need Nintendo. You need Breath of the Wild.

• The Verge | No score
  

  This new direction, and shaking up of the age-old formula that has come to define the series, helps Breath of the Wild return to what made Zelda so beloved in the first place. More so than just about any game series, Zelda's heart lies in exploration, that moment of seeing a towering mountain in the distance and realizing that eventually you'll be able to reach the top. Breath of the Wild takes this idea, cuts out the fluff, and expands upon it. It pulls ideas from other games, like crafting or survival, yet makes them feel perfectly at home in its beloved universe. It's exactly the Zelda game I've been waiting for.
  
  Just watch out for lightning.

• Vooks | 5/5
  

  Breath of the Wild isn't just the best Zelda game ever crafted, it's one of the best games of all time.
  
  Hand over the crown, Ocarina of Time.

• Videogamer | 9/10
  

  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.

• Gameblog.fr | 9/10 (French)
• Jeux-Video Live | 18/20 (French)
• JeuxVideo | 20/20 (French)
• Gamekult | 9/10 (French)
• GameSource.it | 95/100 (Italian)
• Multiplayer.it | 9.7/10 (Italian)
• Spaziogames.it | 10/10 (Italian)
• NintendoOn.it | 10/10 (Italian)
• IGN Italy | 9.5/10 (Italian)
• Everyeye.it | 9/10 (Italian)
• Spieletester | 10/10 (German)
• 4Players.de | 91/100 (German)
• GamersGlobal | 9.5/10 (German)
• 3DJuegos | 10/10 (Spanish)
• GameReactor.es| 10/10 (Spanish)
• HobbyConsolas | 97/100 (Spanish)
• Meristation | 10/10 (Spanish)
• Gamer.nl | 10/10 (Dutch)
• EDGE | 10/10 (NeoGAF thread - Print magazine review)
• Famitsu | 40/40 (NeoGAF thread - Print magazine review)
• GamePro | 94/100 (NeoGAF thread - Print magazine review - German)

Video Reviews

• EasyAllies | 4.5 Stars - Excellenthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALdZyIGxux0
• GameXplain | "Liked a lot"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAGzQPNlle4&feature=youtu.be
• God is a Geek | 10/10
• Happy Console Gamer | 10/10
• Kinda Funny Games | No score
• ProJared | 10/10

Reviewers are allowed to show off new gameplay and even live stream. Be aware, as it may contain content such as villages, dungeons and more! If you'd like to experience these firsthand it may be better to just wait until you can play the game.

• Breath of the Wild on Twitch.tv
• Spieletester - 10 minutes in German

This is something new I came up with. I will steadily add new accolades to this image over time. Due to the sheer amount of reviews not all sites can be added to this picture and I will focus on major news sites. Apologies in advance.

If you use this image anywhere please give credit by linking back to this thread. Thank you.

 

[The perfect Dark]

 

[Manny Calavera]

I can't believe this is really happening.

 

[DieNgamers]

I'M IN! Let's party!

 

[dc89]

My body is Reggie.

 

[SuperRaddy]

Shaking with excitement already... im nearly 40yrs old

 

[LotusHD]

It's time.

 

[DarkLordMalik]

Let's go.

95 meta average at minimum.

 

[Aeriscloud]

YESSSSS lets do this!

 

[SRTtoZ]

Hi mom.

 

[Sky Walker]

I should be sleepin but what the hell.

 

[SinCityAssassin]

Why is Edge's Accolade so large.

 

[Shaanyboi]

 

[timshundo]

help 💀

 

[LordKano]

It's meltdown time.

 

[Spinifex]

The wind, it is... blowing.

 

[Cyborg]

How long till embargo lifts?

 

[BlueSparrow]

waiting for those 10's

 

[Fat4all]

Hopefully new reviews star rolling out rapidly, I wanna have a lot to read at work today.

 

[Tonidayo]

Okay let's do this. So t minus one hour correct?

 

[Beren the Empty-Handed]

I want this rubbed all over my body.

 

[Nightengale]

94.

 

[UrbanRats]

I think people are going to die in here, and i'm not using "die" as an euphemism for "banned"...

Spoiler

It'll probably review just fine.

 

[Coffinhal]

2/10

"Why all the grass"

 

[Freeman76]

Shaking with excitement already... im nearly 40yrs old

i am 40 years old and while not shaking with excitement...i am looking forward to grabbing this for my dusty wii u

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

Even Malo is hyped, just look at him

 

[Vecks]

Here we go!

 

[Lé Blade Runner]

The excitement is real!

 

[devonodev]

Here we go!

 

[Rynam]

How long till embargo lifts?

~1hour

 

[Jasong7777]

Let's GOOOO!!!!

 

[Dystify]

Why is Edge's Accolade so large.

That one and the one I plan to put left of the Zelda logo are bigger than the others. I felt that 10/10 from EDGE was something special. I may resize the image though if I feel I need more space.

I actually already have a pre-made version of the finished image with all logos so I can put up new versions faster.

 

[LotusHD]

Hopefully new reviews star rolling out rapidly, I wanna have a lot to read at work today.

Same lol, I've been up far too long. Though it was justified since I actually had shit to do

 

[fastmower]

Oh god. The tension in the air.

 

[T.O.P]

YES

 

[Yogg]

Alright, let's do this !

 

[i HeaR MusiC]

Haven't played a Zelda game since Windwaker... so fucking hyped!

98 meta

 

[DieNgamers]

Shaking with excitement already... im nearly 40yrs old

Haha! We are all fans, right?

 

[Nugg]

Is the embargo up already?

 

[Scum]

Shaking with excitement already... im nearly 40yrs old

 

[LotusHD]

Is the embargo up already?

56 min. left.

 

[GodfatherX]

Same lol, I've been up far too long. Though it was justified since I actually had shit to do

Refreshing your switch preorder to see if it shipped doesn't count as things to do

 

[atr0cious]

Good night and good luck, gaf. See you in the morning.

 

[Raylan]

2/10

"Why all the grass"

Polygon: "Grass not green enough. Washed-out." 2/10

 

[SinCityAssassin]

Even Malo is hyped, just look at him

Not Mucho Malo though

 

[mkvl]

The hype for this game is unreal.

 

[Garrett Hawke]

<95 meta

still gunna be fucking amazing though

 

[random25]

We'll see two kinds of meltdowns. One, when the review is below 90, and two, when the reviews are as high as 10 lol.

Let's go!

 

[Lupo]

I'm guessing it ends with a 97 metacritic rating.