As the launch date of the long awaitedThe Legend of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdomapproaches, players have been taking a look back atBreath of the Wildand wondering which of thegames featureswill be carried over. Almost six years after the initial lunch ofBreath of the Wild, the game is still seen today as being a staple moment both in the history ofZeldagames and Nintendo games, being Nintendo’s first open world game and recognized widely for its incredible graphics, gameplay and open world.
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The incredible 19th release withinThe Legend of Zeldaseries has also been credited for the many details and features within the game, some of which are forgotten about and lost among the games more significant features. That being said, there is still a vast range of incrediblyunderrated features withinBreath of The Wild.
10Soundtrack
One spectacular yetunderrated part ofBreath of The Wildis the game’s soundtrack. The OST features 24 songs including, peaceful ambient tones to add ambiance for players simply exploring, atmospheric melodies to accompany different areas of the map and intense battle music, perfect for each enemy within the game. The OST without a doubt is beautiful, with each song fitting its setting in the game perfectly and really giving players that sense of wilderness and exploration as well as helping set the scene in new areas of the map. The music certainly adds a sense of excitement and adventure into the game for players.
Anothernotable part of this soundtrackis the nod to the originalLegend of Zeldatheme during the games ending and final battle. These theme is not present elsewhere in the game so adding it to the ending adds a sense of bittersweet nostalgia for players who have enjoyed olderZeldagames as the current one draws to a close. Needless to say, the OST is incredibly underrated.
9The Stable Dogs
These adorable dogs are a sweet addition to the game that adds a sense of life and humanity into the games NPC and stables. The fuzzy companions can be befriended by gamers with treats and can be spotted playing in the rain and chasing their tails. This small addition to the game is simple but a great one as many gamers have expressed their love for the addition of these furry friends.
Not only are the cute but the games stable dogs can also serve a purpose. When fed enough treats from the player, the dog will lead Link to a nearby chest. This adorable addition to the game is beloved by players and one that should definitely make a return for the upcomingTears of the Kingdom.
8Smoothe Gameplay
The game impressively features incredible gameplay from the storyline to the graphics. However, one aspect of the gameplay that goes underappreciated is the smoothness of the gameplay itself.Breath of the Wildis delightfully un-glitchywith few bugs, lags or glitches effecting players gameplay. This is particularly impressive given the small size of the Switch Lite console and the smaller storage within the console.
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Storage, signal and battery all have zero effect on the game with the game remaining smoothe to play from start to finish, with very few errors even being reported by players. Although some glitches have been discovered, most players use them to their advantage and find there is no effect to the gameplay and enjoyment of the game itself. Hopefully, the games sequale will remain as smoothe and easy to play.
7NPC Reactions
A simple yet funny detail within the game is how NPC’s react to different scenarios and even Links clothing! Wearing certain outfits such as the Gerudo Armor can get some funny reactions from NPC’s as the suspect Link may not be a woman after all. The Dark armor and monster masks can also give NPC’s a scare.
Other scenarios such as holding a bow to NPC’s and accidentally starting a fire can also cause a scare unsurprisingly. This small feature adds a lighthearted bit of fun into the game for gamers and is most definitely a feature that goes underrated.
6Wildlife
Breath of the Wildhas an enormous amount of animals to be discovered by players. From birds, to deer and bears, there is a huge amount of wild animals that exist in the real world within the game as well as fictional ones such as the stunning Lord of the Mountain These creatures add a sense of wilderness to the game really living up to the games title. These animals also add to the games beautiful scenery, making it appear more alive with nature yet abandoned by people, tying in with the games' storyline, suggest most of Hyrule has been abandoned since the calamity and nature has taken over.
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These animals also add to the gameplay, deer, hogs and foxes can all be hunted by players to create meals and some can even be tamed allowing players the fun of taming and riding a wild grizzly bear. Much like the stable dogs,the addition of wildlife was notnecessary yet adds a sense of realness to the game.
5Freedom Within The Gameplay
One part of the gameplay that sets it aside form many others is how free the gameplay is. Players have no deadline on finishing side quests or main quests and arefree to explorethe games map and what it has to offer at their own pace. This allows for players to play the game how they would like, wether that be speed running it or taking their time to explore every one of the games features.
This also means once the game’s main quest is finished, there is still plenty for gamers to do including shrines, side quests, collecting Korok’s and exploring. This freedom within the gameplay means players can take the time to enjoy the game and play it how they like, personalizing the games experience for every single player.
4Varied Difficulty
Another feature of the game that makes it more enjoyable for players is that the difficulty is varied meaning it is not frustratingly difficult nor too easy.ManyZeldafans will rememberthe challenge of the dreaded Water Temple, similarly there are some difficult shrines and areas such as the lost woods, however easier shrines and quests balance this out meaning the gameplay is challenging without being too frustrating.
This also adds to the games' inclusivity, meaning it is not too difficult for young players or easy for adults. Overall the varied difficulty is a great part of the game. The games DLC also offers a Master Mode for gamers looking to further challenge themselves within the game, although some would argue that master Mode strays a little close to too difficult rather that varied difficulty.
3Character Design
The incredible character design ofBreath of the Wildis a feature that has gone hugely underrated. Like withevery other game inThe Legend of Zeldaseries, the characters went under a slight redesign. InBreath of the Wild, the characters keep some of their staples including hair and height, however the characters costume are different to other games in the series. Link and Zelda’s clothes tie in nicely with the games various symbols shown in shrines and on the Sheika Slate.
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The color blue is also consistent between the characters Deruk, Link, Zelda, Mipha, Revali and Urbosa, all of which are champions in the game. This use of blue gives them a nice link to one another and sets them aside from other character in game. The outfits designed for the characters game ties in well to both older games and the setting ofBreath of the Wild.
2Side Quests
Breath of the Wildhas a huge amount of quests for players to discover and complete within the game. There are a total of 15 main quests and 76 side quests, giving the game a whopping total of 91 quests. In addition to this there are also many mini-games and other aspects of the game to enjoy such as cooking and Korok seed collecting.
This means there is alot for players to do within the game asides form the main quest and story line meaning gamers will not get bored with the game quickly. This also means there is still plenty for players to enjoy within the game once the main quest and storyline is complete.
1The Ending
One of the most important parts to any game is the ending. After so many hours of playing and getting attached to the characters and storyline, players would like a satisfying ending to round it all off so often, endings can be a hit or a miss.Breath of the Wild,however had an incredible ending.
The games end rounded the story off well, was fun to play and teased the games sequel perfectly, saying alot without saying too much. Although the game as a whole is well credited for how incredible it is, the ending definitely deserves more recognition for how well it rounds of such a great game.
Breath of the Wildis available now on the Switch store andTears of the Kingdomwill be available on the Nintendo Switch on May 12th 2023.
