Cover artwork I generate from the game data. I do not use publisher artwork.
Game profile
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Link wakes up in a Hyrule reimagined from the ground up, one that radically rewards exploration instead of tying you to waypoints. Physics based puzzles and open ended approaches turn every shrine into a small puzzle box.
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What kind of game this is
At its core this is Action / Adventure, set in a fantasy world. Visually it is deliberately stylised rather than photorealistic, and the overall tone stays light and upbeat. The world is open, so wandering off and ignoring the main path is part of the deal. It rewards long uninterrupted stretches more than quick check-ins.
The difficulty is moderate and fair, demanding attention without punishing you for it. The story matters and gives the mechanics a frame, without taking over. It is a single player experience from start to finish. It is available on one platform. It is a full price release.
What stands out
- Physics based puzzles
- Completely free exploration
- No fixed path through the game
This fits you if
- exploring for its own sake is the point for you
- you enjoy being made to think
- you can sit down for a proper long stretch without interruptions
- you like getting lost and ignoring the main objective for hours
- you play alone and want a complete experience without other people
- you want something light that leaves you in a good mood
Look elsewhere if
- you only ever get short bursts of play time
- you are not willing to pay full price right now
- you want to play it side by side with someone
- you want something with real weight to it
What it costs you in time
About 50 hours in total. At three evenings a week and two hours each, you will be busy for roughly 8 weeks, or 25 sessions.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 98 out of 100, which puts it above 100 percent of the 1206 games here and at rank 3 overall. That is top tier. Only a handful of games here score higher.
For comparison, Action averages 83 points across the database, so this one sits 15 points above its own genre. The figure rests on 2952 collected ratings.
Released in 2017, so it has 9 years behind it. Usually cheap by now and the rough edges are long fixed.
The facts
- Release year
- 2017
- Genres
- Action, Adventure, Puzzle
- Playtime
- approx. 50 hrs.
- Difficulty
- Moderate, fair
- Story weight
- Present and relevant
- Play with
- Solo
- Setting
- Fantasy
- Visual style
- Stylised
- Price bracket
- Full price
- Platforms
- Switch
- Critic rating
- 98 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | 2017 | approx. 50 hrs. | 98 | Full price |
| The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom | 2024 | approx. 25 hrs. | 85 | Full price |
| The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening | 2019 | approx. 12 hrs. | 87 | Mid price |
| The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | 2023 | approx. 60 hrs. | 95 | Full price |
If you liked this, try these
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Shared: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, shorter
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Shared: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, shorter
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Shared: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- Tunic Shared: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, shorter
- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Shared: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, shorter
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD Shared: Action, Adventure, Fantasy